Literaticast

Literaticast episodes:

• 01.07.2024

  64: Getting Inspired with Jami Attenberg

  Is this the year you've promised yourself you'd finally finish that manuscript, or stop playing on your dang phone so much and get into a healthier writing routine? Author Jami Attenberg joins me to talk about her new book 1000...

  
• 12.23.2023

  63: End-of-the-Year and Mid-Career, with Alex Gino

  Happy Holidays! In this episode, I give a bit of an End-of-the-Year rundown -- what sold this year, what good stuff happened, and what's the mood? Then Middle Grade author Alex Gino joins me to chat about their new book,...

  
• 11.16.2023

  62: The Great Big Holiday Gift Guide, 2023 Edition

  It's the most wonderful time of the year -- BOOK GIFTING TIME! I'm joined by booksellers Nicole Brinkley from Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, NY, and Cathy Berner from Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, TX, and we give you 50+ great...

  
• 09.11.2023

  61: The Dynamic Duo: Raúl the Third and Elaine Bay

  Kid-lit power couple Raúl the Third and Elaine Bay are collaborators in both life and in books. They met in high school, grew into underground artists and zinesters, and in recent years, have become an award-winning and New York Times...

  
• 08.31.2023

  60: From Picture Books to YA, with Phoebe Wahl

  The multi-talented Phoebe Wahl joins me to talk about how she got her start in publishing, as well as how she manages to run the cutest online shop in history, do brand collaborations, make films, thrive on social media, raise...

  
• 01.18.2023

  59: Predictions and prognostication with guest librarian Betsy Bird

  Librarian, author, blogger, podcaster -- our guest Betsy Bird wears a lot of hats. She is not only a bona fide children's book expert but also has a great knack for predicting ALA Awards! As the awards are being given...

  
• 12.09.2022

  58: The Art of Being Present, with author-illustrator Cindy Derby

  Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator and author Cindy Derby joins me to discuss her unusual path to an illustration career, getting inspired, dealing with burnout, navigating social media, what she learned from dog finishing school, and so much more. We also celebrate...

  
• 11.09.2022

  57: The Great Big Holiday Gift Guide, 2022

  The annual Great Big Holiday Gift Guide is BACK, baby! Booksellers Nicole Brinkley from Oblong Books in Rhinebeck, NY and Kassie King from the Novel Neighbor in St Louis, MO are joining to give their recommendations. If you're looking for...

  
• 10.08.2022

  56: Meet the Agent, with Jemiscoe Chambers-Black

  We're back from hiatus, and excited to chat with Jemiscoe Chambers-Black. Jem is one of the newer agents at Andrea Brown Literary Agency, and a rising star who has had many awesome deals (and even a NYT Bestseller) in her...

  
• 04.21.2022

  55: Into the Creative Labyrinth with Sara Zarr

  Award-winning YA author (and podcast host!) Sara Zarr joins me to talk about the joys and challenges of crafting a sustainable writerly life.  She has practical and inspirational insights for newbies and mid-career authors alike in her new book, This Creative...

  
• 03.31.2022

  54: Meet the Agent! With Associate Agent Paige Terlip

  New agents can be great to query, as they have a lot of energy and are actively building their lists! Paige Terlip is an Associate Agent at ABLA. She's been an agent for just over a year and she's already...

  
• 02.19.2022

  53: Keeping it Honest, with guest author Maggie Tokuda-Hall

  My guest today is author Maggie Tokuda-Hall, who writes picture books, graphic novels, YA, fiction, non-fiction... basically a little bit of everything! She talks about her experiences with an MFA program (and questions you might ask yourself if you are...

  
• 12.21.2021

  52: So... What'd We Miss? With Book Expert Alison Morris

  My guest for this end-of-year show is Alison Morris. She's a book expert, and the Senior Director of Title Selection at FirstBook, a non-profit that provides literally millions of books to underserved kids (and so much more) -- we'll talk...

  
• 11.16.2021

  51: The Art of Graphic Novel Adaptation, with guest Gareth Hinds

  My guest this month is graphic novelist Gareth Hinds. He's famous for doing amazing Graphic Novel reinterpretations of classics like the Odyssey, the Iliad, Shakespeare, Poe and more... and we'll talk about how he chooses projects, and how he adapts...

  
• 10.30.2021

  50: The Holiday Gift Guide, 2021 Edition, with guest bookseller Melissa Posten

  It's almost Holiday Time already (yeah, I know, yikes!) - and I want to encourage people to get their bookish gift shopping done early this year, and to pre-order books if you want them before Hanukkah or Christmas. To that...

  
• 09.13.2021

  49: World Kid Lit Month with Translator and Author Lawrence Schimel

  Welcome back to the Literaticast! I'm back from hiatus with lots to say - first, about some of the newsworthy books of mine that came out during my absence. Then I'm joined by my friend, the prolific translator and author...

  
• 12.24.2020

  48: Two Times the Charm, with guest author-illustrator Grace Lin and guest editor Alvina Ling

  My guests are award-winning author-illustrator Grace Lin and editor-in-chief of Little Brown Books for Young Readers Alvina Ling. Both are accomplished children's book pros, lifelong besties, AND hosts of the popular podcast Book Friends Forever. They both have a LOT...

