Podcasts about booksellers

What does 2026 hold for indie authors and the publishing industry? I give my thoughts on trends and predictions for the year ahead. In the intro, Quitting the right stuff; how to edit your author business in 2026; Is SubStack Good for Indie Authors?; Business for Authors webinars. If you'd like to join my community and support the show every month, you'll get access to my growing list of Patron videos and audio on all aspects of the author business — for the price of a black coffee (or two) a month. Join us at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn. Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F. Penn. She's also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. You can listen above or on your favorite podcast app or read the notes and links below. Here are the highlights and the full transcript is below. (1) More indie authors will sell direct through Shopify, Kickstarter, and local in-person events (2) AI-powered search will start to shift elements of book discoverability (3) The start of Agentic Commerce (4) AI-assisted audiobook narration will go mainstream (5) AI-assisted translation will start to take off beyond the early adopters (6) AI video becomes ubiquitous. ‘Live selling' becomes the next trend in social sales. (7) AI will create, run, and optimise ads without the need for human intervention (8) 1000 True Fans becomes more important than ever You can find all my books as J.F. Penn and Joanna Penn on your favourite online store in all the usual formats, or order from your local library or bookstore. You can also buy direct from me at CreativePennBooks.com and JFPennBooks.com. I'm not really active on social media, but you can always see my photos at Instagram @jfpennauthor. 2026 Trends and Predictions for Indie Authors and Book Publishing (1) More indie authors will sell direct through Shopify, Kickstarter, and local in-person events — and more companies like BookVault will offer even more beautiful physical books and products to support this. This trend will not be a surprise to most of you! Selling direct has been a trend for the last few years, but in 2026, it will continue to grow as a way that independent authors become even more independent. The recent Written Word Media survey from Dec 2025 noted that 30% of authors surveyed are selling direct already and 30% say they plan to start in 2026. Among authors earning over $10,000 per month, roughly half sell direct. In my opinion, selling direct is an advanced author strategy, meaning that you have multiple books and you understand book marketing and have an email list already or some guaranteed way to reach readers. In fact, Kindlepreneur reports that 66% of authors selling direct have more than 5 books, and 46% have more than 10 books. Of course, you can start with the something small, like a table at a local event with a limited number of books for sale, but if you want to consistently sell direct for years to come, you need to consider all the business aspects. Selling direct is not a silver bullet. It's much harder work to sell direct than it is to just upload an ebook to Amazon, whether you choose a Kickstarter campaign, or Shopify/Payhip or other online stores, or regular in-person sales at events/conferences/fairs. You need a business mindset and business practices, for example, you need to pay upfront for setup as well as ongoing management, and bulk printing in some cases. You need to manage taxes and cashflow. You need to be a lot more proactive about marketing, as you won't sell anything if you don't bring readers to your books/products. But selling direct also brings advantages. It sets you apart from the bulk of digital only authors who still only upload ebooks to Amazon, or maybe add a print on demand book, and in an era of AI rapid creation, that number is growing all the time. If you sell direct, you get your customer data and you can reach those customers next time, through your email list. If you don't know who bought your books and don't have a guaranteed way to reach them, you will more easily be disrupted when things change — and they always change eventually. Kindlepreneur notes that “45% of the successful direct selling authors had over 1,000 subscribers on their email lists,” with “a clear, positive correlation between email list size and monthly direct sales income — with authors having an email list of over 15,000 subscribers earning 20X more than authors with email lists under 100 subscribers.” Selling direct means faster money, sometimes the same day or the same week in many cases, or a few weeks after a campaign finishes, as with Kickstarter. And remember, you don't have to sell all your formats directly. You can keep your ebooks in KU, do whatever you like with audiobooks, and just have premium print products direct, or start with a very basic Kickstarter campaign, or a table at a local fair. Lots more tips for Shopify and Kickstarter at https://www.thecreativepenn.com/selldirectresources/ I also recommend the Novel Marketing Podcast on The Shopify Trap: Why authors keep losing money as it is a great counterpoint to my positive endorsement of selling direct on Shopify! Among other things, Thomas notes that a fixed monthly fee for a store doesn't match how most authors make money from books which is more in spikes, the complexity and hassle eats time and can cost more money if you pay for help, and it can reduce sales on Amazon and weaken your ranking. Basically, if you haven't figured out marketing direct to your store, it can hurt you.All true for some authors, for some genres, and for some people's lifestyle. But for authors who don't want to be on the hamster wheel of the Amazon algorithm and who want more diversity and control in income, as well as the incredible creative benefits of what you can do selling direct, then I would say, consider your options in 2025, even if that is trying out a low-financial-goal Kickstarter campaign, or selling some print books at a local fair. Interestingly, traditional publishers are also experimenting with direct sales. Kate Elton, the new CEO of Harper Collins notes in The Bookseller's 2026 trend article, “we are seeing global success with responsive, reader-driven publishing, subscription boxes and TikTok Shop and – crucially – developing strategies that are founded on a comprehensive understanding of the reader.” She also notes, “AI enables us to dramatically change the way we interact with and grow audiences. The opportunities are genuinely exciting – finding new ways to help readers discover books they will love, innovating in the ways we market and reach audiences, building new channels and adapting to new methods of consuming content.” (2) AI-powered search will start to shift elements of book discoverability From LinkedIn's 2026 Big Ideas: “Generative engine optimization (GEO) is set to replace search engine optimization (SEO) as the way brands get discovered in the year ahead. As consumers turn to AI chatbots, agentic workflows and answer engines, appearing prominently in generative outputs will matter more than ranking in search engines.” Google has been rolling out AI Mode with its AI Overviews and is beginning to push it within Google.com itself in some countries, which means the start of a fundamental change in how people discover content online. I first posted about GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation) and AEO (Answer Engine Optimisation) in 2023, and it's going to change how readers find books. For years, we've talked about the long tail of search. Now, with AI-powered search, that tail is getting even longer and more nuanced. AI can understand complex, conversational queries that traditional search engines struggled with. Someone might ask, “What's a good thriller set in a small town with a female protagonist who's a journalist investigating a cold case?” and get highly specific recommendations. This means your book metadata, your website content, and your online presence need to be more detailed and conversational. AI search engines understand context in ways that go far beyond simple keywords. The authors who win in this new landscape will be those who create rich, authentic content about their books and themselves, not just promotional copy. As economist Tyler Cowen has said, “Consider the AIs as part of your audience. Because they are already reading your words and listening to your voice.” We're in the ‘organic' traffic phase right now, where these AI engines are surfacing content for ‘free,' but paid ads are inevitably on the way, and even rumoured to be coming this year to ChatGPT. By the end of 2026, I expect some authors and publishers to be paying for AI traffic, rather than blocking and protesting them. For now, I recommend checking that your author name/s and your books are surfaced when you search on ChatGPT.com as well as Google.com AI Mode (powered by Gemini). You want to make sure your work comes up in some way. I found that Joanna Penn and J.F. Penn searches brought up my Shopify stores, my website, podcast, Instagram, LinkedIn, and even my Patreon page, but did not bring up links to Amazon. If you only have an author presence on Amazon, does it appear in AI search at all? Do you need to improve anything about what the AI search brings up? Traditional publishers are also looking at this, with PublishersWeekly doing webinars on various aspects of AI in early 2026, including sessions on GEO and how book sales are changing, AI agents, and book marketing. In a 2026 predictions article on The Bookseller, the CEO of Bloomsbury Publishing noted, “The boundaries of artificial intelligence will become clearer, enabling publishers to harness its benefits while seeking to safeguard the intellectual property rights of authors, illustrators and publishers.” “AI will be deeply embedded in our workflows, automating tasks such as metadata tagging, freeing teams to focus on creativity and strategy. Challenges will persist. Generative AI threatens traditional web traffic and ad revenue models, making metadata optimisation and SEO critical for visibility as we adjust to this new reality online.” (3) The start of Agentic Commerce AI researches what you want to buy and may even buy on your behalf. Plus, I predict that Amazon does a commerce deal with OpenAI for shopping within ChatGPT by the end of 2026. In September 2025, ChatGPT launched Instant Checkout and the Agentic Commerce Protocol, which will enable bots to buy on websites in the background if authorised by the human with the credit card. VISA is getting on board with this, so is PayPal, with no doubt more payment options to come. In the USA, ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Free users can now buy directly from US Etsy sellers inside the chat interface, with over a million Shopify merchants coming soon. Shopify and OpenAI have also announced a partnership to bring commerce to ChatGPT. I am insanely excited about this as it could represent the first time we have been able to more easily find and surface books in a much more nuanced way than the 7 keywords and 3 categories we have relied on for so long! I've been using ChatGPT for at least the last year to find fiction and non-fiction books as I find the Amazon interface is ‘polluted' by ads. I've discovered fascinating books from authors I've never heard of, most in very long tail areas. For example, Slashed Beauties by A. Rushby, recommended by ChatGPT as I am interested in medical anatomy and anatomical Venuses, and The Macabre by Kosoko Jackson, recommended as I like art history and the supernatural. I don't think I would have found either of these within a nuanced discussion with ChatGPT. Even without these direct purchase integrations, ChatGPT now has Shopping Research, which I have found links directly to my Shopify store when I search for my books specifically. Walmart has partnered with OpenAI to create AI-first shopping experiences, and you have to wonder what Amazon might be doing? In Nov 2025, Amazon signed a “strategic partnership” with OpenAI, and even though it's focused on the technical side of AI, those two companies in a room together might also be working on other plans … I'm calling it for 2026. I think Amazon will sign a commerce agreement with OpenAI sometime before the end of the year. This will enable at least recommendation and shopping links into Amazon stores (presumably using an OpenAI affiliate link), or perhaps even Instant Checkout with ChatGPT for Amazon. It will also enable a new marketing angle, especially if paid ads arrive in ChatGPT, perhaps even integrating with Amazon Ads in some way as part of any possible agreement, since ads are such a good revenue stream for Amazon anyway. The line between discovery, engagement, and purchase is collapsing. Someone could be having a conversation with an AI about what to read next, and within that same conversation, purchase a bookwithout ever leaving the chat interface. This already happens within TikTok and social commerce clearly works for many authors. It's possible that the next development for book discoverability and sales might be within AI chats. This will likely stratify the already fragmented book eco-system even more. Some readers will continue to live only within the Amazon ecosystem and (maybe) use their Rufus chatbot to buy, and others will be much wider in their exploration of how to find and discover books (and other products and services). If you haven't tried it yet, try ChatGPT.com Shopping Research for a book. You can do this on the free tier. Use the drop down in the main chat box and select Shopping Research. It doesn't have to be for your book. It can be any book or product, for example, our microwave died just before Christmas so I used it to find a new one. But do a really nuanced search with multiple requirements. Go far beyond what you would search for on Amazon. In the results, notice that (at the time of writing) it does not generally link to Amazon, but to independent sites and stores. As above, I think this will change by the end of 2026, as some kind of commerce deal with Amazon seems inevitable. (4) AI-assisted audiobook narration will go mainstream I've been talking about AI narration of audiobooks since 2019, and over the years, I've tried various different options. In 2025, the technology reached a level of emotional nuance that made it much easier to create satisfying fiction audio as well as non-fiction. It also super-charges accessibility, making audio available in more languages and more accents than ever before. Of course, human narration remains the gold standard, but the cost makes it prohibitive for many authors, and indeed many small traditional publishers, for all books. If it costs $2000 – $10,000 to create an audiobook, you have to sell a lot to make a profit, and the dominance of subscription models have made it harder to recoup the costs. Famous narrators and voice artists who have an audience may still be worth investing in, as well as premium production, but require an even higher upfront cost and therefore higher sales and streams in return. AI voice/audio models are continuing to improve, and even as this goes out, there are rumours on TechCrunch that OpenAI's new device, designed by Jony Ive who designed the iPhone, will be audio first and OpenAI are improving their voice models even more in preparation for that launch. In 2026, I think AI-narrated audio will go mainstream with far-reaching adoption across publishing and the indie author world in many different languages and accents. This will mean a further stratification of audiobooks, with high quality, high production, high cost human narrated audio for a small percentage of books, and then mass market, affordable AI-narrated audio for the rest. AI-narrated audiobooks will make audio ubiquitous, and just as (almost) every print book has an ebook format, in 2026, they will also have an audio format. I straddle both these worlds, as I am still a human audiobook narrator for my own work. I human-narrated Successful Self-Publishing Fourth Edition (free audiobook) and The Buried and the Drowned, my short story collection. I also use AI narration for some books. ElevenLabs remains my preferred service and in 2025, I used my J.F. Penn voice clone for Death Valley and also Blood Vintage, while using a male voice for Catacomb. I clearly label my AI-narration in the sales description and also on the cover, which I think is important, although it is not always required by the various services. You can distribute ElevenLabs narrated audiobooks on Spotify, Kobo Writing Life, YouTube, ElevenReader, and of course your own store if you use Shopify with Bookfunnel. There are many other services springing up all the time, so make sure you check the rights you have over the finished audio, as well as where you can sell and distribute the final files. If they are just using ElevenLabs models in the back-end, then why not just do that directly? (Most services will be using someone's model in the back-end, since most companies do not train their own models.) Of course, you can use Amazon's own narration. While Amazon originally launched Audible audiobooks with Virtual Voice (AVV) in November 2023, it was rolled out to more authors and territories in 2025. If your book is eligible, the option to create an audiobook will appear on your KDP dashboard. With just a few clicks, you can create an audiobook from a range of voices and accents, and publish it on Amazon and Audible. However, the files are not yours. They are exclusive to Amazon and you cannot use them on other platforms or sell them direct yourself. But they are also free, so of course, many authors, especially those in KU, will use this option. I have done some for my mum's sweet romance books as Penny Appleton and I will likely use them for my books in translation when the option becomes available. Traditional publishers are experimenting with AI-assisted audiobook narration as well. MacMillan is selling digital audiobooks read by AI directly on their store. PublishersWeekly reports that PRH Audio “has experimented with artificial voice in specific instances, such as entrepreneur Ely Callaway's posthumous memoir The Unconquerable Game,” when an “authorized voice replica” was created for the audiobook. The article also notes that PRH Audio “embrace artificial intelligence across business operations—my entire department [PRH Audio] is using AI for business applications.” And while indie authors can't use AI voices on ACX right now, Audible have over 100 voices available to selected publishing partnerships, as reported by The Guardian with “two options for publishers wishing to make use of the technology: “Audible-managed” production, or “self-service” whereby publishers produce their own audiobooks with the help of Audible's AI technology.” In 2026, it's likely that more traditional publishers — as well as indie authors — will get their backlist into audio with AI narration. (5) AI-assisted translation will start to take off beyond the early adopters Over the years, I've done translation deals with traditional publishers in different languages (German, French, Spanish, Korean, Italian) for some fiction and non-fiction books. But of course, to get these kinds of deals, you have to be proactive about pitching, or work with an agent for foreign rights only, and those are few and far between! There are also lots of languages and territories worldwide, and most deals are for the bigger markets, leaving a LOT