Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about printing cost changes, the vicious cycle of book publishing, and BookCon’s return. Then, stick around for a chat with Peter Brown!
Peter Brown has always loved telling stories. Growing up in New Jersey, he told stories by drawing whimsical characters and scenes from his imagination. As a teenager, he fell in love with writing and began telling his tales with words. While studying illustration at Art Center College of Design, Peter’s love of both words and pictures led him to take several courses on children’s books, and before long he knew he’d found his calling. After graduating from Art Center Peter moved to New York City to be closer to the publishing industry. He was working on animated TV shows when he signed a book deal to write and illustrate his first picture book, Flight of the Dodo. Peter quickly signed up his second and third books, and his career as an author and illustrator of children’s books was under way. Since then Peter has written and illustrated many books for children and earned numerous honors, including a Caldecott Honor, a Horn Book Award, two E.B. White Awards, two E.B. White Honors, a Children’s Choice Award for Illustrator of the Year, two Irma Black Honors, a Golden Kite Award, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award and multiple New York Times bestsellers. Peter lives in Maine with his wife, Susan, and their dog, Pam.
Check It Out!
Peter Brown: https://www.peterbrownstudio.com/
The Wild Robot on the Island: https://backcovebooks.com/signed-peter-brown
Print Royalty Rate and Paperback Printing Cost Changes – https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/GXFPA52P6ZJD2U3N
The Vicious Cycle of Book Publishing – https://kathleenschmidt.substack.com/p/the-vicious-cycle-of-book-publishing
BookCon Will Return in 2026 – https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/trade-shows-events/article/98044-bookcon-will-return-in-2026.html?preview=1&oly_enc_id=5567B4071634C0Y
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
JP Rindfleisch: https://shop.jprindfleischix.com/en-cad
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Riley Sager: https://www.rileysagerbooks.com/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about poisonous books, The Late Show, Oprah, and James Frey. Then, stick around for a chat with Laura Lippman!
Laura Lippman was a reporter for twenty years, including twelve years at The (Baltimore) Sun. She began writing novels while working fulltime and published seven books about “accidental PI” Tess Monaghan before leaving daily journalism in 2025. Her work has been awarded the Edgar ®, the Anthony, the Agatha, the Shamus, the Nero Wolfe, Gumshoe and Barry awards. She also has been nominated for other prizes in the crime fiction field, including the Hammett and the Macavity. She was the first-ever recipient of the Mayor’s Prize for Literary Excellence and the first genre writer recognized as Author of the Year by the Maryland Library Association.
Ms. Lippman grew up in Baltimore and attended city schools through ninth grade. After graduating from Wilde Lake High School in Columbia, Md., Ms. Lippman attended Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism. Her other newspaper jobs included the Waco Tribune-Herald and the San Antonio Light.
Ms. Lippman returned to Baltimore in 1989 and has lived there since. She is the daughter of Theo Lippman Jr., a Sun editorial writer who retired in 1995 but continues to freelance for several newspapers, and Madeline Mabry Lippman, a former Baltimore City school librarian. Her sister, Susan, is a local bookseller.
Check It Out!
Laura Lippman: https://lauralippman.com/
Murder Takes a Vacation: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/murder-takes-a-vacation-laura-lippman?variant=43146941235234
Tool to identify poisonous books developed by University of St Andrews – https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jun/06/tool-to-identify-poisonous-books-developed-by-university-of-st-andrews
Stephen Colbert Launches The Late Show Book Club – https://latenighter.com/news/stephen-colbert-launches-a-late-show-book-club/
Oprah Shamed Him. He’s Back Anyway – https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/08/style/james-frey-next-to-heaven.html?smid=url-share
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
JP Rindfleisch: https://shop.jprindfleischix.com/en-cad
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Riley Sager: https://www.rileysagerbooks.com/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, JP Rindfleisch, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Pizza Hut, Business Insider, and Meta. Then, stick around for a chat with Riley Sager!
