Relationships, Anxiety, and Lamps- A Q&A w/Dr. Faith G. Harper | A People’s Guide to Publishing

December 19, 2024

This week, we pretend we’re one of those “hang out and chat about whatever” podcasts, because it’s time for Dr. Faith’s long-awaited return to the pod! Join Dr. Faith, Joe, and Elly while they answer reader questions, talk about Dr. Faith’s upcoming books, surviving the holidays, and more. There are always shenanigans when Dr. Faith comes around, so we hope you have as much fun as we did.

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How Did You Get a New York Times Bestseller? w/ Angela Engel | A People’s Guide to Publishing

December 12, 2024

For a lot of publishers, landing a book on the New York Times bestseller list is one of their loftiest goals. How did a small press like Collective Book Studio end up with a title on the most iconic bestseller list in the U.S.? Angela Engel had a chance to hang out with Joe for a few minutes at a recent conference to tell the story.

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Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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What Makes a Hybrid Publisher a Good Value Chain? w/ Brooke Warner | A People’s Guide to Publishing

December 05, 2024

This week on the podcast, Brooke Warner of She Writes Press and Spark Press talks with Elly and Joe about her experience in hybrid publishing, how to tell if it’s a good idea for your books, recognizing predatory publishers, and misconceptions about that particular branch of the industry.

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Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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How does an election impact publishing? (with Jane Friedman) | A People’s Guide to Publishing

November 27, 2024

How does a major election affect publishing sales trends?

Jane Friedman of the Hot Sheet is back to talk with Joe and Elly about how we’re all doing, what’s been selling, and what we think that means for the next few years. Plus, we touch on the differences between the aftermath of the 2016 election vs 2024’s election.

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Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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How do you manage author expectations? w/ Chris Vega of Blue Cactus | A People’s Guide to Publishing

November 21, 2024

Publisher/author relationships are just like any other relationships— they need care, communication, and understanding. This week on the pod, Chris Vega of Blue Cactus press talks with Joe and Elly about different ways to onboard authors and set expectations, how to resolve disagreements, and more.

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Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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How Can a Publisher Expand Their List Outside Personal Interests? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

November 14, 2024

Most publishers are most comfortable publishing to their own tastes. And from there, what’s popular but familiar. This week on the pod, we tackle the important but somewhat uncomfortable transition of publishing what you know to things that would resonate with your readers but are unfamiliar to you.

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Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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How Can Edelweiss Digital Cataloging and Community Help Publishers? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

November 07, 2024

Edelweiss! It’s a valuable tool for publishers, booksellers, and other industry folks. Buyers use it all the time to research and bring in books to their stores and libraries. How does a publisher break through all the noise, make their products stand out, and make sure buyers are able to easily find what they’re looking for?

This week on the pod, we’re sharing a little bit of a presentation marketing manager (and former bookseller) Abby gave this year on how booksellers and buyers use Edelweiss, and some things publishers can keep in mind as they list titles.

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Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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Is Your Distributor Working? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

October 31, 2024

How does a publisher know if a distributor is working for them? Odds are, if you’re asking that question, they probably aren’t!

This week on the pod, Joe and Elly give you a few tips on what numbers and data points to look at, how to tell if a distributor is adding value to your enterprise, and revaluating if your contract is getting in your way.

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Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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What Publishing Industry Media Should I Read? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

October 24, 2024

There are a lot of publishing industry news blogs, sites, and publications out there. Which ones are worth your time? (Besides us.)

Jane Friedman of The Hot Sheet is back to chat with Joe and Elly about her favorites, and which ones are best for what publishing news you’re interested in.

If you’re looking for the link Jane references to see her follows, you can find it here: https://substack.com/@janefriedman/reads

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Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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What is Vertical Integration? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

October 17, 2024

Vertical integration. It sounds like a fancy business term, but in reality, it means keeping things in-house as much as possible to keep costs low.

This week, Joe and Elly (and special guest Bernie!) take a few minutes talk about vertical integration, why we say Microcosm is vertically integrated, and how to decide if it’s right for you.

And for a fun added bonus, watch as Joe slowly drifts further and further out of frame.

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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