  
• 11.28.2020

  47: Feeling Grateful (that 2020 is almost over), with guest agent Molly O'Neill

  Guest agent Molly O'Neill from Root Literary joins me and we take it back to basics, talking about query letters and debunking some myths. We also dig into what the pandemic has been like for the publishing industry from our...

  
• 10.12.2020

  46: October is the New December, with Guest Bookseller Suzanna Hermans

  I check in with my friend Suzanna, the co-owner and buyer for Oblong Books and Music in Rhinebeck and Millerton, NY. She talks about how the bookstore has weathered these wild times, what has changed, and what booksellers have learned...

  
• 09.14.2020

  45: Heroes, Villains, Sidekicks and Kryptonite with guest author Lamar Giles

  Today we're talking pop culture! If you insert specific pop culture references in your work, how do you walk the line between seeming current now, and possibly making your book seem dated a couple years from now... and how DOES...

  
• 08.21.2020

  44: Literaticast Live! Celebrating the Hudson Valley YA Society's 10th Birthday

  It's a very special episode: Four amazing authors helped me celebrate the Hudson Valley YA Society's 10th Anniversary and launch Christine Heppermann's new novel in verse WHAT GOES UP, in conjunction with Oblong Books & Music's "Oblong Online" event series....

  
• 07.30.2020

  43: Shaking Up the "Supposed-To-Bes" with author Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow

  As you may have noticed, the podcast took a little hiatus - but we're back, baby! This episode, I give a little "state of the publishing industry" address, where I answer some burning listener questions about how the pandemic is...

  
• 04.06.2020

  42: Creativity in Crisis with guest author Rebecca Stead

  Author Rebecca Stead (WHEN YOU REACH ME, LIAR AND SPY, among others) joins me to talk about her creative process -- as well as such important topics as revision with book maps, finding an authentic voice, giving yourself permission to...

  
• 03.23.2020

  41: Marketing Mayhem with Hannah Moushabeck

  My guest this week is Hannah Moushabeck, a book marketing wizard from Quarto Books with a life-long history in the book industry. Hannah and I chat about ways for you to get the word out about your book, and what...

  
• 02.21.2020

  40: A Publicist Explains It All For You, with guest Tracy van Straaten

  My guest is publicist Tracy van Straaten, who will pull the curtain back and reveal everything you've always wanted to know about Book Publicity but were afraid to ask! (Well, maybe not everything. But a LOT OF STUFF!) Including how...

  
• 01.19.2020

  39: Career Building with guest author Kate Messner

  My guest this week is Kate Messner -- the perfect person to discuss Career Building! Over the past decade she's published over 30 children's books, and has 12 more coming out in 2020 alone. Wowza! We'll talk about how she...

  
• 12.02.2019

  38: The Great Big Holiday Gift Guide, 2019

  We welcome the return of the Great Big Holiday Gift Guide, 2019 edition! I interview three independent booksellers from various parts of the country, and we give you our best recommendations for ALL the young folks on your shopping list...

  
• 11.24.2019

  37: Nonfic November with guest editor Kandace Coston

  My guest Kandace Coston is an editor at Lee & Low, the largest multicultural publisher in the U.S. She is a nonfiction picture book expert, and we'll discuss how to choose a topic, what to include in the backmatter, and...

  
• 10.17.2019

  36: Behind the Book: ROAR LIKE A DANDELION

  Welcome to an all-new feature on the Literaticast: BEHIND THE BOOK, in which we take a deep dive into the backstory behind the making of one fascinating book. Up for discussion today is ROAR LIKE A DANDELION by Ruth Krauss,...

  
• 09.06.2019

  35: Navigating the Pre-Debut Wilderness, with guest author Stephanie Lucianovic

  I'm joined by author Stephanie Lucianovic, whose debut picture book THE END OF SOMETHING WONDERFUL drops on September 10. She's dropping some hot knowledge on us about what it is like to navigate the pre-debut time, how to find and...

  
• 08.19.2019

  34: For the Littlest Littles, with guest editor Meredith Mundy

  My guest is Executive Editor of the Abrams Appleseed imprint, Meredith Mundy. We chat about all things "little-kid" book related -- including the different types of board and novelty books, and the joys and challenges of writing and publishing them.

  
• 07.26.2019

  33. Ask the Agent Live! (kinda) with guest agent Jen Rofé

  It's a Summertime Bonus Episode! ABLA Senior Agent Jen Rofé joins me to answer burning listener questions about queries, submission strategies, working with your agent, and so much more. Plus we talk about glass-blowing and Russian spies. (Obviously!)

  
• 07.05.2019

  32: Pride is NOT just for June, with guest Author and Blogger, Dahlia Adler

  First I talk a bit about the etiquette of leaving your agent and getting a new one -- it's not as scary or weird as you might worry it will be! Then, the fabulous Dahlia Adler joins me to talk...