of blue water for books in translation, even if you have licensed some of the bigger markets. I did my first partially AI-translated books in 2019 when I used Deepl.com for the first draft and then worked with a German editor to do 3 non-fiction books in German. While the first draft was cheap, the editing was pretty expensive, so I stopped after only doing a couple. I have made the money back now, but it took years. In 2025, AI Translation began to take off with ScribeShadow, GlobeScribe.ai, and more recently, in November 2025, Kindle Translate boosting the number of translated books available. Kindle Translate is (currently) only available to US authors for English into Spanish and also German into English, but in 2026, this will likely roll out to more languages and more authors, making it easier than ever to produce translations for free. Of course, once again, the gold standard is human translation, or at least human-edited translations, but the cost is prohibitive even just for proof-reading, and if there is a cheap or even free option, like Kindle Translate, then of course, authors are going to try it. If the translation gets bad reviews, they can just un-publish. There are many anecdotal stories of indie success in 2025 with AI-translated genre fiction sales (in series) in under-served markets like Italian, French, and Spanish, as well as more mainstream adoption in German. I was around in the Kindle gold-rush days of 2009-2012 and the AI-translation energy right now feels like that. There are hardly any Kindle ebooks in many of these languages compared to how many there are in English, so inevitably, the rush is on to fill the void, especially in genres that are under-served by traditional publishers in those markets. Yes, some of these AI translated books will be ‘AI-slop,' but readers are not stupid. Those books will get bad reviews and thus will sink to the bottom of the store, never to be seen again. The AI translation models are also improving rapidly, and Amazon's Kindle Translate may improve faster than most, for books specifically, since they will be able to get feedback in terms of page reads. Amazon is also a major investor in Anthropic, which makes Claude.ai, widely considered the best quality for creative writing and translation, so it's likely that is used somewhere in the mix. Some traditional publishers are also experimenting with AI-assisted translation, with Harlequin France reportedly using AI translation and human proofreaders, as reported by the European Council of Literary Translators' Associations in December 2025. Academic publisher Taylor and Francis is also using AI for book translation, noting: “Following a program of rigorous testing, Taylor & Francis has announced plans to use AI translation tools to publish books that would otherwise be unavailable to English-language readers, bringing the latest knowledge to a vastly expanded readership.” “Until now, the time and resources required to translate books has meant that the majority remained accessible only to those who could read them in the original language. Books that were translated often only became available after a significant delay. Today, with the development of sophisticated AI translation tools, it has become possible to make these important texts available to a broad readership at speed, without compromising on accuracy.” (6) AI video becomes ubiquitous. ‘Live selling' becomes the next trend in social sales. In 2025, short form AI-generated video became very high quality. OpenAI released Sora 2, and YouTube announced new Shorts creation tools with Veo 3, which you can also use directly within Gemini. There are tons of different AI video apps now, including those within the social media sites themselves. There is more video than ever and it's much easier to create. I am not a fan of short form video! I don't make it and I don't consume it, but I do love making book trailers for my Kickstarter campaigns and for adding to my book pages and using on social media. I made a trailer for The Buried and the Drowned using Midjourney for images and then animation of those images, and Canva to put them together along with ElevenLabs to generate the music. But despite the AI tools getting so much easier to use, you still have to prompt them with exactly what you want. I can't just upload my book and say, “Make a book trailer,” or “Make a short film.” This may change with generative video ads, which are likely to become more common in 2026, as video turns specifically commercial. Video ads may even be generated specifically for the user, with an audience of one, maybe even holding your book in their hands (using something like Cameos on Sora), in the same way that some AI-powered clothing stores do virtual try-ons. This might also up-end the way we discover and buy things, as the AI for eCommerce and Amazon Sellers newsletter says about OpenAI's Sora app, “OpenAI isn't just trying to build a TikTok competitor. They're building a complete reimagining of how we discover and buy things …” “The combination of ChatGPT's research capabilities and Sora's potential for emotional manipulation—I mean, “engagement”—could create something we've never seen before: an AI ecosystem that might eventually guide you through every type of purchase, from the most considered to the most impulsive.” In 2026, there will be A LOT more AI-generated video, but that also leads to the human trend of more live video. While you can use an AI avatar that looks and sounds like you using tools like HeyGen or Synthesia, live video has all the imperfect human elements that make it stand-out, plus the scarcity element which leads to the purchase decision within a countdown period. Live video is nothing new in terms of brand building and content in general, but it seems that live events primarily for direct sales might be a thing in 2026. Kim Kardashian hosted Kimsmas Live in December 2025 with a 45 minute live shopping event with special guests, described as entertainment but designed to be a sales extravaganza. Indie authors are doing a similar thing on TikTok with their books, so this is a trend to watch in 2026, especially if you feel that live selling might fit with your personality and author business goals. It's certainly not for everyone, but I suspect it will suit a different kind of creator to those who prefer ‘no face' video, or no video at all! On other aspects of the human side of social media, Adam Mosseri the CEO of Instagram put a post on Threads called Authenticity after Abundance. He said, “Everything that made creators matter—the ability to be real, to connect, to have a voice that couldn't be faked—is now suddenly accessible to anyone with the right tools.” “Deepfakes are getting better and better. AI is generating photographs and videos indistinguishable from captured media. The feeds are starting to fill up with synthetic everything. And in that world, here's what I think happens.Creators matter more.” It's a long article so just to pick a few things from it: “We like to talk about “AI slop,” but there is a lot of amazing AI content … we are going to start to see more and more realistic AI content.” I've talked to my Patreon Community about this ‘tsunami of excellence' as these tools are just getting better and better and the word ‘slop' can also be applied to purely human output, too. If you think that AI content is ‘worse' than wholly human content, in 2026, you are wrong. It is now very very good, especially in the hands of people who can drive the AI tools. Back to Adam's post: “Authenticity is fast becoming a scarce resource, …The creators who succeed will be those who figure out how to maintain their authenticity [even when it can be simulated] …” “The bar is going to shift from “can you create?” to “can you make something that only you could create?” He talks about how the personal content on Instagram now is: “unpolished; it's blurry photos and shaky videos of people's daily experiences … flattering imagery is cheap to produce and boring to consume. People want content that feels real… Savvy creators are going to lean into explicitly unproduced and unflattering images of themselves. In a world where everything can be perfected, imperfection becomes a signal. Rawness isn't just aesthetic preference anymore—it's proof. It's defensive. A way of saying: this is real because it's imperfect.” While I partially love this, and I really hope it's true, as in I hope we don't need to look good for the camera anymore I would also challenge Adam on this, because pretty much every woman I know on social media has been sent sexual messages, and/or told they are ugly and/or fat when posting anything unflattering. I've certainly had both even for the same content, but I don't expect Adam has been the target for such posting! But I get his point. He goes on:“Labeling content as authentic or AI-generated is only part of the solution though. We, as an industry, are going to need to surface much more context about not only the media on our platforms, but the accounts that are sharing it in order for people to be able to make informed decisions about what to believe. Where is the account? When was it created? What else have they posted?” This is exactly what I've been saying for a while under my double down on being human focus. I use my Instagram @jfpennauthor as evidence of humanity, not as a sales channel. You can do both of course, but increasingly, you need to make sure your accounts at places have longevity and trust, even by the platforms themselves. Adam finishes: “In a world of infinite abundance and infinite doubt, the creators who can maintain trust and signal authenticity—by being real, transparent, and consistent—will stand out.” For other marketing trends for 2026, I recommend publicist Kathleen Schmidt's SubStack which is mostly focused on traditional publishing but still interesting for indies. In her 2026 article, she notes: “We have reached a social media saturation point where going viral can be meaningless and should not be the goal; authenticity and creativity should. She also says, “In-person events are important again,” and, “Social media marketing takes a nosedive… we have reached a saturation point … What publishers must figure out is how to make their social media campaigns stand out. If they remain somewhat uninspired, the money spent on social ads won't convert into book sales.” I think this is part of the rise of live selling as above, which can stand out above more ‘produced' videos. Kathleen also talks about AI usage. “AI can help lighten the burden of publicity and marketing.” “A lot of AI tools are coming to market to lessen the load: they can write pitches, create media lists for you, send pitches for you, and more. I know the industry is grappling with all things AI, but some of these tools are huge time savers and may help a book more than hurt it.” On that note … (7) AI will create, run, and optimise ads without the need for human intervention Many authors will be very happy about this as marketing is often the bane of our author business lives! As I noted in my 2026 goals, I would love to outsource more marketing tasks to AI. I want an “AI book marketing assistant” where I can upload a book and specify a budget and say, ‘Go market this,' then the AI will action the marketing, without me having to cobble together workflows between systems. Of course, it will present plans for me to approve but it will do the work itself on the various platforms and monitor and optimize things for me. I really hope 2026 is the year this becomes possible, because we are on the edge of it already in some areas. Amazon Ads launched a new agentic AI tool in September 2025 that creates professional-quality ads. I've also been working with Claude in Chrome browser to help me analyse my Amazon Ad data and suggest which keywords/products to turn off and what to put more budget into. I'll do a Patreon video on that soon. Meta announced it will enable AI ad creation by the end of 2026 for Facebook and Instagram. For authors who find ad creation overwhelming or time-consuming, this could be a game-changer. Of course, you will still need a budget! (8) 1000 True Fans becomes more important than ever Lots of authors and publishers are moaning about the difficulty of reaching readers in an era of ‘AI slop' but there is no shortage of excellent content created by humans, or humans using AI tools. As ever, our competition is less about other authors, or even authors using AI-assisted creation, we're competing against everything else that jostles for people's attention, and the volume of that is also growing exponentially. I've never been a fan of rapid release, and have said for years that you can't keep up with the pace of the machines. So play a different game. As Kevin Kelly wrote in 2008, If you have 1000 true fans, (also known as super fans), “you can make a living — if you are content to make a living but not a fortune.” [Kevin Kelly was on this show in 2023 talking about Excellent Advice for Living.] Many authors and the publishing industry are stuck in the old model of aiming to sell huge volumes of books at a low profit margin to a massive number of readers, many of them releasing ever faster to try and keep the algorithms moving. But the maths can work for the smaller audience of more invested readers and fans. If you only make $2 profit on an ebook, you need to sell 500 ebooks to make $1000, and then do it again next month. Or you can have a small community like my patreon.com/thecreativepenn where people pay $2 (or more) a month, so even a small revenue per person results in a better outcome over the year, as it is consistent monthly income with no advertising. But what if you could make $20 profit per book? That is entirely possible if you're producing high quality hardbacks on Kickstarter, or bundle deals of audiobooks, or whole series of ebooks. You would only need to sell to 50 people to make $1000. What about $100 profit per sale, which you can do with a small course or live event? You only need 10 people to make $1000, and this in-person focus also amplifies trust and fosters human connection. I've found the intimacy of my live Patreon Office Hours and also my webinars have been rewarding personally, but also financially, and are far more memorable — and potentially transformative — than a pre-recorded video or even another book. From the LinkedIn 2026 Big Ideas article: “In an AI-optimized world, intentional human connection will become the ultimate luxury.” The 1000 True Fans model is about serving a smaller, more personal audience with higher value products (and maybe services if that's your thing). As ever, its about niche and where you fit in the long long long long long tail. It's also about trust. Because there is definitely a shortage of that in so many areas, and as Adam Mosseri of Instagram has said, trust will be increasingly important. Trust takes time to build, but if you focus on serving your audience consistently, and delivering a high quality, and being authentic, this emerges as part of being human. In an echo of what happened when online commerce first took off, we are back to talking about trust. Back in 2010, I read Trust Agents: by Julien Smith and Chris Brogan, which clearly needs a comeback. There was a 10th anniversary edition published in 2020, so that's worth a read/listen. Chris Brogan was also on this show in 2017 when we talked about finding and serving your niche for the long term. That interview is still relevant, here's a quick excerpt, where I have (lightly edited) his response to my question on this topic back in 2017: Jo: The principle of know, like, and trust, why is that still important or perhaps even more important these days? Chris: There are a few things that at play there, Joanna. One is that the same tools that make it so easy for any of us to start and run a business also allow certain elements to decide whether or not they want to do something dubious. And with all new technologies that come, you know, there's nothing unique about these new technologies. In the 1800s, anyone could put anything in a bottle and sell it to you and say, this is gonna cure everything. Cancer — gone. And the bottle could have nothing in. You know, it could be Kool-Aid. And so, the idea of trying to understand what's behind the business though, one beautiful thing that's come is that we can see in much more dimensions who we're dealing with. We can understand better who's the face behind the brand. I really want people to try their best to be a lot clearer on what they stand for or what they say. And I don't really mean a tagline. I mean, humans don't really talk like that. They don't throw some sentence out as often as they can that you remember them for that phrase. But I would say that, we have so many media available to us — the plural of mediums — where we can be more of ourselves. And I think that there's a great opportunity to share the ‘you' behind the scenes, and some people get immediately terrified about this, ‘Ah, the last thing I want is for people to know more about me,' but I think we have such an opportunity. We have such an opportunity to voice our thoughts on something, to talk about the story that goes behind the product. We were all raised on overly produced material, but I think we don't want that anymore. We really want clarity, brevity, simplicity. We want the ability for what we feel is connection and then access. And so I think it's vital that we connect and show people our accessibility, not so that they can pester us with strange questions, but more so that you can say, this person stands with their product and their service and this person believes these things, and I feel something when I hear them and I wanna be part of that.” That's from Chris Brogan's interview here in 2017, and he is still blogging and speaking at writing at ChrisBrogan.com and I'm going to re-listen to the audiobook of Trust Agents again myself as I think it's more relevant than ever. The original quote comes from Bob Burg in his 1994 book, Endless Referrals, “All things being equal, people will do business with, and refer business to, those people they know, like and trust.” That still applies, and absolutely fits with the 1000 True Fans model of aiming to serve a smaller audience. As Kevin Kelly says in 1000 True Fans, “Instead of trying to reach the narrow and unlikely peaks of platinum bestseller hits, blockbusters, and celebrity status, you can aim for direct connection with a thousand true fans.” “On your way, no matter how many fans you actually succeed in gaining, you'll be surrounded not by faddish infatuation, but by genuine and true appreciation. It's a much saner destiny to hope for. And you are much more likely to actually arrive there.” In 2026, I hope that more authors (including me!) let go of ego goals and vanity metrics like ranking, gross sales (income before you take away costs), subscribers, followers, and likes, and consider important business numbers like profit (which is the money you have after costs like marketing are taken out), as well as number of true fans — and also lifestyle elements like number of weekends off, or days spent enjoying life and not just working! OK, that's my list of trends and predictions for 2026. Let me know what you think in the comments. Do you agree? Am I wrong? What have I missed? The post 2026 Trends And Predictions For Indie Authors And The Book Publishing Industry with Joanna Penn first appeared on The Creative Penn.

