How to Sell Books to Bookstores, w/Maureen Karb | A People’s Guide to Publishing Podcast

June 04, 2026

Sales reps are crucial pieces of the book industry puzzle. They are the the ones who help stores find the titles that would be good fits, give feedback to publishers about their title lists, and so much more!

This week on the pod, we’re back chatting with sales rep extraordinaire Maureen Karb to talk about the process of selling books to bookstores, and what makes a great rep.

Prefer an audio experience? Listen to the episode on your favorite podcast app.
Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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Your Book Is Your Business: Money-Making Sales Strategies

June 04, 2026

Call it a hobby, side gig, side hustle, or whatever you’d like—but treat it like a business.

Take your book from a single product you feel like you have to hustle to a foundational piece of your prospering entrepreneurial enterprise with the help of this encouraging, no-nonsense guide to promoting—and profiting from—your writing, whether or not you have a relationship with a traditional publisher.

Joylynn M. Ross is a bestselling author with decades of experience in multiple genres. She shares her insider knowledge of how to treat your writing as a business. She walks you through the nitty-gritty, behind-the-scenes details of literary finances, from finding grants to printing options to cover pricing. Ross’s straightforward, tried-and-true advice is accessible, actionable, and practical, told in brief vignettes readers can easily refer back to, or easily share with others. You don’t need to rely on fast trends, conventional wisdom, or expensive freelance support to make sure your work succeeds and your reach continues to grow.

Don’t be discouraged: Roll up your sleeves and dive in for a more successful publication, a more profitable business, and a more empowered writing community.

Read on for an excerpt from Your Book Is Your Business, shipping now from our site and available everywhere you find Microcosm titles on June 9th.

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Next-Level Ally: How to Support Your Queer and Transgender Friends

June 04, 2026

Speak up, take action, and protect your community

How do you show up for the LGBTQ+ people in your life? You’ve figured out pronouns, you vote, and you don’t say hateful things, but you have a lot of unanswered questions and the strong feeling that you could be doing more. You’re committed to educating yourself, but where to start?

Author and activist Eli Sachse has created a practical guide to being a better friend, family member, partner, colleague, and community member to your trans and queer friends. With anti-queer and trans bias and oppression on the rise, it’s more important than ever for allies to step up with radical empathy. Allyship is a skill that anyone can learn, and Sachse is a kind, clear teacher.

With a focus on direct and effective communication, Sachse has filled this book with real-world examples for everyday people. Learn when and how to speak up at work and online without doing more harm than good. Create more inclusive conversations and challenge misgendering and harmful jokes. Learn to see and question your own implicit biases and assumptions. Celebrate and affirm your friends. Become a better friend, manager, or parent. Volunteer, march, and create true safe spaces. Further chapters advise people working in health and mental health professionals, educators, and law enforcement in how to do better by the trans and queer people they serve.

Read on for an excerpt from Next-Level Ally, shipping now from our site and available everywhere you find Microcosm titles!

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Movie Deals, Book Clubs, & More Book Scams w/ Jane Friedman | A People’s Guide to Publishing Podcast

May 28, 2026

You open up your inbox and—surprise!— someone wants to turn your book into a movie! Or include it in a book club! Or feature it on a recommendation list! All you have to do is pay a small fee. Oftentimes in book world, if something feels too good to be true, it often is (especially if they want you to pay).

This week on the pod, Joe, Elly, and Jane Friedman talk about the common scams authors and publishers are sent, what to look out for, and how to avoid them.

Want more publishing insights from Jane? Check out The Bottom Line at www.janefriedman.com

Prefer an audio experience? Listen to the episode on your favorite podcast app.
Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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Is there a difference between gift & special sales book markets? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

May 21, 2026 — by Abby Rice

Books should be sold to book stores, right? That’s it?

Eh, not really! There are markets for books everywhere, from your local museum gift shop to the gas station around the corner. How do you find these markets, and figure out what types of books sell at what types of stores? What even IS the difference between a gift and specialty shop?

