Best Laura Zats Podcasts (2024)

1
Episode 171—Summer, Again 43:26

1M ago43:26

43:26

It’s time for the annual Print Run Summer Check-In, where we list out all the ways we’re both keeping it together and losing our marbles. Summer is strange time in publishing, and it leads us to a conversation on deep work versus shallow, frenetic work, how we manage our interior creative selves in relation to the job, and the chaos that is sure to…

1
Episode 170—A Culture of Mistrust 56:32

2M ago56:32

56:32

On the heels of some recent discourse on the trust between querying writers and agents managing submission piles, we go long on the culture of trust–or lack thereof–that exists between these two parts of the publishing industry, why it occurs, and what could fix it. We talk about the nature of ideas and copyright, the structures of the modern liter…

1
Episode 169—We’re Just a Bunch of Guys 48:38

5M ago48:38

48:38

In light of yet another round of agent chaos over the weekend, we got together to talk about the information climate in publishing at large, the ways in which even well-intentioned agents can contribute to gatekeeping and access issues for writers. In an age when there are more agents, writers, and information about agents and writers than ever bef…

1
Episode 168—You Don’t Have To Sit There 44:52

6M ago44:52

44:52

This week we get a little bit mad at the Forced Waiting that publishing imposes on all of us, and it builds to a call to arms: you–writers, agents, editors, whoever–don’t just have to wait quietly for progress to happen to you. No matter your situation in publishing, you can get out there and make something happen as a person with agency and the ow…

1
Episode 167—Dread, But Make It Fashion 53:29

7M ago53:29

53:29

In our first episode of 2024, we take a look at the publishing landscape for the year ahead. We believe that there could be several culminating moments of rupture or change in the near future, in everything from AI’s implementation in the industry to how workers in publishing choose to respond to their own working conditions. We get a little rowdy …

1
Episode 166—Give ‘Em What They’re Owed 56:10

11M ago56:10

56:10

This week’s theme, across multiple topics, is that workers in publishing deserve to be paid and supported in all the ways required for them to live well and do their jobs to the best of their abilities. We start with a chat about the Half Price Books Union’s contract negotiations, and finish with a look at the recent survey data from AALA. Join us!…

1
Episode 165—Private Equity, AI, and the Techification of Publishing 48:58

1y ago48:58

48:58

This week we use two recent stories–the acquisition of Simon & Schuster by the investment firm KKR and the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence usage in various book-related shenanigans–as a way of talking about something big and broad: publishing looking more and more like the tech world each day. Why might the Silicon Valley approach to busin…

1
Episode 164—Level Drain 54:30

1y ago54:30

54:30

In the wake of what feels like an endless round of layoffs, restructurings, consolidations, and any other corporate terms for “good people losing their jobs,” we talk about how this constant reshuffling affects the industry as a whole and specifically our jobs as agents. Spoiler alert: it’s not great! But we talk through it and let the feelings out…

1
Episode 163—The Annual Summer Vibe-isode 34:43

1y ago34:43

34:43

We’ve had a lot of Serious Content lately and it’s a summer Friday, so come take a break with us while we chat about what we’ve got going on this summer, in terms of book stuff and otherwise. One of our more vibey episodes rather than a big heavy topic, so come hang out!By Erik Hane and Laura Zats

1
Episode 162—Turning Over the Same Leaf 48:37

1+ y ago48:37

48:37

This week in the wake of a LOT of agency shakeups, we asked an extremely basic question: what if the publishing world treated writers like they were professionals? This frame lets us talk about the discourse from the past few weeks, all which shares the common theme of “treating writers really poorly.” Come vent with us, come laugh with us, come im…

1
Episode 161—Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss 1:00:43

1+ y ago1:00:43

1:00:43

This week we talk about everyone’s favorite publishing topic that never gives anyone anxiety: gatekeeping and access! We explore how agents can do better jobs of creating an equitable and open playing field for writers trying to break into publishing, even while inherently positioned as a “gate” between the writers and the publishers. The conversat…

1
Episode 160—What is Love 46:16

1+ y ago46:16

46:16

We’ve heard it so many times in so many places: editors falling in love with books, agents loving manuscripts from the first page, deal announcements centered on how much every party involved LOVES the book and working with each other. To put it lightly, “love” as a publishing concept in acquisitions can be crazy-making to try to understand, antici…

1
Episode 159—All the Strange Silences 51:51

1+ y ago51:51

51:51

At many different moments in the publishing process, we are asked to stay quiet about news, or keep certain developments secret, or not post the thing we’re dying to share on social media. How come? This week we talk about the different silences in publishing–everything from etiquette during the query process to not doing a cover reveal before mark…

1
Episode 158—The Books That Made Us 54:45

1+ y ago54:45

54:45

This week we gave each other a prompt: which books have been the most transformative or influential in shaping our book careers? It’s an open-ended question and we took it that way–in this episode we talk about books we worked on, books that changed our working categories, books we loved, hated, and more. It’s a wide-ranging show that gets into all…

1
Episode 157—Fresh Off the Picket Line with Rachel Kambury 1:04:35

1+ y ago1:04:35

1:04:35

This week we were lucky enough to have HarperCollins associate editor Rachel Kambury on the show, and we talked to her all about her union’s strike, what about their working conditions led them to this historic moment, and how the industry might change in light of this watershed moment in publishing-worker solidarity. We thought it was important fo…