Riley Sager is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, most recently Middle of the Night and The Only One Left. His novels have been published in over 35 countries, with more than 3 million copies sold worldwide. His latest book, With a Vengeance, is available now. A native of Pennsylvania, he now lives in Princeton, New Jersey.
Check It Out!
Riley Sager: https://www.rileysagerbooks.com/
With a Vengeance: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/714084/with-a-vengeance-by-riley-sager/
Pizza Hut Debuts a BOOK IT! App – https://www.bookitprogram.com
Business Insider Commits to AI and Layoffs After Circulating Reading List with Fake Books – https://lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/2025/06/business-insider-commits-to-ai-and-layoffs-after-circulating-reading-list-with-fake-books/#:~:text=June%202%2C%202025-,Business%20Insider%20Commits%20to%20AI%20and%20Layoffs,Reading%20List%20with%20Fake%20Books&text=While%20an%20inaccurate%20AI%2Dgenerated,titles%20in%20the%20media%20space.
Meta Aims to Fully Automate Ad Creation Using AI – https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/meta-aims-to-fully-automate-ad-creation-using-ai-7d82e249?_bhlid=79d54b1e5cfbd24cc0e34d7441a04bf5683cf7b8
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
JP Rindfleisch: https://shop.jprindfleischix.com/en-cad
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Riley Sager: https://www.rileysagerbooks.com/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about ethical concerns with AI, libraries, and an AI prompt left in a fantasy novel. Then, stick around for a chat with Hazel McBride!
My name is Hazel McBride and I grew up in a very small village in Scotland. Being surrounded by forests, mountains, ocean, and incredible wildlife – is it any surprise that I grew up to want to write about magical and mythical creatures?
I signed with Ciara Finan at the Curtis Brown agency in London in October 2023 and my debut Fantasy Romance; ‘A Fate Forged in Fire’ was bought by Renegade Books UK and Dell US and will be published May 27th 2025!
A Fate Forged in Fire is heavily inspired by Scottish mythology and features a sizzling enemies-to-lovers romance that burns hot as dragon fire! Make sure to subscribe to my newsletter for all the latest information below.
I now live in the Netherlands with my Dutch husband and our border collie Whiskey, but the dream is to one day live on a farm in the Scottish Highlands (yes even in winter!).
Check It Out!
Hazel McBride: https://hazelmcbride035.wixsite.com/hazelmcbride
A Fate Forged in Fire: https://www.waterstones.com/book/a-fate-forged-in-fire/hazel-mcbride/9781408749081
AI Refuses to Shut Down, Sparks Ethical Concerns – https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14748829/AI-ignoring-human-instruction-refuses-turn-off.html
Libraries Face Rising Costs for Digital Content – readersfirst.org/news/2025/5/19/update-to-publisher-price-watch-may-2025
Readers Annoyed When Fantasy Novel Accidentally Leaves AI Prompt in Published Version, Showing Request to Copy Another Writer’s Style – https://futurism.com/fantasy-novel-ai-prompt-copy-style?utm_source=TodayInBooks_BookRiot_Production&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Whoops!%20AI%20Prompt%20Published%20in%20Novel
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Hazel McBride: https://hazelmcbride035.wixsite.com/hazelmcbride
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about fake summer reading lists, Dani Francis, and Taylor Jenkins Reid. Then, stick around for a chat with Heather Graham!
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Heather Graham, majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write. Her first book was with Dell, and since then, she has written over two hundred novels and novellas including category, suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, sci-fi, young adult, and Christmas family fare.
She is pleased to have been published in approximately thirty languages and has written over 200 novels and has 70 million books in print. Heather has been honored with awards from booksellers and writers’ organizations for excellence in her work, and she is the proud to be a recipient of the Silver Bullet from Thriller Writers and was awarded the prestigious Thriller Master Award in 2016. She is also a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from RWA. Heather has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, Mystery Book Club, People and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including Today, Entertainment Tonight, and local television.
Check It Out!
