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A People's Guide to Publishing

by Microcosm Publishing

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Latest episodes

What data are small presses ignoring? w/Jim Hanas | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast

October 22, 2026 · 12 min

Jim Hanas of the Small Press Insights Dashboard is back! Join him, Elly, and Joe for a deep dive into how much of the book industry relies on data and analytics, how presses can use Bookscan and other insight tools to inform their lists…
Why do you write the book YOU want to read? w/J. Hunter Bennett | A People's Guide to Publishing

October 15, 2026 · 12 min

So you want to write or publish a book. It's easy to get caught up in what's hot, marketable, and selling NOW (we see you, romantasy).But what if you have a book that might not be the easiest to market? Whether it's because of the…
Why do publishers need a point of view? w/ Daley Farr | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast

October 9, 2026 · 11 min

Does a publisher need a point of view? And why the hell does Microcosm say we're a "moderate/centrist" publisher in all of our books? This week on the pod, Microcosm Marketing Specialist Daley Farr joins Joe and Elly to talk about…
Are Most Books Sold on Amazon? w/ Jane Friedman | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast

October 1, 2026 · 12 min

Fun fact about Microcosm—we broke up with Amazon in 2018 and never looked back. And while we thought we would see a dip in sales, we've really seen the opposite.There's a common thought in publishing and writing that you HAVE to sell on…
How do you decide which older books get attention? w/Jessie Kwak | A People’s Guide to Publishing

September 24, 2026 · 12 min

Backlist books—titles that have been around longer than a selling season—are often seen as forgotten or that publishers have given up on them. But often, backlist favorites are the backbone of a publisher's income, as opposed to big new…

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"It" Books, Amazon, and Publishing: Book Sales w/Jim Hanas | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast

September 10, 2026 · 11 min

What makes a book sell? And does Amazon REALLY have the market share on book sales? Jim Hanas of the Small Press Insights Dashboard is back this week to talk to Joe and Elly about their favorite thing... data!************Thank you for…
Book Returns: Are they good or bad? w/Jane Friedman | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast

September 3, 2026 · 11 min

What happens when a book doesn't sell well, especially when stores have ordered up? Oftentimes, they'll get returned to the publisher to be resold as remainders and bargains, pulped and recycled, or something else.But what does it mean…
How do libraries handle digital content? w/ Guy LeCharles Gonzalez | A People's Guide to Publishing

August 27, 2026 · 14 min

Libraries are a great way to access eBooks, streaming shows, and other types of digital content. But how do those licenses work, and who benefits from them? The answer has changed a lot over the years, often contributing to the…
How are blurbs and pub dates important? w/Daley Farr | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast

August 20, 2026 · 16 min

There is no one-size-fits-all method to guarantee your publisher's success. We all come out with different titles, balance finding a comfortable niche vs branching out to new audiences, and find the structures and systems that work for…
How do you cope with ADHD? w/Andrew Coltrin | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast

August 13, 2026 · 12 min

Andrew Coltrin, author of "The ADHD FAQ" and "ADHD Coping Skills Deck," joins us on the podcast this week to talk about his journey of getting diagnosed, writing for an ADHD audience, and how understanding of ADHD has changed over…
Do most books really only sell 12 copies? w/ Jane Friedman | A People's Guide to Publishing Podcast

August 6, 2026 · 12 min

A few years ago, during the Penguin Random House/Simon and Schuster merger trial, a claim was made that most books only sell around 12 copies. But if you listen to this podcast, you know statistics are rarely that cut and dry (or…
What is effective book marketing? w/ Daley Farr | A People’s Guide to Publishing Podcast

July 30, 2026 · 17 min

How do you make marketing your book work for you? The inclination can be to get it in front of as many people as possible, with as much exposure as you can. But does that actually work? Microcosm's own Marketing & Publicity Specialist…

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About the show

Do you find that the traditional methods for book publishing aren't working for you? Are you a publisher or author who wants to innovate, succeed, and expand your audience through time-tested methods? We offer time-tested publishing methods that we know work because we have used them to sell millions of books in a changing industry. We have been inundated with requests for consulting so we created this show to share everything we know. We are the executives of Microcosm Publishing, a Publishers Weekly fastest growing publisher three years in a row. Tune in every Thursday for us to share our latest research in the time it takes you to walk the dog. Check out our fan-favorite episode on cover design. Joe Biel is the inaugural winner of the PubWest Innovator Award and founder and CEO of Microcosm, a 30-year-old midlist publisher. Elly Blue is the editorial and marketing director at Microcosm. Joe is also the author of A People’s Guide to Publishing, which distills what they’ve learned over the past 30 years, taught at dozens of universities. Together, they distill this knowledge for other publishers and people who simply want to understand the publishing industry.