The Watchung Booksellers Podcast

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers, social media mavens Sara Alli and our very own Evelyn Moulton chat about social media in bookselling. Sarah Alli is an Associate Marketing Manager for Hachette Book Group, one of the Big Five book publishing houses in the country. She runs all of Hachette US’s central social media accounts. Outside of her 9-5, Sarah is also a social media influencer and...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers Podcast, journalist and historian Jonathan Alter discusses his latest book, American Reckoning: Inside Trump's Trial--and My Own , recorded in-store at Watchung Booksellers. Jonathan Alter is the author of three New York Times bestsellers: The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies , The Promise: President Obama, Year One , and The Defining Moment: FDR...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers Podcast, veteran journalists Harvey Araton and Mark McClusky discuss sports writing and sports media. Harvey Araton is a longtime New York sports journalist whose career spanned four newspapers-the Staten Island Advance, New York Post, Daily News and New York Times, where he was a Sports of the Times columnist and also wrote for other sections. He was no...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers Podcast, Christopher Kimball's Milk Street Media Relations Director Deborah Broide talks with Voracious and Spark VP/Publisher Michael Szczerban about the changing landscape of publishing. Deborah Broide is the media relations director for the food media company Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street, and she also works on select publicity projects for t...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers Podcast, author David Moldawer discusses ghostwriting with Elisabeth Egan of the New York Times Book Review . David Moldawer is a bestselling book collaborator specializing in business, personal development, and other practical nonfiction. Before his freelance career, he was an editor at book publishers including St. Martin's Press, McGraw-Hill, and...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers Podcast, book critics Kate Tuttle and Mark Rotella discuss the process and importance of reviewing books. Kate Tuttle is a book critic, essayist, and editor. A past president of the National Book Critics Circle and judge for the National Book Award, she edits the books pages of the Boston Globe . Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Los Angeles T...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers Podcast, audiobook narrators Stephanie Willing , Sura Siu , and Khristine Hvam discuss the craft of storytelling for audiobooks. Stephanie Willing is a local author whose contemporary fantasy middle-grade debut West of the Sea was a Junior Guild Library selection. She’s an award-winning audiobook narrator and voice actor who has narrated for many other k...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers Podcast, Margot Sage-EL sits down with author Emma Straub, owner of Books Are Magic in Brooklyn, to talk about writing and running a bookstore. Emma Straub is the New York Times bestselling author of six books for adults: the novels This Time Tomorrow , All Adults Here , The Vacationers , Modern Lovers , Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures , and the sho...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers, owner Maddie Ciliotta-Young talks with W. W. Norton sales rep Ashanti White-Wallace about selling books to indies.  Maddie Ciliotta-Young is the owner and operator of Watchung Booksellers in Montclair, NJ. Maddie grew up in Montclair and at the bookstore with her mom, Margot. After college she was a teacher and principal for over a decade at a New York...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers, editors Sarah McGrath and Lee Boudreaux walk us through the art of book editing.  Lee Boudreaux is an executive editor at Doubleday, specializing in fiction. She edited James by Percival Everett and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, and also has the great pleasure of working with such writers as Claire Lombardo, Kate Atkinson , and Margaret Atwood...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers, authors and TV animators Jorge Aguirre and Jason Patterson discuss the art of storytelling in graphic novels. Jason Patterson is an award winning graphic novelist and animator. Jason has been drawing and telling stories with his best friend Dan Abdo ever since high school. Dan and Jason created the hit animated series Rocket Monkeys . They have directed...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers podcast, Cleyvis Natera moderates Dionne Ford's book release event for her memoir, Go Back & Get It , live in-store at Watchung Booksellers. Dionne Ford is the author of Go Back and Get It: A Memoir of Race, Inheritance, and Intergenerational Healing . She is an NEA creative writing fellow and the co-editor of the anthology Slavery's Descen...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers Podcast, authors Joyce Maynard and Alice Elliott Dark rejoice in the launch of Maynard's latest novel How the Light Gets In , recorded in-store at Watchung Booksellers. Joyce Maynard has been publishing bestselling, literary books that shine a light on forbidden subjects for more than fifty years. She is the author of twelve previous novels and five...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers Podcast, novelists Julia Phillips and Boo Trundle celebrate the publication of Phillips’s latest novel Bear , recorded at an in-store event with Watchung Booksellers. Julia Phillips is the author of the bestselling novels Bear and Disappearing Earth , which was a finalist for the National Book Award and one of The New York Times Book Review ’s 10 Best Bo...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers, authors Jonathan Alter and Stuart Reid delve into their political writing research processes. Jonathan Alter is the author of three New York Times bestsellers: The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies , The Promise: President Obama, Year One , and The Defining Moment: FDR’s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope ” , also one of the Times’ “Notable Books” o...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers podcast, Margot Sage-EL interviews Arthur Levine about his prolific career in children’s publishing. Arthur A. Levine is the founder of the independent publisher Levine Querido . His determination to bring a diverse selection of "The Best of the World's Literature for Young People" to American readers introduced great writers such as J. K....

