Do self-published authors need a contract with themselves?

May 05, 2023 — by Elly Blue

This week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly tackle a topic that might sound like a parody at first, but we’re serious: authors who publish their own books, whether they’re going with a publishing service or starting their own publishing house, would do well to consider putting themself under a contract. Here’s why to consider creating a business deal with yourself.

P.S. Did you see that Microcosm is hiring? Come join our marketing team!

Do you need a lawyer to help with your book contract?

May 01, 2023 — by Elly Blue

This week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly tackle a common question: should authors get a lawyer to help them understand and negotiate their book contract? We’ve worked with many hundreds of authors, some who bring lawyers into the mix, and we have some very specific advice about how to approach this.

How to think about platform (with Guy LeCharles Gonzalez)

April 20, 2023 — by Elly Blue

This week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, we’re joined by publishing pundit Guy LeCharles Gonzalez to discuss that important question: does an author need to already be famous (or have x number of social media followers) to publish a book? Guy walks us through the reality of the situation and turns the tables in a refreshing take—should a publisher also have a platform? Lots of marketing chops and unconventional takes for our loyal readers to noodle on here.

What forms a publisher’s perspective?

April 14, 2023 — by Elly Blue

This week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, we answer a question from an up-and-coming book publisher who asked “what forms your perspective as a publisher?” This is just a ten-minute episode but it really is about why we get up every morning to do this work, and maybe it will resonate with your goals and dreams, too.

How do you make a living as a writer? An interview with Jessie Kwak

April 06, 2023 — by Elly Blue

Today on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, we welcome guest Jessie Kwak, author of several books from Microcosm, most recently including From Dream to Reality: How to Make a Living as a Freelance Writer. Jessie shares some of her methods and perspectives, shares what it’s actually like to do this work, and tells us about the event she’s organizing for next year, the Author Alchemy Summit.

How to protect your brilliant book ideas

March 30, 2023 — by Elly Blue

This week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly are joined by experienced writer (and Women on Wheels author) April Streeter to tackle a reader question: How do I make sure someone doesn’t steal the idea for my book?

How do you know if a book will sell?

March 23, 2023 — by Elly Blue

This week on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly talk about the secret sauce… how publishers can know whether or not a book they’re considering acquiring will sell. We talk about information to collect and strategies and tools that you can use to look into the future and determine if your new book will fly off the shelves or sit gathering dust.

Publishers + Libraries = Love, but How?

March 16, 2023 — by Elly Blue

Today on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, we are joined by guest Guy LeCharles Gonzalez to talk about a topic near to all our hearts: How publishers can better work with and support libraries! Guy works in this exact field and has a lot of great advice and perspective on the joys, challenges, and practical logistics of nurturing a mutually fruitful relationship with library buyers.

How to make lemonade out of book problems

March 09, 2023 — by Elly Blue

Today on the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast, Joe and Elly somewhat belatedly talk about an incident that happened at a Chicago bookstore over the holidays, where a customer made a huge purchase, then came back to return it all a month later. Those indomitable booksellers turned the situation around in the most charming way possible. Like bookselling, publishing can be economically precarious, and we talk about this and other incidents when seeming disasters can be turned into wins for everyone.

Our 200th podcast episode! Our publishing predictions

March 02, 2023 — by Elly Blue

Holy moly, it’s the 200th episode of the People’s Guide to Publishing podcast! For this special episode, Joe and Elly talk about how we’d like to see the publishing industry change in the future. Our visions might surprise you!