Courtney Kocak

The Bleeders: about book writing & publishing

Arts EN ↓ 88 episodes

The Bleeders is a podcast (and support group!) about book writing and publishing. Transparent conversations with authors, agents, and people in the publishing industry about how to write and sell books. The title is a nod to the famous (potentially misattributed) Hemingway quote: “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Sign up for The Bleeders companion Substack! https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome

Be sure to visit the podcast's website and support the creator: www.bleeders.co

Author

Courtney Kocak

Category

Arts

Podcast website

www.bleeders.co

Latest episode

Oct 18, 2026

Where to listen?

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Episodes

Memoir Masterclass: Writing, Revising, Publishing & Platform-Building with Ronit Plank 18.10.2026

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today’s guest is Ronit Plank, author of the memoir When She Comes Back and the short story collection Home Is a Made-Up Place , host of the Let’s Talk Memoir podcast, and a writing instructor and editor. Funny en...

Think Your Book Is Done? It Probably Needs Three More Drafts & Other Writing Advice from Brad Listi 28.09.2026

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today’s guest is Brad Listi, author of Be Brief and Tell Them Everything , host of the long-running Otherppl podcast, and founder of the new literary learning platform Deep Dive. After decades in the business, Br...

Don’t Be Above Plot: From 100+ Agent Rejections to a Big Five Book Deal with Emily J. Smith 13.08.2026

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today’s guest is novelist and essayist Emily J. Smith, author of the debut novel  Nothing Serious . After years of writing, rewriting, and more than 100 agent rejections across two novels, Emily finally found the...

How to Become the Go-To Expert, Sell the Book & Do Your Own PR with Tawny Lara 08.07.2026

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today’s guest is author, writing coach, and sobriety expert Tawny Lara, the author of Dry Humping: A Guide to Dating, Relating, and Hooking Up Without the Booze . In this episode, Tawny pulls back the curtain on...

How TikTok, Substack, AI & the Creator Economy Are Changing the Business of Being a Writer with Jane Friedman 08.05.2026

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today’s guest is publishing expert, author, and newsletter pioneer Jane Friedman, a 25+ year industry veteran and the author of The Business of Being a Writer . She talks candidly about how the publishing industr...

The Long Road to Girl Gone Wild: From First Essay to Publication & Promotion with Antonia Crane 10.04.2026

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today’s guest is Antonia Crane, author, academic, and one of my all-time favorite memoirists. In this special episode, the tables are turned as Antonia interviews me about my debut memoir Girl Gone Wild , and we...

The Evolution of Publishing: Traditional, Hybrid & Self-Publishing in 2026 with Brooke Warner 20.03.2026

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today’s guest is Brooke Warner, publisher of She Writes Press , author of Write On, Sisters! , renowned former editor at Seal Press, and a 25-year publishing industry veteran. She talks candidly about how the ind...

Girl Gone Wild: The Story Behind My Memoir—Interviewed by Lili Gourley 18.03.2026

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today the tables are turned—host Courtney Kocak sits down with Trio House Press junior editor Lili Gourley to talk about her debut memoir Girl Gone Wild . Girl Gone Wild is a coming-of-age tale of ambition, delus...

Before & After the Book Deal: The Truth About Publishing Success with Courtney Maum 17.02.2026

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today’s guest is Courtney Maum—novelist, memoirist, and author of Before and After the Book Deal—and she talks candidly about the reality of a writing career, the myth of the breakout book, and why longevity matt...

How Sari Botton Blew Past Gatekeepers to Build a Writing Life on Her Own Terms 28.12.2025

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today’s guest is Sari Botton, writer, editor, and publisher of the Substack hits Oldster and Memoir Land, joining The Bleeders to talk candidly about her unconventional path through publishing, why she ultimately...

Building a Book Like a Startup: Ali Kriegsman’s Playbook for Self-Publishing Success 21.12.2025

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today’s guest is author and entrepreneur Ali Kriegsman, joining The Bleeders to talk candidly about her path through traditional publishing, burnout, rejection—and ultimately choosing to self-publish her debut no...