Heather Graham: https://www.theoriginalheathergraham.com/
The Murder Machine: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Machine-Heather-Graham/dp/0778387410/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0
Newspapers Run Fake Summer Reading List – https://www.npr.org/2025/05/20/nx-s1-5405022/fake-summer-reading-list-ai
Why Everyone Is Talking About Dani Francis’ Silver Elite: The Controversy Behind BookTok’s New Dystopian Sensation – https://screenrant.com/dani-francis-silver-elite-dystopian-book-pen-name-controversy-explained
Time Magazine Profile: Taylor Jenkins Reid Sold Five New Books For $8 Million Each – https://time.com/7284944/taylor-jenkins-reid-atmosphere-interview/
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Heather Graham: https://www.theoriginalheathergraham.com/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, Kevin Tumlinson, and Dick Wybrow as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Substack, scams, fake reviews, Audible, and AI translation. Then, stick around for a chat with Anthony Horowitz!
Anthony Horowitz is one of the most prolific and successful writers working in the UK – and is unique for working across so many media. Anthony is a born polymath; juggling writing books, TV series, films, plays and journalism. Anthony has written over 50 books including the bestselling teen spy series Alex Rider, which is estimated to have sold 21 million copies worldwide and has been turned into a hugely successful TV series by Amazon Freevee. A third series has just been filmed and the fourteenth Alex Rider novel, Nightshade: Revenge will be published in 2023.
Anthony is also an acclaimed writer for adults and was commissioned to write two new Sherlock Holmes novels The House of Silk and Moriarty. He was commissioned by the Ian Fleming Estate to write continuation novels for James Bond with Trigger Mortis and Forever and Day, published in 2015 and 2018 respectively. A third novel in the series With a Mind to Kill was published in May 2022.
Anthony is responsible for creating and writing some of the UK’s most beloved and successful television series, producing the first seven episodes (and the title) of Midsomer Murders. He is the writer and creator of award-winning drama series Foyle’s War, which was the Winner of the Lew Grade Audience award for BAFTA. DCS Foyle was voted the nation’s favourite detective in 2011. Anthony has also written other original complex dramas for ITV, particularly thrillers. Collision, a major five part “state of the nation” piece was transmitted on ITV1 in November 2009 to seven million viewers a night. He followed this with the equally successful legal thriller Injustice, also for ITV 1 – transmitted in June 2011. Foyle’s War returned in March 2013 as a Cold War thriller and was greeted with such critical acclaim and demands for more that he wrote one final series, bringing the show to an end in January 2015. Anthony’s series, New Blood, premiered on the BBC in 2016.
Check It Out!
Anthony Horowitz: https://anthonyhorowitz.com/
Marble Hall Murders: https://anthonyhorowitz.com/books/title/marble-hall-murders
Is the Next Great American Novel Being Published on Substack? – https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/is-the-next-great-american-novel-being-published-on-substack
Two to Avoid: Book Order Scams and Fake Reviews –
Audible Rolls Out AI Narration Technology for Publishers, Preps for AI Translation – https://lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/2025/05/audible-rolls-out-ai-narration-technology-for-publishers-preps-for-ai-translation/#:~:text=Audible%20Rolls%20Out%20AI%20Narration%20Technology%20for%20Publishers%2C%20Preps%20for%20AI%20Translation,-May%2013%2C%202025&text=Audible%20officially%20announced%20their%20initiative,for%20audiobooks%2C%20including%20machine%20translation.
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Anthony Horowitz: https://anthonyhorowitz.com/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about A Million Lives Book Festival, Findaway’s INaudio, and Agatha Christie. Then, stick around for a chat with Joe Abercrombie!
Joe Abercrombie was born in Lancaster, England, on the last day of 1974. He was educated at the stiflingly all-boy Lancaster Royal Grammar School, where he spent much of his time playing video games, rolling dice, and drawing maps of places that don’t exist. He went on to Manchester University to study Psychology. The dice and the maps stopped, but the video games continued. Having long dreamed of single-handedly redefining the fantasy genre, he started to write an epic trilogy based around the misadventures of thinking man’s barbarian Logen Ninefingers. The result was pompous toss, and swiftly abandoned.
