Some people say that when you read a book, you create a movie in your head, so there’s simply no need for the existence of book-to-film adaptations. However true that may be, those adaptations do exist, and some are excellent and others are absolute travesties. Here at Wildling, we have strong opinions on this topic, and we’re sharing them with you! ​

​This is a TV show on Amazon, not a film, but same diff! This series based on the Philip Pullman trilogy is a beautiful, skillful tribute to the original text. The book series is complex, fantastical, and multifaceted, and the show manages to convey all of the many layers of this story without seeming to have to compress anything together or skip anything—seriously, I was hard-pressed to find a single omission that I didn’t fully agree with. In fact, they even found the time to develop some characters and plotlines more thoroughly than the books did. This show is the perfect argument for my thesis that fantasy book series are truly better served by being developed into shows rather than films. Seasons 1 and 2 (based on books 1 and 2) are out on Amazon now, with Season 3 due in 2022.

This film is an insult to the original text, its beautiful and cerebral themes, and its vast, fiercely devoted fan base. The film was too long by about two hours, and yet somehow it failed to explain properly even the most foundational concepts from the novel. Granted, the novel is dense, vast, and epic—but the movie seemed to have truly turned its nose up at the source material the way a child quits the school band when they can’t master the trumpet within a week. The ubiquitous touch of the mid-eighties didn’t help things, either. DO NOT WATCH.

The new movie is great, though.

​There are a couple of films out there that are terrible adaptations of their source material, but really fun in their own right. My numero uno in this category is Ella Enchanted. The book is great. The film is great. They have next to no resemblance to each other beyond some core concepts, like the main character having to obey any command and eventually falling in love (sorry, spoilers!). My brain can separate these enough to appreciate each of them without comparing them.

I could watch the 1985 film adaptation of this book over and over again! It really captured the heart of the book, and Megan Follows perfectly captured the wild spirit of Anne Shirley--a kind, clumsy, and stubborn girl adopted by an older couple who had wanted to adopt a boy, but ended up falling in love with the quirky redheaded bookworm. I wish every little girl could watch this movie, like I did (well, maybe not exactly like I did, since I had it on two VHS tapes). Anne didn’t fit into the small, quiet box that young ladies were meant to inhabit in her world (and still are in this world), and although people tried to shame her, she never apologized for being herself. The acting in this film was perfect, subtle, and real, and the writing kept much of the humor and heart that makes the book so wonderful. I highly recommend this for a family movie night.

​When I read these books as a kid, I was enchanted. The real world would melt away, and I’d find myself completely within the world of Narnia alongside Lucy, Edmund, Susan, Peter, and Aslan. So years later, when I first saw the movie trailer, I was beyond excited. But I was so disappointed in the movie. As often happens when grown-ups decide to make a popular children’s book into a movie, it had lost much of what made the story wonderful; ironically, it had lost much of its wisdom and depth. The best kids books, the classics that stay with us throughout time, deal with some really heavy and “grown-up” topics, like grief, betrayal, and loneliness, in such a way that helps kids process those things. But the movie version of such books often comes out as a shallow, cartoonish, and flashy shell of the book. Ella Enchanted, The Golden Compass, and the Percy Jackson series are great examples of this--those books are downright dark and even scary at parts, which makes the story so much more intense; the more terrible the evil, the more magical it is when good wins. Kids don’t fall in love with these magical adventures because they’re fun; they love them because they are full, deep, and emotional stories of bravery, growth, kindness, and more. The fantastical adventure is only part of the appeal. It seems like the people who made these movies missed the point.

​Who doesn’t love The Princess Bride film adaptation? If you don’t, I don’t want to know you. Too harsh? Maybe, but this movie is amazing! It has it all: adventure, comedy, suspense, and wuv, tru wuv. William Goldman, the author, was a huge part of the adaptation and this helped keep the movie true to the book. And with Rob Reiner directing, pure magic was made. He also directed book to movie adaptations like Stand by Me and Misery. The only bits and pieces of the book that are not found in the film were edited out simply because of time constraints. And anything added were small additions; did you know there weren’t any shrieking eels in the book? As someone who deliberately reads the book before the movie comes out so they can tell whoever will listen how much the movie failed to capture the power of the book, I’m happy to report that this is one adaptation I can do nothing but praise.

​I had such high hopes for this film adaptation, especially with Tim Burton at the helm! I just knew he would be able to capture the right amount of darkness that hangs over the Peregrine universe. But . . . the movie was an utter disappointment. The author, Ransom Riggs, should have had more of an opinion during filming. Tim Burton ended up swapping the main female character’s powers for those of a weaker female character, which felt like it was just so the main male character could be more of a hero. Then, because Tim Burton wanted to work with Samuel L. Jackson so badly, he created a character and story line that isn’t found in the book. It completely changed the vibe of the first book, and the direct consequence was they couldn’t make a movie series using the other books. Maybe that was a blessing because this film was a complete letdown.

I probably watched this movie for the first time during my preteen years, so it has a special place in my heart. When I found out it was based on a book by none other than the amazing Alice Hoffman, I had to read it. Even though I really enjoyed this book, I truly think the movie is a culmination of the book’s strongest parts—and that’s not just because of the “special place in my heart” thing I mentioned. Okay, maybe a little. There are plenty of differences between the book and movie versions, and they’re both fabulous in their own ways, but I think the Practical Magic movie is an awesome example of how a film adaptation doesn’t have to be a scene-for-scene remake of the book to be good. ​

This movie adaptation is so bad that I haven’t even seen it!! I’ve heard enough to know I need to stay away, far away. I know, I probably should’ve included a movie adaptation I’ve actually seen, but the validity of our list would’ve been called into question without, so did I really have a choice? I somehow missed the Percy Jackson train when it rolled through years ago, so I’m catching up and reading them now. I’m smack-dab in the middle—ugh, maybe I’ll end up watching the movie one day. I’ll let you know if I do!
​
Feel free to add to our list with your favorite and least favorite book-to-film adaptations in the comments below! 

by Grace Ball

In this episode of How Do I Book?, host Christina Kann sits down with Anne Claessen to chat about how authors can pitch to guest on podcasts to spread their networks and sell their books! Anne Claessen is the CEO of Podcast Babes podcast management agency and host of The Podcast Babes podcast.

Please note that this transcript has been edited for clarity and concision.

