The Book I HAD to Write

This week, we’re featuring an episode from a great new show called The Bleeders. The Bleeders  is a podcast (and support group) about book writing and publishing. The podcast emphasizes “transparent conversations with authors, agents, and people in the publishing industry about how to write and sell books.” The title is a wry nod to the famous Hemingway quote: “There is nothing to writing. All you...

About this episode It can be difficult for writers to learn to put our stories front and center. That was originally the case with today’s guest, Lilly Dancyger. She originally set out to memorialize her father, Joe Schactman, through a book that would feature artwork and stories she’d collected from friends. Schactman was a highly original artist and sculptor who was part of the same 1980s East V...

About the episode: Today’s guest on TBIHTW is Brad Listi, best known as the creator of the OTHERPPL with Brad Listi podcast. Hailed by everyone from The New Yorker to Electric Literature as a go-to literary podcast, OTHERPPL boasts over 770+ episodes, making it also one of the longest running literary podcasts as well. Brad Listi’s new book, Be Brief and Tell Them Everything , is a work of autofic...

About this episode If you’ve spent time in the world of creative nonfiction, chances are you’ve come across today’s guest Allison K. Williams As the “Unkind Editor,” she builds on a decade of experience with hundreds of clients to dole out straight talk on writing and publishing. And as Brevity.com’s social media editor and cofounder of “The Writer’s Bridge,” she uses her expertise to help writers...

About this episode Growing up, Gayle Jessup White had heard that her African American family was somehow related to Thomas Jefferson. But it wasn’t until advances in DNA technology, along with methods pioneered by historians exploring the African American experience in the U.S., helped her uncover her direct link to not only Thomas Jefferson, but also Sally Hemings, the enslaved woman with whom Je...

About this episode Paul talks with the best-selling author Dr. Robert Glover about how the publication of the book, No More Mr. Nice Guy , helped him to create a platform, and to launch himself as internationally-recognized men’s dating and self-improvement expert. To date, NMMNG has some 6000+ reviews on Amazon. In the interview, Dr. Glover discusses how he came to write his book, and how fear of...

Paul talks with the NYT-bestselling memoirist and teacher, Abigail Thomas. Her memoir, Safekeeping (2000), is a marvel of technical innovation, enviable humor, and just plain old heart. She’s clear-sighted about her own failings, as well as other people’s, but she never seems to judge anyone. In this episode Abigail Thomas shares the backstory of how she came to write Safekeeping , how the memoir...

About the episode What do you do when you want to read a book that’s not already out there? nd what’s the difference between keeping a journal and writing for publication? In S1E1 of TBIHTW, writer and editor Karen Propp explores these and other questions. She tells the story of how she came to write her memoir, In Sickness &  In Health: A Love Story . Karen based her book on extensive journals sh...

Welcome to the Book I Had to Write! This is the show where I feature critically-acclaimed writers, who tell me about the stories they just HAD to get out in the world. Episodes focus on places where that sense of urgency meets resistance. We talk about where authors get stuck—and how they succeed. Whether it’s about the stuff that gets in the way of showing up; or about craft challenges; or just h...