Shows / A People's Guide to Publishing
A People's Guide to Publishing
Do you find that the traditional methods for book publishing aren't working for you? Are you a publisher or author who wants to innovate, succeed, and expand your audience through time-tested methods? We offer time-tested publishing methods that we know work because we have used them to sell millions of books in a changing industry. We have been inundated with requests for consulting so we created this show to share everything we know. We are the executives of Microcosm Publishing, a Publishers…
Episodes
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 383: When should you make audio books? w/Jessie Kwak | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
People read in a lot of different ways these days. Between eBooks, physical books, and audiobooks, there's a way to read for every reader. (And yes, audiobooks…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 382: What data are small presses ignoring? w/Jim Hanas | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
Jim Hanas of the Small Press Insights Dashboard is back! Join him, Elly, and Joe for a deep dive into how much of the book industry relies on data and…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 381: Why do you write the book YOU want to read? w/J. Hunter Bennett | A People's Guide to Publishing
So you want to write or publish a book. It's easy to get caught up in what's hot, marketable, and selling NOW (we see you, romantasy). But what if you have a…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 380: Why do publishers need a point of view? w/ Daley Farr | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
Does a publisher need a point of view? And why the hell does Microcosm say we're a "moderate/centrist" publisher in all of our books? This week on the pod…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 379: Are Most Books Sold on Amazon? w/ Jane Friedman | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
Fun fact about Microcosm—we broke up with Amazon in 2018 and never looked back. And while we thought we would see a dip in sales, we've really seen the…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 378: How do you decide which older books get attention? w/Jessie Kwak | A People’s Guide to Publishing
Backlist books—titles that have been around longer than a selling season—are often seen as forgotten or that publishers have given up on them. But often…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 377: "It" Books, Amazon, and Publishing: Book Sales w/Jim Hanas | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
What makes a book sell? And does Amazon REALLY have the market share on book sales? Jim Hanas of the Small Press Insights Dashboard is back this week to talk…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 376: Book Returns: Are they good or bad? w/Jane Friedman | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
What happens when a book doesn't sell well, especially when stores have ordered up? Oftentimes, they'll get returned to the publisher to be resold as…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 375: How do libraries handle digital content? w/ Guy LeCharles Gonzalez | A People's Guide to Publishing
Libraries are a great way to access eBooks, streaming shows, and other types of digital content. But how do those licenses work, and who benefits from them?…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 374: How are blurbs and pub dates important? w/Daley Farr | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
There is no one-size-fits-all method to guarantee your publisher's success. We all come out with different titles, balance finding a comfortable niche vs…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 373: How do you cope with ADHD? w/Andrew Coltrin | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
Andrew Coltrin, author of "The ADHD FAQ" and "ADHD Coping Skills Deck," joins us on the podcast this week to talk about his journey of getting diagnosed…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 372: Do most books really only sell 12 copies? w/ Jane Friedman | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
A few years ago, during the Penguin Random House/Simon and Schuster merger trial, a claim was made that most books only sell around 12 copies. But if you…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 371: What is effective book marketing? w/ Daley Farr | A People’s Guide to Publishing Podcast
How do you make marketing your book work for you? The inclination can be to get it in front of as many people as possible, with as much exposure as you can…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 370: Why are people claiming libraries hurt book sales? w/Guy LeCharles Gonzalez | A People's Guide to Publishing
(Because they aren't hurting book sales.) So then why are people claiming that libraries hurt book sales? This week on the pod, industry analyst Guy LeCharles…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 369: How do you manage ADHD? w/ ADHD FAQ author Andrew Coltrin | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
We've got a fun one for you today, folks! Andrew Coltrin, aka PartlyRobot, aka author of "A is for Autism," "The ADHD FAQ," and "The ADHD Coping Skills Deck,"…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 368: What is the Small Press Insights Dashboard? w/Jim Hanas | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
Most things related to publishing insights are focused on the Big 5. They dominate the Indie Next List, most all bestseller lists, and conversation through the…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 367: How do you put a book back into print? w/Jane Friedman | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
Aw man, a book you love has gone out of print. But it's not gone forever! There are many reasons publishers bring books back from the grave—suddenly hockey…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 366: How do libraries affect book sales? w/Guy LeCharles Gonzalez| A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
There's been a lot of discourse lately about eBooks, libraries, and sales. But are libraries really hurting book sales (and authors' and publisher's bottom…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 365: What's More Punk than the Public Library? w/J. Hunter Bennett | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
