A People's Guide to Publishing

This week, we pretend we're one of those "hang out and chat about whatever" podcasts, because it's time for Dr. Faith's long-awaited return to the pod!  Join Dr. Faith, Joe, and Elly while they answer reader questions, her upcoming books, surviving the holidays, and more. There are always shenanigans when Dr. Faith comes around, so we hope you have as much fun as we did. (If you're wondering what'...

For a lot of publishers, landing a book on the New York Times Bestseller list is THE goal. How did a small press like Collective Book Studio end up with a title on the most iconic bestseller list in the US? Angela Engel from had a chance to hang out with Joe for a few minutes at a recent conference to talk tell the story.

This week on the podcast, Brooke Warner of She Writes Press and Spark Press, talks with Elly and Joe about her experience in hybrid publishing, how to tell if it's a good idea for your books, recognizing predatory publishers, and misconceptions about that particular branch of the industry.

How does a major election effect publishing sales trends?  Jane Friedman of the Hot Sheet is back to talk about how we're all doing, what's been selling, and what do we think that means. Plus, we touch on the differences between the aftermath of the 2016 election vs this year.

Publisher/author relationships are just like any other relationships— they need care, communication, and understanding. This week on the pod, Chris Vega of Blue Cactus press talks with Joe and Elly about different ways to onboard authors and set expectations, how to resolve disagreements, and more.

Most publishers are most comfortable publishing to their own tastes. And from there, what’s popular but familiar. This week on the pod, we tackle the important but somewhat uncomfortable transition of publishing what you know to things that would resonate with your readers but are unfamiliar to you.

Edelweiss! It's a valuable tool for publishers, booksellers, and other industry folks. Buyers use it all the time to research and bring in books to their stores and libraries. How does a publisher break through all the noise, make their products stand out, and make sure buyers are able to easily find what they're looking for? This week on the pod, we're sharing a little bit of a presentation marke...

How does a publisher know if a distributor is working for them?  Odds are, if you're asking that question, they probably aren't! This week on the pod, Joe and Elly give you a few tips on what numbers and data points to look at, how to tell if a distributor is adding value to your enterprise, and revaluating if your contract is getting in your way. ************ Thank you for watching the People's G...

There are a lot of publishing industry news blogs, sites, and publications out there. Which ones are worth your time? Jane Friedman of The Hot Sheet is back to chat with Joe and Elly about her favorites, and which ones are best for what publishing news you're interested in. If you're looking for the link Jane references to see her follows, you can find it here: https://substack.com/@janefriedman/r...

Vertical integration. It sounds like a fancy business term, but in reality, it means keeping things in-house as much as possible to keep costs low. This week, Joe and Elly (and special guest Bernie!) take a few minutes talk about vertical integration, why we say Microcosm is vertically integrated, and how to decide if it's right for you. 

Can you judge a book by its cover? We're revisiting another classic episode this week! Joe and Elly talk about cover design, how to make a book cover stand out, and how a cover communicates to its audience. ************ Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episodes every Thursday about publishing, authors, and the book industry. You can also listen via you...

Book editing! Surely it's easy, right? Especially if you're someone who has read like, a lot of books. Nope! This week Joe and Elly talk book editing, why it's a technical skill, and how to do it right.

A reader asks a very straightforward question— why are so many books so mediocre? Is it a new trend? How do we measure quality? Jane Friedman of the Hot Sheet joins us again this week to find the answers!

Being a book editor and an author can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, you have unique insight into how a book is developed before you even get started. On the other hand, you can end up getting in your own way trying to make it "perfect".  And if you're an editor for the publisher of your own book, how do you balance that?  We sat down with Disabled Witchcraft author (and Microcosm editor!)...

Branding tells the consumer who you are, what your vibe is, and (probably most importantly) that you publish books. Past wisdom has focused on authors in the branding and marketing, but the market has since shifted to focus even more on publishers and imprints as the communication point. This week on the podcast, Joe and Elly offer their thoughts and insights on how to get started with your publis...

If you hang in certain circles, you'll frequently hear that "Publishers have all the money," which is funny because bookstores get the largest percentage of each sale. But everyone has to pay their staff and operating expenses, and often it's bewildering to watch even the revenues from your bestsellers dwindle into nothingness.  So this week on the pod, we look at that illustrious pie chart and ta...

The publishing industry invests heavily in the logic that a new book hits hard out of the gate, has a third of its total sales before it's published, a third of its sales in the following year, and the final third gradually across the lifetime of the book, until it gradually saturates and dead stalls.  The good news? It doesn't have to be this way! So this week on the pod, we look at how to make b...

You published a few books! Congrats! That's one of the most important parts of being a publisher. But... now what? How do you get your book in stores and libraries? Smoke signals? Pigeons? The answer is, as always, more simple and more complex than you would think. 

Craig Rosebraugh, author of "Burning Rage of a Dying Planet: The FBI vs. the Earth Liberation Front" sits down with us to talk about how he became the spokesperson for the ELF, the FBI faking a book deal to gain intel, and publishing controversial materials. Check out Craig's book on our website . If you have a New York Times sub, here's a link to an article about Craig's experience with the FBI.

This month for the #BookstoreSolidarityProject, we hung out with Cierra, owner of Portland-local bookstore Spoke & Word!  We talked about bookselling, strategic romance and genre placement, and how much of a fan Joe's doctor is of them. Check out Spoke & Word's site: https://www.spokeandwordbooks.com/

Boxes— they make the book world go round. Why do we have such strong opinions on boxes (and where we get them from? Why is there a cat on ours now? Let us deliver the good word and show off our new boxes.

What is hybrid publishing? What is it a hybrid between? Halfway between traditional publishing and service providing, hybrid publishers have come to mean a lot of things from a rebranded vanity publishing to a co-investment model with superior royalties and it's often difficult to tell the difference until you are familiar with the players involved. So this week Jane Friedman tackles these difficu...

Ten years later, the greatest love story every told is back. Featuring an extensive interview with Tom Neely and Justin Hall, we take a deep look at "punk rock Bert and Ernie" where our anti-heroes celebrate toxic masculinity in full color for the first time. Is that Stephen King performing a pet funeral? Is that a joke about Lemmy? How many comic sight gags can you spot in 32 pages? Justin takes...

Particularly when one comes from a conservative family and has many conversations where their beliefs are challenged, they tend to assume that the publishing landscape works the same way. This week, we answer a reader question about how to publish safely and sustainably despite one's political opinions.  ************ Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!   Get the book:...

CLASS bookstore is probably the most talked about bookseller in the U.S. in 2024. They know how to build a hype machine and get people talking about them. Publishers pressure their sales reps to get books in there. What is different about them? And the big question—how do they utilize fashion marketing to make books dope? ************ Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcas...