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The Publishing Playbook with Sarah Russo

New Books Network

About The Publishing Playbook: a Page One Media® Podcast

Are you a published writer trying to get noticed? A first-time author who wants to better understand the publishing system? Are you writing a book right now and wish you understood more about the next steps? The Publishing Playbook offers listeners a behind-the-scenes look at how book publishing works today and how to break through the noise in today’s publishing and media landscapes.

Hosted by Sarah Russo of Page One Media®, The Publishing Playbook spotlights authors, publishing professionals from across the eco-system, and other experts shaping the literary conversation — on and off the page. Each episode provides real, actionable insight into how publishing works, from understanding agents, acquisitions, and advances right through to promotion and how to maintain momentum between books. A guide to publishing from Page One to The End! Authors will talk about both their latest work and the paths that brought them there, while publicists, agents, editors, and publishing professionals across the industry will talk about their perspective on a rapidly evolving industry and best practices. Thoughtful, strategic, and deeply informed by publishing experts, The Publishing Playbook delivers lasting value to anyone navigating the business of books.

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  • 5 episodes
  • monthly
  • Avg 26 min
  • English
  • #4
    August 26 · 26 min

    How to Write a Book Proposal and Make Your Manuscript Work with Laura Portwood-Stacer

    Are you a scholar sitting on a manuscript that you think could be a book — but you have no idea where to start? In this episode of The Publishing Playbook, host Sarah Russo sits down with Laura Portwood-Stacer, founder of Manuscript Works and author of two books about academic publishing: “The Book Proposal Book” and “Make Your Manuscript Work.” Laura shares what pulled her out of academia and into editorial consulting, and why “publish or perish” no longer guarantees the payoff it once promised

  • #3
    July 29 · 25 min

    Siri Carpenter on Why She Self-Published First — and How It Led to a Traditional Book Deal

    What does it take to turn a self-published book into a traditional publishing deal? Science writer Siri Carpenter — executive director of The Open Notebook and author of The Craft of Science Writing — joins host Sarah Russo on The Publishing Playbook to break down her path from self-publishing to an expanded second edition with University of Chicago Press. Siri shares how she landed an agent after self-publishing, why course adoption became the key to her book’s success, and the design decision

  • #2
    June 24 · 24 min

    What Running Your Own Imprint for 15 Years Teaches You about Books, Readers, and Risk with Sarah Crichton

    Great books don't happen by accident. Sarah Crichton, one of publishing's most respected voices and the founder of Sarah Crichton Books at FSG, joins host Sarah Russo for an unfiltered conversation about what it takes to acquire, edit, and launch books that last. They cover everything: crashing books in secret, fighting for the right jacket design, discovering A Long Way Gone by child soldier, Ishmael Beah, the differences between being a publisher and an editor, what to understand about hiring

  • #1
    May 27 · 28 min

    Turn Your LinkedIn Profile into a Book Marketing Machine with Louise Brogan

    What if in the age of AI generated content, the most important part of being visible online is just being a human? In this episode of The Publishing Playbook, host Sarah Russo sits down with Louise Brogan to talk about how the most powerful book marketing tool accessible to authors isn't Instagram or TikTok — it's LinkedIn. Louise is a LinkedIn expert, digital marketing strategist, author of "Raise Your Visibility Online," and host of a YouTube channel with the same name. Sarah and Louise discus

  • #0
    April 28 · 28 min

    Are Libraries the Hidden Book Market? with Erin Cox of Words & Money

    What if the most powerful tool in your book marketing strategy isn't social media — it's your local library? In the debut episode of The Publishing Playbook, host Sarah Russo of Page One Media sits down with publishing veteran Erin Cox to unpack one of the industry's most overlooked opportunities: libraries. With a career spanning publicity at Scribner and HarperCollins, agenting, and her current role as publisher of Publishing Perspectives and co-founder of Words and Money, Erin brings rare, 36

Showing 1–5 of 5 episodes