This week on the pod, J. Hunter Bennett, author of "More Punk than the Public Library" joins Joe and Elly to talk curating Little Free Libraries, writing the…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 364: Why did we decide to publish fewer books? w/Daley Farr | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
You would think that if you publish more books, you'll make more money. But that's not always the case! While expanding your title list might feel like the…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 363: How to Sell Books to Bookstores w/Maureen Karb | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
Sales reps are crucial pieces of the book industry puzzle. They are the the ones who help stores find the titles that would be good fits, give feedback to…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 362: Movie Deals, Book Clubs, & More Book Scams w/ Jane Friedman | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
You open up your inbox and—surprise!— someone wants to turn your book into a movie! Or include it in a book club! Or feature it on a recommendation list! All…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 361: Is there a difference between gift & special sales book markets? | A People’s Guide to Publishing
Books should be sold to book stores, right? That's it? Eh, not really! There are markets for books everywhere, from your local museum gift shop to the gas…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 360: How does a publisher decide to update their website? | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
We’ve been honing our software behind-the-scenes for decades, but this is our first public-facing website makeover since 2012! For 30 years, we’ve had a…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 359: Are middle-aged punks still cool? w/J. Hunter Bennett | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
The punks, despite all the best efforts of society and time, are still kicking around, and we love that for them/us. This week on the pod, J. Hunter Bennett…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 358: How does a book warehouse work? | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
Where would we be without our lovely warehouse staff? (Lost, confused, bookless, most likely.) This week on the pod, join Joe and Elly as they talk about our…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 357: Mia Ballard, Shy Girl, and AI in Publishing, w/ Jane Friedman | A People's Guide to Publishing
If you're keeping up with publishing news at all, you've undoubtedly heard about the "Shy Girl" controversy, where Mia Ballard's book was pulled by the…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 356: What did we learn by packing orders? | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
Throwback time! This week on the pod, we're revisiting an old-school episode, where Joe and Elly report back after helping out on the shipping floor. Did our…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 355: Romantasy, Horror, Microstores: Bookstore Trends w/ Sales Rep Maureen Karb | A People's Guide to Publishing
Maureen Karb is a field sales rep and with Como Sales, a rep group that focuses on indie publishers selling to indie bookstores. Because of what she does…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 354: Do book reviews matter anymore? w/Jane Friedman | People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
It's been said more and more frequently that reviews from trade publications don't sell books the way they used to. Why is that, and what DOES sell books? This…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 353: Book Bans and How to Fight Them w/Danny Caine | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
Danny Caine, author of "How to Resist Amazon and Why", "How to Protect Bookstores and Why", and the new "How to Defend Books and Why" is a writer, speaker, and…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 352: How do you take care of your air? w/Melissa Wrolstad | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
At this point, most of us are familiar with checking the air quality when we go outside during certain times of the year, or ventilating when using chemicals…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 351: The Queer, Feminist Joy of Bikes in Space w/ Summer Jewel Keown | A People's Guide to Publishing
For over 10 years, Elly has been publishing a series called "Bikes in Space," full of joyfully feminist (and often queer) genre short stories ON BIKES. One of…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 350: Do Book Awards Matter? (w/Jane Friedman) | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
Book awards! There are a lot of them out there. Our books have even won a couple! But are they success indicators? Does a book or author winning an award mean…
- A People's Guide to Publishing
Episode 349: Lessons Learned: New Edition of People's Guide to Publishing | People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
In 2018, we released "A People's Guide to Publishing," detailing everything Joe and the Microcosm team had learned through the years about starting, running…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 348: 30 Years of Growing Worlds: It's Microcosm's Birthday! ! | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
In 1996, Microcosm started a small closet poorly insulated house. It wasn’t intended to be a job or an organization, or even a business. Thirty years later…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 347: How do you organize inclusive events and conferences? w/Dr. Alex D. Ketchum | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
A LOT goes into the planning of conferences, signings, and basically every event. How do you make sure it's accessible to everyone who wants to come? It goes…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 346: What is marketing? | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
Marketing is made up many things. Direct outreach, broad social media posts, newsletters, and so much more all play a part, depending on what you do. But in…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 345: Can publishing fewer books lead to more sales? | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
Will publishing fewer books make more money? It feels counterintuitive, but when you look closer, it frees up the ability to market more specifically, edit…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 344: AI, Closures, Tariffs, and More: 2025 in Publishing | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
