Print Run Podcast

After a rousing conversation about 1) pie and 2) the joys of novels that can’t be made into good movies, we talk about Macmillan’s new decision to restrict library purchases of ebooks. The (questionable) choice leads to some fundamental questions about the publishing and reading landscape: do libraries help or hurt publisher sales? How does an ebook differ from a print book, in terms of library usage and even just as a product bought and sold?

That classic online book retailer / Pentagon contract candidate is at it again, folks. With the announcement of Audible’s new audiobook feature called “Captions,” we talk about how it mostly amounts to an audacious rights infringement, one that fits perfectly in line with Amazon’s larger cohesive project of devaluing books as a means of swallowing the industry whole. We discuss the possible strategies behind rolling out something as nakedly infringing as this feature, and then look at another news item this week--Dean Koontz signing a five-book deal with Amazon as his publisher--to talk about where everything is at and where we go from here.

It’s hot and muggy out, and we use that as an opportunity to examine one of publishing’s oldest pieces of conventional wisdom, that the industry grinds to a halt in the summer. We discuss how, rather than truly slowing down, the work over summer in books changes; we talk about soft pitching, research, conferences, and the other things that make publishing not a seasonal industry but one with a rhythm we’ve all come to rely on. Also, Laura is hopelessly hooked on a phone game and we try to Work Through That.

Hello from the recording studio, where a large paint job is in progress--but it’s only making the takes stronger. Today we talk about the recent New York Times article about the rampant fraud and counterfeit problem on Amazon, and then contrast it with a GOOD publishing thing, the success of Minotaur Books and their fascinating approach to achieving it. Plus a To Loon It May Concern at the end. Join us! Special episodes for June are out already, and July’s are on the way. As always, you can send us stuff at printrunpodcast@gmail.com.

...It’s a big, open-ended question, but it’s one we ask ourselves this week with regard to how the role of agents and agencies could shift to meet the needs of modern publishing. We talk through some big ideas and some small tweaks, and have a wide-ranging conversation on how agenting could look different--for both agents themselves and the authors they work with.

This week, in light of the Natasha Tynes story, we discuss the trend of books being canceled by publishers due to bad behavior online by their authors. In a time when authors often find themselves harassed online with the intent of driving them off platforms or costing them opportunities, how can we make sure that decisions in response to internet outrage are made properly and based on the right reasons? Do publishers really have a track record that should make us trust them in some of these values judgments? Also included is a quick conversation about the recent sale of Barnes and Noble.

This week we’re joined by literary critic and editor Nathan Goldman to talk about the current state of book discourse, and the role literary criticism plays in the broader publishing ecosystem, especially in the age of Goodreads and Amazon consumer reviews. We discuss blurbs, boosterism, book twitter, the importance of “negative” or nuanced reviews, and how editors decide what gets reviewed and when. It’s a fun conversation that takes good stock of the patterns of contemporary book discussion, so be sure to tune in!

After a few weeks of covering various bits of doom and gloom in the publishing world, people asked us: “why would you or anyone want to take part in this industry?” That’s actually a very good question, and in this episode, which fixates on what we find hopeful about the book world as it currently exists, we try to answer it. We get into why we stick around, what motivates us in the book world, what points of light we see on the horizon. Join us and hopefully you’ll feel good too.

We recorded in the morning this time, and the results… the results are something. In light of publishers turning down Woody Allen’s memoir, we talk about the publisher role as tastemaker--and how far too often and increasingly frequently, they choose to abdicate that responsibility. We also talk about a new interesting copyright protection act for small creators, as well as a new troubling shakeup in the book-distribution landscape. Join us!

We’ve made it to our 100th episode! Mostly this week we spend a little time reflecting on where the show has been, how it’s changed itself and us, and how the book world we’ve been talking about since late 2016 has progressed. Come hang out--it’s a fun, reflective episode that gives us all a chance to take stock of the last 100 Weeks Of Books!

Our main conversation this week is about the recent decision by the Writers Guild of America to push forward in encouraging its members to fire their agents, despite mounting pressure and uncertainty for the writers in their ranks. It’s a really noteworthy (and brave!) step that cuts to the heart of so many issues of how entertainment and publishing treat their creators. Join us as we try to make sense of it.

After some lighter conversation about Laura’s recent Wisconsin book trip, what we’re reading, and who the writerly voice of the millennial generation might be, we talk about Stacey Abrams’s romance-novel-themed appearance on Colbert, a recent discussion about whether the Bad Sex Awards are reflections of America’s latent puritanism, and the larger question of how sex writing intersects with notions of prestige and acclaim in the literary world. It’s warm out, we’re wearing shorts, come hang out.

In light of another RITA award controversy, we discuss the different ways that the literary world hands out prizes, and discuss the interplay between readers, writers, and critics when it comes to shaping the awards landscape. Plus, a discussion about a very good publishing op-ed in the Guardian in a new edition of “What’s Going On Down There?”, and a To Loon It May Concern about what to do when the Writer Internet becomes counterproductive to your work.

We’re back, with a recap of our time at the London Book Fair! It was a trip that reminded us of where we sit in the vast constellation of publishing as an industry, and we got to see how the rubber meets the road in foreign-rights sales too. Come hang out for one of our chattier episodes, full of some Publishing Truths and also just some trip recap as well. It’s good to be back!

This week’s episode is all about comp titles--far from being just something you put in a query letter, comps are how the whole industry talks to itself, and in many ways that practice has come to shape publishing in significant ways. If every book’s prospects exist in relation to a different, preexisting book, how does that change what gets published, and how?