Print Run Podcast

We talk about the announced deal for the novel The Other Black Girl, a great-sounding book set within the publishing industry that will surely generate all sorts of discussion. We then discuss how publishers themselves might do a better job of investing in indie bookstores, and other infrastructure they rely on to succeed. This week’s To Loon It May Concern centers on deciding between experienced agents versus newer ones. Join us!

We’re back! Laura recently transitioned to agenting full time, and now that the dust has cleared it gives us the chance to talk about the strange calculations in work-life balance nearly everyone in publishing is making, why so many agents have second jobs (and why that’s not something often discussed), and how this culture of broadcasting how busy we all are creates a paradox with the fact that we never talk about our work outside the field.

This week, in addition to singing some sweet 90s pop, we talk through the many facets of the mess surrounding the novel American Dirt. What does this whole saga reveal about publishing’s biases, how review coverage intersects with promotion, or what gets prioritized by publishers in media at the expense of other projects? We discuss all that and more. Join us!

After a quick RWA update, we try to do a segment on resolutions and predictions for 2020, and while we do end up getting there after some deft transition work, we somehow end up talking about the St. Paul cafe scene? Anyway, we talk about interrogating one’s own taste, why SF/F might become more “literary” this year, a new outlook on reading submissions, and a lot more. Join us!

In the wake of the still-unfolding RWA mess, we share our perspectives on what’s gone so badly wrong, and why we feel these problems are--at least in part--intrinsic to the sort of writing institution that RWA has become. From there, we talk about what large writing associations should pay careful attention to as they build, so as to root out the sorts of problems we’re seeing now.

It’s a pretty loose one this week. We talk about where we’re at as we draw toward the end of the year, share some memories from the year, give a delicious recipe for Oreo balls, it’s a whole thing. Come hang out; pretty easy listening today.

This week we talk through the reason for the season, in this stretch after National Novel Writing Month--self-editing and evaluation, and how to decide when something is ready to show others and progress in the publishing process. Join us for a conversation on how we make those calls in our own work, and ways you can see your own writing in that more detached, professional light.

This episode covers an interesting recent piece on the continual publishing of right-wing garbage books, how best to design a contest or grant for marginalized creators (and how that project can go awry), and a To Loon It May Concern about how authors with big platforms should behave online. Join us!

After checking in on #NaNoWriMo, we talk about the recent PW article that wondered aloud whether publishing is “too top-heavy.” It is, but not for the reasons the article suggests! Then we debut our rousing new segment titled “Laura’s Tinfoil Hat,” which is exactly what you think it is, and close with a To Loon It May Concern.

This week we talk about the new California law that’s supposedly designed to help freelancers, but in practice will further devalue their work and the work of staff writers at publications. From there, we talk about a discussion about Netflix that stemmed out of the Frankfurt Book Fair—are they competitors or allies in publishing? As ever, you can submit materials to our special shows at printrunpodcast@gmail.com. New Patreon shows coming soon!

After a quick response to the Booker award announcement and a note on censorship, today we talk about the unique dynamic of people in publishing also being creators who get published. What can be learned from people who work in publishing and also write? What does it show us about the industry? Finally, we close the week with a TLIMC about how conscientious book-buying. Join us!

This week’s discussion is centered on the idea of long versus short-term expectations in artistic careers, the pressures that make thinking about both difficult, and the role agents play in helping writers see beyond the most immediate project. Also included: a check-in on the Audible case, layoffs at Sports Illustrated, and a thought on EU tariffs and books.

We’re back from Nashville, where we attended the Digital Book World conference! We talk about what we saw at the conference and recap the evening in which we were lucky enough to walk away with a podcasting award. It’s a convo about the state of political nonfiction, brown drinks, the internet, and the publishing job market. Join us!

After quickly running through the publishing news of the past few weeks and deciding whether each thing is Good or Bad, we talk about some news of our own: as of today, we’ve launched our own agency and are open for business. We talk a little about our new agenting home, and then get into a To Loon It May Concern about power dynamics, respect, and agent etiquette online. Join us!

This week we talk about how the new emphasis on preorders for book sales has changed the way books are purchased, discussed, marketed, and evaluated by publishers. It’s a self-reinforcing feedback loop between publishers and book buyers, and it’s a trend with weird ramifications. Then, we talk through the idea of “crossover” books--who creates them, publishers or readerships? In all, it’s an episode about the interactions between the people selling and the people buying books, and how that interaction ends up changing the books themselves.