Stories Of Empowerment

This week on the pod, we tackle a reader question: How much is scientific and factual accuracy a concern for publishers? Can this lead to liability issues? It's complicated, yet simple. There are very clever workarounds, as seen in the recent case of books denying the existence of COVID-19 and politicians losing their minds over this. What is the responsibility of publishers as dispensers of information?**********Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.comMore by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.netMore by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.comSubscribe to our monthly email newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/0...Find us on social mediaFacebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishingTwitter: http://twitter.com/microcosmmmInstagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub**********

During the course of the Penguin Random House / Simon & Schuster merger trial with the Department of Justice, the defense claimed that profit and loss statements are made up guesses, with no substantiation in evidence. Podcasts, agents, authors, and tweeters immediately latched onto this claim that publishers actually have no idea what they are doing. This week on the pod, we show how all of those things are wrong and how to deliver factually based P&Ls! ************Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.comMore by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.netMore by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.comSubscribe to our monthly email newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/0...Find us on social mediaFacebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishingTwitter: http://twitter.com/microcosmmmInstagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_

Before long, it is not difficult to see the limitations of being a small publisher. So this week on the pod, we answer a reader question about how to become an imprint of a larger press, based on Elly's experience of merging her company with Microcosm and keeping her job. What are the benefits? What are the drawbacks? How do you do it? What are the advantages for both parties?************Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.comMore by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.netMore by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.comSubscribe to our monthly email newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/0...Find us on social mediaFacebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishingTwitter: http://twitter.com/microcosmmmInstagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub************

This week, a reader got in touch because they are publishing a values-based anthology with 20 contributors. 19 have signed the agreements but one is concerned that the agreement isn't fair and doesn't want to relinquish rights to the publisher. So this week on the pod, Elly and Joe explain "fairness" as well as what these agreements typically look like and offer advice about how to proceed.************Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.comMore by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.netMore by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.comSubscribe to our monthly email newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/0...Find us on social mediaFacebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishingTwitter: http://twitter.com/microcosmmmInstagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub************

What's in a name? Why do so many books have the same title? What if another author has the same name as you? What if you change your name or pseudonym? How do you protect the names of yourself and your various projects? We tackle all that and more in this week's episode! ************Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.comMore by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.netMore by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.comSubscribe to our monthly email newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/0...Find us on social mediaFacebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishingTwitter: http://twitter.com/microcosmmmInstagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub************

Last week a tweet appeared, interpreting testimony from the Penguin Random House/DOJ trial to mean that half of all books published sell fewer than a dozen copies! Quickly, it went viral and people shared their opinions about whether or not this is real. Soon, experts were commenting on this. Where did this statistic come from? Is it true? What can we learn from it? How can it better inform your own publishing?************Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.comMore by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.netMore by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.comSubscribe to our monthly email newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/0...Find us on social mediaFacebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishingTwitter: http://twitter.com/microcosmmmInstagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub************

Twitter lit on fire when Barnes & Noble announced that, due to low sales and high return rates, it would no longer carry as many middle reader fiction hardcovers. What does this mean for authors, publishers, indie stores, and other aspects of the publishing industry? The intrepid Joe and Elly dig deep and come up with a take that you aren't likely to hear elsewhere! 

Lots of news and cold takes about the Penguin Random House / Simon & Schuster attempts at a merger this week, so this week on the pod, we offer some perspective and analysis about the two separate but not equal book publishing industries. Does the trial matter to small presses? What have we learned? How much is oversaturation affecting the Big Five? All this and more.************Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.comMore by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.netMore by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.comSubscribe to our monthly email newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/0...Find us on social mediaFacebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishingTwitter: http://twitter.com/microcosmmmInstagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub************

While we have little things that we've always bickered about, this week on the pod we take a deeper look at fundamental differences and disagreements between Elly and Joe! ************Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.comMore by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.netMore by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.comSubscribe to our monthly email newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/0...Find us on social mediaFacebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishingTwitter: http://twitter.com/microcosmmmInstagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub************

