A curated collection of the latest and most interesting podcast episodes about the author life.
Hello again fellow writer! It’s Christine Daigle. Currently, I’m co-writing two serials, one sci-fi and one horror, on Kindle Vella under the pen name LP Styles. I’m also the co-host of The Serial Fiction Show. I’m delighted to share recent podcasts I loved about the editor crisis in traditional publishing, the creep problem in indie publishing, and a craft book to help you nail a simple novel structure.
Top 3 Must-Listen Episodes
Print Run Podcast // Publishing’s Great Resignation
Agents Laura Zats and Erik Hane discuss why editors are leaving their jobs and even the trad pub industry. The rhetoric that a job involving bringing books into the world is “noble work” had led to a chronic history of low pay and exploitation of editors in traditional publishing. Recently, justification threads have been popping up on Twitter as editors leaving the industry feel a compulsion to explain why they’re giving up on the dream of what books could have been for them. Consolidations of publishing companies are leading to a loss of institutional knowledge and experience. The industry, which has historically been based on apprenticeship, is turning into an entity that hires brand new editors who lack experience and mentoring because of the turnover. Low wages, hostile workplaces, and 80+ hour work weeks are only some of the issues leading to editors quitting. And when there are less experienced editors, it leads to the erosion of the agent-editor relationship and lessens agent knowledge of the imprint.
In summary: It’s a bummer.
But there may be hope and urgency for change. With record profits in the publishing industry and workers coming to a breaking point, unions and eliminating monopolies may be on the horizon. How can agents and writers help? With compassion and solidarity in the industry to keep bringing the best books into the world.
Stark Reflections on Writing and Publishing // Indie Publishing Has a Creep Problem
Claire Taylor reads her article “Indie Publishing Has a Creep Problem”. Claire discusses some of the abuses that have taken place in the indie community at in-person events and online. What do we do about offenders? Claire states that she steps in and ruins the mood, compliments the woman being harassed, engages her, and extracts her if possible. Then checks in. Women have always looked out for each other this way, and indie conventions are no different. Claire also says she’s sick of women bearing this burden alone. She asks men to wake up and help us by stepping in. A simple, “Hold on. That doesn’t seem appropriate”, can provide relief. We need people who will act and intervene. It’s time to get this conversation started and keep an eye open.
Write Away // Book Club – Write Your Novel from the Middle
A group of authors discuss James Scott Bell’s Write Your Novel from the Middle. This book is easy to understand for newer writers. Bell suggests starting with the “mirror moment” which is a moment that involves physical, psychological, or professional death. This is the moment where the character looks themself in the mirror. In a character-driven story, the character wonders what type of person they are and who they are becoming. How will they become different? How will they overcome inner challenges? In a plot-driven novel, this involves the character considering the odds against them, which are so vast they don’t know how to go on. Once you nail your mirror moment, you can go back to the beginning and consider who the character is when they start this journey (pre-story psychology), as well as who they will be at the end of the book (transformation). Besides a simple structure to get your novel working, there are other good nuggets as well, like how to write a pitch in three sentences. So, overall, the writers discussing this book would recommend it.
The Latest from The Author Life Podcast
58: HOW CAN A 5 DAY CHALLENGE HELP ME?
This week authors J. Thorn and Crys Cain discuss the benefits of participating in five-day challenges as an author.
The Wildcard: Interesting Episode from a Non-Writing Related Show
Reply All // The Venova King
A listener asks Emmanuel to investigate how a mysterious artist she’s never heard of and swears she’s never listened to made it to #2 on her Spotify Wrapped list. And the songs she’s supposedly played are even weirder. If you’ve ever wondered how a virtually unknown artist can dominate Spotify, this is an interesting bit of digging into how he did it.
Inside The Author Life
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