What does it mean that Costco is cutting books? w/Jane Friedman | A People’s Guide to Publishing

July 31, 2025

Is Costco cutting books a big deal, or will it be a great chance for readers to go back to their local indies? What does it mean for publishers? Jane Friedman of The Hot Sheet is back this week to talk with Joe about bulk buying, waste, returns, and Costco’s target book customer.

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Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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How can regional trade shows improve for bookselling? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

July 24, 2025

We’ve been talking trade shows the last few weeks, from how they benefit booksellers to what publishers need to make them work. We continue the conversation this week with some more folks from the PNBA show talk about how they can improve for booksellers and bookselling.

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Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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How effective are regional trade shows for book publishers? | A People’s Guide to Publishing Podcast

July 17, 2025

After last week’s episode, where booksellers and publishers evaluate the effectiveness of trade shows, this week Elly and Joe give their own analysis! Learn what regions we’re a bit TOO known in, our thoughts on building relationships at shows, and what our thoughts are on going to shows going forward.

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Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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How well do regional trade shows work for publishers? | A People’s Guide to Publishing

July 10, 2025

For booksellers, the regional trade shows are a beloved time for community, connection, and learning about the latest reads from their favorite publishers. Are they as effective for publishers? Joe and Elly had a chance to chat with other publishers and booksellers at the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Fall Forum last year to find out what brought them to the show.

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Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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How do you experience every emotion? w/Desmond Reed | A People’s Guide to Publishing Podcast

July 03, 2025

There are a lot of horrors to being a human, but there’s a lot of joy and wonder too. This week on the pod, Cola Pop Creemees author and illustrator Desmond Reed joins Joe and Elly to chat about comics, mental health, and experiencing every emotion.

Check out Desmond’s books here.

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Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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How does a press release their first book? w/Jane Friedman | A People’s Guide to Publishing

June 26, 2025

So you’ve got your company. You’ve got your book. You’ve got an idea. But how do you get it out into the world?

Releasing the first book as a press can be a lot like making the first pancake—you learn a lot in the process. There are a lot of traps and pitfalls presses can fall into, and Jane Friedman of the Hot Sheet is back to talk to Joe and Elly about how a press can get their first book out there.

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Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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“The Bookshelf and Beyond” Microcosm Spring ’25 Spectacular | A People’s Guide to Publishing Podcast

June 19, 2025

We tried a new thing!

Marketing Manager Abby (hi) recently did a presentation for some of our store and library customers, featuring some of our new titles, old favorites, and insights on what The People are buying these days. Elly also joined us for a few minutes to run through our fun new buying portal for stores. It was a good time. We might even do it again!

(If you want to skip the cool new portal and get straight to the books, jump to 8ish minutes in!)

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Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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How Do Tariffs Affect Canadian Publishers? w/ Kim Werker | A People’s Guide to Publishing

June 12, 2025

Tariffs! We’ve talked a lot about how they affect American bookstores and publishers. But what has the impact been for our neighbors to the North? Our friend Kim Werker of Nine Ten Publications sat down with us to talk about being a niche publisher in Canada, how knowing who you are makes you a better publisher, and of course, tariffs.

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Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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How can publishers lower information barriers? w/ Jelani Memory | A People’s Guide to Publishing

June 05, 2025

Publishing a book can feel like this insurmountable wall that you have to climb over while also screaming that your writing is valid. How can publishers make it more accessible to writers, from submitting a manuscript to marketing? Jelani Memory of A Kid’s Co is back to talk about it!

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Get the People’s Guide to Publishing here, and the workbook here!
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How Should Authors Market Their Books? w/ Jane Friedman | A People’s Guide to Publishing

May 29, 2025

Does author marketing have an impact on sales? Can you move the needle yourself, or do you need to rely on your publisher for all of your marketing and outreach? There is a lot of conflicting information out there, and Jane Friedman of the Hot Sheet is back on the pod this week to talk it out with us.

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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