Doing the math for publishers since 2002
What do you do when someone starts talking about your book on Twitter or Goodreads? How do you handle engaging with good faith vs. bad faith criticism, private or public? Jane Friedman of The Hot Sheet to chat with Joe and Elly about the pros and cons of critical feedback. Stay tuned for more episodes … Read more
Strengthen your sense of place, get to know your local landscape, and up your foraging game with Maggie Herskovits, whose book An Urban Field Guide to the Plants, Trees, and Herbs in Your Path was recently published. Elly and Joe discuss this delightful and practical illustrated field guide with Maggie on this week’s edition of … Read more
How do you raise your kids to be functional adults with big hearts, especially in the current timeline? This week on the podcast, Bonnie Scott and Dr. Faith, authors of Unf*ck Your Parenting, join Joe and Elly to talk about the book’s journey and what’s new, respecting your kid, book bans, and more. Stay tuned … Read more
This week on the pod, Elly, Joe, and Bernie are joined by Jelani Memory of A Kids Co! They talk about taking making your press an imprint of a larger publisher instead of just having it distributed, sticking to your mission during the process, and making your business like a cockroach (unkillable!). Read about the … Read more
Publishing changes all the time. Reader tastes shift, markets move, sometimes the memoir you’re reading was actually about Jesus all along. This week on the podcast, Joe and Elly hang out with The Hot Sheet’s Jane Friedman to talk about the shifts they’re seeing in publishing deals, acquisitions, and tastes. Stay tuned for more episodes … Read more
Joe, Elly, and Bernie sit down with Karen Krebser, author of Tarot Through the Witch’s Year, to chat about tarot in dark times, how to reconcile your practice with your privilege, tarot spreads for diving the future of publishing, and a bit of the history of tarot. Stay tuned for more episodes of the “A … Read more
It’s another throwback episode! A few years ago, Joe and Elly sat down with sales rep extraordinaire Kurtis to talk about how reps get books into stores. Learn about cover appeal, sales conferences, how store buyers see the books… and that’s just the first five minutes. It’s an oldie, but an eternally useful goodie of … Read more
How does a small press hire a sales rep? Do you even NEED a rep? This week on the pod, Joe and Elly talk about how Microcosm decided to work with reps, and how to find the reps that will work for you. Stay tuned for more episodes of the “A People’s Guide to Publishing” … Read more
Chris Vega of Blue Cactus Press came to hang out with Joe and Elly and talk about common misconceptions in publishing. We’re pretty unique, but also we can be just as boring with other publishers, having to deal with zoning issues, delusions of grandeur, print runs, and more. Prefer an audio experience? Listen to the episode … Read more
On Black Friday of 2024, Taylor Swift released “The Eras Tour Book” exclusively through Target. Does it count as a book, though? And what does it mean for the publishing industry as a whole? Jane Friedman of “The Hot Sheet” is back with Joe and Elly to give her thoughts on book-shaped objects. (Note: This … Read more