Faced Out, with Brad & Liz

Brad & Liz dig into the various ways "normal" is said to be nearly upon us, whether we like it or not. Unsurprisingly, they have thoughts about how all normalcy is taking shape. They take special issue with new developments in corporate distribution, and risk some hope (or maybe just wishes!) for a different way forward. 

In this episode, Brad & Liz are in a commemorative mood. Of their vaccinations, of Brad's birthday, (no mention of Liz's mop, alas) ... and, like a regular digestive system, Simon & Schuster's sh*tty ways. 

As it turns out, the episode becomes an extension of the previous two, with Independent Bookstore Day looming days away, and things gets a bit punchy! 

Brad & Liz chat with Julia Callahan from Rare Bird Books and Cristina Rodriguez from A Public Space (recently of Deep Vellum Books) to talk all things "indie." And what a conversation it is! The weeds get high, and they're whacked mightily low!

Hey there! It's been a while. Two months, in fact. We're making up for lost time with the first installment of a two-parter! (Hang on to your seats for the cliffhanger ending!)

In this issue we talk about what we've been up to since our last episode in early January, an assortment of labor issues, laugh at the expense of megapublishers, and just keep circling around this question: "What the hell does 'indie' really mean?"

It's only been a week since Brad & Liz last recorded, but history is determined to cram as much as possible into our weeks these days. 

The riotous white supremacist free for all in D.C.  is the backdrop of a conversation with bookseller pal, Josh Cook (@InOrderOfImport on Twitter).

Topics include the difference between curation and censorship; conflict aversion; and the value of the struggle. 

It's a half day for our heroes at the bookstore, New Years Eve. Upon closing up for the day and the year, they sat down for what they planned on being a "short podcast." It is, of course, an hour. 

The year that was! The year that may be! Pollyanna with a smelly gangrenous arm!

Welcome to 2021, booksellers! 

Brad & Liz have prepared notes for this episode and they're not afraid to use them ... provided Liz can get her phone to work!

Recorded a couple of weeks after an epochal election that is not so much as mentioned! Not avoided ... just never comes up. These are Books Professionals. 

Topics include: Franzen(??); publisher consolidation; the "Chronicles of Dark-Sided Bookselling" (vis-à-vis bookstore-themed candles & the big business of threatening to go out of business). 

Enjoy!

No guest this week? Will we ever have a guest again? Have we burned every bookselling bridge we've ever known? Who's to say?!

This week's episode is all about the month that was. We talk about the downturn in indie bookstore sales & the ABA's #BoxedOut campaign. We break down the fundamentals of comedy, vis-à-vis *that* Onion article. We begin discussing Rupert Murdoch and HarperCollins, but it breaks down quickly when Liz uncovers shocking information about his love life. We revel in mops and discover Brad's only true love, berating listeners. 

So much happening in the book world the past couple of weeks. From hijinks at purportedly venerable indie bookselling institutions, to a world-famous children's author double- and tripling-down on hateful trolling, to West Coast fires, to ... yeesh, what else?

This episode has it all -- including a hotline! That's right, we're on the bleeding on edge of technology, and have created a phone number for booksellers to call and contribute to our "Oral History of Pandemic Bookselling." What's the number? Why ... you have to listen to find out, sillies! 

We're joined by Maddie Gobbo, wonderful "events maven" from one of our favorite stores, Skylight Books. We're very fond of this episode, and hope you enjoy it.  

SURPRISE!

Liz & I thought we'd commemorate this year's Independent Bookstore Day with an impromptu recording. As is our wont -- our intention to keep it light and positive goes slightly ... well, you'll see. 

We talk about the good stuff of bookselling, the promises made, the wonders when they're kept ... and the attending disappointment when they aren't. 

Be good to yourself & others, everybody!