Joe then moved to London, lived in a slum with two men on the borders of madness, and found work making tea for minimum wage at a TV Post-Production company. Two years later he left to become a freelance film editor, and has worked since on a range of documentaries, awards shows, music videos, and concerts for artists ranging from Barry White to Coldplay.
This job gave him lots of time off, and realising that he needed something more useful to do than playing video games, in 2001 he sat down once again to write an epic fantasy trilogy based around the misadventures of thinking man’s barbarian Logen Ninefingers. This time, having learned not to take himself too seriously in the six years since the first effort, the results were a great deal more interesting.
With heroic help and support from his family the first volume, The Blade Itself, was completed in 2004. Following a heart-breaking trail of rejection at the hands of several of Britain’s foremost literary agencies, The First Law trilogy was snatched up by Gillian Redfearn of Gollancz in 2005 in a seven-figure deal (if you count the pence columns). A year later The Blade Itself was unleashed on an unsuspecting public. It now has publishers in thirty countries. The sequels, Before They are Hanged and Last Argument of Kings were published in 2007 and 2008, when Joe was a finalist for the John W. Campbell award for best new writer. Best Served Cold, a standalone book set in the same world, was published in June 2009, and a second standalone, The Heroes, came in January 2011 and made no. 3 on the Sunday Times Hardcover Bestseller List. A third standalone, Red Country, was both a Sunday Times and New York Times Hardcover Bestseller in October 2012.
The first part of his viking-inspired Shattered Sea series for young and old adults, Half a King, came out in July 2014, when it won the Locus award for best young adult novel. The other two books, Half the World, and Half a War, followed in January and July 2015.
His collection of short fiction, Sharp Ends was published in 2016. A new trilogy set in the world of the First Law, The Age of Madness, began in September 2019 with A Little Hatred. The Trouble with Peace followed in September 2020, and the final part, The Wisdom of Crowds in September 2021. The first book in a new series, The Devils, will publish in May 2025.
Joe now lives in Bath with his wife, Lou, his daughters Grace and Eve, and his son Teddy. He spends most of his time writing edgy yet humorous fantasy novels…
Check It Out!
Joe Abercrombie: https://joeabercrombie.com/
The Devils: https://joeabercrombie.com/books/the-devils/
A Million Lives Book Festival Disappoints Authors – https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/may/09/a-million-lives-book-festival-romantasy
Findaway Launches INaudio – https://www.inaudio.com/article/a-message-from-our-founders
BBC harnesses AI to create writing classes given by Agatha Christie – https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/apr/30/bbc-harnesses-ai-to-create-writing-classes-given-by-agatha-christie
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Sarina Bowen – https://sarinabowen.com/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about novelists becoming video game writers, NetGalley, and Amazon. Then, stick around for a chat with Sarina Bowen!
Sarina Bowen is a #1 Amazon bestselling author, a 24-time USA Today bestseller, and a Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary novels. Formerly a derivatives trader on Wall Street, Sarina graduated magna cum laude from Yale University with a BA in economics.
A New Englander whose Vermont ancestors cut timber and farmed the north country in the 1760s, Sarina is grateful for the invention of indoor plumbing and wi-fi during the intervening 250 years. She lives with her family on a few wooded acres in New Hampshire.
Sarina’s books are published in more than 15 languages with twenty or so international publishers.
She is a sitting council member on the Authors Guild, with committee work in finance and advocacy.
Check It Out!
Sarina Bowen – https://sarinabowen.com/
Dying to Meet You: https://sarinabowen.com/dying-to-meet-you
Playing with words: why novelists are becoming video game writers – and vice-versa – https://www.theguardian.com/games/2025/apr/30/novelists-video-game-writers
NetGalley Fixes Kobo Downloads, Expands Relationship – https://lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/2025/04/netgalley-fixes-kobo-downloads-expands-relationship/
It’s Cynical, Manipulative, and Cruel’ – https://www.vulture.com/article/amazon-book-sale-on-independent-bookstore-day.html
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Sarina Bowen – https://sarinabowen.com/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Pizza Hut, folding e-readers, and The Great Gatsby. Then, stick around for a chat with Joanna Penn!
