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.

New zines we have published!

August 05, 2021 — by Elly Blue

This week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly show off our newest zines!

Here we introduce you to:

Corking, about using bicycles as a protest tool, by some rad cyclists

Autism FAQ by Joe Biel

Imprisoned with COVID-19 by Tim Spock

White Riot / Black Massacre, about the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre, by Kris Rose

What Does a Publisher Do with a Bad First Draft?

July 22, 2021 — by Elly Blue

This week on the podcast, Joe and Elly tackle a very familiar situation—what do you do when the author turns in their manuscript and it’s really not anywhere near what it needs to be?

(Spoiler: The first draft is always bad. We just happen to be privileged to see a whole lot of them.)

What Happened with Audiobook Sales in 2020?

July 01, 2021 — by Elly Blue

On today’s episode of A People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly look at the Audio Publishers Association report on 2020 audiobook sales and listening habits. How many of us are switching to audio? Who is making the switch? What are we listening to? And how? And what does this mean for print and ebooks? Listen or watch for hot takes on all this and more.

How Do I Publish My Graphic Novel?

June 24, 2021 — by Elly Blue

Today on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly answer a reader question. The reader has an idea and a draft outline of a graphic novel; what are their next steps in pursuing publication? We offer some advice, a few cautions, and encouragement for getting into the comics side of the publishing industry.

How Do I Pitch My Book?

June 17, 2021 — by Elly Blue

This week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly answer a very frequent reader question: I’ve written a book, now how do I pitch it? Solid advice for authors on marketing, querying, and selling your manuscript ensues.

How Do I Get Started as a New Publisher?

June 10, 2021 — by Elly Blue

This week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly answer a reader question. This reader wants to launch a publishing company, but isn’t sure where to start. We bring it back to basics for them.

What Does Ingram’s Warehouse Centralization Mean?

May 27, 2021 — by Elly Blue

This week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly interpret and analyze the recent news that book distributor and wholesaler Ingram is centralizing its warehousing for its distribution clients. Hang on and enjoy the ride through some serious publishing industry inside baseball!

How Do I Plan My Creative Project?

May 20, 2021 — by Elly Blue

On this episode of the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly take on a reader question. This reader is planning to publish a tarot deck, and wanted advice about how to map the project out to best actualize their concept. Our advice is geared towards their specific project, an illustrated deck, but holds true for people wanting to publish books, board games, and other creative projects as well.