Publishing Rodeo: The Good, The Bad, and the Bloody Ugly

Podcast episodes

• Season 2

• 

  S2 37 - Reasons To Keep Writing, ft. David Wragg

  S2 37 - Reasons To Keep Writing, ft. David Wragg

  S02 E37

  59:48

  After solid sales for his first duology, David Wragg's next book series got caught in the infamous post-covid "midlist death spiral". After this current trilogy finishes, his future in trad is uncertain at best.But with his usual good-natured humor, Wragg cheerfully dissects the past six years of his career, including advances, royalties (or negative royalties in this case), the reality of post-debut book deals, and the differences in production quality between tiers of books. Finally, he and Scott discuss the pressing question of how and why authors keep writing, despite it all. (Though this episode description may seem bleak, we promise it has a few laughs along the way.)

• 

  S2 E36 - The Problem with Author Book Events, w/ Sam Missingham

  S2 E36 - The Problem with Author Book Events, w/ Sam Missingham

  S02 E36

  44:53

  What's the deal with author book events? Are they useful, do they shift books, and why do they all follow the same format? This week, we speak with Sam Missingham, who spent many years working with the Bookseller, and later with Harper as an author events creator. We talk about what works and what doesn't, whether hiring publicists as a trad author is worth the time, the influence of class and connections in publishing, and the real reason so many publisher-run book events fall a little flat. If authors want a successful career, Sam stresses that this requires a long-term perspective and a focus on writing multiple books, as well as a creative and individual approach to self-marketing. 00:00 Introduction 01:00 Background and Experience in the Publishing Industry 04:11 The Role of Events in Book Marketing 07:05 The Challenges of Filling Book Events 09:00 The Value of Events for Debut Authors 10:26 The Influence of Class and Connections in Publishing 15:00 The Myth of the Slush Pile 18:39 The Need for Engaging and Fun Book Events 20:24 The Value of Indie Author Events 25:26 The Role of Marketing and Publicity for Authors 27:22 Working with Traditionally Published Authors 31:33 The Challenges of Hiring PR and Marketing Services 41:57 The Empowered Author and Building a Strong Author Platform

• 

  S2 E35 - AI Generation and the Future of Cover Art, w/ cover designer Steve Leard

  S2 E35 - AI Generation and the Future of Cover Art, w/ cover designer Steve Leard

  S02 E35

  52:19

  Steve Lead is a freelance cover artist and industry podcaster, with many years' experience working on book cover designs in the publishing industry. Today, he sits down to help demystify the complicated process that goes into creating a book cover. We discuss briefs, trends, industry pay (or lack of it), the impact of thumbnail images on print books--and finally, the elephant in the room: the burgeoning technology that is generative AI, and what it might mean for us all. 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:08 Interactions with Authors and the Design Process 07:03 The Design Brief and Constraints 09:02 Pay and Salaries in the Design Industry 12:04 The Impact of Thumbnails on Book Covers 32:31 The Role of AI in Writing and Design 34:00 Concerns and Fears about AI in the Creative Industry 35:06 Legal Ramifications of AI in Publishing 36:27 The Need for Accountability and Fair Compensation 37:21 Controversies and Criticisms of OpenAI 39:16 The Impact of AI on Artists and Creators 41:14 The Dark Side of AI and Social Media 44:34 The Use of AI in Social Media Platforms 46:18 The Potential Benefits and Limitations of AI 48:08 The Controversy of Cover Quotes on Book Jackets 53:43 The Frustration with Front Cover Quotes

• 

  S2 Ep 34 - Challenging Tradpub's 'Culture of Defeatism', with Mark Stay of THE BESTSELLER EXPERIMENT

  S2 Ep 34 - Challenging Tradpub's 'Culture of Defeatism', with Mark Stay of THE BESTSELLER EXPERIMENT

  S02 E34

  01:09:14

  In addition to writing bestselling novels and cofounding a viral podcast (THE BESTSELLER EXPERIMENT), Mark Stay also spent many years working with bookstores and publishers, gaining great insight to all sides of the industry. We chat to Mark about his varied experiences, and reflect back on the seven years he spent recording his groundbreaking podcast. This one is fun and quite eye-opening for behind-the-scenes stuff. 00:00 Introduction and Podcast Origins 01:09 Mark Stay's Background and Bestseller Experiment 02:45 The Impact and Pressure of Bestseller Experiment 03:10 The Success and Community of Bestseller Experiment 04:05 Lessons Learned from Bestseller Experiment 05:17 Disillusionment and Quitting While Ahead 06:12 Finding the Right Tone for Bestseller Experiment 07:31 Defeatism in Traditional Publishing 08:12 The Empathy and Doom Scrolling of Creatives 09:25 The Challenges of Self-Publishing 10:34 The Importance of Loving the Process 11:49 Mark Stay's Journey from Bookseller to Author 13:35 The Experience of Traditional Publishing 15:49 The Unconventional Paths in Publishing 19:00 Self-Publishing the Bestseller Experiment Book 20:33 The Challenges of Selling a Genre-Bending Book 22:44 Takeaways for Authors to Give Their Books a Good Shot 28:29 The Impact of the Podcast on Scott Drakeford's Publishing Journey 32:42 The Reception and Impact of the Podcast 35:16 Challenges Faced by Publishers 37:06 Focus on Brand Authors 38:04 Neglecting Growing Authors 39:03 Ineffective Advertising Campaigns 40:00 The Mistake of Becoming Bigger 42:21 Digital Publishers and Genre Preferences 43:18 Preference for Tangible Books 44:09 The Importance of Book Covers 45:37 Amazon's Dominance and Publishers' Reliance 46:31 Amazon's Control and Negotiations 47:02 Amazon's Focus on Other Ventures 48:31 Visibility and Impact of Amazon on Authors 49:28 The Influence of Nielsen BookScan 53:41 Diversity in Publishing 55:05 The Future of Publishing and Concerns 56:02 American Cultural Imperialism 01:03:19 Smallest Hill to Die On: Americanization of British English 01:09:06 Plugs: Bestseller Experiment, Witches of Woodville

• 

  S2 E33 - The Myth of the Instant Bestseller, with JT Greathouse

  S2 E33 - The Myth of the Instant Bestseller, with JT Greathouse

  S02 E33

  54:34

  As our one and only return guest, JT Greathouse joins us for the launch of Season 2, this time in his capacity as a true-hybrid author (with a bookseller's eye). JT sold his debut, HAND OF THE SUN KING, to a UK publisher, but didn't get a USA deal. With the support and help of his literary agency, he opted to self-publish the American version in the States. This week, we talk about the process of getting your books into stores, the nitty gritty of distribution in relation to small presses, indie authors, and hybrid folks like JT, how to make smart choices, the ways in which books can build towards success, and the (psychologically) damaging myth of the "instant best seller" launch. ### the advantages of splitting rights versus selling world rights Thinking about strategies for selling the rights of your book self pub USA, trad pub UK The importance of ingram Why are book royalties so low in trad? What does higher royalties mean in the context of smaller presses Good presale numbers--how to calculate this as a debut (jeremy's 'vibe check' formula) Debuts not making or breaking you how online discussions skew our perception of success how to make good decisions Jeremy and Scott bicker (good-naturedly) over the definition of "tiers" Bookseller mentality re hype and sales Small, achievable goals - not totally powerless! NEW PODCAST SECTION: The Smallest Hill You're Willing To Die On