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 their books, or hosting events with their authors. Is co-op right for your publisher? How do you best use it?

Jane Friedman of The Bottom Line is back to chat with Joe and Elly about co-op, Microcosm's experience with it, and how to communicate with buyers and reps about it.

Check out The Bottom Line here: https://janefriedman.com/the-bottom-line-janes-publishing-industry-newsletter/

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Thank you for catching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episodes every Thursday about publishing, authors, and the book industry. You can also listen via your preferred podcast app, or by visiting linktree.com/microcosm

Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/3663
Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zines/10031

More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.com
More by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.net
More by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.com

Subscribe to our monthly email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gIXT6v

Find us on social media:
Facebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishing
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/microcosm.bsky.social
Instagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub
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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 revisit a classic People's Guide to Publishing episode where Joe and Elly walk you through why contracts are important, how to navigate them as an author, and what makes a good publishing contract.

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Thank you for catching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episodes every Thursday about publishing, authors, and the book industry. You can also listen via your preferred podcast app, or by visiting linktree.com/microcosm

Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/3663
Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zines/10031

More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.com
More by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.net
More by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.com

Subscribe to our monthly email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gIXT6v

Find us on social media:
Facebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishing
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/microcosm.bsky.social
Instagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub
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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 inception of the zine, how punk helps you let go of perfectionism, and updating the zines for the new collection, "Cook Your Own F*cking Life."

Get "Cook Your Own Fucking Life" here: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/59290
Check out Ashley's other works here: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/artist/ashley-rowe-palafox

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Thank you for catching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episodes every Thursday about publishing, authors, and the book industry. You can also listen via your preferred podcast app, or by visiting linktree.com/microcosm

Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/3663
Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zines/10031

More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.com
More by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.net
More by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.com

Subscribe to our monthly email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gIXT6v

Find us on social media:
Facebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishing
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/microcosm.bsky.social
Instagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub
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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, and a few fun side quests like microwaves and 90s movies. 

For more on the We Are Stronger Than Censorship campaign, click here: https://www.wearestrongerthancensorship.org/
To get the stickers, click here: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/artist/we-are-stronger-than-censorship/

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Thank you for catching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episodes every Thursday about publishing, authors, and the book industry. You can also listen via your preferred podcast app, or by visiting linktree.com/microcosm

Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/3663
Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zines/10031

More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.com
More by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.net
More by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.com

Subscribe to our monthly email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gIXT6v

Find us on social media:
Facebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishing
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/microcosm.bsky.social
Instagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub
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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 books?

This week, Jane Friedman of the Bottom Line is back to talk to Joe and Elly about the growing popularity of TIktok Shop, and if she thinks it's worth a publisher's time.

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Thank you for catching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episodes every Thursday about publishing, authors, and the book industry. You can also listen via your preferred podcast app, or by visiting linktree.com/microcosm

Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/3663
Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zines/10031

More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.com
More by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.net
More by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.com

Subscribe to our monthly email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gIXT6v

Find us on social media:
Facebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishing
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/microcosm.bsky.social
Instagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub
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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 work, making it appealing to the target audience, legibility, and so much more. This week on the pod, Joe walks us through the things Joe takes into consideration for designing over covers.

Note: For those just listening to audio, there's an accompanying slideshow in the video where Joe is showcasing varying covers! Still valuable info with just audio, but we recommending trying to catch the video of this as well.

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Thank you for catching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episodes every Thursday about publishing, authors, and the book industry. You can also listen via your preferred podcast app, or by visiting linktree.com/microcosm

Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/3663
Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zines/10031

More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.com
More by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.net
More by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.com

Subscribe to our monthly email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gIXT6v

Find us on social media:
Facebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishing
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/microcosm.bsky.social
Instagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub
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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 truths and strategies, like determining who your customer is (hint: it's not you!), their needs, and coming up with books that fill what they're looking for,

Buckle in, marketing nerds, this is a fun one!

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Thank you for catching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episodes every Thursday about publishing, authors, and the book industry. You can also listen via your preferred podcast app, or by visiting linktree.com/microcosm

Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/3663
Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zines/10031

More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.com
More by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.net
More by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.com

Subscribe to our monthly email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gIXT6v

Find us on social media:
Facebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishing
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/microcosm.bsky.social
Instagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub
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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 they decide what they acquire and publish, and the various things that go into it.

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Thank you for catching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episodes every Thursday about publishing, authors, and the book industry. You can also listen via your preferred podcast app, or by visiting linktree.com/microcosm

Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/3663
Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zines/10031

More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.com
More by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.net
More by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.com

Subscribe to our monthly email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gIXT6v

Find us on social media:
Facebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishing
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/microcosm.bsky.social
Instagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub
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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 HeART Tarot, is a unique deck featuring beautiful, original illustrations incorporating the shape of the human heart and elements of the natural world into each tarot archetype, and reminding us that the heart and mind aren't working in opposition.

This week on the pod, Nic hangs out with Joe and Elly to talk eclipses and astrology, intuition vs the brain, publishing, and so much more.

Get the HeART Tarot: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/decks/51617

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Thank you for catching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episodes every Thursday about publishing, authors, and the book industry. You can also listen via your preferred podcast app, or by visiting linktree.com/microcosm

Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/3663
Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zines/10031

More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.com
More by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.net
More by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.com

Subscribe to our monthly email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gIXT6v

Find us on social media:
Facebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishing
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/microcosm.bsky.social
Instagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub
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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 in readers' brains). But do reviews really matter? Are they worth the time publishers put into getting them?

This week on the podcast, we're back with the booksellers and publishers of the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association tradeshow to get their thoughts on the importance of book reviews.

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Thank you for catching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  We post new episodes every Thursday about publishing, authors, and the book industry. You can also listen via your preferred podcast app, or by visiting linktree.com/microcosm

Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/books/3663
Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catalog/zines/10031

More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.com
More by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.net
More by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.com

Subscribe to our monthly email newsletter: http://eepurl.com/gIXT6v

Find us on social media:
Facebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishing
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/microcosm.bsky.social
Instagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub
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