​Christina Kann  00:27
Welcome to How Do I Book? by Wildling Press. We like to chat about book writing, book publishing, book marketing, and, of course, book reading. We're trying to help new and experienced authors develop their craft, widen their perspectives, and learn to get a little wild every once in a while.
​
I'm Christina Kann, and I'm extremely excited to be joined today by our first guest ever, Anne Claessen, host of The Podcast Babes. Welcome, Anne!

Anne Claessen  00:55
Thank you so much, Christina. It's so good to be here.

Christina Kann  00:58
Before we get started, real quick, what are your pronouns?

Anne Claessen  01:02
She/her.

Christina Kann  01:02
Awesome. Thank you so much, and thank you for being here. I've been a longtime listener of The Podcast Babes. I've learned so much from your show. I'm hoping that you can share a little bit with our listeners today as well.

Anne Claessen  01:14
I hope so. No pressure, right?

Christina Kann  01:17
Do you want to tell our listeners a little bit about The Podcast Babes and your other work?

Anne Claessen  01:21
Yeah, absolutely. The Podcast Babes is a podcast about podcasting. It is also a podcast management agency. I'm gonna say "podcast" like a million times in this episode.

Christina Kann  01:37
I've been listening to The Podcast Babes for a long time, and it has taught me so much about podcasting. I love how much you share parts of your own journey with your listeners. It's a wonderful podcast for anyone out there who's interested in learning more about podcasting.

Anne Claessen  01:53
Thank you.

Christina Kann  01:54
Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful work. Today, I want to talk specifically about authors. This is a book podcast; a lot of our listeners are authors. I want to talk about how authors can use podcasting to promote their books and make connections.

Anne Claessen  02:11
Sounds good!

Christina Kann  02:12
First things first: why might an author want to guest on someone else's podcast?

Anne Claessen  02:18
I'm a little bit biased, but I think podcasts are awesome.

Christina Kann  02:21
Same.

Anne Claessen  02:22
The cool thing about podcasts is they are long form content. They are there every week -- or biweekly, or monthly or whatever -- but listeners of podcasts come back to that podcast over and over again for more content. They get to know the hosts pretty well. Christina, when we hopped on this call, you said, "Whoa, it's so weird to see you now because I always listen to your voice." As a listener, you get this feeling: "I know this person, and I trust this person." The cool thing is when you're guesting on someone's podcast, and they already have a relationship with the listener, you can really easily borrow this warm audience that is already there.

​As the guest, that is a pretty sweet deal. You just rock out for the interview; you're usually there for maybe 30 to 60 minutes for most interviews. Then you just go about your day, and the podcaster does all the editing and all the backend work for you. It is definitely appreciated when you help share the episode -- but that is it. Right? So you can really easily borrow someone's warm audience, and I think that makes guesting on podcasts so cool. Also, it's long form content, so you can tell people a lot about your book.

Christina Kann  03:45
That's a really great point. It's a bit of a network exchange, you know? You get to go talk about yourself and your subject matter to their audience, and then in exchange, you plug their show to your audience. So it works out for everybody.

Anne Claessen  04:01
Exactly.

Christina Kann  04:02
Where should an author start? If they're interested in guessing on podcasts -- maybe they don't listen to a ton of podcasts, maybe they're not sure exactly what to do -- how can they find the right kinds of podcasts? Where do they begin?

Anne Claessen  04:14
I think question number one is: where does your audience hang out? The people that you want to read your book, where are they? Do they even listen to podcasts? Maybe not! That's probably not a good fit. But a lot of people nowadays do listen to podcasts. Knowing your potential reader very very well is so important in marketing in general, of course, but also when you're looking for podcasts to guest on. That actually already answers your question of which podcasts to pitch to. That's literally it. Now, I will add that usually you want to provide value to listeners. It may make sense if what you talk about aligns with the rest of the podcast. If it's a podcast about topic A and you talk about topic B, it can work, but it's easier if the whole podcast is about what you also talk about in your book. So know your audience well, or the potential audience that you want to reach, and then see how you can provide value. Value first.

Christina Kann  05:27
Yeah, absolutely. So maybe listen to some podcasts that are near your subject matter, and figure out, "Would the things I have to say fit in with what I'm already hearing?"

Anne Claessen  05:41
Yeah, absolutely. You want it to make it a win win for everyone: for the listener, for the podcaster, for yourself. It just kind of needs to make sense.

Christina Kann  05:51
Yeah, absolutely. Because otherwise, the listeners might be like, "Oh, what's this?" You know?

Anne Claessen  05:56
Yeah. And they're not going to buy your book then. I mean, if it's super random, they're probably not gonna buy your book. Maybe also the episode won't perform as well as when it is a good fit. And I also think it's gonna be a lot more difficult to get invited on a podcast.

Christina Kann  06:13
Yeah, that's very true. If the pitches don't make sense, they're not going to be fruitful.

Anne Claessen  06:18
Yep.

Christina Kann  06:19
When an author finds a podcast, and they are like, "Okay, I like this podcast, I think this is my target audience, I think I would fit in nicely." What can they do to get ready to make that pitch? What do they need to do before they send the email or the DM? How can they be most prepared for that?

Anne Claessen  06:37
Know what you want to talk about. I think that is just so important. Everyone always says, listen to the podcast, research the podcast, and all that, and I don't disagree. But for me, as the person who is usually on the other side of the pitches, who just receives pitches of people who want to guest on my podcast, I love it when people are just really clear. "This is what I can talk about. This is why I think it's interesting for your audience." Maybe you even have a potential title for the episode in mind. I love that because it makes my work so much easier.

Christina Kann  07:09
Well, I'm I'm sure it helps people envision it, you know?

Anne Claessen  07:12
Yeah! True. I know exactly what I'm gonna say yes or no to. I know what to expect. I can really easily say, "Yes, that's a good fit for my audience." "No, that's not a good fit for my audience." I really love that. And I think a little bit of research about a podcast is also definitely something that you might want to do. If you just write me an email that says, "Hi there." Meh. That's like not usually the email I like to answer when they're just popping up in my inbox. If you say, "Hi, Anne!" then I'm like, "Okay, like this person, at least knows my name." Just the basics, you know? Just the basic stuff. I think you also don't have to listen to all the episodes, but just make sure that it is a good fit, or at least you think it's a good fit. Because if you just send out like 100 random emails, like, "Hey, I can speak about this topic," it's just a waste of your energy, and also of the energy of this person who's reading your email. So I would say, don't just send like a million emails out without really thinking about: is it actually a good fit?

Christina Kann  08:19
Yeah, it's quality over quantity. If you get a couple of really good pitches out, that can be so much more valuable than sending 100 stock pitches that are all the same.

Anne Claessen  08:29
A hundred percent. Yes.

Christina Kann  08:31
It seems like it's kind of on par with like preparing for a job interview, you know? You want to go in making it clear that you have looked into the company, you know what you're there to talk about. You're really going in with like a goal in mind.

Anne Claessen  08:45
Yeah, I think so. I mean, I'm not an expert in job interviews, but in a job interview, you also want to show what value you can bring to the company. When you're pitching podcasts, it's what value can you bring to the podcast?

Christina Kann  08:58
Yeah, absolutely. With all of this information that the authors have received doing their research, how do they craft the perfect pitch? How do you write a great pitch that's going to grab the podcaster's attention and really convey the value that you hope to bring?

Anne Claessen  09:14
What I really like is if the pitch is just short and sweet. I don't want to go through a really long email. It pops into my inbox, and I didn't ask for it, so you have to catch my attention immediately. The first sentence needs to be enticing, or at least like needs to say what you want from me. If it's just like, "Hey Anne, I want to come on your podcast, and I think it's a great fit, because..." then I'll probably keep reading. And also, if you say, "My name is blah, blah, blah, and I do this," that's also fine, but it needs to be really, really short because I don't want to read three paragraphs about you when I have no idea what you want from me. So you really want to keep it short. I always like it when there's bullet points or something; "These are some of the topics that I can talk about on your podcast," and then like three bullet points, maybe, or max five. Even if I scan the email, I know what you have to offer. So I think that just works really well. Yeah, I think those are my main tips: keep it short, and make sure it's easy to scan, and don't talk too much about yourself.

Christina Kann  10:24
Right. I think that probably sending a really long pitch email says to the podcaster that you might come on to their show and ramble, and say words that aren't providing value.

Anne Claessen  10:42
Yeah. I think also, when you talk about yourself a lot in your pitch -- I mean, yes, it is about you. But it's not really about you. It's more about the value you can bring. I don't know you, and honestly, I don't really care. I just want to provide really good value to my audience. That is why I do the podcast.

Christina Kann  11:04
Right. That's who you care about. 

Anne Claessen  11:06
Yeah. I think it's really important to keep that in mind. Yes, I want to know a little bit of who you are, but if you just ramble on about what you do and what you accomplished -- I zone out pretty quickly when I get an email like that.

Christina Kann  11:23
Yeah, it's kind of like being a salesperson. It's not really about talking about how great this item is; it's about making the customer feel like they need this item. I feel like it's kind of the same way with podcasts pitches. It's not really about you. It's about convincing the podcaster that they need you on their feed.

Anne Claessen  11:43
Yeah, absolutely. Also, what a lot of people don't do after pitching is following up. If you don't get an answer -- not in three days, but -- if you don't have an answer after two weeks, then I would usually follow up and say, "Hey, maybe you missed my email," or "Also let me know if you're not interested. No worries," but at least I'll know then. A "no" is also a win, because then you know it's not a good fit, which is fine, and then you can move on. But yeah, you definitely want an answer, so usually I would follow up at least like five times, which sounds like a lot. You just really want a "yes" or "no." Maybe also people don't see the email. So usually, after following up two or three times, I would send a message on Instagram or on LinkedIn, on a different platform, because maybe it's the wrong email address. You know?

Christina Kann  12:39
Maybe it's the wrong email address. Maybe it's going to the spam filter. Something like that. Technology's weird. So I think trying to hit it from a different angle through social media, DMs, or something is a really strong move. "Let me know if there's a better way to get in touch with you."

Anne Claessen  12:55
Yeah, exactly. That always works really well.

Christina Kann  12:59
If an author is trying to pitch to several different podcasts -- maybe they're like, "Okay, this is the the week or the month where I'm gonna do podcast pitches" -- what's a good way for them to keep track of what they're doing, who they're reaching out to, whether they hear back?

Anne Claessen  13:14
I'm a spreadsheet girl.

Christina Kann  13:17
Same.

Anne Claessen  13:17
I have spreadsheets about everything. But definitely this. You definitely want to make sure that you know who you reached out to, where you are in the pitching process, when you want to reach out again or follow up. There is definitely a big spreadsheet involved in this work.

Christina Kann  13:35
Yes, yes, absolutely. I have a spreadsheet that I just call "Potential Guests," where I keep a spreadsheet of everyone I want to come on my podcast. I have a spreadsheet of my podcast episodes and when they're coming out. That's my life tip for everyone: get a spreadsheet for everything.

Anne Claessen  13:53
Absolutely. Yeah, I didn't do that when I started my first podcast, and it just got messy at one point. I had not really any idea where I was in my post production and also what episodes went live.

Christina Kann  14:07
It's a lot to keep track of.

Anne Claessen  14:09
Yeah, at one point, you're like 100 episodes in, and you're like, "I don't know who I spoke to." When it's like two years ago, it's becoming a problem. So yeah, definitely have spreadsheets. Another free bonus tip here: It always works really well to leverage your network that you already have. Sending cold pitches can be cool, but getting people to connect you and then sending a pitch? That works like 100 times better.

Christina Kann  14:40
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Definitely, no matter what kind of marketing you're doing, start with your network and your networks' networks. That's the equivalent of your first connections and your second connections on LinkedIn. If somebody can connect you to someone -- a podcaster or any other kind of blogger or social media influencer -- that can really get a foot in the door for you.

Anne Claessen  15:05
Absolutely.

Christina Kann  15:07
After they have sent their pitch, they're keeping track of it, maybe they followed up, maybe they've heard back no, maybe they've heard back yes. If you hear back yes, then you get to guest on a podcast, and that's really exciting! I think we'll probably need to do a second episode about that someday, because that's a whole nother can of worms: how to be a respectful and valuable guest on another person's podcast.

Anne Claessen  15:33
Yeah, I think there's definitely a lot to learn if you've never done that. Yeah. I learned a lot over the past three years. Having my own podcast and guesting on other people's podcasts... There are a lot of different ways that people are guests on podcast, and some are really nice to work with, and then some people are really not that nice to work with.

Christina Kann  15:55
Right. I don't know if you've had the same experience as me, but I've been podcasting for about three years now as well, and I just feel like the only way to get started in podcasting is to just start.

Anne Claessen  16:06
Yeah.

Christina Kann  16:07
You just have to dive right in.

Anne Claessen  16:09
Yeah, just jump. See where it ends.

Christina Kann  16:12
Exactly. Because if you wait for it to be perfect, if you wait to have all of the perfect equipment, if you wait to feel really good about it, you might never get started.

Anne Claessen  16:23
Yeah, exactly. And as a guest, usually listeners are quite forgiving with audio quality and things like that. You don't necessarily need a mic, I think, when you're casting for podcasts. It also might depend on how big the podcast is. For my podcast, I don't require guests to have a mic. If the audio is really bad, I'm gonna say like, "Sorry, but this is impossible. We're not going to do this." But if it's okay, if you just have headphones and probably not your computer mic, but an okay mic, that is already fine as a guest. That's probably what you can get away with. You don't need the whole setup if you're going to start pitching.

Christina Kann  17:10
Most of my guests that come on my podcasts who are not professional podcasters, I'm like, "Honestly, if you just pull up the voice memos on your phone and keep it close to your face, that'll be totally good enough." But you would want to speak to each individual podcaster to see if they have different requirements. But I think you're right, that a lot of people are really forgiving with the audio quality of guests, especially those guests who are not podcasters. Why would they have all of this stuff set up if they're not even a podcaster?

Anne Claessen  17:38
Yep!

Christina Kann  17:38
Is there anything else that you want authors to know about looking for podcasts that guest on and pitching to those podcasts?

Anne Claessen  17:45
it can be a little bit of work to find a podcast, craft a pitch, and things like that, but at one point, you just have some pitches out and you have to follow up. You just have to do this research maybe once or every now and then, but it gets easier. Yes, it is a bit of a time investment. But you'll figure it out as you keep pitching and you keep getting answers and yeses and noes, and you can tweak the pitch as you go. That is also a reason why I wouldn't send out 100 pitches at the same time, because you want to tweak your pitch as you go. And also, this never happens, but if you got 100 yeses, then you have a problem.

Christina Kann  18:31
Wow. Yeah! How do you book that?

Anne Claessen  18:35
Yes. Yeah.

Christina Kann  18:36
That's terrifying, actually.

Anne Claessen  18:39
Yeah, I had someone on my team at The Podcast Babes. She pitches me to be a guest on podcasts. She has gotten so good at it that I had to ask her to stop because they couldn't fit it on my calendar anymore, which is a really good problem to have. Be mindful that you don't over pitch because it would also be annoying for the podcaster. Maybe when you pitch, they say yes, and then you're like, "Okay, cool. I'm available in four months."

Christina Kann  19:05
Right! I think maybe like if you keep your open pitches to like as many interviews as you could do within a month or something, so you don't get too ahead of yourself. Awesome. Well, Anne, thank you so much for coming on the show. I so appreciate you sharing your expertise with our listeners.

Anne Claessen  19:23
Yeah, thank you for having me. It was so exciting to be on. I didn't even know that I was the first guest, so I feel really special.

Christina Kann  19:29
We're pretty new. We're only about two months into the podcast. So we're starting our guest phase. So everyone get ready for some other cool new guests in the future. And yeah, Anne, thanks for being our first.

Anne Claessen  19:42
Yeah, thanks.

Christina Kann  19:44
Where can people find you on the internet? Where can they catch your podcast? Where would you like for them to connect with you?

Anne Claessen  19:50
Yeah, come to my home on the internet, www.thepodcastbabes.com.

Christina Kann  19:55
A beautiful website, by the way.

Anne Claessen  19:56
Oh, thank you! You can find everything there. You can find The Podcast Babes podcast. You can find more of what we do what we offer. We also offer podcast guest pitching services. So that is pitching you to be the guest, not to get guests but to be the guest, which can be a little bit confusing. But we can also do that for you. Like I said, it is a bit of a time investment doing all the research and getting the pitch right and everything. If you if you want to just show up for the interview and just tell your story and talk about your book and not worry about all the research and you don't have time for that, then we can do that for you. Let me know if that is something you're interested in. You can find my email address and also a link to book a discovery call on the website.

​A lot of new authors, when asked for their Facebook link, send us a link to their personal Facebook profile. What we’re looking for, and what we encourage all of our authors to develop, is a professional Facebook page. Pay careful attention to the language here -- for the purposes of this blog post, we will refer to personal Facebook profiles as “profiles” and professional Facebook pages (also known as “business pages”) as “pages.”

​Sure, you already have a personal Facebook profile, so why add something else onto your plate? The answer to this question is that profiles and pages are not the same. They do not serve the same purpose, and you cannot simply trade out one for another. Let’s take a closer look at the differences between the two.

A personal Facebook profile is a great place to let your own personal audience, your friends and family, know that you have a book coming out. If you’re on Facebook personally, we certainly recommend making use of this audience. But profiles are not appropriate for professional, public author use.

For starters, unless your personal profile is “public,” your fans won’t be able to find you! The purpose of developing a Facebook presence as an author is so you can connect with fans and keep them updated about news and events. Even if your profile is “public” and fans can find you, you don’t want this kind of connection with strangers. When you accept a friend request on your personal profile, you become friends with that person in return. That means you’ll see their photos and updates in your feed, even if you have no idea who they are. They’ll also be able to see personal information that you have listed on your profile, like where you went to high school and who you’re dating -- details you may not want all your fans to know!

If you have a professional Facebook page, fans can “follow” you -- meaning, they will see the updates you post on your page, but nothing you post on your profile. You will also not see any of their updates unless they directly interact with one of your posts. This is a much more appropriate creator-fan relationship. Fans aren’t your friends, lovely though they may be, and having this boundary will benefit your personal life and your professional life at the same time.

You also cannot use your personal profile when collaborating with event venues, reviewers, or your publisher. For example, if we were to post on Facebook about one of our books, we couldn’t tag that author’s personal profile in our public post, because we are running a business page. If you were doing a book signing at Barnes and Noble, they could not tag you in their social media marketing efforts for that event. If a reviewer reviewed your book, they could not tag you in that review. It could lead to you missing some updates or even missing out on fans who would have followed you, if only they could!

Worse, someone might choose not to collaborate with you if you’re not on social media. If a reviewer posts their reviews primarily on Facebook, and you are not on Facebook, what good does that do either of you? Even if they read the book and publish the review, they’re not getting anything out of that exchange, because they aren’t getting exposed to your audience; you’re only getting exposed to their audience. That’s not a fair trade, and lots of reviewers would pass on that sort of one-sided transaction.

Furthermore, if people are searching on Facebook for “fantasy authors” or authors of your genre, you will not show up in their search if you’re only using a personal Facebook profile. In order for Facebook to categorize you in this way, you need to create a professional page and select the correct category for yourself -- in this instance, “author.”

