Tagged podcast

Is Your Distributor Working? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

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.

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!

What Publishing Industry Media Should I Read? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

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

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!

What is Vertical Integration? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

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!
Want to stay up to date on new podcast episodes and happenings at Microcosm? Subscribe to our newsletter!

How To Design a Book Cover | A People’s Guide to Publishing

Can you judge a book by its cover?

We’re revisiting another classic episode this week! Joe and Elly talk about cover design, how to make a book cover stand out, and how a cover communicates to its audience.

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!

What is book editing (and how do I do it right)? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

Book editing! Surely it’s easy, right? Especially if you’re someone who has read like, a lot of books. Nope! This week Joe and Elly talk book editing, why it’s a technical skill, and how to do it right.

(This is a re-broadcast of an episode from 2019, if you’re like “why are Joe and Elly talking about their outfits from last week? That’s not what they wore last week.”)

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!

Why Are So Many Books So Mediocre? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

A reader asks a very straightforward question— why are so many books so mediocre? Is it a new trend? How do we measure quality?

Jane Friedman of the Hot Sheet joins us again this week to find the answers!

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!

Where Does the Money Go in Publishing? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

If you hang in certain circles, you’ll frequently hear that “Publishers have all the money,” which is funny because bookstores get the largest percentage of each sale. But everyone has to pay their staff and operating expenses, and often it’s bewildering to watch even the revenues from your bestsellers dwindle into nothingness.

So this week on the pod, we look at that illustrious pie chart and talk about how it all disappears so quickly! Please feel free to eat pie during this episode.

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!

How Can Every Book You Publish Be Evergreen? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

The publishing industry invests heavily in the logic that a new book hits hard out of the gate, has a third of its total sales before it’s published, a third of its sales in the following year, and the final third gradually across the lifetime of the book, until it gradually saturates and dead stalls. So this week on the pod, we look at how to make books sell forever.

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!

How do I get my first books in stores and libraries? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

You published a book! Congrats! But… now what? How do you get your book in stores and libraries? Smoke signals? Pigeons? The answer is, as always, both simpler and more complex than you would think.

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!

The Burning Rage of a Dying Planet (with Craig Rosebraugh) | A People’s Guide to Publishing

Craig Rosebraugh, author of “Burning Rage of a Dying Planet: The FBI vs. the Earth Liberation Front” sits down with us to talk about how he became the spokesperson for the ELF, the FBI faking a book deal to gain intel, and publishing controversial materials.

Check out Craig’s book on our website.

Here’s a link to a (free) NYT article about Craig and the FBI.

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!