On this episode, past guests of Books with Betsy and I share our favorite books of 2025! Listen to hear about lots of great 2025 books and the excellent backlist we got to this year.    Books mentioned in this episode:    Betsy's Top 11 Books (in no particular order):  The Sisters by Jonas Hassan Khemiri  Endling by Maria Reva The Director by Daniel Kehlmann  The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones Biography of X by Catherine Lacey  Say Hello to My Little Friend by Jennine Capó Crucet  Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism by Eve L. Ewing Devil is Fine by John Vercher  There is a Rio Grande in Heaven by Ruben Reyes, Jr.  A Guardian and A Thief by Megha Majumdar  Reservoir Bitches by Dalia de la Cerda    Books Highlighted by Guests: Tina of TBR, etc:  One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford  Dominion by Addie E. Citchens Red Clay by Charles B. Fancher  Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid  Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy Jen Price: The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis Canada by Mike Myers  Everyone is Lying to You by Jo Piazza Saltwater by Katy Hays Come Fly With Me by Camille Di Maio Bre of Brezzylovesbooks:  Plantains and Our Becoming: Poems by Melania Luisa Marte What My Bones Know: A Memoir of Healing From Complex Trauma by Stephanie Foo  Maggie; or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee  Maggie Brennan:  There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib  Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar  The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai  Wolf Pack by Amelia Brunskill  Beneath the Rising by Premee Mohamed   Amy Smalley:  Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce  You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith  The Carpool Detectives: A True Story of Four Moms, Two Bodies, and One Mysterious Cold Case by Chuck Hogan  Grace & Henry's Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman  Carrie Vittitoe:  My Father's Paradise: A Son's Search for His Family's Past by Ariel Sabar   Angel Down by Daniel Kraus  The Millicent Quibb School of Etiquette for Young Ladies of Mad Science by Kate McKinnon  Mary Hopper:  The Black Wolf by Louise Penny  Leave Only Footprints: My Acadia-to-Zion Journey Through Every National Park by Conor Knighton The God of the Woods by Liz Moore  The Moscow Sleepers by Stella Rimington  The Searcher by Tana French  The Hunter by Tana French  Aflame: Learning From Silence by Pico Iyer  Karishma Verma:  The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians: True Stories of the Magic of Reading by James Patterson and Matt Eversman  You Wanna Be on Top?: A Memoir of Makeovers, Manipulation, and Not Becoming America's Next Top Model by Sarah Hartshorne  Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez  The Housemaid's Secret by Frieda McFadden  The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom by Shari Franke Alayna Mills:  Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid Flashlight by Susan Choi  We Do Not Part by Han Kang  Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz  Heart the Lover by Lily King

