Best Bookshop Media Podcasts (2024)

1
Episode 268: What is a Small Press Publisher? (starring Jane Friedman) 17:10

7d ago17:10

17:10

During a recent phone call, we asked a partner how she defines "independent publisher" and her answer was "we know it when we see it." "Indie" has grown to mean "dependent on Amazon" and Orwell would be proud. In the past decade, publishing has become overwhelmed by jargon. Well you might say that it goes back much further than that (and we probabl…

1
Episode 267: What if someone else just published the same book? 7:21

15d ago7:21

7:21

It happens all the time. One of our distributed publishers got in touch, horrified and terrified that MacMillan had just published the same book that she did the week before. She thought it would cannibalize her sales. Many authors and publishers keep this stuff close to the chest. Not us. We follow the Paul Hawken school of being your best, indivi…

1
Episode 266: Can booksellers increase bonding over Corgis? Janet Geddis of Avid Bookshop 50:51

21d ago50:51

50:51

Publishers often think of booksellers as our frontline marketing force; the people who we outsource our jobs to. This week, Janet Geddis of Avid Bookshop does a great job of outlining the actual role that bookstores play in a daily role. It's more matchmaking than pushing the newest thing on some poor, unsuspecting browser. It's a deep game of fami…

1
Episode 265: How do you organize a Cat Party? w/ Katie Haegele 36:05

29d ago36:05

36:05

Katie Haegele has been passionate about cats for decades. They have been some of the most meaningful relationships in her life. This time around she's organizing other people to share the most touching, heartwarming, wacky, and unbelievable stories about the behavior and emotional range of cats in her eighth book, Cat Party! ************ Thank you …

1
Episode 264: What does AI mean for publishers? (starring Jane Friedman) 10:16

1M ago10:16

10:16

Much hullaballoo and many predictions has been made about how AI will "disrupt" the publishing industry. Typically, with a new technology the steps are 1) fear the new way 2) figure out how to embrace it in a practical sense. How will AI affect publishers? Is the fear substantiated? What can publishers do? ************ Thank you for watching the Pe…

1
Episode 263: What are the Limits of What You Would Publish? 6:14

2M ago6:14

6:14

In the dawn of a young publishers' life, they focus on their own tastes. Gradually, they see which books are well-received and branch outward. Some publishers quickly find that the most popular books are things that aren't exactly the reason that they got into publishing! So this week on the pod, we talk about the limits of a press' curation and wh…

1
Episode 262: What Can Your Regional Bookseller Association Do For You? starring Larry Law, ED of GLIBA 34:49

2M ago34:49

34:49

What is a regional trade association? What can they do for you as a bookseller or a publisher? This week on the pod, we feature Larry Law, executive director of the Great Lakes Bookseller Association to learn about this ecosystem and how it can work even better. ************ Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast! Get the …

1
Episode 261: What Can a Publisher's Advocacy Association Do For You? w/ IBPA CEO Andrea Fleck-Nisbet 30:41

2M ago30:41

30:41

Corporate publishing has the distinct advantage of scale: they command more sales dollars, they can push customers and vendors around more. This week we take a look at some of the options available for small publishers to band together and share resources, learn from each other, and be stronger together. Andrea Fleck-Nisbet, CEO of the Independent …

1
Episode 260: Bookstore Solidarity Project: King's Coop Bookstore 29:59

2M ago29:59

29:59

You may know King's Coop Bookstore as the winner of our How to Resist Amazon display contest, but they are so much more than that! This week on our continuing Bookstore Solidarity Project, we bring you a deeper dive into the realities of bookselling. From ripping books in half to walking around campus and seeing everyone reading the same book!…

1
Episode 259: Are Audiobooks Profitable? (starring Jane Friedman) 17:22

2M ago17:22

17:22

At the release event for this very book, the first question was about making money from audiobooks. The answer? It's complicated. And increasingly so with Spotify joining the fray. This week we tackle best practices, best approaches, and how to sell audiobook content—with special guest Jane Friedman of the Hot Sheet! ************ Thank you for watc…

1
Episode 258: How Can Publishers Reach Their Core Audience? with Leah Hernandez- A People’s Guide to Publishing 43:35

3M ago43:35

43:35

Leah Hernandez has a story unlike that of most publishers. With a background in business, she realized that children relate better with younger authors and set out to do the thing that small presses do best: fulfill a need that big publishers cannot even detect. This week on the pod, we interview her about how she built Muse and Young Authors Publi…