I’m Jo Frances (J.F.) Penn, Award-nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers, dark fantasy, and crime. My stories blend my love of travel with adventure at the edge of the supernatural. They all deal with the theme of good vs evil.
I live in Bath, England with my husband and two British shorthair cats, Cashew and Noisette.
When I’m not traveling for book research, I enjoy walking by the canal, and a nice gin and tonic.
You can find me on Instagram @jfpennauthor and Facebook @jfpennauthor.
I share my travels and interview other authors about the places that inspire them on my Books And Travel Podcast.
I love reading, and my favorite authors include John Connolly, Jonathan Maberry, and Stephen King. I also read a lot of non-fiction for book research, which I share in the Author’s Note at the back of my books/stories.
If you want to hear about my latest book launches, or learn about special deals on my stories, or get behind the scenes research and photos — or if you’d like to be part of my Reader’s Group, the Pennfriends, then click here to sign up for my email list.
Check It Out!
Joanna Penn – https://jfpennbooks.com/
Death Valley: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thecreativepenn/death-valley-a-thriller
Scamming Pizza Hut Was My Family Tradition – https://www.foodandwine.com/pizza-hut-book-it-scam-6405471?
The first folding e-reader is smaller than a paperback – https://www.theverge.com/news/650922/readmoo-e-ink-mooink-v-color-folding-screen-ereader?
I’m Not a ‘Gatsby’ Scholar. I’m a ‘Gatsby’ Weirdo. – https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/12/opinion/great-gatsby-on-repeat.html?
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Joanna Penn – https://jfpennbooks.com/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about TV writing jobs, book subscription services, and Meta. Then, stick around for a chat with Nat Cassidy!
Nat Cassidy writes horror for the page, stage, and screen.
His acclaimed novels, including Mary: An Awakening of Terror,Nestlings, and Rest Stop (Bram Stoker Award nominee), have been featured in best-of lists from Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, NPR, the Chicago Review of Books, the NY Public Library, Amazon, and more, and he was named one of the “writers shaping horror’s next golden age” by Esquire.
His award-winning horror plays have been produced throughout New York City and across the United States. He won the NY Innovative Theatre Award for his one-man show about H. P. Lovecraft, another for his play about Caligula, and was commissioned by the Kennedy Center to write the libretto for a short opera (about the end of the world, of course).
From 2020 – 2023, Nat was the scriptwriter for Shakespeare Theatre of DC’s annual WILL ON THE HILL event, a comedy fundraiser about Shakespeare and politics featuring a star-studded cast of journalists, members of Congress, ambassadors, and veteran actors. With WILL ON THE HILL, Nat’s scripts helped raise over a million dollars for arts education.
You’ve also maybe seen Nat on your TV, playing various Bad Guys of the Week on shows such as Law & Order: SVU, Blue Bloods, Bull, Quantico, FBI, and many others. Additionally, Nat is commercial voiceover actor and a member of the audiodrama production company, Gideon Media, which produced hit sci-fi podcasts such as Steal the Stars and Give Me Away, as well as the authorized audiodrama adaptations of the Paramount Pictures classic, Witness, and Wallace Shawn’s The Designated Mourner. Nat authored the novelization of Steal the Stars, published by Tor Books and named one of the best books of 2017 by NPR.
He lives in New York City with his wife.
Check It Out!
Nat Cassidy – http://www.natcassidy.com/
When the Wolf Comes Home – http://www.natcassidy.com/up-next.html
TV Writing Jobs Fell by 42 Percent in 2023-24 Season, WGA Says – https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/tv-writer-jobs-down-wga-stats-1236188142
A new chapter for publishing? Book subscription services launch their own titles – https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/apr/16/book-subscription-services-launch-their-own-books-publishing
This Is How Meta AI Staffers Deemed More Than 7 Million Books to Have No “Economic Value” – https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/meta-ai-lawsuit?