As a music genre, plunderphonics is somewhat misunderstood. While the genre is based on samples, much like hip-hop, it isn't just music made from other music. It utilizes samples to push the boundaries of copyright -- what is fair use, what is public domain, who truly owns a piece of music? Matthew Blackwell's new book for 33 1/3's GENRE series, Plunderphonics, traces the genre back to the quote-heavy compositions of early 20th Century composer Charles Ives and follows it up through the mash-up madness of Danger Mouse and Girl Talk. Along the way, Blackwell looks at the recordings and legal battles of diverse artists like Bay Area pranksters Negativland, comedy pioneers Buchanan and Goodman, hip-hop legends De La Soul, Biz Markie, and Beastie Boys, Aussie art-poppers The Avalanches, and avant-garde theorist (and coiner of the term Plunderphonics) John Oswald. Bookseller and writer Justin Remer talks with Blackwell about all these artists and more of the tidbits contained in his new book. Hosted and produced by Justin Remer.  Recorded remotely via Zencastr.  Fan of audiobooks? Check out the "On the Skylight Pod" playlist on Libro.FM - https://libro.fm/playlists/skylight-podcast Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire.  Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band. 

Lisa Swayze has been the General Manager at Buffalo Street Books for 8 years and will transition to becoming the Executive Director of the bookstore's new literary nonprofit in 2025. Lisa is on the board of directors of the American Booksellers Association and the Downtown Ithaca Alliance. Laura Larson is the owner of Odyssey Bookstore. In 2019 Laura decided to return to her hometown of Ithaca NY to satisfy her life-long dream of opening her own bookstore. Now Laura enjoys spending her days talking about books, reading books and thinking about what to read next. Recommended Books from our Booksellers: Lisa's Favorites Cursed Daughters - Oyinkan Braithwaite The Bone Thief - Vanessa Lillie Wild Dark Shore - Charlotte McConaghy The Hounding - Xenobe Purvis I Want to Burn This Place Down - Maris Kreizman Laura's Favorites Calculation of Volume I-III by Solvej Balle (9780811237253, 9780811237277, 9780811238397) Exophony: Voyages Outside the Mother Tongue by Yoko Tawada (9780811237871) The End of Drum Time by Hanna Pylvainen (9781250871817) January by Sara Gallardo (9781953861641) Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino (9781250338020) Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst (9780593854280) Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (9781984820716 The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai (9780307700155) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lisa Swayze has been the General Manager at Buffalo Street Books for 8 years and will transition to becoming the Executive Director of the bookstore's new literary nonprofit in 2025. Lisa is on the board of directors of the American Booksellers Association and the Downtown Ithaca Alliance. Laura Larson is the owner of Odyssey Bookstore. In 2019 Laura decided to return to her hometown of Ithaca NY to satisfy her life-long dream of opening her own bookstore. Now Laura enjoys spending her days talking about books, reading books and thinking about what to read next. Recommended Books from our Booksellers: Lisa's Favorites Cursed Daughters - Oyinkan Braithwaite The Bone Thief - Vanessa Lillie Wild Dark Shore - Charlotte McConaghy The Hounding - Xenobe Purvis I Want to Burn This Place Down - Maris Kreizman Laura's Favorites Calculation of Volume I-III by Solvej Balle (9780811237253, 9780811237277, 9780811238397) Exophony: Voyages Outside the Mother Tongue by Yoko Tawada (9780811237871) The End of Drum Time by Hanna Pylvainen (9781250871817) January by Sara Gallardo (9781953861641) Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino (9781250338020) Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst (9780593854280) Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett (9781984820716 The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai (9780307700155) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/literature

TRADE SEMINARS, HEALTH INSPECTIONS, AND A PROPER DESK Colleague Oliver Darkshire. The guest describes attending a trade seminar in York, noting that booksellers are typically reclusive rather than social. He recounts a health and safety inspection that left the official in a "fugue state" due to the shop's conditions. Finally, Oliver celebrates eventually receiving a desk he fits under. NUMBER 4 1896 iIRELAND

"Be more human," we are told, if we want to thrive as indie authors in the age of AI, continue to sell our books, and remain relevant to readers. But what does that mean in practical terms? In this session, based on ALLi's Reach More Readers guidebook, Orna Ross surveys how machine and human intelligences are becoming more integrated. She explores ways to strengthen and augment humanity in book marketing, offers tips on using AI assistance across three marketing models, and explains how to let go of what no longer serves your purpose as a writer and publisher while optimizing what does. Sponsor This podcast is proudly sponsored by Bookfunnel. Do you have reader magnets, ARCs, and direct digital sales? Want to join multi-author promotions? Thousands of authors trust BookFunnel for seamless delivery and real human support. Visit BookFunnel.com. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. Show Notes Reach More Readers book can be found on SelfPublishingStore.com About the Host Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller's "100 top people in publishing". She also publishes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction and is greatly excited by the democratizing, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website.

Leyla Kazim takes a look at the best food books and writing from 2025, and chats to food writer Ruby Tandoh about her new book looking at why we eat the way we eat now. We hear picks from the rest of The Food Programme presenters - Sheila Dillon, Dan Saladino and Jaega Wise; books to get you cooking and books to get you thinking.Tom Tivnan from The Bookseller discusses the latest bestsellers, and Carla Lalli - cookbook author and former Bon Appétit food director - helps bust some common myths and even lies we see in about recipe books and in online recipes.Food Books for 2025: * Serving the Public: The Good Food Revolution in Schools, Hospitals and Prisons by Professor Kevin Morgan * Give It a Grow: Simple Projects to Nurture Food, Flowers and Wildlife in Any Outdoor Space by Martha Swales * Food Fight: From Plunder and Profit to People and Planet by Stuart Gillespie * Boustany: A Celebration of Vegetables from My Palestine by Sami Tamimi * Naturally Vegan: Delicious Recipes from Around the World That Just Happen to Be Plant-based by Julius Fiedler * WINE: Everything You Need to Know by Olly Smith * Winter Wellness: Nourishing Recipes to Keep You Healthy When It's Cold by Rachel de Thample * Abundance: Eating and Living with the Seasons by Mark Diacono * Kapusta: Vegetable-Forward Recipes from Eastern Europe by Alissa Timoshkina * Indian Kitchens: Treasured Recipes from India's Diverse Food Culture by Roopa Gulati * All Consuming: Why We Eat the Way We Eat Now by Ruby Tandoh * Chop Chop: Cooking the Food of Nigeria by Ozoz Sokoh Presented by Leyla Kazim Produced by Natalie Donovan for BBC Audio in Bristol.

Send us a textIn this episode, I chat with Amanda and Anthony Stromoski, co-owners of Rough Draft Bar & Books located at Kingston, New York's historic four corners.What if your favorite bookstore also poured a perfect espresso and kept an impeccable tap list? Amanda and Anthony explain how a 1774 schoolhouse became a living room for the Hudson Valley. From Brooklyn careers to a life anchored in community, they share the turning points—personal loss, a craving for connection, and a decade of dreaming—that led to opening a bookstore-bar where people want to linger.We dig into the choices that shape trust and atmosphere: building with reclaimed wood and approachable furniture, prioritizing comfort over polish, and crafting a bar and coffee program that serves readers from morning to late night. On the shelves, their mantra—something for everyone, not all things to all people—guides a curated mix of literary fiction, evolving genre sections, and a standout local interest collection: Catskills hiking guides, Hudson Valley geology and architecture, and beloved regional cookbooks. They break down how staff picks, customer requests, and real-time feedback keep the selection fresh and relevant.Beyond the shop, we map the region's creative heartbeat. Expect insider recs for Overlook Mountain, Huckleberry Point, and the rugged Devil's Path, plus a post-hike stop at West Kill Brewing. We also spotlight neighboring indie bookstores—Spotty Dog Books and Ale in Hudson and the Golden Notebook in Woodstock—that helped inspire Rough Draft's hybrid model. The conversation closes with two standout reads: Álvaro Enrigue's You Dreamed of Empires for its empathy-forward perspective on history, and David Litt's It's Only Drowning for the lessons of learning hard things as an adult.If you love independent bookshops, Hudson Valley travel, Catskills hikes, craft beer, and the art of thoughtful curation, you'll feel right at home here. Subscribe, share this episode with a friend who needs a new third place, and leave a review to help more listeners discover the show.Rough Draft Bar & BooksYou Dreamed of Empires, Álvaro EnrigueIt's Only Drowning, David LittSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

I interview Heather Morris about The Wish.You can buy The Wish by Heather Morris here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16356/9781786582164Also:I review The Bookseller of Hay by James Manning and you can buy it here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16356/9781472159786I review The Last Tree by Luke Adam Hawker and you can buy it here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16356/9781781578704& I review The Picasso Heist by James Patterson and Howard Roughan (audiobook version) and you can buy the printed book here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/16356/9781529943580You can contact Philippa at: Email quickbookreviews@outlook.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/quick_book_reviewsThreads: @quick_book_reviewsTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@quickbookreviewsX: https://x.com/quickbookrevie3Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/quickbookreviews.bsky.social Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this edition of Madison BookBeat, host Sara Batkie chats with Madison booksellers Mira Branek from A Room of One's Own, Hilary Burg from Mystery to Me, and Molly Fish from Lake City Books to see how their 2025 went.  Take a listen to learn about the new releases they loved, event highlights from the past year, recommended reads that'll keep you cozy this season, and what's in store for them in 2026. And for those still doing some holiday shopping, stick around until the end to hear their order deadlines this December! Photo by Jessica Ruscello.