1
Episode 257: What Did the Funk Brothers Teach Us About Book Editing? 7:50

3M ago7:50

7:50

The Funk Brothers, the legendary bestselling band (possibly of all time) and house band of Motown Records, wrote and performed on more tracks than you could possibly guess. This week on the pod, we take a look at how their approach informed our approach to book editing: taking an author's expert views on a topic and expanding them into servicing th…

1
Episode 256: How Should A Publisher Change Distributors? 8:50

3M ago8:50

8:50

After the recent news of Small Press Distribution (SPD) closing, we thought it would be prudent to walk through best practices for changing a distributor! A distributor is a publisher's warehouse, sales, and fulfillment arms. It's their to-market force, and it's often the difference between sinking and swimming. ************ Thank you for watching …

1
Episode 255: Bookstore Solidarity Project: Charlie's Queer Books 26:12

3M ago26:12

26:12

In 2013, we predicted that the bookstore model would shift to more specialized indie stores that offered a narrower offering around their own curated interests and values, with more books face-out and unabashedly clear messaging about who the store is and is not for. And here are we are in 2024, with Charlie's Queer Books of Seattle, Washington off…

1
Episode 254: What Does a Publisher Need to Distribute Books? 13:27

4M ago13:27

13:27

Most small presses use a trade distributor. What do they do? What are the components of a distributor's function? Can you do them yourself? What does a distributor do? What does a distributor look for? This week we take a look at these things and more, as we unpack distribution! ************ Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing v…

1
Episode 253: Bookstore Solidarity Project: Alibi Bookshop of Vallejo, CA 35:37

4M ago35:37

35:37

Nestled deep in the heart between San Francisco and Sacramento lives the Alibi Bookshop! This week, in the latest of "What makes all of these cool indie bookstores tick?" we present to you, their proprietor, Karen, to unpack what publishers could do better to interface with stores like hers and the funniest things that happen when you bring back th…

1
Episode 252: How does a book publisher deal with failure? 12:58

4M ago12:58

12:58

Not everything that you do will be a great success. It's a matter of how we navigate these less-than-graceful moments that determine our ability to respond and move on with being reactive. This week on the pod, E&J walk through some of their own failures and how they could have handled them better as well as what they handled well. You are forever …

1
Episode 251: Why Does Publishing Create So Much Waste (and what can we do about it)? 1:17:41

4M ago1:17:41

1:17:41

Largely due to consumer preference and obstinate legacy behaviors, the world of book publishing still operates on the same model from the 1800s. Mass production creates overprinting, and the ship and return model creates damaged books that don't have anywhere to go. This week, we take a look at how that happened and what publishers can do about it!…

1
Episode 250: Joe Biel awarded PubWest Innovator 2024 by Andrea Fleck-Nisbet 47:31

5M ago47:31

47:31

In February 2024, in Maricopa, AZ, IBPA's CEO Andrea Fleck-Nisbet awarded the PubWest Innovator Award to Microcosm Publishing Founder and CEO Joe Biel for "Reimagining what publishing can or should be” and “Exceptional efforts to develop new skills that expand publishing into the future.” Here is Fleck-Nisbet's speech and Biel's Q&A period from the…

1
Episode 249: Bookstore Solidarity! Josh Christie of Print: A Bookstore 37:49

5M ago37:49

37:49

Print: A Bookstore has been a triumphant, bright light in envisioning what a bookstore could be. Both as a brick and mortar that is a champion for information and reading, but also holding up its staff and creating entertaining skit videos with its staff! This week on the pod, we feature co-owner Josh Christie about the store in our ongoing Booksto…

1
Episode 248: Which Publishers Grew 12% Over The Past Three Years? 9:57

5M ago9:57

9:57

The pandemic was an unexpectedly magical time for the publishing industry. Sales went up when they were expected to go down. Printing slowed to a crawl due to the paper shortage. But four years later, we have some clear, emergent publishers who seemed to have permanently claimed an additional piece of the market share. This week we take a closer lo…