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Alan Lastufka – https://alanlastufka.com/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Inkitt, Publishers Weekly, and Eric Smith. Then, stick around for a chat with Alan Lastufka!
Alan Lastufka is a Hoffer Award-winning author and the owner of Shortwave, an independent small press. He writes horror, supernatural, and magical realism stories.
His debut novel, Face the Night, received a starred Kirkus review, was a finalist for Best New Horror Novel at the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, and won the 2022 Hoffer Award for Best Commercial Fiction. It was also listed as one of the 100 Best Indie Books of the Year by Kirkus.
When he’s not writing, or recording with his band, The Caulden Road, Alan enjoys walking through Oregon’s beautiful woods with his partner, Kris.
Check It Out!
Alan Lastufka – https://alanlastufka.com/
Face the Night – https://books2read.com/facethenight
Inside Inkitt – https://lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/2025/04/inside-inkitt/
Publishers Weekly is Now Charging for Review Submissions – https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/corp/submissionfeeforpwreviewconsideration.html#:~:text=Beginning%20March%2024%2C%202025%2C%20Publishers,pay%20the%20per%20submission%20fee.
Eric Smith Launches Neighborhood Literary – https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/newsbrief/index.html?record=5308&oly_enc_id=5567B4071634C0Y
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Alan Lastufka – https://alanlastufka.com/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about James Patterson and MrBeast, NaNoWriMo, and Ingram’s MediaScout. Then, stick around for a chat with DP Lyle!
DP Lyle, MD is the Amazon #1 Bestselling; Macavity and Benjamin Franklin Silver Award winning; and Edgar (2), Shamus, Agatha, Anthony, Scribe, Silver Falchion, USA Today Best Book Award (2), and Foreward INDIES Book of the Year nominated author of 25 books, both non-fiction and fiction, including the SAMANTHA CODY, DUB WALKER, JAKE LONGLY, and CAIN/HARPER thriller series, and the ROYAL PAINS media tie-in novels.
His forensic science books (FORENSICS FOR DUMMIES, HOWDUNNIT:FORENSICS) and his very popular Q&A Series (MURDER AND MAYHEM, FORENSICS AND FICTION, MORE FORENSICS AND FICTION) are published worldwide.
Check It Out!
DP Lyle – https://www.dplylemd.com/
Outliers Writing University – https://www.outlierswritinguniversity.com/
James Patterson & MrBeast Penning Thriller Novel; TV & Film Rights Attracting Serious Heat – https://deadline.com/2025/03/james-patterson-mr-beast-novel-1236352620
NaNoWriMo Nonprofit Shutters – https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/97466-nanowrimo-nonprofit-shutters.html?oly_enc_id=5567B4071634C0Y
Ingram’s MediaScout Goes Live – https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/page-to-screen/article/97469-ingram-s-mediascout-goes-live.html?oly_enc_id=5567B4071634C0Y
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Stephen Graham Jones – https://www.demontheory.net/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Simon & Schuster, Bill Bryson, and The Hunger Games. Then, stick around for a chat with Adam Nevill!
ADAM L. G. NEVILL was born in Birmingham, England, in 1969 and grew up in England and New Zealand. He is an author of horror fiction. Of his novels, The Ritual, Last Days, No One Gets Out Alive and The Reddening were all winners of The August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel. He has also published three collections of short stories, with Some Will Not Sleep winning the British Fantasy Award for Best Collection, 2017.
Imaginarium adapted The Ritual and No One Gets Out Alive into feature films and more of his work is currently in development for the screen.
The author lives in Devon, England.
Check It Out!
