Print Run Podcast

This episode features a crazy publishing story from Erik, along with a discussion on the apparently booming industry of dumbing down literary classics for toddlers. We also talk about our best bookstore ideas (spoiler alert: the best idea is cinnamon rolls, as is always the case). Basically, we were Very Serious the last couple weeks and wanted a fun episode this time. Enjoy!

This week, we tackle a pretty big, speculative question: if you were to start a publishing company, what would it look like? We discuss a wide range of facets to this, from editorial vision, publishing models, acquisitions strategies, building a brand, how to cut costs, and more. It's a fun episode; our hope is that more than just making some hypotheticals, we also do some spotlighting of where we...

In this episode, we discuss ways that modern publishing should address the literary canon's diversity problem. We also fight about whether or not audiobooks count as reading, because frankly we're both petty as hell. At one point we end up talking at length about mice in apartments, which Erik tries pretty hard to make relevant to books but he'll tell you, dear listener, he may not have succeeded....

Happy new year! In the first Print Run of 2017, we talk about our holiday break and Milo Yiannopoulos's controversial book deal with Simon & Schuster. We break down the backlash, the backlash to the backlash, and discuss what this deal reveals about most free-speech arguments as well as what we can expect to see from mainstream commercial publishers moving forward.

In addition to spending way too long breaking down Sara Gruen's Hatchimals scheme, we discuss the supposed "censorship" argument made by Abrams Books in light of their controversial release of Bad Little Children's Books. We also analyze the movie Elf, because it has publishing in it and it's the holidays. Stop judging us, I can see you judging us.

In the latest episode of Print Run, we talk about the horrors of recommending books to others, because giving gifts with subtext is what the holidays are all about. Also, we offer some alternative author theme parks to try, rather than the planned Harper Lee tourist spot in Alabama. There's a listener mailbag, a chat about the various dictionaries' words of the year, and Erik reads the winning pas...

In this episode of Print Run, we talk about Penguin Random House's decision to start helping its employees pay off student loans, and what the could mean for the candidate pool for publishing jobs. Then Laura tries to get verified on Twitter while Erik gets nostalgic about star-bellied sneetches. Also discussed are the results of National Book Awards and an update on Erik's flailing #NaNoWriMo cam...

In the November First Pages episode of Print Run, we take a look at three different novel openings and talk about the best ways to get your story started right from the opening page. We discuss establishing narrative perspective and creating an inciting conflict, as well as deciding which details you should include and leave out as you get your story started.

In this episode of Print Run, we discuss what a Trump presidency could mean for the publishing industry, and how publishing might affect Trump. How will Trump interact with the free press, and what role will book publishing play in the normalization of such an extreme political movement? Also discussed: conservative publishing, what constitutes counterculture, and more.

In the latest episode of Print Run, Laura and Erik talk about the national nightmare facing America this November: NaNoWriMo. Also discussed are all the books George R.R. Martin isn't currently writing, and a chat about coming changes to BEA, which are good in that they make BEA closer to nonexistence. Plus, a savage argument over the #writetip!

In their first dedicated query show, Laura and Erik read three real queries and break down what's working and not working in each. The conversation focuses on things like using a strong lede, showcasing the essential details of your story as efficiently as possible, and finding the right voice for your pitch.

In this week's Print Run, Laura and Erik use the current election cycle—No politics, we promise!—to discuss how book publishing fits within a fast-paced reading world geared toward shorter articles and thinkpieces. What will books on the 2016 election look like, and will they have an impact? Then, Laura pays off losing the Man Booker bet with a dramatic reading of her favorite author, artist, and...

In this episode, Laura lets Erik sit near the gong and immediately regrets it. We discuss climbing the book-podcast charts and declare war on the NYTBR podcast, which surely has them shaking in their fine designer boots. In honor of Halloween we break down what scares us in books, as well as our favorite scary books of all time, and also litigate whether or not Laura is crazy for wanting her obitu...

In Episode 3 of Print Run, we discuss Laura's recent trip to a Romance Writer's convention, as well as the romance genre as a whole: what's the difference between the romance genre and women's fiction, or romance and erotica? We talk about our best "romance outtakes," the plots and features of romantic writing that will never see the light of day. A sex-themed #writetip is included, as well as a b...

In which we discuss the New York Review of Books' outing of Elena Ferrante's identity, identify the end of all publishing, touch on neuroscience, and announce some super special Special Content for writers!

This is the first full-length episode of Print Run. In it, you will find some illegal literary betting on the winner of the Man Booker, talk of Erik's plants, and what GRRM is most likely not working on this week.  Enjoy!

In the week before the first official episode of Print Run, Laura and Erik discuss James Patterson's cancelled novel "The Murder of Stephen King," how Patterson has been Mad Online for six years and counting, and the many benefits of putting a fictional hit out on your literary rivals.