  
• 05.13.2019

  31: Launching a Fledgling Imprint with Guest Editor Namrata Tripathi

  I sit down with powerhouse editor Namrata Tripathi, the founder and publisher of Kokila Books, a new imprint of Penguin Random House. The first books from Kokila are coming this week, so we have a great discussion about what it...

  
• 04.27.2019

  30: Drawing the Lines with guest Art Director Laurent Linn

  My guest is Laurent Linn, an Art Director from Simon and Schuster. He'll give us the inside scoop on such hot topics as: What the heck does an Art Director do?! How are book jackets made? What should an illustrator...

  
• 03.13.2019

  29: Meg Medina Changes Gears

  This episode, I'm pleased to welcome newly minted Newbery Medalist Meg Medina. We chat about world building in realistic fiction, writing large casts of characters, balancing business vs art, tips for debut authors as well as those suffering from "sophomore...

  
• 02.23.2019

  28: Story Genius with guest author and writing coach Lisa Cron

  I sit down with Lisa Cron, the author of STORY GENIUS and WIRED FOR STORY - she is chock full of advice to make your next novel truly unputdownable. Also, I get a couple of words in edgewise, and talk...

  
• 01.20.2019

  27: Midwinter Fever, with guest School-Library Marketing guru Jenny Choy

  I'm getting ready to head to Seattle for ALA Midwinter. So what even IS that? In this episode, I speak to Jenny Choy, the Associate Director for School-Library Marketing for Abrams Books for Young Readers. Jenny tells us the difference...

  
• 11.30.2018

  26: The Great Big Holiday Gift Guide, 2018

  I chat with four awesome booksellers about their top children's and YA book picks for holiday gift giving (and my own picks, too!) -- some you've probably heard of, but others likely be new to you, and all are well...

  
• 11.22.2018

  25: Ms Martha goes to Washington, with guest author Martha Brockenbrough

  Martha Brockenbrough returns to discuss her latest book of YA Nonfiction, UNPRESIDENTED, a biography/documentary about the life and times of Donald Trump. We also talk about how you can decide when a story is YOURS to tell, how to deal...

  
• 10.18.2018

  24: Ask an Editor, with Emma Dryden

  Editorial consultant Emma D. Dryden has a storied career in children's publishing. She sat down with me to talk about revision, as well as the difference between working for a publisher and editing under her own shingle. I asked her...

  
• 09.13.2018

  23: Schmagents get a Schmackdown with guest agent Kelly Sonnack

  Guest agent Kelly Sonnack joins me to talk about best practices, agent-wise... and WTH are some bad agents even DOING? Also we answer listener questions, talk about query management, vent on the topic of submission do's and don'ts, and we...

  
• 08.16.2018

  22: Getting Biographical with Lesa Cline-Ransome

  Guest author Lesa Cline-Ransome gets into it about writing nonfiction (particularly biographical) picture books. Like, how does she choose subjects? How does she decide HOW to tell the story, do research, and get a new angle on a topic we...

  
• 07.22.2018

  21: Mochi Pounding Madness with Guest Author Debbi Michiko Florence

  Author Debbi Michiko Florence joins us to chat about her winding path to publication, and her awesome chapter book series, JASMINE TOGUCHI, the fourth book of which has just been released. I talk about how to query chapter books, Debbi...

  
• 06.17.2018

  20: Burning the Candle at Both Ends, with Dan Santat

  Award-winning author-illustrator Dan Santat joins me to discuss time management, illustrating vs authoring, portfolio-making, the World Cup, killers for hire (again! it's a theme!), and so much more. 

  
• 05.24.2018

  19: The 30,000 Foot View, with guest author Erin Dionne

  I give some recommendations for my favorite books for writers. Then my guest, middle grade novelist and English professor Erin Dionne, chats with me about revision tips and tricks, plotting vs pantsing, story structure, and more. Spoiler alert: There is...

  
• 05.09.2018

  18: Buy the Book, with guest book buyer Suzanna Hermans

  I'm joined by Suzanna Hermans, from Oblong Books & Music in New York's Hudson Valley. She talks about how she curates the selection at Oblong -- what prompts an "auto-buy" from her -- and when books get returned. We also...

  
• 03.27.2018

  17: Double Trouble, with guest authors Amy Spalding and Justina Ireland

  It's a jam-packed double episode featuring two authors whose YA books are polar opposites... except for the fact that they are both TERRIFIC... and they both have the same release date! Amy Spalding is on hand to discuss her new...

  
• 03.11.2018

  16: Rights, Italian style, with guest agent Kathleen Ortiz

  Every year in Spring, children's agents descend on a small city in Italy for the largest international children's-only book fair in the world. But it's not all gelato-nomming and prosecco-swilling! I give a crash course in what translation rights even...

  
• 02.26.2018

  15: Going All Out with guest author / anthologist Saundra Mitchell

  YA author Saundra Mitchell joins me to chat about her new anthology, ALL OUT: THE NO-LONGER SECRET STORIES OF QUEER TEENS THROUGHOUT THE AGES. ALL OUT is stuffed chock-full of genre-spanning queer historical stories, and Saundra talks about not only...