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Episode 45: Finding New Audiences with Elaina Jadin and Marie Robinson

Elaina Jadin Romance Author logo

You’ve self-published a book. Congrats! Now how do you find your readers? On this episode, Emily sat down with prolific romance authors Elaina Jadin and Marie Robinson to discuss just that, along with the best marketing tools you can use to to find—and keep—an enthusiastic army of fans. They also chat about how having a … Read more

Episode 44: Book Marketer and Publisher Robyn Crummer-Olson

Headshot of Robyn Crummer Olson

Book marketer Robyn Crummer-Olson talks to authors of all kinds about how to share their books with the world. We had the pleasure of speaking with Robyn Crummer-Olson, where she shares the exciting news about her appointment as Publisher at Portland State University’s Ooligan Press. She delivers some real talk about her gold-star author marketing … Read more

Episode 43: Brian and Josie Parker Discuss the Challenges of Creating Books for BIPOC Kids

Brian and Josie Parker of Believe in Wonder Publishing in their office

Children’s publishers Brian and Josie Parker talk with Emily about staying creative while striving for justice, representation, and respect for Black lives. “The idea of picking up a book that deals with a culture or with characters who aren’t like you just seems like it’s part of the reading experience. But when you’re making the … Read more

Episode 42: Literary Agent DongWon Song on #PublishingPaidMe and Decolonization

Literary Agent DongWon Song

DongWon Song speaks on reframing “diversity” and why #PublishingPaidMe shouldn’t discourage marginalized authors. Each deal is a very individual thing. Every book that you sell, every opportunity that you have is specific to you, is specific to the agent, is specific to the editor… So don’t worry about the systemic thing when it comes to … Read more

Episode 41: Olivia Croom Hammerman Teaches Us How to Design a Book Cover

Headshot of book designer Olivia Croom Hammerman

In which we learn the elements of how to design a book cover that ups your chances at sales success. “A successful cover is basically all of those elements: the typography, the category, and the uniqueness of the story need to be held together. And it just needs to look damn good.” Olivia Croom Hammerman, … Read more

Episode 40: Brian Palmer on His All-in-One Book Writing App — Scribi Writer’s Studio

Book Writing App Creator Brian Palmer - Scribi Writer's Studio book writing app

Return guest Brian Palmer is developing Scribi Writer’s Studio—your new favorite book writing app. Hybrid Pub Scout Podcast · Episode 40: Brian Palmer on His All-in-One Book Writing App — Scribi Writer’s Studio Heads up—this episode has a couple of f-words in it. We hung out with Brian Palmer (aka B.C. Palmer) for the first … Read more

Episode 39: Rakesh Satyal — Award-Winning Author and Senior Editor at Atria Books

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Rakesh Satyal shares his secrets to balancing his work as an editor with writing and promoting his own novels. You do have to push forward. You’re always going to be a stronger writer the second after what you’re writing gets on the page. There’s always going to be a rationale of why you have to … Read more

Episode 38: Greg Gerding — Author and Publisher at University of Hell

Greg Gerding - Publisher at University of Hell

Welcome to the University of Hell, with your professor (publisher) Greg Gerding! What do you do if you’ve got 30 notebooks full of your writing and no one to publish them? If you’re University of Hell Press founder Greg Gerding, you do it yourself and create a self-publishing empire. The author of seven published books … Read more

Episode 37: Jessica Reed—Cake Historian

Integrating design, literature, and cake history with Jessica Reed CW at 50:20 — We discuss baking and its relationship to eating disorders and mental health. Corinne is out sick, so JT guest hosts as we interview former Penguin Senior Designer, photographer, and cake artist/historian, Jessica Reed. Jessica started her creative journey building cardboard furniture in … Read more

Episode 36: Danny Caine — Author and Owner of the Raven Book Store

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Danny Caine discusses resilient booksellers, resisting Amazon, and a very special small town bookstore.

We interviewed Danny Caine, owner of the Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kansas, and author of the zine How to Resist Amazon and Why. Danny is also the author of several poetry collections, including El Dorado Freddy’s, which is currently available for preorder.

The Quintessential Small Town Indie Book Store

Danny gave us the background on the Raven Book Store; how it was founded by Pat Kehde and Mary Lou Wright in 1987 through the sweat of their brows and the power of friendship (and no thanks to the chauvinist bankman). The shop, originally specializing in mystery titles, has survived over three decades. That includes fighting through the competition of a Borders books (yuh-byyyeeee) moving in across the street and putting nearly every other bookstore in town out of business.

Once Danny arrived to attend the University of Kansas, he was determined to work at the Raven. And as we have seen time and time again on this show, dreams really can come true!

From Cat-vision to Activism

(Yes, I know, I’m canceling myself.)

What began as a way to show off the shop’s cats Dashiell and Ngaio became a tool to speak out against one of the book world’s biggest bully. You can see where this is going.

After one too many people asked why the Raven’s books cost more than Amazon’s (ugh!), Danny took to Twitter to explain—and he didn’t mince words. That tweetstorm went viral, and led to his zine How to Resist Amazon and Why.

I think bookselling is a naturally political profession. There’s very little that
booksellers do that you can’t call political.

Political issues wind through our discussion, which is no surprise. Issues like how to choose which books to sell, how to display these books, and even real-estate issues regularly come into play for a bookseller. Danny cites examples of how booksellers are on the moral and political frontlines—like A Room of One’s Own’s successful fundraiser for RAICES and Parnassus’s appeal to the community of Nashville against Amazon moving in across the street.

But one of the most unique things about indie bookstores is their solidarity with one another. It’s not something that you really see within other industries (including actual book publishing itself). And their cooperation may be one of the biggest reasons that these places are making such a powerful resurgence.

Check out Danny’s other books here:

Connect with Danny and the Raven Book Store:

And thanks for giving a rip about books.

Want to get started? Book a 15-minute chat with Emily!