We're back to Africa! Last month we kicked off a little Kenyan series on ​3 Books​ and today I'm thrilled to share another chapter recorded in the heart of pulsing downtown Nairobi in the country's top bookstore. I landed after an overnight flight and immediately filled my belly with fresh samosas, pakoras, curried goat tripe, and fresh tamarind juice ... for breakfast! ... and then, after seeing the city I hopped into a car with Perlexy, who works with our guest in Chapter 104 and current Kenyan Presidential nominee ​Boniface Mwangi​, and drove downtown... We parked the car and met up with Boniface and his son before walking up together to the second floor of a busy plaza. Tucked inside was a 1000-square-foot bookshop that happens to be one of the most influential literary hubs in the country: ​Nuria Bookstore​. That's where I met Bulle (pronounced "Boo-lay") who is of Somalian descent and born 700km north of Nairobi where he was largely raised by his wise camel-herding grandmother (who is 101 today!). Bulle took a business path early in life but as we'll hear his plans changed and now he runs what many consider the most successful bookstore in Kenya and is a huge champion and evangelist for African authors and African literature. Let's hang out upstairs in the Nairobi bookshop and talk about amplifying African voices, growing up among camels, the winding path of purpose, Bulle's 3 most formative books, and so much more … Let's flip the page to Chapter 155 now …

Adam and Jordana 11a hour!

Ambient Music, as a genre, is one that is meant to be experienced consciously or unconsciously. It can be focused upon or ignored. It can feed your soul, brighten your day, or just counterpoint the din of the everyday. Dusty Henry, in his new book for 33 1/3's GENRE series, focuses upon 20TH CENTURY AMBIENT. The book looks at early and unexpected influences like Erik Satie and Blind Willie Johnson. It highlights leading artists of the form like Brian Eno, Harold Budd, Laraaji, Suzanne Ciani, and Hiroshi Yoshimura. It also touches upon artists like Wendy Carlos and Aphex Twin whose relationship to the genre is only part of their identity. Bookseller and writer Justin Remer talks with Henry about the book, which is one of his Holiday Catalog staff picks! Hosted and produced by Justin Remer.  Recorded remotely via Zencastr.  Opening music: "Optimism (Instrumental)" by Duck the Piano Wire  Closing music: "Rule of 3s (Solemnity Child)" by Elastic No-No Band 

Orna Ross and Joanna Penn sit down for a candid, back-and-forth debrief on Author Nation and SelfPubCon 2025, and some of the bigger creative questions raised by the conferences. They unpack the benefits and challenges of physical versus online events, then broaden the conversation into creative courage and change. Discover Drew Davies's "kill two things" rule, why Orna pressed pause on her Go Creative! series, and how Joanna is stepping into a new season with her Masters in Death, Religion, and Culture. As ever, you'll enjoy honest reflection, practical takeaways, and permission to step boldly into your own next creative chapter. About the Hosts Joanna Penn writes nonfiction for authors and is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F.Penn. She's also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller's "100 top people in publishing". She also publishes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction and is greatly excited by the democratizing, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website.

Meet Penelope Fletcher, who runs two Paris bookshops, side by side near the Luxembourg Gardens. The shops: The Red Wheelbarrow and The Red Balloon The Red Balloon is just for children's books, and is almost certainly the most likely of all shops in Paris to have all our own children's books.  Addresses: 9-11 Rue de Médicis, 75006. This episode is from The Earful Tower podcast archives.  Here are all the books that Penelope mentioned, in order: Books for adults Stories from the Magic Canoe of Wa'xaid, by Cecil Paul.  A Moveable Feast, by Ernest Hemingway. Selected Letters, by Madame De Sevigne. The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas, by Gertrude Stein. The Flight Portfolio, by Julie Orringer. Almost French, by Sarah Turnbull. Circe, by Madeline Miller. Walking on the Ceiling, by Aysegül Savas. Demystifying the French, by Janet Hulstrand. Books for children Paris Chien, Adventures of an Expat Dog, by Jackie Clark. Marielle in Paris, by Maxine Schur. I'm sure you can find these and more at The Red Wheelbarrow. Check out the site here. Music in the episode was from Pres Maxson, his take on the classic Charles Aznavour song Hier encore. *********** The Earful Tower exists thanks to support from its members. For the past 92 months and counting it has cost just $10 a month to unlock almost endless extras including bonus podcast episodes, live video replays, special event invites, and our annually updated PDF guide to Paris.  Membership takes only a minute to set up on Patreon, or Substack. Thank you for keeping this channel independent.  For more from the Earful Tower, here are some handy links: Website  Weekly newsletter  Walking Tours

We recently launched our holiday gift guide, and we're going through the books our booksellers submitted as their favorite reads of 2025. Each bookseller sent in a short clip about why they loved their pick, and the mix of genres amongst everyone is fantastic. We know there is something for everyone, and we hope you enjoy listening. Don't forget to browse our Holiday Gift Guide and find something perfect for yourself or someone in your life.  SHOW NOTES: Browse the Dog-Eared Books 2025 Holiday Gift Guide HERE. ______________________________________________________________________ Make sure to subscribe and rate the Bubbles & Books Podcast. And don't forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on Instagram: @bubblesandbookspodcast Follow Dog-Eared Books on Instagram: @dogearedbooksames Shop Dog-Eared Books and pick up your books in store or have shipped HERE. Interested in audiobooks? Listen while supporting Dog-Eared Books HERE. Interested in e-books? Listen while supporting Dog-Eared Books HERE. Learn more about a Dog-Eared Books book subscription HERE. Visit us! www.dogearedbooksames.com

On the Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast, Orna Ross talks about the latest ALLi projects designed to support both the creative and commercial sides of an indie author's life. In this episode, she discusses the new indie author bookstore, the Indie Author Income Survey, and why understanding your own definition of success matters as much as the numbers. Orna encourages authors to think about what "enough" looks like in their writing lives and offers practical steps to move toward those goals, whether that means updating your author profile, planning your next release, or carving out regular time for business decisions. About the Host Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller's "100 top people in publishing". She also publishes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction and is greatly excited by the democratizing, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website.

Former deputy editor of the Independent on Sunday, James Hanning, takes us behind the scenes of The Bookseller of Hay, his immersive portrait of Richard Booth, the man whose eccentric brilliance (and spectacular unruliness!) turned Hay-on-Wye into a world-famous literary destination.We talk about Booth's larger-than-life personality, his love–hate relationship with the Hay Festival, his spectacular mischief, and the contradictions that made him both impossible and irresistible. James also shares how his upbringing and his instinct for “getting to the bottom of things” shaped this book and career.

Watch this episode as a full video interview on YouTubePhoebe Morgan is the Executive Fiction Publisher at Simon & Schuster, with a career spanning major publishing houses including HarperCollins, Orion, Octopus Books, and Hodder & Stoughton. Specialising in crime fiction while also working across general and book club fiction as well as romantasy, she has published numerous Sunday Times, New York Times, and Kindle bestsellers. A passionate champion of new voices, she was shortlisted for Editor of the Year at the British Book Awards (2022) and has received both a Shooting Star Award (in association with The Bookseller) and a Trailblazer Award (with the London Book Fair). She also runs a very informative blog for authors called The Honest Editor, as well as being a successful author in her own right, with five novel published, the latest one being The Trip.We had a great chat with Phoebe, hearing all about how she first moved into publishing and what her day-to-day as an editor for one of the Big 5 publishing houses is really like. We also talk about the role of sales and marketing in publishing houses' decisions on what to acquire, hear about how book auctions work, and get into whether the mid-list is sometimes a neglected part of publishing.Links:Phoebe's websiteFollow Phoebe on InstagramVisit her Honest Editor siteSupport us on Patreon and get great benefits!: https://www.patreon.com/ukpageonePage One - The Writer's Podcast is brought to you by Write Gear, creators of Page One - the Writer's Notebook. Learn more and order yours now: https://www.writegear.co.uk/page-oneFollow us on FacebookFollow us on InstagramFollow us on BlueskyFollow us on ThreadsPage One - The Writer's Podcast is part of STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing and publishing podcast needs! Follow STET Podcasts on Instagram and Bluesky Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode of the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, Dan Holloway reports on Grammarly's rebrand as Superhuman and what it signals about the growing role of AI in writing tools. He also outlines the European and International Booksellers Federation's new AI charter, which emphasizes copyright protection and fair treatment for small publishers, and highlights a new $50 million Literary Arts Fund aimed at supporting organizations that help writers and creators. Sponsor Self-Publishing News is proudly sponsored by PublishMe—helping indie authors succeed globally with expert translation, tailored marketing, and publishing support. From first draft to international launch, PublishMe ensures your book reaches readers everywhere. Visit publishme.me. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. About the Host Dan Holloway is a novelist, poet, and spoken word artist. He is the MC of the performance arts show The New Libertines, He competed at the National Poetry Slam final at the Royal Albert Hall. His latest collection, The Transparency of Sutures, is available on Kindle.

James Laurie tells us about his new bookstore in Minneapolis.

Fairway's independent bookstore Rainy Day Books has been going strong for 50 years, thanks to the large community it's built. To celebrate, Rainy Day's founder will share highlights and stories of the big name authors who have helped propel the small Kansas shop to the national stage.

Sunday Times best selling author Alice Slater is with me today talking about her second novel Let The Bad Times Roll, a dark and delicious follow up to her debut Death of a Bookseller. Alice talks with me about the pleasures of writing immoral characters, finding her way into her 'difficult' second novel, the challenges of shift work (and why bookselling is a bad profession to have alongside writing) and why she is no where near ready to give up the day job just yet. LinksLet The Bad Times Roll by Alice SlaterDeath of A Bookseller by Alice SlaterAlice Slater on SubstackThe Fold Membership for WritersThis series of the podcast is sponsored by award winning audio book app xigxagListeners of Not Too Busy To Write can receive their second book FREE To redeem, download the xigxag app from the App Store or Google Play. Go to My xigxag/Settings, then click on Account. Under Vouchers, click on the ‘Enter code' button and add your voucher code TOOBUSY to your account. After your first purchase, your second title will be free!