Adam Nevill – https://adamlgnevill.com/
All the Fiends of Hell – https://adamlgnevill.com/products/all-the-fiends-of-hell-standard-hardback-book
Can Simon & Schuster Become the A24 of Books? The imprint’s new publisher is betting on it – https://www.thecut.com/article/simon-and-schuster-sean-manning-interview.html
Bill Bryson: Too many people publishing their own books – https://web.archive.org/web/20250310105002/https://www.thetimes.com/uk/arts/article/bill-bryson-too-many-people-publishing-their-own-books-wdrmf6g5c
Hunger Games Prequel Sells 1.5 Million Copies In First Week – https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/sunrise-on-the-reaping-book-hunger-games-sales-1236174203/
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Stephen Graham Jones – https://www.demontheory.net/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Oracle, TikTok, the Slush Pile, and LibGen. Then, stick around for a chat with John Scalzi!
John Michael Scalzi II is an American science fiction author and former president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. He is best known for his Old Man’s War series, three novels of which have been nominated for the Hugo Award, and for his blog Whatever, where he has written on a number of topics since 1998.
Check It Out!
John Scalzi – https://whatever.scalzi.com/
When the Moon Hits Your Eye – https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780765389091/whenthemoonhitsyoureye/
Looking Inside the Slush Pile – https://laurabmcgrath.substack.com/p/textcrunch-no-2-looking-inside-the
Oracle is reportedly in the lead to save TikTok from US ban – https://www.theverge.com/news/631999/oracle-tiktok-ban-deal-project-texas
Atlantic Allows You to Search Pirated Books on LibGen – https://societyofauthors.org/2025/03/21/the-libgen-data-set-what-authors-can-do/#:~:text=Yesterday%20(20%20March%202025)%2C,systems%20by%20tech%20giant%20Meta.
Author Anchor: https://authoranchor.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Stephen Graham Jones – https://www.demontheory.net/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Netgalley, ChatGPT, and Spotify. Then, stick around for a chat with Stephen Graham Jones!
Stephen Graham Jones is the NYT bestselling author of 35 or so books, +350 stories, some comic books, and all this stuff here. He lives in Boulder, Colorado, and has a few broken-down old trucks, one PhD, and way too many boots. More here.
Check It Out!
Stephen Graham Jones – https://www.demontheory.net/
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter – https://www.demontheory.net/event/buffalo-hunter-hunter-tour/
Netgalley to Launch Consumer Platform Booktrovert – https://lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/2025/03/netgalley-to-launch-consumer-platform-booktrovert/
ChatGPT firm reveals AI model that is ‘good at creative writing’ – https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/mar/12/chatgpt-firm-reveals-ai-model-that-is-good-at-creative-writing-sam-altman
Spotify Audiobooks Solicits Short Audio Content from Independent Authors – https://newsroom.spotify.com/2025-03-13/spotify-audiobooks-launches-a-new-publishing-program-for-independent-authors/#:~:text=Spotify%20is%20committed%20to%20lowering,form%20audiobooks%20via%20Findaway%20Voices.
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Stephen Graham Jones – https://www.demontheory.net/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about AAP sales, London Book Fair 2025, and nonfiction paperbacks. Then, stick around for a chat with Marshall Karp!
Marshall Karp – I was born in New York City on June 4 in one of those old-timey years before they invented color TV.
I was always a writer—letters, parody songs, stories, skits, fun stuff—but I had no idea I could make a living at it, so I entered Rutgers with a grand plan. I was going to be a dentist.
Me—a man with all the manual dexterity of a drunken monkey—a dentist. Fortunately the universe intervened. I flunked freshman biology. So I started writing for the school newspaper.
After college I fell into advertising. My girlfriend at the time was a copywriter at an ad agency, and I figured, that sounds cool. So much for career planning.
Short version of that 20-year career—I was very successful, but in advertising, the punishment for being a good writer is to promote you and tell you not to write. Before long I had a big title, a big office, and I supervised a hundred people. I was the boss, and all I could think was, “is this all there is?”
So I started writing at night. The short version of the next twenty years is that I wrote a play, did a stint in Hollywood writing sitcoms, wrote and produced a feature film, returned to advertising and caught the dotcom wave, and finally the ultimate writer’s dream, these books.