101
Introducing Undertow: Narcosis 19:37

5M ago19:37

19:37

This week, we would like to introduce you to Undertow: Narcosis, a new show from Realm. After the loss of her childhood friend, Veronica returns home to find things are amiss. Undertow: Narcosis is a Realm production created by Fred Greenhalgh. Listen away. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

1
Episode 246: What is ONIX and do small publishers need to use it? 8:03

5M ago8:03

8:03

How does the entire world get information about what you are publishing? It's from a feed called ONIX, that propagates every detail about your titles. This week on the pod, we take a deep dive into ONIX and its role for small publishers. ************ Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast! Get the book: https://microcosmpu…

1
Episode 247: How Should Publishers Create Budgets and Predict Finances? 50:11

6M ago50:11

50:11

Many publishers find money to be very unpredictable and scary. So this week we take a look at how to create budgets and predict cash flow as well as how to plan a financial future. It's not as difficult as it seems! ************ Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast! Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/b…

1
Episode 245: Can Book Publishers Vertically Integrate? Blackstone Publishing President Anthony Goff 40:36

6M ago40:36

40:36

So much of book publishing is about distributing tasks, so how can publishers take more of these operational aspects in-house? This week on the pod, guest Anthony Goff, President of Blackstone Publishing, walks us through many of their aspects that are vertically integrated, from recording studios to rights sales to printing and distribution—to per…

1
Episode 244: 2023: A Publishing Year in Review 12:16

6M ago12:16

12:16

What was 2023 like for publishing books? This week on the pod, we review what happened, how our plans shook out, what aspects threw wrenches into our plans, and what worked out magnificently. Also, we sold and shipped many, many tons of books! ************ Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast! Get the book: https://micro…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Bookshop Media Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Huzzah! Games

Bookshop Media

1
Stay Determined: An Undertale Podcast

Bookshop Media

1
Dark Tome

Realm

1
A People's Guide to Publishing

Microcosm Publishing

1
Episode 268: What is a Small Press Publisher? (starring Jane Friedman) 17:10

1
Episode 267: What if someone else just published the same book? 7:21

1
Episode 266: Can booksellers increase bonding over Corgis? Janet Geddis of Avid Bookshop 50:51

1
Episode 265: How do you organize a Cat Party? w/ Katie Haegele 36:05

1
Episode 264: What does AI mean for publishers? (starring Jane Friedman) 10:16

1
Episode 263: What are the Limits of What You Would Publish? 6:14

1
Episode 262: What Can Your Regional Bookseller Association Do For You? starring Larry Law, ED of GLIBA 34:49

1
Episode 261: What Can a Publisher's Advocacy Association Do For You? w/ IBPA CEO Andrea Fleck-Nisbet 30:41

1
Episode 260: Bookstore Solidarity Project: King's Coop Bookstore 29:59

1
Episode 259: Are Audiobooks Profitable? (starring Jane Friedman) 17:22

1
Episode 258: How Can Publishers Reach Their Core Audience? with Leah Hernandez- A People’s Guide to Publishing 43:35

1
Episode 257: What Did the Funk Brothers Teach Us About Book Editing? 7:50

1
Episode 256: How Should A Publisher Change Distributors? 8:50

1
Episode 255: Bookstore Solidarity Project: Charlie's Queer Books 26:12

1
Episode 254: What Does a Publisher Need to Distribute Books? 13:27

1
Episode 253: Bookstore Solidarity Project: Alibi Bookshop of Vallejo, CA 35:37

1
Episode 252: How does a book publisher deal with failure? 12:58

1
Episode 251: Why Does Publishing Create So Much Waste (and what can we do about it)? 1:17:41

1
Episode 250: Joe Biel awarded PubWest Innovator 2024 by Andrea Fleck-Nisbet 47:31

1
Episode 249: Bookstore Solidarity! Josh Christie of Print: A Bookstore 37:49

1
Episode 248: Which Publishers Grew 12% Over The Past Three Years? 9:57

101
Introducing Undertow: Narcosis 19:37

1
Episode 246: What is ONIX and do small publishers need to use it? 8:03

1
Episode 247: How Should Publishers Create Budgets and Predict Finances? 50:11

1
Episode 245: Can Book Publishers Vertically Integrate? Blackstone Publishing President Anthony Goff 40:36

1
Episode 244: 2023: A Publishing Year in Review 12:16

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