Christa Carmen returns to The Dark Mind Podcast for a dive into psychological horror.We discuss her new novel, How to Fake a Haunting, and the devastating effects of addiction.Christa shares insight into creating multidimensional characters and blurring the line between reality and fiction.We explore toxic relationships, gaslighting, and the thrill of staging hauntings.Christa reflects on humor, dread, and motherhood in dark fiction.Stories of recovery, trauma, and haunted spaces take center stage in this conversation.Plus, we chat about her inspiration, subgenres in horror, and her latest projects.Don't miss this engaging episode packed with depth, darkness, and unexpected moments of humor.Website, Booksellers, Interviews, and Social Media: https://www.christacarmen.comhttps://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15179583.Christa_Carmenhttps://www.amazon.com/Christa-Carmen/e/B07HMKGLTLhttps://x.com/christaquahttps://www.instagram.com/christaqua/?hl=enhttps://www.facebook.com/christaquahttps://www.substack.com/@christacarmenhttps://christacarmen.com/books.aspxhttps://bookshop.org/contributors/christa-carmenhttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/christa+carmenhttps://www.christacarmen.com/events.aspxhttps://christacarmen.com/fiction.aspxhttps://www.christacarmen.com/interviews.aspxhttps://www.christacarmen.com/contact.aspxhttps://www.christacarmen.com/about.aspxhttps://www.christacarmen.com/media-02.aspxhttps://oceanstatestories.org/q-a-with-award-winning-westerly-writer-christa-carmen/https://rkbwrites.com/2024/01/author-interview-christa-carmen/https://aspiringauthor.com/interview-author-christa-carmen/https://www.bramstokerawards.com/works-of-superior-achievement/2022-long-fiction/

On the Self-Publishing with ALLi podcast, host Orna Ross speaks with Roz Morris, editor-in-chief at ALLi, about ALLi's new marketing guide and why marketing today is less about algorithms and more about authentic human connection. They explore how shifts in the industry, including the rise of AI, are transforming how authors reach readers, and they discuss how understanding your values, reader journey, and publishing personality can lead to more effective, sustainable marketing. Sponsor This podcast is proudly sponsored by Bookfunnel. Do you have reader magnets, ARCs, and direct digital sales? Want to join multi-author promotions? Thousands of authors trust BookFunnel for seamless delivery and real human support. Visit BookFunnel.com. Find more author advice, tips, and tools at our Self-publishing Author Advice Center, with a huge archive of nearly 2,000 blog posts and a handy search box to find key info on the topic you need. And, if you haven't already, we invite you to join our organization and become a self-publishing ally. Show Notes Reach More Readers: ALLi's Definitive Guide to Book Marketing (50 percent off) About the Host Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller's “100 top people in publishing”. She also publishes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction and is greatly excited by the democratizing, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website. About the Guest Roz Morris is editor-in-chief at the Alliance of Independent Authors and lead editor of ALLi's new marketing guide. She has extensive experience helping authors develop their publishing strategy and connect more effectively with readers. Roz is also an accomplished writer and mentor known for her clear, human-centered approach to book marketing. Learn more on her website.  

How can authors write about climate change without preaching? What happens when your publisher goes under just before your book launch? How do theatre skills translate to better dialogue, readings, and author events? With author and theater director Laura Baggaley. In the intro, Indie presses are in existential crisis [The Bookseller]; what to do when […] The post Performance Tips For Authors, And Writing Climate Fiction With Laura Baggaley first appeared on The Creative Penn.

In this episode, the second of our feature on African Queenship, host Ellie Woodacre interviews Paula Akpan. Our discussion mirrors the same lines as the conversation in episode 1 of this mini-series, drawing deeply on her fantastic new book, When We Ruled (see links below) and the various case studies Paula examined in her research.Guest Bio: Paula Akpan is a historian, journalist and author. Her writing has appeared in British Vogue, Teen Vogue, The Independent, The i Paper, VICE, GAY TIMES, The Bookseller, DIVA Magazine, i-D and more. Her essays have featured in Loud Black Girls, The Queer Bible and The Black History Book. Paula holds a BA in Sociology and an MA in Black British History.  When We Ruled: The Rise and Fall of Twelve African Queens and Warriors is her first book.Follow Paula on Insta @paulaakpan 

Hosts Michael Tamblyn and Nathan Maharaj caught up on a landmark legal decision about books and AI, the perils of bookstore merch, plus a whole lot more. This episode covers: Anthropic AI v. Authors and Authors v. Apple How Powell's Books' new mugs got them into hot water Barnes & Noble buying Books Inc. C-suite changes at Simons & Schuster and Harper UK A novel approach to creative writing this November Somehow, neither of them mentioned a specific book this time. They've been spoken to and have promised to do better in the future. More author interviews coming soon to kobo.com/conversation

Asia Bookroom exhibits their most precious items at rare and antiquarian book fairs in Melbourne, Sydney, and Hong Kong. Look for them at the Sydney Rare Book Fair from Oct. 23-25. In this podcast we discuss some of the items on offer at the Sydney Rare Book Fair:The Disputed Islands Controversial Japanese Map by Hayashi Shihei from around 1790. This is a manuscript copy (written by hand), and includes the Takeshima/Dokdo islands indicating they belong to Korea.A silk sample book from the 1950sA Japanese policeman's notebook from shortly after Japan took over Taiwan. It details experiences with indigenous people of Taiwan.Materials from Communist ChinaBooks:The Tokyo Higher Normal School: Life of the Japanese Women of Today (from 1937)Samurai Tales: Manuscript Writing's on Revenge Killings and LoyaltyBooks mentioned in the podcast:The Shortest History of Japan, by Lesley Downer, China Running Dog by Mark Kitto, Samurai and Silk, by Haru Matsukata Reischauer.Books recommended by Sally Burdon:Myself a Mandarin by Austin Coates, about Hong Kong,Country Driving by Peter HestingsGhosts of the Tsunami by Richard Lloyd ParryYou can visit Asia Bookroom online at https://www.asiabookroom.com/      The Books on Asia Podcast is co-produced with Plum Rain Press. Podcast host Amy Chavez is author of The Widow, the Priest, and the Octopus Hunter: Discovering a Lost Way of Life on a Secluded Japanese Island. and Amy's Guide to Best Behavior in Japan.The Books on Asia website posts book reviews, podcast episodes and episode Show Notes. Subscribe to the BOA podcast from your favorite podcast service. Subscribe to the Books on Asia newsletter to receive news of the latest new book releases, reviews and podcast episodes.

Andrea Romanzi"Il giorno in cui Nils Vik morì"Frode GryttenCarbonio Editorehttps://carbonioeditore.it/le-collane/cielo-stellato/il-giorno-in-cui-nils-vik-mori-frode-grytten/Traduzione a cura di Andrea Romanzi.Nel cuore della Norvegia, in una mattina di novembre, una barca salpa da una banchina per l'ultima volta. A bordo c'è Nils Vik, traghettatore da sempre, uomo di poche parole e gesti misurati, rimasto solo dopo la morte della moglie Marta. Quel giorno, insieme al suo cane Luna, Nils non trasporta passeggeri qualunque, ma volti del passato: affetti scomparsi che riaffiorano per un ultimo saluto. Mentre il traghetto scivola tra i fiordi avvolti da una quiete solenne, la traversata si fa contemplazione, un canto sommesso sulla vita e sulla morte, sulla dolcezza dei ricordi che resistono allo scorrere impietoso del tempo.Con scrittura lirica e profondamente evocativa, Frode Grytten intreccia la malinconia del paesaggio norvegese alla delicatezza delle emozioni più intime, trasformando la quotidianità di un uomo qualunque in una meditazione profonda sulla perdita, sull'amore che perdura, sulla bellezza nascosta nelle cose più semplici.Il giorno in cui Nils Vik morì è un viaggio silenzioso attraversato dalla luce della vita e delle presenze che non ci abbandonano mai.Frode Grytten (Bergen, 1960) è fra i più acclamati scrittori contemporanei norvegesi. Giornalista e autore di romanzi, racconti, poesie e libri per l'infanzia, è stato tradotto in tutto il mondo e ha ricevuto numerosi riconoscimenti. Il giorno in cui Nils Vik morì è stato candidato al Booksellers' Prize e al Libraries' Prize of Literature, e ha vinto il Norwegian Book Prize nel 2023.Andrea Romanzi è docente di letterature scandinave e traduzione presso l'università degli Studi di Milano e ricercatore presso l'Istituto Italiano di Studi Germanici. Ha tradotto romanzi di autori e autrici scandinavi come Victoria Kielland, Thomas Korsgaard, Gert Nygårdshaug, Ruth Lillegraven ed è impegnato nella curatela e traduzione di un'antologia di poesie di Jon Fosse.Diventa un supporter di questo podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/il-posto-delle-parole--1487855/support.IL POSTO DELLE PAROLEascoltare fa pensarehttps://ilpostodelleparole.it/

We're revisiting one of our most popular episodes: a 2023 conversation with rare bookseller Tom Ayling. Tom shares insights into the world of rare and antiquarian books — from the thrill of uncovering forgotten first editions to the evolving market for collectors.Now running his own business in Oxfordshire, Tom offers a behind-the-scenes look at book collecting, the history of the trade, and the enduring appeal of physical books. Perfect for anyone curious about rare books, literary history, and the stories hidden on library shelves.Find Jonkers Rare Books: https://www.jonkers.co.uk/Follow me @litwithcharles for more book reviews and recommendations!