We are far from the only ones saying it, but 2025 was an ass-kicker of a year. From tariffs Baker and Taylor closing to AI, publishing felt like a roller…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 343: What do Edelweiss changes mean for book publishers? w/Jane Friedman | People's Guide to Publishing
Edelweiss is known in the book industry as a powerful tool connecting booksellers and librarians with publishers and their titles. But in the last year…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 342: Budgeting When Thinking About Money Gives You Hives | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
How do you set a personal budget, even if thinking about money feels like the worst thing ever? What if you're allergic to spreadsheets, or your family set you…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 341: When should book publishers innovate? w/Jane Friedman | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
"Innovation" is one of the biggest words you hear in just about any industry, especially with the rise of our new AI overlords. It can be so tempting to make…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 340: How do publishers use math to make books? | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
It's another throwback episode! Usually books and math don't mix. The book people sit in one spot, the math in another, with their calculators and abacuses…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 339: How Can Book Publishers Utilize Bookstore Coop? w/Jane Friedman | A People's Guide to Publishing
Early episode drop this week due to the holiday! Put simply, bookstore co-op is a tool publishers can use to incentivize bookstores for ordering and featuring…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 338: What is in a good book contract? | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
It's a throwback episode! Contracts are no one's favorite part of publishing, no matter which side of the table you're sitting on. This week on the pod, we…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 337: It doesn't have to be perfect: Punk, Art & DIY w/Ashley Rowe Palafox | People's Guide to Publishing
It's the 20th-ish anniversary of Ashley Rowe Palafox's original "Barefoot and in the Kitchen" zine! This week on the pod, Ashley joins us to talk about the…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 336: We Are Stronger Than Censorship: Book Bans & Empathy w/ Lee Wind | People's Guide to Publishing
This week on the pod, Lee Wind of the Independent Book Publisher's Association is here to talk about the We Are Stronger Than Censorship campaign, book bans…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 335: Marketing and Selling Books on Tiktok Shop, w/ Jane Friedman | A People’s Guide to Publishing Podcast
There are new forms of ecommerce popping up every day, on every website from Instagram and Tiktok to Pinterest. Is selling online through Tiktok right for your…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 334: Iconic Images, Information, & Accessibility: Designing Book Covers | A People's Guide to Publishing
Can you really judge a book by its cover? Absolutely, yes. A lot of work goes into planning a book's cover design— marketing goals, representing the author's…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 333: Finding & Reaching Your Customer: Book Marketing w/ Lindsay McKee | A People's Guide to Publishing
Lindsay Sims Mckee is a professor and digital marketing expert based in Ohio. This week on the podcast, Lindsay joins Joe and Elly to talk universal marketing…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 332: Taste or Market: Deciding Your Publishing Focus | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
Do you publish what YOU want to read, or what the market says people want to read? We're back with last year's PNBA trade show talking to publishers about how…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 331: The Heart vs The Mind: Tarot, Art, and Books w/ Nic LaRue | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
Nicole LaRue is both a queer artist and graphic designer and is widely known for her iconic work on the Women's March on Washington logo. Her latest work, the…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 330: Do book reviews matter? | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
Trying to get high-profile reviews for your books can feel like a rat race. So many publishers competing for the same space in the same publications (and space…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 329: Submitting AI to Publishers w/ Jane Friedman | A People’s Guide to Publishing Podcast
Can publishers tell if you submit work with A.I.? Does it matter if they can't even tell? Jane Friedman of "The Bottom Line" joins Joe and Elly this week to…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 328: Queerness in Horror Movies, w/Joe Carlough & Gina Brandolino | People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
Don't get scared straight! Joe Carlough & Gina Brandolino, authors of the new book QUEER HORROR: FUN AND FREAKY PERSPECTIVES ON MACABRE MEDIA, join Joe and…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 327: Does AI help publishing? with Jane Friedman | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
Ah, AI. We're hearing about it constantly, and it's not going anywhere any time soon. From "fair use" in recent court cases to bad advice from Anthropic, Jane…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 326: Incorporating Zines Into Our Marketing and Production Strategy | A People's Guide to Publishing
Zines are small, often subject-focused booklets that can range in topic from how much you love your cats, to fixing your bike, to protest safety tips. How do…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 325: Conferences, Promos, & More: Booksellers & Publishers Work Together | A People's Guide to Publishing
Continuing our series on tradeshows, bookselling, and bookseller/publisher relationships, this week we're back at PNBA! Hear from booksellers and publishers on…
A People's Guide to PublishingEpisode 324: How do we think book tradeshows can improve? | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast
Continuing our ongoing series on trade shows, publishing, bookselling, and more, this week Joe and Elly talk education sessions, galley rooms, the decreased…