Print Run Podcast

In the wake of the still-unfolding RWA mess, we share our perspectives on what’s gone so badly wrong, and why we feel these problems are--at least in part--intrinsic to the sort of writing institution that RWA has become. From there, we talk about what large writing associations should pay careful attention to as they build, so as to root out the sorts of problems we’re seeing now.

It’s a pretty loose one this week. We talk about where we’re at as we draw toward the end of the year, share some memories from the year, give a delicious recipe for Oreo balls, it’s a whole thing. Come hang out; pretty easy listening today.

This week we talk through the reason for the season, in this stretch after National Novel Writing Month--self-editing and evaluation, and how to decide when something is ready to show others and progress in the publishing process. Join us for a conversation on how we make those calls in our own work, and ways you can see your own writing in that more detached, professional light.

This episode covers an interesting recent piece on the continual publishing of right-wing garbage books, how best to design a contest or grant for marginalized creators (and how that project can go awry), and a To Loon It May Concern about how authors with big platforms should behave online. Join us!

After checking in on #NaNoWriMo, we talk about the recent PW article that wondered aloud whether publishing is “too top-heavy.” It is, but not for the reasons the article suggests! Then we debut our rousing new segment titled “Laura’s Tinfoil Hat,” which is exactly what you think it is, and close with a To Loon It May Concern.

This week we talk about the new California law that’s supposedly designed to help freelancers, but in practice will further devalue their work and the work of staff writers at publications. From there, we talk about a discussion about Netflix that stemmed out of the Frankfurt Book Fair—are they competitors or allies in publishing? As ever, you can submit materials to our special shows at printrunpodcast@gmail.com. New Patreon shows coming soon!

After a quick response to the Booker award announcement and a note on censorship, today we talk about the unique dynamic of people in publishing also being creators who get published. What can be learned from people who work in publishing and also write? What does it show us about the industry? Finally, we close the week with a TLIMC about how conscientious book-buying. Join us!

This week’s discussion is centered on the idea of long versus short-term expectations in artistic careers, the pressures that make thinking about both difficult, and the role agents play in helping writers see beyond the most immediate project. Also included: a check-in on the Audible case, layoffs at Sports Illustrated, and a thought on EU tariffs and books.

We’re back from Nashville, where we attended the Digital Book World conference! We talk about what we saw at the conference and recap the evening in which we were lucky enough to walk away with a podcasting award. It’s a convo about the state of political nonfiction, brown drinks, the internet, and the publishing job market. Join us!

After quickly running through the publishing news of the past few weeks and deciding whether each thing is Good or Bad, we talk about some news of our own: as of today, we’ve launched our own agency and are open for business. We talk a little about our new agenting home, and then get into a To Loon It May Concern about power dynamics, respect, and agent etiquette online. Join us!

This week we talk about how the new emphasis on preorders for book sales has changed the way books are purchased, discussed, marketed, and evaluated by publishers. It’s a self-reinforcing feedback loop between publishers and book buyers, and it’s a trend with weird ramifications. Then, we talk through the idea of “crossover” books--who creates them, publishers or readerships? In all, it’s an episode about the interactions between the people selling and the people buying books, and how that interaction ends up changing the books themselves.

After a rousing conversation about 1) pie and 2) the joys of novels that can’t be made into good movies, we talk about Macmillan’s new decision to restrict library purchases of ebooks. The (questionable) choice leads to some fundamental questions about the publishing and reading landscape: do libraries help or hurt publisher sales? How does an ebook differ from a print book, in terms of library usage and even just as a product bought and sold?

That classic online book retailer / Pentagon contract candidate is at it again, folks. With the announcement of Audible’s new audiobook feature called “Captions,” we talk about how it mostly amounts to an audacious rights infringement, one that fits perfectly in line with Amazon’s larger cohesive project of devaluing books as a means of swallowing the industry whole. We discuss the possible strategies behind rolling out something as nakedly infringing as this feature, and then look at another news item this week--Dean Koontz signing a five-book deal with Amazon as his publisher--to talk about where everything is at and where we go from here.

It’s hot and muggy out, and we use that as an opportunity to examine one of publishing’s oldest pieces of conventional wisdom, that the industry grinds to a halt in the summer. We discuss how, rather than truly slowing down, the work over summer in books changes; we talk about soft pitching, research, conferences, and the other things that make publishing not a seasonal industry but one with a rhythm we’ve all come to rely on. Also, Laura is hopelessly hooked on a phone game and we try to Work Through That.

Hello from the recording studio, where a large paint job is in progress--but it’s only making the takes stronger. Today we talk about the recent New York Times article about the rampant fraud and counterfeit problem on Amazon, and then contrast it with a GOOD publishing thing, the success of Minotaur Books and their fascinating approach to achieving it. Plus a To Loon It May Concern at the end. Join us! Special episodes for June are out already, and July’s are on the way. As always, you can send us stuff at printrunpodcast@gmail.com.

...It’s a big, open-ended question, but it’s one we ask ourselves this week with regard to how the role of agents and agencies could shift to meet the needs of modern publishing. We talk through some big ideas and some small tweaks, and have a wide-ranging conversation on how agenting could look different--for both agents themselves and the authors they work with.

This week, in light of the Natasha Tynes story, we discuss the trend of books being canceled by publishers due to bad behavior online by their authors. In a time when authors often find themselves harassed online with the intent of driving them off platforms or costing them opportunities, how can we make sure that decisions in response to internet outrage are made properly and based on the right reasons? Do publishers really have a track record that should make us trust them in some of these values judgments? Also included is a quick conversation about the recent sale of Barnes and Noble.

This week we’re joined by literary critic and editor Nathan Goldman to talk about the current state of book discourse, and the role literary criticism plays in the broader publishing ecosystem, especially in the age of Goodreads and Amazon consumer reviews. We discuss blurbs, boosterism, book twitter, the importance of “negative” or nuanced reviews, and how editors decide what gets reviewed and when. It’s a fun conversation that takes good stock of the patterns of contemporary book discussion, so be sure to tune in!

After a few weeks of covering various bits of doom and gloom in the publishing world, people asked us: “why would you or anyone want to take part in this industry?” That’s actually a very good question, and in this episode, which fixates on what we find hopeful about the book world as it currently exists, we try to answer it. We get into why we stick around, what motivates us in the book world, what points of light we see on the horizon. Join us and hopefully you’ll feel good too.

We recorded in the morning this time, and the results… the results are something. In light of publishers turning down Woody Allen’s memoir, we talk about the publisher role as tastemaker--and how far too often and increasingly frequently, they choose to abdicate that responsibility. We also talk about a new interesting copyright protection act for small creators, as well as a new troubling shakeup in the book-distribution landscape. Join us!