Another benefit to having a professional Facebook page you use publicly for author purposes is that you’ll look like you know what you’re doing. If someone asks for your Facebook page in a professional setting and you send them your personal profile link, it will look like you don’t understand how Facebook works, and that would affect that person’s perception of you and your capabilities as an author. Every creator these days needs to be dedicated to learning about social media -- always learning, no matter how much you know now, because social media is always changing.

The bottom line is, your fans will expect to be able to find you in certain places. Just like they’ll expect your book to be available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble, they’ll expect you to have a website. They’ll expect you to be on Facebook, and possibly even Twitter or Instagram. If they can’t find you in these places, you will likely lose out on that connection, which could mean losing out on future sales or collaborations. Do yourself and your book a favor, and set up your professional Facebook page now.

by Christina Kann

Whether you call it a domain name, a URL, or a web address—you know, something like www.whateverforever.com (incidentally a silly clothing line)—choosing one is almost as hard as choosing your child’s name. Your domain name is so important and will be used in so many places that it’s crucial to think carefully before committing. Moving your website from a domain you weren’t set on to a new one is a pretty involved process, so it’s better to just pick the right one in the first place!

Here are some things to consider:

• Originality: Your domain name should be unique enough that it can’t be confused with anything else. For example, if your name is Amy Everhart, and there’s another author in your genre named Amy Everhardt who has the domain name www.amyeverhardt.com (broken, made-up link), you might want to consider choosing a domain name that’s more than just your name.
• Ease of communication: Your domain name shouldn’t be too long or complex. It should be easy to write, read, and say aloud. The harder you make this domain name to say, read, write, the harder it will be for people to share it -- including you. You want people to be able to hear it once and understand, maybe even remember it later.
• Timelessness: Your domain name should work for you for years to come. For example, if you’re about to publish your first book, Love Under a Tree (I know, I’m great at making up fake book names), you don’t want your domain name to be www.loveunderatree.com (also a dead link). What if you write a second book? You’ll have to buy a new domain name and move the website over! It’s better to use your own name or something else that will last the entirety of your author career.

With all of this in mind, it’s time to name your website! Here are a couple of different approaches an author might take when naming their website:

• Author name: This is the most common approach for authors, as it leaves the most room for flexibility. Heck, if you decide to become an actress or a yogi or whatever else, you could in theory also use this website under your name for those purposes. The best route is to use your name exactly as it appears on your book cover. For example, if you use your middle initial on your book cover, use it on your website too. You wouldn’t try www.johntolkien.com (incidentally a broken link that is most likely owned by the Tolkien estate so no one else abuses it). You’d, naturally, try www.jrrtolkien.com first. If you have a common name or there’s someone else out there rockin’ your name for professional purposes, you could throw an “author” at the end of it and be www.johntolkienauthor.com (you know . . . to distinguish yourself from all the other Tolkeins).
• Business name: Some authors might be writing for business purposes or about a subject that closely ties in with their business. If you run a home organization business called Happy Healthy Home and you’ve written this book Each and Every Corner: Home Organization for Lazy People (or whatever), it makes sense to tie your business and this book together under the website www.happyhealthyhome.com (incidentally also a broken link). On the other hand, you might already have a website for your business! If that’s the case, consider simply adding a new page for your book information. After all, your target audience for the business and the book are the same.
• Book name: In some cases, it might be a good idea to use your book title in your domain name -- or, more accurately, a series name. If you’re planning on writing 30 kids’ books all about Plucky the Peacock learning life lessons, sure. Name your website www.pluckythepeacock.com (it’s broken; they’re all broken). This is almost exclusively appropriate for children’s book authors.

As you can see, there are a lot of elements to consider when naming your website. If you’re unsure where to begin, reach out to get our professional opinion. And don’t forget: we can even design your website for you as well!
​
by Christina Kann

​You’ve written a book, you’ve agonized over edits, you’ve painstakingly written your query letter, and now—you wait. This part sucks. We get it. As Tom Petty once said, “The waiting is the hardest part.” We hope it will make you feel a little bit better to know what’s going on behind the scenes while you’re at home biting your nails.

​When you submit your manuscript through our website, it goes through our submission intake process. Your manuscript submission is received through our website form, and then the submissions editor puts your manuscript in the reader queue. You will not hear from our submissions editor unless they have a question about your submission.

​We receive hundreds of submissions per year, and we want to make sure we give every one its due consideration. This can take some time, since we accept unsolicited submissions, or submissions without an agent. We love having this open-door policy, but it does mean that our slush pile gets big! Your submission may be hanging out in the queue for a few weeks while it waits its turn.

When it’s time, the submissions editor will send your manuscript to a reader. This reader will be trained in manuscript critique and editing so they can see both the potential of your book as well as the work it needs. This reader will also specialize in your manuscript’s genre! We wouldn’t want a children’s book editor trying to evaluate the merits of a dense, adult science fiction epic.

Your reader will review your entire manuscript, or if it’s quite long, key selections. They will then consider the craftspersonship of your manuscript, its marketability, your previous works, and other variables to make their official recommendation for your manuscript. But your submission’s fate doesn’t lie in the hands of one subjective reader; next it goes to the team.

​The entire acquisitions team will review your manuscript, your other submission materials, and the reader’s recommendation independently, and then they’ll come together to make a group decision that will work best for you, your manuscript, and the team.

Once the whole team has agreed, one of our acquisitions editors will reach out to you with our decision. This may be a traditional offer, an Emerging Authors invitation, a self-publishing offer, or an outright rejection in some rare cases.

It’s up to you what to do next!

We are so grateful for the submissions we receive, and we’re lucky to be able to review every single one, whether the author is represented by an agent or not. We understand that waiting for a publisher’s decision can be agonizing, so hopefully, understanding all that goes into this process will help encourage your patience. We can’t wait to check out your manuscript!

by Christina Kann

A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Circe by Madeleine Miller
The Witch’s Heart by Genevieve Gornichec
Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
Ariadne by Jennifer Saint
The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker

You probably recognize these books, may have even read a few! And so I ask, what do they have in common? Yep, you got it—they’re all retellings of myths. And true! Look at you, smarty-pants—they were all published within the last ten years. So, why is this particular genre of fiction, myth and fairytale retellings, so hot right now?

