--- description: From picture books to psychological thrillers, here are the actors set to publish fiction books in 2017. title: Tom Hanks and 5 Other Actors Publishing Fiction in 2017 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Ideas](/section/ideas/) ## Ideas Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Books](/tag/books/) ## Books Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Tom Hanks and 5 Other Actors Publishing Fiction in 2017 by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 22, 2017 7:52 PM CUT by [Sarah Begley](/author/sarah-begley/) ## Sarah Begley Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 22, 2017 7:52 PM CUT Tom Hanks fans were delighted by the news that the actor will [publish a collection of short stories](http://time.com/4676985/tom-hanks-short-story-book/ "undefined") later this year. His debut collection, [_Uncommon Type_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1101946156/?tag=timecom-20 "undefined"), will include 17 stories, each one having something to do with a typewriter. “In the two years of working on the stories,” Hanks wrote in a statement, “I made movies in New York, Berlin, Budapest, and Atlanta and wrote in all of them. I wrote in hotels during press tours. I wrote on vacation. I wrote on planes, at home, and in the office. When I could actually make a schedule, and keep to it, I wrote in the mornings from nine to one.” But the [_Bridge of Spies_](http://time.com/4070307/bridge-of-spies-history/ "undefined") star isn’t the only actor with a book of fiction due out this year. Here are five other actors hoping for literary success in 2017, publishing everything from picture books and YA novels to urban fantasies and psychological thrillers. ### Tom Hanks, _Uncommon Type_  Allen Berezovsky—Getty Images; Knopf The actor’s collection will include stories about actors, immigrants, bowlers and billionaires, each one involving a typewriter. Hanks is a vintage typewriter collector himself, with more than 100 to his name. [_Get it Oct. 24_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1101946156/?tag=timecom-20 "undefined") ### Krysten Ritter, _Bonfire_  Krysten Ritter attends The 75th Annual Peabody Awards Ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street on May 20, 2016 in New York City. Mike Coppola—Getty Images for Peabody Awards Ritter is well versed in suspenseful plots, thanks to her roles in TV hits like _Jessica Jones_ and _Breaking Bad_. Now she’s written her own psychological thriller about an environmental lawyer who returns to her hometown to investigate a suspicious plastics company—as well as a cold case involving her high school bully. [_Get it Nov. 7_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1524759848/?tag=timecom-20 "undefined") ### Wesley Snipes, _Talon of God_  Isa Foltin—Getty Images; Harper Voyager The _Blade_ actor teamed up with author Ray Norman to write this fantasy about a society possessed by demonic forces, where two heroes step forward to take up the battle of good against evil. [_Get it July 25_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0062668161/?tag=timecom-20 "undefined") ### Chris Colfer, _Stranger Than Fanfiction_ and _The Land of Stories: Worlds Collide_  Michael Loccisano—Getty Images; Little, Brown Books for Young Readers You may know [Colfer](http://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2066367%5F2066369%5F2066418,00.html "undefined") from his role on _Glee_, but he’s also one of the most successful authors for young readers publishing today. His fairy tale-inspired, best-selling middle-grade series [_Land of Stories_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316201561/?tag=timecom-20 "undefined") will conclude in July with _Worlds Collide_. This month he’s also publishing a YA novel about a young actor who goes on a road trip with his fans, _Stranger Than Fanfiction_. _Get_ [Stranger Than Fanfiction](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316383449/?tag=timecom-20 "undefined") _Feb. 28 and_ [Worlds Collide](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316355895/?tag=timecom-20 "undefined") _July 11_ ### Andrew McCarthy, _Just Fly Away_  Taylor Hill—Getty Images; Algonquin Young Readers The _Pretty in Pink_ and _St. Elmo’s Fire_ actor has had previous literary success with his 2012 travel memoir, [_The Longest Way Home_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1451667507/?tag=timecom-20 "undefined"). Now he’s publishing his debut novel, about a 15-year-old whose world is rocked when she finds out she has a secret 8-year-old half-brother. [_Get it March 28_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1616206292/?tag=timecom-20 "undefined") ### B.J. Novak, _The Alphabet Book With No Pictures_  Andrew Toth—FilmMagic/Getty Images; Dial Books Since rising to fame on _The Office_, Novak has published a successful short story collection, [_One More Thing_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0804169780/?tag=timecom-20 "undefined")_,_ and a wildly popular non-picture book, [_The Book With No Pictures_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0803741715/?tag=timecom-20 "undefined"). Now he’s following that up with _The Alphabet Book With No Pictures_, once again teaching kids how words can be fun. [_Get it Sept. 26_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0803741723/?tag=timecom-20 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4678857/tom-hanks-book-fiction-2017/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4678857/tom-hanks-book-fiction-2017/"},"headline":"Tom Hanks and 5 Other Actors Publishing Fiction in 2017","datePublished":"2017-02-22T19:52:17.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:59:03.058Z","description":"From picture books to psychological thrillers","url":"https://time.com/4678857/tom-hanks-book-fiction-2017/","keywords":["Books"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sarah Begley","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sarah-begley/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/books/","name":"Books"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4678857/tom-hanks-book-fiction-2017/","name":"Tom Hanks and 5 Other Actors Publishing Fiction in 2017"}}]}] ```