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Pub Crawl episodes
- Are You Bisac-Curious?
Dan and Ezra consider the truly unbelievable growth in the number of books published in 2025, and hypothesize that there is a single, highly prolific author is driving the increase. Then they turn to the question of Bisac codes, a tool for categorizing and organizing books by topic.
Episode links:
Publishers Weekly: Book Output Topped Four Million in 2025
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/99943-book-output-topped-4-million-in-2025.html
Meg's Publishing Services: How Amazon Categories Work vs. Bisac Codes
https://www.megspublishingservices.com/mpsblog/rr2ggpxj0ikoy5um0wzraqic24bm7k
Book Industry Study Group: Listing of Bisac Codes
https://www.bisg.org/complete-bisac-subject-headings-list
39 min - Warning! Graphic Content!
Dan and Ezra dig into the implications of Amazon’s new search algorithm, the euphonious “A10,” and then welcome Christopher Ward, who brought out his new graphic novel, “The Hottest Fires of Hell,” as a self-published work.
Data about graphic novel readers:
https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/graphic-novels-broaden-their-appeal-lj240909
Amazon page for “The Hottest Fires of Hell”
https://www.amazon.com/Hottest-Fires-Hell-Graphic-Resistance/dp/B0F4X8RSQ9
Illustrator AM Case’s Instagram page
https://www.instagram.com/lilstarnerd/
40 min - Block Around the Clock
Is writer's block a thing, really? Dan says yes. Ezra says hmmmmm-maaaaaybe, but probably not.
31 min - Popular, Shmopular
Ezra and Dan consider the concept (dream?) of bestseller-dom and what it might take to get there.
Links:
Links:Brook Warner’s essay on best sellers
List of best-selling books - Wikipedia
New York Times: This Year’s Surprise Hit Novels
Novelr: The New York Times Beatseller Lists Explained
About those 12 copies…
Ezra and Dan both got it wrong, at least a bit. That data comes from Kristen McLean, an analyst at Circana (formerly Bookscan). Here's some background from data scientist Simon Willison. You can follow his links to related stories.
42 min - Ouch! Stop Helping Me!
Dan and Ezra tackle the topic of reviews, and in particular, bad reviews. In the second half, they welcome novelist Peter Blauner, the author of "Picture in the Sand" and many other works. Should you write your first draft in longhand? Peter says yes! Random references to "The Great Gatsby" abound.
Links:
Peter Blauner's Website
40 min - Once Is Not Enough
Screenwriter and novelist Allison Burnett joins Pub Crawl to talk about his experiences in traditional publishing, self-publishing, and the movie business, not to mention long-ago stand-up routines as part of the Burnett-Greenberger comedy duo.
Links:
https://www.allisonburnett.com
37 min - E-Books: Yea or Nay?
Dan and Ezra discuss the relative merits of electronic books and the challenges in creating clean files that render well on different readers. Plus, Dan drops an F-bomb.
E-book creation software links:
Atticus - www.atticus.io
Vellum - www.vellum.pub
37 min - Why Write?
Why bother to write a novel when the world seems to be shattering all around you? In the latest episode of Pub Crawl, Dan and Ezra consider the consolations of writing.
41 min - What's Your Position?
Sitting? Standing? Lying down? What's your preferred position for writing? As usual, Dan and Ezra see things a little differently, with plenty of literary trivia thrown in.
32 min - "We Have Landing!" (Pages)
In this week's episode, Ezra and Dan discuss their books' Amazon landing pages and ways to make them more effective.
40 min
About Pub Crawl
From the publisher's feed
A podcast about getting your book into the world -- imagining it, writing it, editing it, publishing it, and marketing it -- hosted by Ezra Palmer and Dan Greenberger.