Well, if you ask us, it all comes down to accessibility and inclusion. These retellings are an opportunity to include those voices and perspectives that were sidelined in the original mythos. They’re often written in a way that’s digestible, certainly more so than the original tales they’re based upon. In fact, you really don’t even need prior knowledge of the original myth to read these books! These retellings are actively filling a major gap in the book world, and that’s why they’re important.
​
Maybe you’d like to have a go at writing your own retelling. From a publisher’s perspective, here’s our advice to you:

​Perhaps the source material isn’t totally crucial when reading a mythological retelling, but if you’re writing one, you better brush up! You’ll have to know all the characters and the parts they play to check off the next items on our list.  

We recommend looking for a lesser-known character in the original myth to give you some wiggle room when creating the plot of your retelling, and here’s why. We listed Ariadne at the top of this post, and while the character of Ariadne may not be at the very forefront of classic Greek mythology, she is a relatively well-known character, and therefore, Saint’s retelling ends up staying pretty close to Ariadne’s original tale. If you pick a lesser-known character, though, you’ll have more opportunity to get creative with how that character’s story comes together. To us, that just sounds like a better time for you and for your readers!

This is so, so important. After all, if you’re not adding something new and fresh to the conversation, why retell the story? It’s great that you’re exploring the perspective of a character the world hasn’t read much about, but how does that perspective impact the larger narrative of this myth and beyond? How does the perspective you’re highlighting relate to our world now? Answering these questions before you put pen to paper will focus your story and help you find your purpose.

Myths have always appealed to us, and why wouldn’t they? They’re epic tales that touch on questions and issues humans have been dealing with for thousands of years. It’s hard to believe that we’re just now, finally, getting the stories of those human characters—women and people of color—that were glossed over by the “classics.” But here we are. It’s incredibly exciting and long overdue.

And, hey, if you decide to try your hand at writing your own mythological retelling, send it our way. We’d love to see what you’ve come up with.

by Grace Ball ​

​Our entire editorial team had the exact same experience with style guides before entering the publishing industry: we used style guides to format citations for papers in college, and nothing more. If you’re like us, then perhaps you, too, had no idea that a style guide was intended for anything else.

In fact, style guides are massive, complex, and crucially important -- and we barely ever use them for citations anymore (lookin’ at you, nonfiction!). A style guide is a rulebook for writing that outlines grammar prescriptions and recommendations that can also give advice for troubleshooting unusual issues.

Style guides are used to ensure that every publication coming from the same place uses the same grammar system. For example, essentially all fiction books that are published in American English these days are edited using the Chicago Manual of Style (CMS), which the University of Chicago Press has been publishing since 1906. (Students sometimes use Chicago/Turabian, which is a streamlined version of CMS for academics.)

You may recognize some of the hallmarks of CMS, like a preference for the Oxford (or serial) comma. As editors, we rely on CMS to tell us where commas go (spoiler alert: it’s complicated!) and how to format ellipses. . . . It also tells us what order parts of the book go in. For example, CMS prefers that the dedication page of a book goes in the front, while the acknowledgments page should go in the back. CMS also defers all spelling questions to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary in particular!

Some other style guides may be familiar to you, like the Modern Language Association (MLA) style guide or the AP (Associated Press) style guide. Many companies and other organizations also develop their own style guides. These corporate style guides can come in handy when a company like Medium, for example, utilizes hundreds of writers from all around the world but still wants all those articles to be grammatically consistent.

That’s the key word here: consistent. The entire purpose of style guides is to ensure that a book’s grammar is consistent throughout; that an author’s books are consistent from one to the next; that a publisher’s book list is edited to a consistent standard; that books across the country are grammatically consistent so readers have an easier time hopping from one to the next. Having a codified system that any editor can turn to, via print style guide or online, is how we achieve this glorious consistency.

All this is to say: Your editor is not making up their grammatical recommendations. If you have a really nice editor (say, any editor at Wildling Press), they may take the time to explain some of their corrections to you using CMS as their guide. However, just like any other industry, these rules are complex and layered, stacking on top of each other to create a full spectrum of meaning and clarity. It’s not always easy for an editor to explain why they’ve made a certain correction. But more often than not, there is a grammatical rule (or several!) from CMS behind their correction.

Studying the CMS is a great step to take to become a better writer. We once had someone tell us, “I’m not familiar with CMS, but I could read it in a day or two.” Well, they certainly missed the point! Reading the style guide from cover to cover might not do you much good -- unless you have a really excellent memory for that sort of thing. Instead, try evaluating the choices you are making when writing, and then asking yourself, “Why am I making this choice? Is this the right choice?” Before you slap that comma there, try looking it up! Does a comma actually belong there? (As we mentioned, commas are really objectively unreasonably complicated.)

Here’s the good news: if working with a style guide is hard for you, you can rely on your editor to show you the way. Just be sure to remember that their corrections come from a good place: the Chicago Manual of Style!

by Christina Kann

​​Hi, Wildlings! We're stoked to announce that our very first episode of the How Do I Book? podcast is out now! Please check out the podcast below, or simply read through our episode transcript. (Our blogs that accompany our podcast episodes will only occasionally be transcripts; usually, they'll be proper blog posts.)

​​Intro  00:02
How Do I Book? Hey, you wild thing. Welcome to How Do I Book? by Wildling press. We like to chat about book writing, book publishing, book marketing, and, of course, book reading. We're trying to help new, inexperienced authors develop their craft, widen the perspectives and learn to get a little wild every once in a while.
 
Christina Kann  00:43
I'm Christina Kann, communications director for Wildling Press. I'm joined today by my coworker, Grace.
 
Grace Ball  00:50
Hey, I'm Grace Ball. I am Wildling's operations manager, as well as keeper of tabs and windows at Wildling.
 
Christina Kann  01:00
Oh, you said your cute title! I forgot to say mine. I'll say mine real quick. I'm an Oxford comma enthusiast.
 
Grace Ball  01:05
And I'm joined by my lovely colleague, Mary-Peyton.
 
Mary-Peyton Crook  01:11
Hi, I'm Mary-Peyton Crook. I'm the public relations director at Wildling and cultivator of stories, and I'm joined today by my friend, Michael.
 
Michael Hardison  01:20
Hey, everyone. I'm Michael Hardison. I'm the creative director and comic sans annihilator for Wildling Press.
 
Christina Kann  01:27
Yay!
 
Mary-Peyton Crook  01:28
Love it.
 
Christina Kann  01:29
So here we are. This is our podcast. It's the first episode of our podcast. How Do I Book? Welcome, everyone. Congrats. We did it. Here we are.
 
Grace Ball  01:39
I'm so happy to be here.
 