This week on the pod, Joe and Elly dive in!

Prefer an audio experience? Listen to the episode on your favorite podcast app.
Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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What is some good Indigenous Punk? w/ Al Carroll | A People’s Guide to Publishing Podcast

May 14, 2026

Al Carroll is Associate Professor of US, American Indian, and Latin American History at Northern Virginia Community College, and a former Senior Fulbright Scholar in Indonesia. His latest book is “Indigenous Punk: A Definitive Guide to the Native, Aboriginal, and Pacific Islander Metal and Rock ‘n’ Roll Musicians Who Changed Music.”

This week on the pod, Al joins Joe and Elly to talk about Native punk and metal history, his favorite bands (incredible recs galore!), and how the book came together. (and keep an eye on the background for an adorable special guest appearance)

Grab a copy of Indigenous Punk here.

Prefer an audio experience? Listen to the episode on your favorite podcast app.
Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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Why did we decide to update Microcosm.Pub? | A People’s Guide to Publishing Podcast

May 07, 2026

We’ve been honing our software behind-the-scenes for decades, but this is our first public-facing website makeover since 2012! For 30 years, we’ve had a riotously maximalist ecommerce website. And it’s worked—pretty well. But lately, you’ve been telling us what you want it to do better and we’ve been scribbling notes and making plans.

This week on the pod, Joe and Elly talk about what went into the decision to rebuild the front end of our website, the cool new search features, and how we’ve made it even easier for buyers to use.

Check out Elly’s blog post on our website! Microcosm.pub/Makeover

More Punk than the Public Library: The Adventures of a Little Free Punk Rock Bookstore

May 05, 2026

The DC punk scene meets Little Free Libraries.

Hilarious, vibrant, magically drawing cohesion between divergent themes, brimming with endorsements of the best music and books you haven’t heard or read yet. J. Hunter Bennett, author of The Prodigal Rogerson and Upside-Down Punks, started a little free punk rock bookstore during the pandemic outside his house on a well-trafficked corner of Chevy Chase, D.C., and published a companion newsletter. It began as a way to offload his excess music books and noir novels, but swiftly grewinto a neighborhood fixture and underground punk zine for the modern era.

Here you’ll find book reviews, band interviews, neighborhood gossip, and praise from at least two members of Fugazi. A touching testament to the DIY spirit, a treasure trove of literary and punk rock recommendations, and a low-key how-to guide for building something unique with your own network of like-minded weirdos. C’mon, where else you gonna find Millions of Dead Cops and James Salter in the same place?

This riot of a book is graced with an introduction by Jim Spellman of Velocity Girl and a foreword by Anton Bogomazov of the neighborhood’s more official bookstore, Politics and Prose.

Are middle-aged punks still cool? w/J. Hunter Bennett | A People’s Guide to Publishing Podcast

April 30, 2026

The punks, despite all the best efforts of society and time, are still kicking around, and we love that for them/us.

This week on the pod, J. Hunter Bennett, author of “More Punk than the Public Library,” joins Joe and Elly to talk about middle-aged punk life, starting a little free punk rock library during the pandemic outside his house on a well-trafficked corner of Chevy Chase, D.C., and more.

Prefer an audio experience? Listen to the episode on your favorite podcast app.
Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
Want to stay up to date on new podcast episodes and happenings at Microcosm? Subscribe to our newsletter!

$6 Deal of the Week- How to Read Tea Leaves: A Card Deck and Guidebook for Divination

April 24, 2026

This week’s deal is the “How to Read Tea Leaves!”

The tea-making pros at Harney & Sons have pulled together a 66-card deck and guide to help you learn how to divine your future through reading tea leaves.

Usually $30, this week only, snag this deck and guidebook for just $6!

Want to know what the Deals are all about? Check out our FAQ, and then sign up to be notified when new deals go live each day! zine “History of May Day.”