Handbook for Mortals is a 2017 young adult fantasy romance novel by Lani Sarem, first published by Geeknation Press in 2017 and subsequently mass-printed as a hardcover book.

[1] The title received media attention for its placement on The New York Times Best Seller list in 2017, as the book was not well-known, it was not readily available in brick-and-mortar stores, and the author had never published before.

She decides to leave home in the hopes of discovering her identity and breaking away from an overprotective mother, in the process joining a Las Vegas troupe of eccentric stage magicians and performers.

While alluring to men, Zade questions the prospects of a "mixed" relationship with a mortal man, and fails to get along with Sophia, one of the female performers, whom she calls ugly and treats with disdain.

This was also met with skepticism, as publisher Charlie "Spike" Trotman and bookstore owner Maryelizabeth Yturralde noted that sales of this magnitude at conventions would be unusual and would draw attention, citing that authors Neil Gaiman and George R. R. Martin would typically only sell hundreds of copies of their novels on their best days.

[20] In an interview with Lila Shapiro of Vulture.com, Sarem later admitted that she and Nicholas had hired a company, likely ResultSource, to bulk buy copies of her book but that her sales via her website and conventions were legitimate.

Sridhar criticized Sarem for not realizing "the racist implications of what it means to knock down Angie Thomas to Number 2 and Nicola Yoon completely off the New York Times bestseller list.