Christina Kann  01:40
Honestly, me too. And I'm excited to explore the question: How do I book? Because let me tell you, we've all been working in the industry for a long time, and--spoiler alert--the answer is not yet clear. So let's start with you, Mary-Peyton. Will you tell us a little bit about your experience with reading, writing, and editing? Maybe even take it from the top, from when you were a wee babe.
 
Mary-Peyton Crook  02:05
Oh, well, that's definitely where the reading started. So that's great. I've definitely been a lifelong reader. Love books. Really fell in love with them probably elementary school, actually before middle school, but I love the middle grade genre. It's always magical to me. And I've always loved writing too. I remember writing when the teacher would assign stories we had to write, like one or two pages, I would just get way too into it and draw illustrations for them and everything. And then I just continued. I majored in English in college and creative writing. I've been trying to edit and be involved in books ever since. I've been an editor and project manager for a small publishing company for the last three years.
 
Christina Kann  02:51
Cool! Yeah. Thank you so much for sharing. That is so awesome. We're really glad to have your history of creative storytelling on our team.
 
Mary-Peyton Crook  03:00
Thank you.
 
Christina Kann  03:01
Michael, what about you? When did you start loving books and design, and what has your path look like?
 
Michael Hardison  03:10
My first story I ever wrote was actually in third grade, and it was about a turtle named Rainbow finding a family. And my family does not let me live that down to this day. If my dad's sees a turtle, he calls it Rainbow. But I really got into reading when I was around middle school, when they would reward you with pizza for as many books as you could read, because I was very food-driven. I would have to say that, for me, I kind of took a different path, where I got into design a little later, post-college, actually. And I started with just designing very small items for people and found that I really wanted to combine my love of design with books and reading. So I went into editorial design, where I worked in a magazine, a small publication, for a few years. And then for the past five years, I have been with a small press doing book design.
 
Christina Kann  04:03
Awesome. Thank you so much for sharing. It's so cool that you're able to marry your two big passions in life. I think that's kind of what we all are doing, pursuing our passions. You know, my passion for extreme attention to detail and persnickety-ness, as well as my love for books, really helps me with my editing. Grace, how about you? When did your love for books start, and how did you get here?
 
Grace Ball  04:28
Yeah, I mean, classic. Tale as old as time. I started reading really avidly in elementary school, and I got really into a couple of different series, which I think sparked my tenacity for reading, I guess. I ended up majoring in English literature in college and, of course, got the question, "What kind of teacher are you going to be?" "What subject are you going to teach?"
 
Christina Kann  05:03
Ugh.
 
Grace Ball  05:03
Yeah. And you know, I have all of the love and all of the respect in the world for teachers, truly. But I just knew that wasn't the path that I wanted to take. I had always been kind of interested in publishing. I think anyone who reads, like, tons and tons of books -- the natural thought is How did this come together? How did this happen? I didn't know anyone in the publishing industry, so I was like, "You know what? I'm just gonna figure it out, take a stab at it myself." So I started working for a small press in the Richmond area about six years ago. And I'm so excited to be at Wildling now and see where this journey takes each and every one of us.
 
Christina Kann  05:50
Yours is a tale as old as time, because you wondered, "What do I do with my life?" and then accepted an unpaid internship.
 
Christina Kann  05:57
Isn't that what everyone does?
 
Christina Kann  06:01
Exactly, exactly. Yes.
 
Mary-Peyton Crook  06:02
Very classic.
 
Grace Ball  06:03
How about you, Christina? How'd you get here?
 
Christina Kann  06:06
Well, I first wrote a book when I was about five years old. I dictated what I could remember of the movie Disney's "Pocahontas" to my mother so she could write it down for me, and I illustrated it. Since then, I have gone to college, taken some critical theory classes, and learned why Disney's "Pocahontas" is maybe not what I should be focusing my attention on. I majored in English and linguistics, so I'm really big into language use, sociolinguistics, how language and culture are connected. Hand in hand with that is using language intentionally, which is I think one of my biggest strengths as an editor -- just really trying to get authors to understand why they're using the language they're using, and how they can do so more intentionally. I too have worked for a small press. I've done a lot of freelance editing, done some like marketing copywriting for some startups, and I write novels myself. I will be sure to update everyone if that ever amounts to anything. I tend to write sci-fi/fantasy, and I read a lot of sci-fi/fantasy too. But I think we all love reading. We've been friends -- editor friends and bookish friends -- for a long time. We trade books amongst the friend group, so I think we all know what we have in common, what we don't. Sometimes it's like, "This isn't your genre. And yet! May I recommend trying this book on for size?" It's such an intimate thing to be able to share books with friends. There's some friends with whom I simply don't do it because I know I don't like your taste in books, and you won't like mine. But I think part of what makes us such a great team together is that we're able to read the same books and talk through them together to figure out why they are so effective, or in some cases ineffective.
 
Grace Ball  07:58
Yeah, that's actually one of our favorite things to do: just talk about books, and what's working with them, and what maybe isn't working so well. And so -- wow, now we're gonna get to do it in a professional setting. How awesome is that for us?
 
Christina Kann  08:13
Yeah, absolutely. That's the bulk of what an editor does, when they're developing a book, is try to figure out what's working, what's not working, and work with the author to strengthen it to be a really incredible book, In front of every so-so first draft is a really excellent final product, but it takes a team of people to get there. We're so excited to be that team! This podcast, How Do I Book? The name says it all! We're going to be exploring every facet of book publishing, book writing, book selling, and book appreciating, because we don't want to leave out people who just like to read, because that's us! This all started because we just like to read. But first, we'd love to tell you a little bit more about our small press. It's brand new; it's a little baby. We're just starting it out now, and we're so freaking excited. Wildling Press! Mary-Peyton, do you want to tell the listeners a little bit about Wildling, how it came to be, and what our mission is?
 
Mary-Peyton Crook  09:20
Sure! All four of us have worked in book publishing for a while. We got the chance to really see what we enjoyed about the publishing industry, and what we really didn't like about some parts of the publishing industry, or at least what we saw of it. So Wildling is our years of experience coming together to create something that we think is really the right way to do things. Our point is to really do right by our authors and really do right by our readers. Our mission is to amplify marginalized voices that don't often get a lot of space at all in the publishing industry. I feel like that's been a topic that's been brought up a lot in the past few years, but it really still hasn't improved. I think we all feel like the only way for it to improve is for publishers to make that their main focus. So that is our main focus, to amplify those marginalized voices, to really choose books that tell the kinds of stories that all different kinds of people would write, and to see some different kinds of main characters that we don't often see.
 
