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The GRITS Guide to Life (Deborah Ford)

Bret Witter’s Carnival Undercover

Coming Clean (Rodney Carrington)

Books I co-wrote while working a full-time job. Not my best work, but GRITS (Girls Raised in the South, a phrase I saw on a t-shirt while visiting my family in Alabama) sold 225,000 copies.

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Dewey (Vicki Myron)

Friendships, smarts, and a stand-offish cat help save a middle-aged librarian, a library and a small Iowa town. A life changing book (for me) about how small joys and triumphs add up to a wonderful life. Plus lots and lots (and lots) of cat stuff!

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The Monument Men (Robert Edsel)

Robert Edsel had done eleven years of research on the men and women, mostly soldiers, who rescued art during World War II, but couldn't figure out how to turn it into a book. By taking a new approach to writing history, we sold 80,000 copies. Then George Clooney made it into a movie. It has now sold 900,000 copies.

 

Dewey’s Nine Lives (Vicki Myron)

There’s a Cat in the Library! (Vicki Myron)

Dewey’s Christmas in the Library (Vicki Myron)

Follow-ups to our #1 bestseller with my friend Vicki.

 

Until Tuesday (Luis Carlos Montalvan)

By putting the story of his service dog Tuesday first, Lt. Montalvan and I were able to draw readers into a deeply personal exploration of PTSD at a time when the disorder was widely disparaged and misunderstood.

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A Golden Voice (Ted Williams)

A harrowing exploration of homelessness from a crack addict who spent 20 years on the streets before going viral while begging on the side of a road in Columbus, Ohio.

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Tuesday Tucks Me In (Luis Carlos Montalvan)

Tuesday Takes Me There (Luis Carlos Montalvan)

How can you not make children’s books, when you have an incredible golden retriever and a touching friendship between man and dog?

 

Until I Say Good-bye (Susan Spencer-Wendel)

A young mother of three with ALS spends the last year of her life taking a special trip with the seven most important people in her life. Heartbreaking – especially for me, because I spent that year with Susan, and she was incredible – but hopeful. If Susan can enjoy life every day, when the only part of her body she has complete control over is her right thumb, what are you waiting for?

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Santa Claus is for Real (Charles Hall)

My emotional step-back after a year with Susan, a light-hearted “mostly-true” story about the man who plays Santa at Radio City Music Hall. Turned out to be about (among other things) a man learning to forgive his abusive father. My dad’s favorite book.

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Shadow War (Sean McFate)

Deep Black (Sean McFate)

We weren’t allowed to write about a mercenary's real experiences overseas (national secrets, etc) and his eventual disillusionment, so we decided to fictionalize them.

 

Stronger (Jeff Bauman)

Jeff lost  both his legs in the Boston Marathon bombing; this book is about his year of frustration, pain, recovery and acceptance. Written in 10 weeks and published on the one-year anniversary of the bombing, this isn’t the story of a hero. It’s the story of a regular guy reluctantly caught up in something bigger than himself. It was turned into a great movie (in my opinion) starring Jake Gyllenhall.

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The Master Plan (Chris Wilson)

Chris was sentenced to life in prison at 17. He was lost and violent. He deserved to be punished. But not like that. You have to read what he has done with his life since. Chris inspires me every day.

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Pure Heart (Troy Ball)

A woman starts moonshining to pay for her children’s medical care.

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Backroads Boss Lady (Jessi Roberts)

I love Jessi – abandoned child, twice divorced mother, most intuitively insightful person I’ve ever met – and her against-the-odds story of creating a successful business catering to rural women from her tiny, tiny Idaho town, but man, we botched the title. Sorry, Jessi.

 

I See You, Survivor (Liz Ianelli)

If you’re here now, you’ve probably heard about this book, so you can guess how much it means to me. Please help us complete Liz’s mission to shut down the Troubled Teen Industry and stop this institutionalized, for-profit abuse of America’s children.

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Acres of Heroes (Robert Edsel)

Another untold World War II story written with my old friend Robert Edsel from The Monuments Men. Look for it in April 2025.

 

If you’ve gotten this far, and you still care, you can contact me here: bretwitter@gmail.com. I have social media, but I never check it, so I will never see your message there. I don’t take book writing requests. If you think you have a story worth publishing contact my agent, Daniel Greenberg.