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers Podcast, booksellers Asia Jannah and Nicole Ban chronicle their respective bookselling experience and share insight on the daily operations of working at Watchung Booksellers. Asia Jannah was born and raised in Montclair, and has worked at Watchung Booksellers for a total of 9 years. She is currently the gift buyer for the flagship location. Her favorite...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers Podcast, authors Katherine Dykstra and Joe Pompeo unpack the nuances of writing in the historical true crime genre. Joe Pompeo is the author of Blood & Ink: The Scandalous Jazz Age Double Murder That Hooked America on True Crime . A veteran magazine journalist and author, most recently as senior correspondent for Vanity Fair , he's written for T...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers Podcast, designers Olga Grlic and James Iacobelli relay their decades-long experience in cover design at major publishing houses with Watchung Booksellers' emeritus owner Margot Sage-El. Olga Grlic , book designer, is currently VP Creative Director of Wednesday Books, Griffin Paperbacks, Essentials, and an Executive Art Director of SMP Group of Macm...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers Podcast, authors Laura Marx Fitzgerald and Lily Braun-Arnold discuss how their passion for reading led to writing careers, and how they found inspiration and mentorship along the way. Guest Bios: Laura Marx Fitzgerald is the author of two art mysteries for kids, Under the Egg and The Gallery , and the picture book Wild for Winnie . She is currently at wo...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers Podcast, Janet Torsney and Margot Sage-EL sit down to discuss the wonderful partnership between the Montclair Public Library and Watchung Booksellers--two institutions in Montclair devoted to the love of books.   Guest Bios: Janet Torsney became the director of the Montclair Public Library in August 2022 after six months serving as Interim Director. Prev...

We launched the Watchung Booksellers podcast with "How It Started": an episode with Margot Sage-EL, the owner, now owner emeritus, of Watchung Booksellers, reflecting on the last 30 years of the business. Today we take a look at how it’s going with Maddie Ciliotta-Young, who left a career in education to take the reigns on running the bookstore, in conversation with her friend, filmmaker...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers Podcast, authors Laura Sims and Hillary Frank discuss thrillers--how we define them, why we are drawn to them, and how they compare in different mediums: print, audio, film, and television.  Our Guests: Laura Sims is the author of How Can I Help You , a New York Times , Publishers Weekly, Book Riot, and CrimeReads Best Book of the Year. Her first novel,...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers Podcast, authors Henry Neff and Cyndie Spiegel go beyond the art of writing to discuss the art of promotion. From presales to long after the launch, book promotion is hard but necessary work in a changing publishing landscape that requires more from the author than ever before. Our Guests: Henry Neff is the author and illustrator of seven fantasy novels,...

In this episode of the Watchung Booksellers Podcast, authors Warren Zanes and Thad Ziolkowski talk about writing and addiction. From their personal struggles in using drugs while creating art to the complexities in writing about addiction in general, their conversation is thought-provoking, sincere, and often very funny. Our Guests: Warren Zanes is the New York Times bestselling author of Dusty in...