Print Run Podcast

Things get a bit off the rails this week when a conversation about tabletop gaming eventually turns into us imagining what a publishing-themed D&D campaign might look like! Join us as we conjure up some characters and quests—I get to be Intern Kevin, I called it—and just generally get way too into the idea of a publishing RPG. (But also please will someone set this up with us?) In a more productive vein, be sure to tune in for our special episodes this month on Patreon. If you’d like to submit to any of our shows, feel free to send us materials at printrunpodcast@gmail.com.

We’re back and thank goodness, because tons has happened in the book world over the last couple weeks. First, we tackle the serious stuff—the latest set of abuse allegations against literary figures, including those leading to the cancellation of the 2018 Nobel Prize for literature. But then we take on the latest book-themed crackpot scheme: #cockygate, or one author’s attempt to trademark the word “cocky” and demand that all other authors cease and desist. It’s . . . Well, it’s really something. Join us!

This week—after spending a couple minutes chatting about the insanity of the dumb fight about misandry in publishing—we take a look at the recent industry conversation surround Pitch Wars and entrance fees. The debate last week led to all kinds of important questions: What’s access, and why is it crucial for it to be free? What’s labor, and who should do the compensating for it? And perhaps most importantly, what do the two sides of the argument reveal about the state of the industry at the grassroots level?

This week, we talk about Sean Penn’s deeply terrible debut novel, and give him the First Pages Show treatment—it’s very cathartic. We also discuss the implications of Microsoft cracking down on explicit content across its online platforms, which includes Office, which means it includes writers. Finally: what should we make of the response to the distribution plan for John Oliver’s book, and what does the rift between Chronicle and booksellers reveal about the state of the industry?

This week we present a heartwarming tale about the time when stupid college-aged Erik thought he had a TV agent for a script about an octopus. It’s . . . well it’s really something, and most importantly, he’s not the idiot he used to be! Join us this week for some story time and other chatting on a free-flowing and fun episode.

This week, we get some laughs in about Will Self's belief that the novel is dying as an art form, share some stories of good and bad book events, briefly discuss the John Oliver-Mike Pence book kerfuffle, and have a quick conversation about publishers favoring brand-name authors over debuts. A cheerful episode, so come join us! Also sorry in advance for the Ben Shapiro impression, it's . . . it's really something.

We're back! This week we talk about the new "Kent Test" for evaluating diverse representation in books, and then broaden out to discuss what effects things like the Bechdel Test have on our discussions about art. We also debate what moral responsibility authors should have when a press becomes "toxic," (hint: not that much), and then gripe about what books go on a display bookshelf because at the end of the day, dear listener, we are petty people. Join us!

Curtis Dawkins, author of The Graybar Hotel, is back in the news this week, as the Michigan penitentiary in which he is currently imprisoned has stated it believes it has a claim to his royalty money from the book. We discuss the implications of this pending case, prison's relationship with art (guess what, it's bad), and why publishing folks should care about this more than they currently do. Also: in light of Florida teens finding their activist voices in the wake of the Parkland shooting, what role does YA literature play in the formation of young people's political imaginations?

This week, after discussing Washington Post’s incorporation of Amazon’s proprietary data into their bestseller lists, we discuss what appears to be the onset of book publishing’s reckoning with sexual harassment and abuse. Similar to other industries, how can the book world do an honest and sufficient job of examining the structures of power that allow these things to take place? What can an industry that by all accounts would like to be a more inclusive and safe place for everyone do to correct its course, and what challenges stand in the way? A bit more serious than usual this week, but a necessary conversation. Thanks, as always, for listening.

This week, we examine the fascinating decision by the National Book Awards to introduce a category for translated literature. What does this mean for our concept of a “national” award, and how might this category be used to extend literary “citizenship” to books and writing that readers in this country may have previously considered “un-American”? We discuss how adding the category changes the award in a fundamental way (for the better), and what it could mean for cultivating the canon moving forward.

Folks, this week it’s a smattering of things: in light of being placed on a “best podcasts for first-time novelists” list, we thought it would be a good idea to, well, provide some advice to those people. We also spend a few minutes on the incomparable Ursula Le Guin, talk about that Alex Jones book proposal, and break down exactly why it’s such a big deal that the University Press of Kentucky might face shutdown from budget cuts (spoiler alert: it’s because we desperately need university presses). Join us!

This week, we take a look at the recent controversy surrounding the Midwest Writers Workshop, and make some suggestions as to how the national and regional writing communities might be able to avoid such things in the future. We tie it a larger misguided impulse by some in the writing/publishing world to make their spaces “apolitical,” an impossible task that often carries an underlying motive itself. To wrap up, a check-in on how last year’s changes to the NYT bestseller list have affected the list and broader book coverage.

Happy new year! We ring in 2018 by discussing the many publishing details of the fervor surrounding Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury. Success for publishers is always good, but a few things about this project have both of us slightly worried. And then, at long last, we finally pay off our bet from the 2017 award season, by reading some excerpts from the 50 Shades of Grey series. It’s . . . well, it’s something.

In our last episode of 2017, we take the time for some observations about the year that was, and make some predictions for what 2018 might hold for the book world. We also touch on the new deal for the author of “Cat Person,” beg to get invited to MN’s new literary festival, and present a new Harebrained Scheme of the Week. Join us, and then we’ll see you in January!

Got a writer or book person in your life this holiday season? Then you’ll need the Print Run Holiday Gift Guide, full of terrific gift suggestions like a journal too fancy and expensive to ever use. We also introduce a new segment called The Hairbrained Scheme of the Week, and then discuss “Cat Person,” the short story in The New Yorker that went viral this week.

This week, we take a look at the truly tremendous contenders for the Bad Sex in Fiction Award, clearly the most prestigious fiction prize in all the land. Then, in light of a recent heated discussion in online book circles about the relationship between small presses and agents, we try to answer: why might a small press dislike working with agents, and are those reasons good ones? (Spoiler alert: they almost always aren’t.) Join us!

After a quick recap of the National Book Award winners, this week’s episode features a detailed and passionate interview with one of the co-founders of MSWL and Manuscript Academy, literary agent Jessica Sinsheimer. We talk to Jessica about revenue dynamics in the industry, and how technology holds the capability to increase access to publishing for both writers and industry professionals. Jessica is one of the smartest people working in our field and we really think you’ll like what she has to say. Join us!

This week we take a look at one of the more intriguing new innovations in publishing tech, Audible’s Romance Package. It’s an example of a company directly responding to the specific needs of a specific readership, and perhaps it’s a sign of cool new things to come. Also in this epi: the politicization of jacket blurbs, a look at 2017’s biggest book deals, and an FBI-themed writing prompt!

Now a year removed from the 2016 presidential election, most everyone is feeling distracted, addled, preoccupied, and often worse. No surprise, then, that this has extended to the sorts of books writers have been pitching over the last year. We discuss how a volatile year has affected our queries, and speculate on what an enduring “Trump novel” from this period might actually look like, years from now. Then, we discuss the AAR and proffer a tweak to its guidelines that could better reflect the modern state of agenting. Join us!

With November right around the corner, we set our sights on National Novel Writing Month, debating the “rules” of the crazed month of writing while offering up some of our own, along with a vision for the month that follows it. We also address Colin Kaepernick’s book deal, and make some stabs at book-themed Halloween costumes. It’s a regular cornucopia (seasonal image) of #content.