1
Episode 156—Welcome to Decembo 41:39

1+ y ago41:39

41:39

Folks, it is that time of year once again. As we set off on our yearly month of holiday memes and other nonsense, we’re adding in some real reflection on the truths that a strange, volatile year of publishing and (and life) has taught us. This episode we get a little personal and talk about the year that was, and set us off on a month of taking sto…

1
Episode 155—Tweets and Strikes 46:16

2y ago46:16

46:16

This week we take a look at the HarperCollins Union’s strike for better working conditions, discuss the possible destruction of Twitter, and in general share how we navigate the strangest part of the book calendar–the holidays. It’s a lively grab-bag with a healthy dose of pro-labor sentiment to get your Thanksgiving week started right.…

1
Episode 154—Object Lessons 1:08:20

2y ago1:08:20

1:08:20

This week’s convo starts out as a discussion of our relationships with books as physical objects and ends up… everywhere? We talk about how we associate meaning and memory with books, our reading habits, when a book actually becomes a book and not a manuscript or a draft, and plenty else. We pick at all the seams of how people interact and place va…

1
Episode 153--A New Achilles Heel 45:52

2y ago45:52

45:52

This week we talk about Barnes & Noble’s decision to stock fewer hardcover titles, especially in YA and MG categories. How will this affect debut writers and marginalized creators, why might they make this choice in the first place, and how will publishers respond?By Erik Hane and Laura Zats

1
Episode 152--Show Trial 58:08

2y ago58:08

58:08

This week we talk about–what else–the court case involving the DOJ vs. PRH, regarding their attempted merger with Simon & Schuster. Specifically, we analyze how the executives testifying have been talking about the industry at large, and what it reveals about corporate publishing strategy, and how it affects authors who aren’t celebrities or politi…

1
Episode 151—The Pettisode 49:15

2y ago49:15

49:15

Pettiness! Jealousy! Stop lying, you’ve felt it as much as the next person, especially in an industry like publishing. So have we, and here we present a full, honest episode on how we process those feelings in a (hopefully) productive way. Folks, it’s time to let the darkness in–join us!By Erik Hane and Laura Zats

1
Episode 150—No Thoughts Just Toucans 51:19

2+ y ago51:19

51:19

This… is one of our more loose episodes ever. We sit down and catch up on everything from what we’re reading to how Laura avoids death while foraging in the woods, from an analysis of what makes a good children’s board book to how we’re carrying on during a moment of intense national trauma. Also we talk about book advances for a minute. Also we ta…

1
Episode 149–Critique, Awards, and Subjectivity 46:56

2+ y ago46:56

46:56

This week, in light of recent heated discourse around what awards like the Lambda are “for,” we thought we’d break down why awards and indeed all literary criticism are not meant to be objective signifiers of quality, but are rather reflections of individual critical perspectives and the context that surrounds them. To be clear: we prefer it that w…

1
Episode 148—All the Wrong Lessons 50:37

2+ y ago50:37

50:37

This week we talk about Brandon Sanderson’s wildly successful Kickstarter campaign for his next novels, a move so bold and unique that we simply have to ask: what wrong and/or inapplicable lessons will traditional publishing learn from this isolated incident? We break down why the Sanderson plan worked for him, why it won’t on a mass scale for othe…

1
Episode 147—Publishing’s Great Resignation 59:16

2+ y ago59:16

59:16

WOW it is nice to be back in the recording studio! In our first episode this side of Erik having a child, we talk about the recent trend of editors leaving their jobs and even outright leaving the industry. What does it mean for publishing when its talent is burning out or choosing other paths at this rate? How does it affect publishing houses, our…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Laura Zats Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

1
Print Run Podcast

Erik Hane and Laura Zats

1
Episode 171—Summer, Again 43:26

1
Episode 170—A Culture of Mistrust 56:32

1
Episode 169—We’re Just a Bunch of Guys 48:38

1
Episode 168—You Don’t Have To Sit There 44:52

1
Episode 167—Dread, But Make It Fashion 53:29

1
Episode 166—Give ‘Em What They’re Owed 56:10

1
Episode 165—Private Equity, AI, and the Techification of Publishing 48:58

1
Episode 164—Level Drain 54:30

1
Episode 163—The Annual Summer Vibe-isode 34:43

1
Episode 162—Turning Over the Same Leaf 48:37

1
Episode 161—Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss 1:00:43

1
Episode 160—What is Love 46:16

1
Episode 159—All the Strange Silences 51:51

1
Episode 158—The Books That Made Us 54:45

1
Episode 157—Fresh Off the Picket Line with Rachel Kambury 1:04:35

1
Episode 156—Welcome to Decembo 41:39

1
Episode 155—Tweets and Strikes 46:16

1
Episode 154—Object Lessons 1:08:20

1
Episode 153--A New Achilles Heel 45:52

1
Episode 152--Show Trial 58:08

1
Episode 151—The Pettisode 49:15

1
Episode 150—No Thoughts Just Toucans 51:19

1
Episode 149–Critique, Awards, and Subjectivity 46:56

1
Episode 148—All the Wrong Lessons 50:37

1
Episode 147—Publishing’s Great Resignation 59:16

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