Before too long in your publishing quest, you will quickly be dumped into various ethical quagmires. We offer some experience, advice, and tools for tackling this quandary. The short answer is that through a series of careful decisions, hesitating when your gut indicates, and moving intentionally, you can create the world that you want to see. ************Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.comMore by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.netMore by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.comSubscribe to our monthly email newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/0...Find us on social mediaFacebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishingTwitter: http://twitter.com/microcosmmmInstagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub************

On this episode of the People's Guide to Publishing podcast (https://microcosm.pub/podcast), we interview Eric Sandy about his new book Speak In Tongues: An Oral History of Cleveland's Infamous DIY Punk Venue. (https://microcosm.pub/Speak)************Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.comMore by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.netMore by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.comSubscribe to our monthly email newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/0...Find us on social mediaFacebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishingTwitter: http://twitter.com/microcosmmmInstagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub************

So much time is spent debating the waste, morass, and outdatedness of the publishing industry and so little ink is spent offering practical solutions about how to fix it. So this week on the pod, we take a stab at looking at pragmatic ways for publishers to make decisions, why this works, and what the outcomes of this could be!

Most people have educations or backgrounds that influence how they approach their work. Often, these influences cause them to replicate similar power structures back into publishing. So this week on the pod, we take a look at our own influences and how they have shaped the way that we pursue our craft. Who are your influences?

So many people have suffered endless rejections and want to know how to get their foot in the door. They think that if they can just get the right editor on the phone or get someone to listen, they can get published. To be fair, much of publishing is gatekept, preserving the experiences of certain people's experiences with certain educations from certain schools. So this week on the pod, we take a look at how to sidestep that and get your foot in the door! Ariel's new book, The Wayward Writer, addresses this point directly!************Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.comMore by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.netMore by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.comSubscribe to our monthly email newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/0...Find us on social mediaFacebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishingTwitter: http://twi

So many people have suffered endless rejections and want to know how to get their foot in the door. They think that if they can just get the right editor on the phone or get someone to listen, they can get published. To be fair, much of publishing is gatekept, preserving the experiences of certain people's experiences with certain educations from certain schools. So this week on the pod, we take a look at how to sidestep that and get your foot in the door! Ariel's new book, The Wayward Writer, addresses this point directly! 

If you read author forums, you can watch them complain about gatekeeping all day long. "If only the agent/editor/publisher/buyer would READ my book, they'd see how great it is!" so this week on the pod, we take a look at how to manage these characters, why they are good for authors, and how some gatekeeping is old fashioned racism/classism/xenophobia. 

It's entirely too typical to be told by a new author that there is no way to get their foot in the door. It's easy to only look at and see the hardships and roadblocks. So this weed on the pod, we construct a path to success as a writer. And even making a living.************Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.comMore by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.netMore by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.comSubscribe to our monthly email newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/0...Find us on social mediaFacebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishingTwitter: http://twitter.com/microcosmmmInstagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub************

Every few months there's a news story about a new, "innovative" publishing model. These are typically variations on funding or author compensation. This week on the pod, we take a look at these models, how different they really are, and more importantly, how effective they are and how long they last. ************Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.comMore by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.netMore by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.comSubscribe to our monthly email newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/0...Find us on social mediaFacebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishingTwitter: http://twitter.com/microcosmmmInstagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub************

Sometimes we're on the sidelines, really excited for a book to come out. And then it doesn't. Why? This week on the pod we take a look at those reasons, despite everyone's intentions and common goals. ************Thank you for watching the People's Guide to Publishing vlogcast!  Get the book: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...Get the workbook: https://microcosmpublishing.com/catal...More from Microcosm: http://microcosmpublishing.comMore by Joe Biel: http://joebiel.netMore by Elly Blue: http://takingthelane.comSubscribe to our monthly email newsletter: https://confirmsubscription.com/h/r/0...Find us on social mediaFacebook: http://facebook.com/microcosmpublishingTwitter: http://twitter.com/microcosmmmInstagram: http://instagram.com/microcosm_pub************