Have you ever wondered what a book editor does? How they make the decisions about whether or not to buy and publish the books they do? What they actually think of your book proposal? Why — especially if you're a writer — the publishing industry seems so inherently f*cked?

My guest this week is the powerhouse editor Kate Napolitano. Kate is the editorial director of nonfiction books at Atria Books (an imprint of Simon & Schuster) where she's edited nearly a dozen New York Times bestsellers. She also happens to be the best editor I've ever worked with, a person who is not only amazing at her job, but also smart and insightful about the business at large. We're talking the business of publishing, diversity in books, rookie mistakes in book proposals, how we can help save an industry in trouble and a whole lot more.

Kate's book recs:

• No Sense In Wishing: Essays — Lawrence Burney
• Finding My Way: A Memoir — Malala Yousafzai
• Scream with Me: Horror Films and the Rise of American Feminism (1968-1980) — Eleanor Johnson 
• The People's Project: Poems, Essays, and Art for Looking Forward
• The Dream Songs
• The BreakBeat Poets: New American Poetry in the Age of Hip-Hop

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The Extended Scenes theme song is by the band Maiden Names.

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