Kelly Mullen is a creative powerhouse who has just released her debut novel, 'This Is Not a Game'. Previously, Kelly has produced in Hollywood, working on the movie 'Trumbo', and the series 'Dads' for Apple TV+. She works as a marketing consultant, helping brands achieve their creative potential, and now she's trying to realise her own. She's been named by Cosmopolitan, The Bookseller, and the Daily Mail as 'One to Watch', and the rights to her new novel have already been snapped up in the USA and Germany.'This Is Not a Game' is about the hard-drinking, crossword solving Mimi, who enlists her stranged granddaughter Addie to help solve a murder. It was inspired by a summer taking care of her own grandma, and dreaming of the strange scrapes they could get into.We talk about why she wasn't trying to reinvent the wheel, what she learned from working in Hollywood, and how she made sure her characters got to her ending. You can hear Kelly's path to publication, what she's taken from her writing career so far, and whether she's taking on too much.Get a copy of the book, and NOW find ebooks to support your local independent book store, at uk.bookshop.org/shop/writersroutineSupport the show - patreon.com/writersroutineko-fi.com/writersroutineThis week's episode is sponsored by IngramSpark, who let you publish like a pro. Try it for free at ingramspark.com/learnmore@writerspodwritersroutine.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Do you publish what YOU want to read, or what the market says people want to read? We're back with last year's PNBA trade show talking to publishers about how they decide what they acquire and publish, and the various things that go into it.************Thank you for catching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episodes every Thursday about publishing, authors, and the book industry. You can also listen via your preferred podcast app, or by visiting linktree.com/microcosmGet the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/3663Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zines/10031More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.comMore by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.netMore by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.comSubscribe to our monthly email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gIXT6vFind us on social media:Facebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishingBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/microcosm.bsky.socialInstagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub************

If you listened to our episode yesterday about Total Recall, you also heard an exciting announcement about our latest adventure. Starting in October, we're collaborating with Troubadour Booksellers to present our very first book club: FoGadour.Once a month, you're invited to the Charlotte, NC area to visit Troubadour Booksellers for a discussion with fellow friends and FoGgers about that month's book. Our lineup begins with Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix, followed by Jesus and John Wayne by Kristen Kobe du Mez for November, Charles Dickens' immortal classic A Christmas Carol in December, and we'll kick off the new year with David Gushee's book Changing Our Minds.If you're local (or driving distance) from the Charlotte area, we'd love to see you in person. But stay tuned here as well for ways you can join us in a broader internet community as we read and discuss books together. In case you missed yesterday's episode, here's a special presentation telling you all about FoGadour. We hope to see you there!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn focus on business models and ethics for indie authors. They look at how “windowing” releases and short KU stints can fit into a publishing strategy, and why managing cash flow is critical for crowdfunding and direct sales. They also examine the collapse of Unbound/Boundless, highlighting the importance of rights-reversion clauses in contracts, and discuss issues of reader trust in memoir. The conversation extends to pen names, ghostwriting, and AI, emphasizing the need for transparency in building lasting relationships with readers. About the Hosts Joanna Penn writes nonfiction for authors and is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F.Penn. She's also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller's “100 top people in publishing”. She also publishes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction and is greatly excited by the democratizing, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website.

Send us a textIn this episode, I chat with James Anderson, co-owner of Saturn Press with his with Diedre. The humble greeting card might seem like a relic in our digital age, but as James reveals, these tactile treasures carry meaning far beyond their paper boundaries. James shares how Saturn Press creates distinctive cards using vintage presses from the 1940s-60s, explaining that the very constraints of letterpress technology drive a creativity that digital perfection cannot replicate. "I'm not a Luddite who hates technology," he clarifies. "I just love that technology from 60 or 80 years ago remains relevant today." These limitations in color palette and printing technique result in cards that feel comforting, unique, and beautiful – qualities increasingly sought after in our screen-dominated world.  Behind each Saturn Press card lies a thoughtful process of selecting art from their extensive ephemera collection, commissioning licensed artists, or revitalizing work from overlooked historical artists. The company prints on carefully selected natural white paper with deckle edges, creating a wholesome tactile experience that enhances the visual design. Sustainability guides their decisions too, as they work to eliminate plastic from packaging while maintaining the product's integrity.  Perhaps most compelling is James's insight into why greeting cards still matter: "A sympathy text just doesn't cut it. If you're participating in a social relationship, you want to show it's worth enough to buy a nice card, write something meaningful, and put it in the mail." This intentionality explains why independent bookshops increasingly embrace stationery as both a profit center and a natural extension of their literary community.  Discover the magic of letterpress and why these cards aren't just purchased but treasured, displayed, and even framed as keepsakes. Visit saturnpresscards.com to experience these distinctive designs for yourself. Saturn PressThe Gold, Neil Forsyth and Thomas TurnerSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

My website: https://www.gadsaad.com   If you appreciate my work and would like to support it: https://subscribestar.com/the-saad-truth https://patreon.com/GadSaad https://paypal.me/GadSaad To subscribe to my exclusive content on X, please visit my bio at https://x.com/GadSaad _______________________________________ This clip was posted on September 1, 2025 on my YouTube channel as THE SAAD TRUTH_1886: https://youtu.be/RjO_PXLWeoQ _______________________________________ Please visit my website gadsaad.com, and sign up for alerts. If you appreciate my content, click on the "Support My Work" button. I count on my fans to support my efforts. You can donate via Patreon, PayPal, and/or SubscribeStar. _______________________________________ Dr. Gad Saad is a professor, evolutionary behavioral scientist, and author who pioneered the use of evolutionary psychology in marketing and consumer behavior. In addition to his scientific work, Dr. Saad is a leading public intellectual who often writes and speaks about idea pathogens that are destroying logic, science, reason, and common sense.  _______________________________________  

What does it really mean to think like a coach at work? Jude Sclater shares how her practical model is transforming managers into empowering leaders, unlocking real team potential. Drawing on her experience with coaching, workshops and her new book, Jude reveals why traditional management training falls short and how simply shifting the way we listen and ask questions can spark growth, autonomy and fulfilment at work and beyond. If you want to empower managers for impact and learn how to bridge the gap between knowing and doing, adopt her two step coaching method to think like a coach.   KEY TAKEAWAY ‘When you give someone your best quality attention, everything just flows so much more beautifully.'   BOOK RECOMMENDATION* Think Like a Coach by Jude Sclater - https://amzn.eu/d/beFftEH    ABOUT THE GUEST – JUDE SCLATER Jude Sclater is a leadership coach, author of ‘Think Like a Coach' and former internal coach at Deloitte. She helps managers step up from doing the work to leading the team, without burning out or losing their best people. Her work focuses on practical coaching skills that make everyday conversations more impactful, even when time is short.    Through her book, training programs and ‘Think Like a Coach' weekly insights, she supports leaders to ask better questions, build trust, and grow high-performing teams. With deep experience in professional services, she's coached hundreds of managers to lead with empathy and impact.    Originally from New Zealand, she's lived in London for almost 20 years. When she's not coaching, she's working hard on transforming her garden, creating home-made pizzas with her husband and learning the art of wine tasting.   CONNECT WITH JUDE Website: www.thinkwithjude.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/judesclater Instagram: www.instagram.com/thinkwithjude Blog Signup: www.thinkwithjude.com/signmeup Booksellers: www.thinkwithjude.com/think-like-a-coach#buy     ABOUT THE HOST - AMY ROWLINSON Amy is a purpose and fulfilment coach, author, podcast strategist and mastermind host who empowers purpose-driven leaders to boost productivity, engagement and meaning in life and work. Through transformational conversations, Amy helps individuals overcome overwhelm and live with clarity, building living legacies along the way.   WORK WITH AMY If you're interested in how purpose can help you and your business, please book a free 30 min call via https://calendly.com/amyrowlinson/call    KEEP IN TOUCH WITH AMY Sign up for the weekly Friday Focus - https://www.amyrowlinson.com/subscribe-to-weekly-newsletter    CONNECT WITH AMY https://linktr.ee/AmyRowlinson    BUY AMY'S BOOK (Shortlisted in the 2025 Business Book Awards) * Focus on Why by Amy Rowlinson with George F. Kerr – https://amzn.eu/d/6W02HWu    HOSTED BY: Amy Rowlinson   DISCLAIMER The views, thoughts and opinions expressed in this podcast belong solely to the host and guest speakers. Please conduct your own due diligence.  *As an Amazon Associate, Amy earns from qualifying purchases.  

Continuing our series on tradeshows, bookselling, and bookseller/publisher relationships, this week we're back at PNBA! Hear from booksellers and publishers on how they think they collaborate well, and what they wish the other party knew.************Thank you for catching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episodes every Thursday about publishing, authors, and the book industry. You can also listen via your preferred podcast app, or by visiting linktree.com/microcosmGet the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/3663Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zines/10031More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.comMore by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.netMore by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.comSubscribe to our monthly email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gIXT6vFind us on social media:Facebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishingBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/microcosm.bsky.socialInstagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub************

On this episode, Karishma Verma, an English professor who keeps her reading life outside of school alive, talks about her love for celebrity memoirs, and gives a really great list of places she gets her book recommendations. She also talks about her own podcast, Gilmore Gals, which discusses and recaps all things Gilmore Girls.    Karishma on Instagram  Gilmore Gals   Books mentioned in this episode:    What Betsy's reading:  Ask Me Again by Claire Sestanovich Monkey Grip by Helen Garner Biography of X by Catherine Lacey   Books Highlighted by Karishma: Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman By The Book by Jasmine Guillory The Secret Lives of Booksellers and Librarians by James Patterson I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy Yes Please by Amy Poehler   All books available on my Bookshop.org episode page.   Other books mentioned in this episode: The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware  Junie B. Jones by Barbara Park & Denise Brunkus  The Clique by Lisi Harrison  A Promised Land by Barack Obama  Where'd You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple Educated by Tara Westover The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls  Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling  Why Not Me?  by Mindy Kaling  The Meaning of Mariah Carey by Mariah Carey

This week we're diving into the pressure female authors face to turn their personal trauma into marketable content. Why is women's fiction so often mistaken for ‘autofiction'? And why does the publishing world seem to reward pain over imagination when it comes from women? Writer (and returning guest!) Caroline O'Donoghue joins us to unpack her brilliant recent piece in The Bookseller, deep-diving into everything from the first-person industrial complex, stolen time and tweakments, to her current pop culture picks including books, TV and film. Also this week, K has been to see match-making rom-com The Materialists and E has a book rec! We love hearing from you, DM us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@straightuppod⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, email at ⁠⁠hello@straightuppodcast.co.uk⁠ and follow us on TikTok @straightuppod too!Get 20% off the adaptogenic coffee that changed our lives, London Nootropics, using our code straightup at⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠londonnootropics.com⁠⁠⁠Recs/reviews:I Who Have Never Known Men, Jaqueline Harpman Orlanda, Jaqueline Harpman The Materialists, in cinemasMaterialists review – Celine Song's Past Lives follow-up is a mixed bag, Guardian ‘Materialists' Review: When Dakota Met Pedro (and Chris), New York Times Past Lives, Amazon PrimeUp close and personal, Caroline O'Donoghue for The Bookseller Skip Shock, Caroline O'Donoghue Where's the 'you'? Naoise Dolan on Substack I felt myself split into before and after': how giving birth triggered a life-changing illness, Guardian The Terrible Things I Have To Do To Be Me, Philippa SnowIn Love With Love, Ella Rusbridger 84 Charing Cross Road, Helene HanffThe Cinemile podcast You're Wrong About podcast Lena Dunham's C Word podcastOlogies podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Paul's Book Store announced it would close its State Street shop after 70 years in business, many Madisonians mourned the loss. But amid this loss, Augie McGinnity-Wake saw a unique opportunity. He bought roughly 2,000 books from Paul's collection and used them as the foundation for his new business, Augie's Books. We caught up with Augie to learn more about how he's carrying the Paul's legacy forward and the role bookstores play in the Madison community. 

