In 2020, those who weren’t inundated with extra work or battling it out on the pandemic frontlines suddenly had a lot more time to read. The question is—what did they read? Book sales have been thriving over the past two years (two years…*weeps*), but apparently those mountains of books have been collecting more dust than … Read more
Author and researcher John B. Thompson analyzes recent publishing history’s rapid changes. Publishing methods, opportunities, and battle fronts have multiplied more over the last twenty years than ever before. Author and researcher John B. Thompson walks us through the archipelago of these issues in Book Wars: The Digital Revolution in Publishing (2021, Polity Press). It … Read more
Emily and Chris continue to navigate the sordid world of books bound in human skin. Content warnings for this episode: In part two of our series on anthropodermic bibliopegy, aka, binding books in human skin, we discuss why anyone would ever think this is a good idea. From the guillotines of the French Revolution, to … Read more
Chris Curran joins Emily to discuss the practice of binding books in human skin: anthropodermic bibliopegy. Get ready for a whole lot of Yikes. The Necronomicon, tomes from the shelves of serial killers and war criminals—these are a few things that come to mind when we talk about books bound in human skin. Anthropodermic bibliopegy, … Read more
Learn four guidelines to building a creative productivity system from guest Jessie Kwak. If you’re a person who works in a creative profession, we’re coming in hot with some inspiration and guidance for 2022. In this episode, Emily speaks with writer Jessie Kwak, author of (among other things) From Chaos to Creativity: Building a Productivity … Read more
Working on collaborative books and podcasts that empower kids to talk about the big stuff. What do you do when you need to talk to a kid in your life about a difficult subject but aren’t sure where to start? Enter A Kid’s Company About, a media company built on the belief that kids are … Read more
Back on the publishing path just in time for Halloween! We are overjoyed to return from our extended hiatus just in time for our fourth annual Halloween episode! We revisit some subjects including a murderous writer story from 2018, the Twitter exploits of one Joyce Carol Oates, and spooky dramatic readings of online horror (comedy) … Read more
Emily speaks with Nicole J. Georges, author and illustrator of Calling Dr. Laura and the new OPB podcast adaptation Relative Fiction. Imagine that you have spent years believing your father was dead, then a $15 palm reader asserts that your real father is very much alive. Now imagine discovering that this wild statement ends up … Read more
Accessible research on Immersive Media & Books from Dr. Rachel Noorda and Dr. Kathi Berens If you’re trying to do research as a book industry professional, you’re going to hit paywalls—sometimes paywalls so large that your business is better off replacing NPD with a tarot deck and a crystal pendulum. Enter Dr. Kathi Berens and … Read more
Nicole Wolverton takes time out of her writing, studying, and editing schedule to discuss (and recommend!) women in horror. “If you think Carrie’s scary, think about a woman who has five to six decades to foment this awful feeling of rage.” You may have seen a lot of horror stories about puberty (Carrie) and childbirth … Read more