Christina Kann  10:25
Yeah, absolutely. Mary-Peyton, I think you actually wrote the line for our company that we use in our marketing, "We want stories that take root in our hearts." What lies behind that is empathy. We want to be able to read these stories from people in all walks of life, so that we can sort of practice empathy through these stories. That, when it comes down to it, at least in my opinion, is what reading is really about.
 
Mary-Peyton Crook  10:50
Yeah, and I think something that's missing from a lot of publishers is that idea that publishers can have a lot to learn from their authors, just like authors can have a lot to learn from their editors and their publishers. We don't know everything about the publishing industry, we don't know everything about story or even close to it. So you know, really looking for authors who have a new story to tell, a different side of things, and really listening to authors and ideas that we haven't seen yet.
 
Christina Kann  11:19
Mary-Peyton, if there are people listening, who consider themselves to be a writer from a marginalized group, or they have a really important story to tell, what can they do? How can they connect with us?
 
Mary-Peyton Crook  11:29
They can go to our website, that's the best way to do it. You can check out our mission statement there, check out about us, and submit your manuscript. We've tried to make it as easy as possible so people can submit that way without too much trouble. Obviously, if you have any issues, contact us at hello@wildlingpress.com.
 
Christina Kann  11:53
Thank you so much, Mary-Peyton. I cannot wait to start seeing these submissions roll in, because that is truly one of my favorite parts of working in the publishing industry: just getting to read all the submissions. So much hard work that these authors have put into their stories. And there's just so many different stories out there that there's never a dull moment when you're reviewing those manuscript submissions. And as a reminder to everyone, we do accept unsolicited manuscripts. What that means is you don't need a literary agent to send your manuscript to us; you can just send it through the website, and we'll check it out. Thank you so much for that summary, Mary-Peyton. Grace, would you mind telling people a little bit about our Emerging Authors Program? Something that I personally am so excited about.
 
Grace Ball  12:38
Yeah, I am also incredibly excited about this program. Basically, we want to be able to help those authors who are super-new first-time authors, perhaps previously self-published, get a better idea of the publishing industry and the production process in general. So our Emerging Authors will receive detailed guidance throughout the production period. We will be holding their hands and really educating them throughout about each step of the process so they come away with a real education of the publishing industry and how it works and how a book becomes a book.
 
Christina Kann  13:21
Thank you so much for that summary. I'm so excited because one of my favorite parts about working for an independent press is the opportunity to work with so many new authors and kind of show them the way. So if people are interested in that and they want to apply to our Emerging Authors Program, how can they do that?
 
Grace Ball  13:38
Authors can head, again, to our website. That's where everything lives, so just head there no matter what. Once you're there, you should see a button for our Emerging Authors Program, and you can learn a little bit more about the program there and fill out a form to apply to see if you might be a good fit.
 
Christina Kann  14:01
I am so excited to start developing a little community of writers to all support each other. I'm so looking forward to that. And last but not least, our publishing company is kind of split into three facets: the traditional publishing, the Emerging Authors, and then last but not least, we do a la carte services as well as package self-publishing. Michael, do you mind just telling us a little bit about our a la carte services and self-publishing?
 
Michael Hardison  14:28
Yeah, absolutely. With our complete self-publishing package, this is where we'll edit, design, and print your book to meet industry standards and to match your vision. As a self-publishing author, you get to maintain complete creative control over the book's production. We'll just walk you through the different steps for it. That package includes from copy editing to design and beyond. You can learn more about that by visiting our website and just clicking on the literary services tab and it's about two down from there. We also offer website design podcast services, audiobook production, marketing support, and marketing graphic design, which you can learn more about by visiting our website.
 
Christina Kann  15:06
Thank you so much for that, Michael. Our self publishing services -- like editing and design and stuff -- you can also get those a la carte. We're pretty much down to do anything that involves words or similar for anyone. So definitely hit us up by visiting our website. I guess it's become a little bit of a broken record. Check out our website! Maybe I'm tooting my own horn since I built it myself. We're not accepting critique for the website at this time.
 
Grace Ball  15:34
We'll be taking no questions. No, just kidding. Ask us questions.
 
Christina Kann  15:38
Last but not least, a little look into the future for what this podcast has to hold. It's called How Do I Book? You know, you clicked on it! In this podcast, we're going to talk about all the bookish things: book writing, book publishing, book marketing, book reading. We are so excited. So here's just a little sneak peek of some of the episodes and subjects to come. We're going to talk about fairy tale and myth retellings. We're going to talk about hashtags. We're going to talk about style guides. We're going to talk about book clubs. We're going to talk about reading diversely. We're going to talk about writing sex. We're going to talk about technicalities, like what is a book distributor, what is a printer, what is a publisher? We're going to talk about author events and how you can promote yourself. We're going to talk about different word processors and their pros and cons. We're going to talk about writing basics, like what is the three-act structure? And we're also going to talk about some nerdy stuff, like Lord of the Rings, probably, at some point, you know.
 
Grace Ball  16:40
You can't avoid it. That's the thing.
 
Christina Kann  16:43
You can't avoid it. So basically, everyone, just get ready to get down to business, because over the next couple of months and beyond, we're going to start asking each other and exploring the question: How do I book? Are we excited?
 
all  16:57
Yeah!
 
Christina Kann  16:59
Thank you so much for joining me, friends. And that's how you book
 
Outro  17:10
This episode was edited by me, Christina Kann. Logo designed by Michael Hardison. Theme music produced by Jason Hilton.

Today marks the release of the trailer for How Do I Book? On the podcast, the staff of Wildling Press will be chatting about book writing, book publishing, book marketing, and of course, book reading. We’re trying to help new and experienced authors develop their craft, widen their perspectives, and learn to get a little wild every once in a while.

In some of our episodes, we'll interview authors and other industry experts to get their advice and perspectives about writing and publishing. We'll talk a lot about the craft of writing and delve into some nuances of grammar from an editor's perspective. We'll also just be chatting about bookish subjects and themes that any booklover will enjoy!

The trailer and all future episodes can be found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more! Visit our Buzzsprout page for a complete list of where How Do I Book? is distributed.
​
We're eager to hear from listeners and connect with other booklovers, so if you have thoughts about the show or an idea for an episode, don't hesitate to reach out!

Our launch party in November 2021 was a smashing success, and we're all so grateful to everyone who came out and supported us. We're honored to be able to share some pictures from the event, all taken by some people we love!

The instant photos say "Don't put in mouth" very clearly on the back

by someone