On the Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn talk about the creative process behind poetry and short fiction. They reflect on how they decide what form a piece should take, how emotion and memory shape their work, and why writing short can sometimes be harder than long. They also discuss editing, publishing, and why indie authors have the freedom to write what matters to them. Sponsor This podcast is proudly sponsored by Bookvault. Sell high-quality, print-on-demand books directly to readers worldwide and earn maximum royalties selling directly. Automate fulfillment and create stunning special editions with BookvaultBespoke. Visit Bookvault.app today for an instant quote. About the Hosts Joanna Penn writes nonfiction for authors and is an award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling thriller author as J.F.Penn. She's also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. Orna Ross launched the Alliance of Independent Authors at the London Book Fair in 2012. Her work for ALLi has seen her named as one of The Bookseller's “100 top people in publishing”. She also publishes poetry, fiction, and nonfiction and is greatly excited by the democratizing, empowering potential of author-publishing. For more information about Orna, visit her website.

Send us a textIn this episode, I chat with Amanda Friss, the founder of Parentheses Books, which is nestled in the heart of Harrisonburg, Virginia. Parentheses Books is more than just a bookstore—it's a space for community, curiosity, and connection. Since opening its doors, the shop has become a vibrant gathering place for readers of all kinds, offering a carefully curated selection of titles and a welcoming atmosphere that invites exploration. Parentheses BooksThe Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore, Evan FrissNo Less Strange or Wonderful, A. Kendra GreeneSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

How do you write a great query letter, find the right agent, and stand out in today's crowded submissions inbox? In this special compilation episode, four top literary agents: Ed Wilson, Lucinda Halpern, Madeleine Milburn & Sam Copeland, share their honest advice on getting signed, writing marketable books, and navigating today's publishing industry.*Timestamps:Ed Wilson - 1:01Lucinda Literary -  19:11Madeleine Milburn - 37:20Sam Copeland - 48:47 ABOUT THE LITERARY AGENTS Ed Wilson is a literary agent and director at Johnson & Alcock, a London-based literary agency with a diverse and developing list of authors of fiction and nonfiction. He represents everything from award-winning literary fiction to bestselling crime, science-fiction, and fantasy. Ed's profile at Johnson & AlcockEd's Twitter accountJohnson & Alcock's submission guidelinesFull LWS episode: #071: Ed Wilson — Submitting to Agents & Navigating Publishing, Junior vs Experienced Agents, How to Follow up with Agents, Smaller vs Larger Literary Agencies*Lucinda Literary is a New York literary agent and the author of Get Signed: Find an Agent, Land a Book Deal, and Become a Published Author. She represents a range of New York Times and internationally bestselling authors in the categories of business, health, lifestyle, popular science, narrative nonfiction, memoir, and upmarket fiction. *Get Signed: Find an Agent, Land a Book Deal, and Become a Published AuthorLucinda LiteraryFollow up question? Get in touch with Lucinda here.Full LWS episode: #96: Lucinda Halpern — How to Get Signed With a Literary Agent, Unlock Your Book's Big Idea, Query Letter Essentials, Unconventional Ways to Engage With Beta-Readers*Madeleine Milburn has been responsible for discovering some of the highest-selling and award-winning contemporary authors who consistently hit the bestseller lists in the New York Times, including Nita Prose (The Maid), Costa Book Award winner and bestseller Gail Honeyman (Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine). She represents bestselling crime and thriller brands including C.L. Taylor, C.J Tudor, Mark Edwards and Teresa Driscoll.WebsiteSubmitting your work to the Madeleine Milburn AgencyFull LWS episode:  #064: Madeleine Milburn — Catching an Agent's Eye & Building an Author-First Agency*Sam Copeland was shortlisted for Literary Agent of the Year at the 2020 and 2021 British Book Awards and selected for the Bookseller's Most Influential People in Publishing in 2020. He welcomes e-mail submissions and can be contacted on sam@rcwlitagency.com. He is also a children's author.  His Charlie Changes series was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Book of the Year shortlistedSam Copeland RCW Literary AgencyFull LWS episode: #118: Sam Copeland — How to Catch The Eye Of A Literary Agent, Compelling Pitch Letters & Writing Funny Children's Fiction For show notes, transcripts and to attend our live podcasts visit: podcast.londonwriterssalon.com.For free writing sessions, join free Writers' Hours: writershour.com.*FOLLOW LONDON WRITERS' SALONTwitter: twitter.com/​​WritersSalonInstagram: instagram.com/londonwriterssalonFacebook: facebook.com/LondonWritersSalonIf you're enjoying this show, please rate and review this show!

We have been skimping on including independent booksellers in our show lately (and we are sorry) but here is a whole show worth of bookseller conversations!  Source Books in Detroit Michigan is owned by Janet Webster Jones.  And Print: A Bookstore in Portland ME is owned by Emily Russo.  These are two incredible independent booksellers with two incredible stores.  It's a master class in bookselling on this week's Book Case! Find books mentioned on The Book Case: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/shop/story/book-case-podcast-reading-list-118433302 Books mentioned on this week's episode: Beloved by Toni Morrison These Precious Days by Ann Patchett The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jenette McCurdy This is Happiness by Niall Williams Lobster by Guillame Lecasble Sky Daddy by Kate Folk Win by Harlan Coben The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It started with a modern plea for help: "Can I charge my dead phone in your bookstore?" I was in Del Mar, California, walking up the coast of the Pacific Ocean after birding all morning in ​Torrey Pines​. I was tracking my birds on ​eBird​—the ​Peregrine Falcons​, ​Anna's Hummingbirds​, and ​California Scrub-Jays​—and, of course, completely drained my phone's battery. When I get to Del Mar I spy this hobbit-hole looking bookstore called ​Camino Books: For The Road Ahead​ and when I walk in I am suddenly thrust into a gorgeous Biblio Paradise. Camino Books is one of the most spectacular bookstores I've ever seen! I fall into the handwritten Staff Picks walls, nookish children's section, incredible curation, giant hand-drawn posters from Dave Eggers, and the Wonka-like atmosphere that creates a true feast for the eyes and mind! But yeah ... my phone's dead. So I walk to the back counter and ask the gentleman unpacking boxes if I could plug it in back there. When I tell him I'm Canadian he gives me a quirky grin and says, "How many tariffs should I put on your free charge?" We laugh and start talking about the political scene. John has the aura of ​George Saunders​—a certain "warm gnarliness"—and he tells me, "We have no left wing in this country. We're like an eagle slowly swirling to the ground with just one right wing." And I could immediately tell this poetic bookselling Jedi master needed to be recorded... What emerges are the poetic distillations of 67-year-old John the Bookseller, along with his wife Alison who cameos at the end. They have been booksellers since 1981 ... a combined 88 years! No wonder the store's so great. They began in Berkeley and then opened up an independent bookstore chain called Diesel Books, up and down the California coast, and now have sold the store to open up a little new shop on the coast called Camino Books: For the Road Ahead. Don't we all need a good book for the road ahead? Let's talk about how to open a bookstore, California independence, fighting fascism, George Orwell, the 51st state, customers vs. readers, Susan Cain, the Spanish Civil War, how to 'stay awake,' and, of course, John and Alison's 3 most formative books. This is the kind of mind-opening conversation that great bookstores create. Let's head down to Del Mar, California as we flip the page to Chapter 149 now...

On this episode of Currently Reading, Meredith and Kaytee are discussing: Bookish Moments: shifting our perspectives and bookish friends stepping up Current Reads: all the great, interesting, and/or terrible stuff we've been reading lately Deep Dive: we are bossing some more TBRs The Fountain: we visit our perfect fountain to make wishes about our reading lives Show notes are time-stamped below for your convenience. Read the transcript of the episode (this link only works on the main site) .  .  .  .  1:23 - Our Bookish Moments Of The Week 5:36 - Our Current Reads 5:47 - My Friends by Fredrik Backman (Kaytee) 8:16 - Anxious People by Fredrik Backman 8:21 - Beartown by Fredrik Backman 10:16 - Night Film by Marisha Pessl (Meredith) 15:23 - The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt (Kaytee) 20:29 - The Big Four by Agatha Christie (Meredith) 22:38 - Poirot by Mark Aldridge 24:28 - The Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie 26:00 - Most Ardently by Gabe Cole Novoa (Kaytee) 26:38 - Pride by Ibi Zoboi  31:05 - The Beast and the Bookseller by Eva Devon (Meredith) 35:15 - The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare 36:42 - Boss My TBR From DactylJD 38:19 - Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall 39:42 - The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz 39:45 - Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan 39:48 - Real Americans by Rachel Khong 39:51 - Belle Green by Alexandra Lapierre 39:55 - The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton From Terri Melton 44:42 - Hyde by Craig Russell 44:43 - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett 44:49 - Falling by T.J. Newman  45:02 - Fang Fiction by Kate Stayman-London 45:04 - Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie 45:07 - To Shape A Dragon's Breath by Moniquill Blackgoose 45:11 - A Boy and his Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher 49:05 - Meet Us At The Fountain 49:12 - I wish for us to try new things. (Kaytee) 51:32 - I wish to press Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore. (Meredith) 51:38 - Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore   Support Us: Become a Bookish Friend | Grab Some Merch Shop Bookshop dot org | Shop Amazon Bookish Friends Receive: The Indie Press List with a curated list of five books hand sold by the indie of the month. May's IPL is a new indie to the rotation - Dog Eared Books in Ames, Iowa. Love and Chili Peppers with Kaytee and Rebekah - romance lovers get their due with this special episode focused entirely on the best selling genre fiction in the business.  All Things Murderful with Meredith and Elizabeth - special content for the scary-lovers, brought to you with the behind-the-scenes insights of an independent bookseller From the Editor's Desk with Kaytee and Bunmi Ishola - a quarterly peek behind the curtain at the publishing industry The Bookish Friends Facebook Group - where you can build community with bookish friends from around the globe as well as our hosts Connect With Us: The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!