How do you write a book contract for multiple authors?

October 08, 2021 — by Elly Blue

This week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly tackle a reader question about the exciting world of contracts! Someone wrote in to ask how to handle a contract for a book with multiple authors collaborating, or an author and illustrator working together on a project like a kids’ book or a graphic novel. We walk through a few different scenarios and how you might handle them with the goal of having a clear, fair, and consistent contract. Also, we say the word “contract” a lot to desensitize you, because these helpful little documents don’t have to be as scary as most people think they are.

What Kind of Pirate Bootlegs Books?

September 30, 2021 — by Elly Blue

This week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, we conclude our series about intellectual property with a conversation about bootlegging and what that means for most book publishers in the US. What do you need to worry about? What do you definitely not need to spend time fretting over?

What is licensing and how do publishers do it?

September 23, 2021 — by Elly Blue

Today on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly tackle the topic of licensing. This is the key business concept for any publisher to understand and consider. Licensing is sort of the engine fuel that makes the industry and your piece of it work; publishers license work from authors to put out as books and then sometimes go on to license different editions and formats. Here it is broken down in a way that will help you see your part in that ecosystem a little more clearly.

This one is part of a 3-part series – you can also check out our episode from last week on intellectual property.

What do book publishers need to know about intellectual property?

September 16, 2021 — by Elly Blue

This week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly talk about intellectual property, what it means for authors and publishers, how to manage it, how to increase its value, and how to protect it. We definitely don’t make any juvenile jokes in this episode.

What is an “Indie Author”?

September 10, 2021 — by Elly Blue

This week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast / vlogcast, Joe and Elly consider the term “indie author” and how various forces have tried to co-opt the meaning of independence when it comes to writing and creative work. No punches are pulled as we encourage you to think critically about what you value about independence and whether or not you actually are getting that from the company selling it to you.

What We Learned at the Las Vegas Market Gift Show

September 02, 2021 — by Elly Blue

This week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly report back from Las Vegas Market—a giant trade show for the gift market. We talk about what “gift” means, why book publishers might attend such an event, what it was like, and some of the logistics and costs involved. Not mentioned, but deserving of a shout-out are Vegas’s bikeshare system and Tacotarian, two discoveries that turned our trip from a slog to a delight.

Hachette buys Workman: What does it mean?

August 26, 2021 — by Elly Blue

This week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly consider the recent news that giant publishing conglomerate Hachette is buying one of the last of the large independents, Workman. We talk about what the acquisition means for the companies involved, for other publishers, and for people who buy books.

An interview with Women on Wheels author April Streeter

August 19, 2021 — by Elly Blue

This week on the podcast, we invite a guest into our studio for the first time in almost two years! April Streeter, author of the new feminist bicycle history Women on Wheels, joined us to talk about the untold histories of women cyclists since the 1880s, share fascinating tidbits of archival research and costumery, and revisit a bit of shop talk about what it was like to publish with us (and how we handled all those amazing illustrations).

You can find this and over 100 other episodes of the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast wherever podcasts are served.

How Can Publishers Provide Health Care?

August 16, 2021 — by Elly Blue

Publishing jobs are real jobs! On this episode of the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly talk about one of Microcosm’s biggest steps towards becoming a grown-up company—providing our workers with health insurance. The healthcare system is not easy to figure out, but the good news is that experience in the publishing industry really sets you up to handle with aplomb the piles of mystifying paperwork, strict schedules and rules, and contracts that need to be read super closely.

Should Publishers Try to Compete with Amazon on Price?

August 05, 2021 — by Elly Blue

This week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly answer a reader question from a bookseller wondering if they should try to match the prices in their store to the prices they find online, which are often much lower (but sometimes much higher) than the cover price.

Of course we legally can’t advise any publishers on how to price their books, and we don’t do that here, but we do discuss some strategies and perspectives for managing your business in a market where price is problematic.