The Agony & Ecstasy of Going on Submission with Chloe Caldwell 04.08.2025

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today's guest is author Chloe Caldwell's second interview for The Bleeders podcast. In this episode, Chloe shares two submission stories—one a nightmare and one a dream—along with advice for other writers on subm...

“Brutalities” Author Margo Steines on Being a Teen Dominatrix, Pregnancy After ED & More 14.07.2025

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today's guest is Margo Steines, author of ⁠Brutalities: A Love Story ⁠ . In this episode, we discuss Margo's experience as a dominatrix, sex work then vs. now, the toxic societal pressures on women's bodies in th...

What to Expect When You're on Submission: Elle Nash 07.07.2025

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today's guest is Elle Nash, author of Animals Eat Each Other , Nudes , Gag Reflex , and Deliver Me . In this episode, Elle shares her experiences with the book publishing, including getting an agent, going on sub...

How I'm Emotionally Fact-Checking My Memoir 30.06.2025

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome In today's episode, host Courtney Kocak shares her experience attending a college reunion and how it's impacted her heading into the final revision of the manuscript for her debut memoir, GIRL GONE WILD, out Marc...

What to Expect When You're on Submission: Dedeker Winston 23.06.2025

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today’s guest is Dedeker Winston, author of The Smart Girl’s Guide to Polyamory and co-author of Multiamory: Essential Tools for Modern Relationships . In this episode, Dedeker talks us through her publishing jou...

Antonia Crane on Her Sex Work Memoir "Spent" & the Stories Writers Keep Retelling 16.06.2025

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today’s guest is Antonia Crane, author of Spent . Follow Antonia on Instagram @antoniacrane . The Bleeders is hosted by Courtney Kocak. Follow her on  Instagram @courtneykocak and Bluesky @courtneykocak.bsky.soci...

What to Expect When You're on Submission: Hannah Howard 09.06.2025

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today’s guest is Hannah Howard, author of the memoirs Feast and Plenty . In this episode, Hannah returns to the pod to share her insights on surviving the publishing rollercoaster, aka what it's like when you’re...

Sarah Fay on Her Fast Track to Publication with "Pathological" & Why Substack Might Be Better Than an MFA 02.06.2025

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today’s guest is Sarah Fay, memoirist, writing coach, and Substack strategist. Her debut memoir, Pathological , chronicles her 25-year journey through the mental health system. In this episode, Sarah shares how s...

What to Expect When You're on Submission: Greg Mania 26.05.2025

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today's guest is Greg Mania, author of the memoir Born to Be Public . In this episode, Greg shares his winding path to publication—from losing an agent, to finding the right publisher with the indie press Clash B...

An Anarchist’s Guide to Writing & Publishing with "The Sapling Cage" Author Margaret Killjoy 19.05.2025

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today's guest is Margaret Killjoy, a prolific author and podcaster whose latest book, The Sapling Cage , kicks off a fantasy trilogy featuring a trans protagonist. In this episode, Margaret joins us to talk about...

Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah on Writing "The Sex Lives of African Women" from Blog to Book 12.05.2025

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today’s guest comes all the way from Africa! Ghanaian author Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah has such a cool story about how she used her blog as a launch pad for publishing her first book, The Sex Lives of African Women ....

How Deborah Derrickson Kossmann Won Her Way to Publication 05.05.2025

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today's guest is Deborah Derrickson Kossmann, author of Lost Found Kept: A Memoir . In this episode, we dive into the premise of Deborah's debut memoir, how she landed her publisher, and what she learned from wor...

Elle Nash on the North Star of Writing to Her Taste 28.04.2025

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today's guest is Elle Nash, author of Animals Eat Each Other , Nudes , Gag Reflex , and Deliver Me . This episode is an interesting peek into Elle's creative process as we talk through her body of work, the North...

Trusting Your Book to the Art of Translation with Victoria Kielland 21.04.2025

Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today's guest is Victoria Kielland, Norwegian author of My Men , which was translated to English by Damion Searls. Follow Victoria on Instagram @vkielland . The Bleeders is hosted by Courtney Kocak. Follow her on...

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