A People's Guide to Publishing

We tried a new thing! Marketing Manager Abby (hi) recently did a presentation for some of our store and library customers, featuring some of our new titles, old favorites, and insights on what The People are buying these days. Elly also joined us for a few minutes to run through our fun new buying portal for stores. It was a good time. We might even do it again! ************ Thank you for watching...

Tariffs! We've talked a lot about how they affect American bookstores and publishers. But what has the impact been for our neighbors to the North? Our friend Kim Werker of Nine Ten Publications sat down with us to talk about being a niche publisher in Canada, how knowing who you are makes you a better publisher, and of course, tariffs. ************ Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publ...

Publishing a book can feel like this insurmountable wall that you have to climb over while also screaming that your writing is valid. How can publishers make it more accessible to writers, from submitting a manuscript to marketing? ************ Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episodes every Thursday about publishing, authors, and the book industry. Yo...

Does author marketing have an impact on sales? Can you move the needle yourself, or do you need to rely on your publisher for all of your marketing and outreach? There is a lot of conflicting information out there, and Jane Friedman of the Hot Sheet is back on the pod this week to talk it out with us. ************ Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episo...

How do you "make your books get found" (as Joe puts it)? This week it's a throwback to Joe and Elly chatting about marketing your book, search engine optimization, good description writing, and more. If you like this one, check back more for a deeper dive into marketing talk! ************ Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episodes every Thursday about p...

Every day for 25 years, Ben Snakepit has drawn a simple, 3 panel comic about his day. There's no overarching plot or theme, just Ben answering the question "what did you do today?" But answering that question daily for half his life (and collecting them in volumes) has led to insights about himself, the world, and what it means to live each day.  This week on the podcast, Ben joins Joe and Elly to...

So you're a publisher with a brilliant idea for a writer you want to work with. How do you start that conversation? Is it even worth having? This week on the pod, Joe and Elly share a bit of their experiences on getting authors to write for them, and how it can be structured. ************ Thank you for listening to the People's Guide to Publishing podcast!  We post new episodes every Thursday abou...

Readers love knowing what to expect from a publisher. Having consistent theming in your titles can help with discovery, trust, and bringing readers back for more. But how do you find your theme? And what happens if you want to diverge from your theme? Jelani Memory of A Kids Co is back on the pod this week to talk about it!

How do you market your press? It's not just social media and newsletters. Everything from your cover design, format choices,  to who is on your marketing team tells the story of your publisher. Jane Friedman is back to talk to Joe and Elly about staying true to your brand and representing your press. ************ Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episod...

AI has been a topic of near-constant debate in publishing the last few years. Is it a great democratizer, making writing, editing, and publishing accessible to everyone? Or is it just adding lower-quality, uncreative slush to the pile?  This conversation became even more prominent a few months ago with the launch of Spines, a company that says "harnessing the power of cutting-edge AI, Spines revol...

Book bans have seen an astronomical increase in the last few years. How are they impacting the book industry, booksellers, and publishers? We had the opportunity to chat with book professionals at a recent conference about what alarms them about book bans, their experiences, what kinds of books are banned, and what we can do to fight bans and challenges ************ Thank you for tuning into the P...

Running out of books is a good thing, actually! Jelani Memory of A Kid's Co is back with Joe and Elly to talk about what to do with excess inventory, donating overstock vs pulping, and how "you can't sell what you don't have" usually doesn't apply to books. ************ Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episodes every Thursday about publishing, authors,...

Print-on-demand books have been called cheap, low quality, and the publishing equivalent of fast fashion. But is that true? What are the upsides of publishers using POD? How do publishers know if POD is the right call? Jane Friedman of The Hot Sheet is back to talk about it! ************ Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episodes every Thursday about pu...

Just in time for spring, we're talkin' bugs! They're everywhere, whether you like it or not. And they're honestly cool little critters. "Bug Life" author Karyn Light-Gibson joins Joe and Elly this week to talk about entomology, the importance of maintaining bug populations, how the book could have been much, MUCH longer, and fun insect facts. Get Bug Life on our website: https://microcosmpublishin...

Jelani Memory (of DK Publishing and A Kid's Co) is back to talk about The Workshop Method, how Kid's Co is able to get subject matter experts to write quality kidlit, often in under a day. With over 200 books under their belt that have been created through the Method, it's a proven successful way to get words on pages to help kids learn. ************ Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Pu...

How will Trump's tariffs affect books? Broadly, not much, especially if you're doing a lot in house, but there are still a few things you might want to know.  Fun fact: This episode was originally recorded in 2018, and focuses more on tariffs in China, but time is a flat circle and we've come right around to it being relevant again.  ************ Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publis...

How do you handle negative book reviews? *Should* you even handle them? What kinds of criticism do you engage with, and what's the best way to go about it? Jane Friedman of The Hot Sheet to chat with Joe and Elly about the pros and cons of critical feedback. ************ Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episodes every Thursday about publishing, authors...

You likely pass all kinds of plants and herbs in your day to day. But do you know who they are? Where they come from? Maggie Herskovitz can help! Her new book, "An Urban Field Guide to the Plants, Trees, and Herbs in Your Path" recently released, and this week on the pod she joins Joe and Elly to talk about the book's story, cover design, and how she got into plant identification. Grab a copy of "...

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.  Get Unf*ck Your Parenting on our website: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/7026

It's episode 300!  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!).

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. Get a copy of Tarot Through the Witch's Year here: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/12781

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 an episode!

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.

Chris Vega of Blue Cactus Press is back to talk common publishing misconceptions! Zoning issues, delusions of grandeur, printing—learn what makes us unique (and also just as boring as other publishers).

On Black Friday of 2024, Taylor Swift released "The Eras Tour Book" exclusively through Target. But is it a book? What's the appeal? Who is the audience? Was it unfair to cut out indie bookstores from one of the biggest releases of the year?  Jane Friedman of "The Hot Sheet" is back with Joe and Elly to give her thoughts on book-shaped objects. Note: This episode was recorded before the book actua...