I recently wrote about that twenty-year journey on quora.com in response to the question What is the single insight that most changed your life? When the post got tens of thousands of views, I sensed I’d hit a nerve. When it hit a million, I realized I’d struck the mother lode.
On a personal note, I’m married, with a son, a daughter, a grandson, and a dog. I live a hundred miles north of New York City in a small town in the mid-Hudson Valley. I love what I do, and I’m grateful for the feedback I get when I do it.
And like I said at the top, it’s been a great life so far.
Check It Out!
Marshall Karp – https://karpkills.com/
Don’t Tell Me How To Die – https://karpkills.com/novels/dont-tell-me-how-to-die/
AAP Sales Softened In December, But Grew to Almost $8.6 Billion in 2024 – https://lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/2025/03/aap-sales-softened-in-december-but-grew-to-almost-8-6-billion-in-2024/
London Book Fair 2025 to Focus on AI, Developing Readers – https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/trade-shows-events/article/97162-london-book-fair-2025-to-focus-on-ai-developing-readers.html?oly_enc_id=5567B4071634C0Y
Is the publishing industry turning the page on nonfiction paperbacks? – https://www.texasstandard.org/stories/nonfiction-paperback-decline-publishing-industry-hardcovers/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Marshall Karp – https://karpkills.com/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about ElevenLabs, Spotify’s AI Audiobooks, and publishing cyber attacks. Then, stick around for a chat with Steve Berry!
Steve Berry is the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author of twenty-four novels. His books have been translated into 41 languages with over 25,000,000 copies in 52 countries. They consistently appear in the top echelon of The New York Times, USA Today, and Indie bestseller lists. Somewhere in the world, every thirty seconds, one of his novels is sold.
Check It Out!
Steve Berry – https://steveberry.org/
ElevenLabs Allows Authors to Create AI Audiobooks for Free – https://lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/2025/02/elevenlabs-allows-authors-to-create-ai-audiobooks-for-free/#:~:text=ElevenLabs%20has%20launched%20ElevenReader%20Publishing,of%20thousands%20of%20listeners%20globally.%E2%80%9D
Spotify Adds More AI Audiobooks, As We Look At Their Payment Terms – https://lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/2025/02/spotify-adds-more-ai-audiobooks-as-we-look-at-their-payment-terms/
Publishing Cyber Attacks – https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/09/business/media/newspaper-cyberattack-lee-enterprises.html
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
Steve Berry – https://steveberry.org/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
Transcription: https://app.castmagic.io/share/2ffd7459-4a4c-440b-a4cd-32e0cface870?tab=transcript&ai_content=true&magic_chat=true
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Kindle, Yorkies, and James Bond. Then, stick around for a chat with Adrian Tchaikovsky!
Adrian Tchaikovsky was born in Lincolnshire and studied zoology and psychology at Reading before becoming a professional author in 2007. He is a keen role-player and board gamer and is trained in stage-fighting. His literary influences include Gene Wolfe, Mervyn Peake, China Miéville, Steven Erikson, Naomi Novak, Scott Lynch and Alan Campbell.
Adrian primarily explores deep themes, such as artificial intelligence and alien awareness within epic galactic and fantastical settings.
He has a deep interest in the animal world specifically insects from his studies in Zoology and has a particular penchant for spiders.
Check It Out!
Adrian Tchaikovsky – https://adriantchaikovsky.com/
Amazon’s killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books – https://www.theverge.com/news/612898/amazon-removing-kindle-book-download-transfer-usb
Facebook is about to mass delete a lot of old live streams – https://www.theverge.com/news/614664/facebook-live-video-30-day-limit-archives
Senior Yorkie Dog Scores Dream New York Publishing Deal About His Social Media Stardom – https://pethelpful.com/pet-news/senior-yorkie-dog-scores-dream-new-york-publishing-deal-about-his-social-media-stardom
James Bond producers give Amazon full creative control of 007 – https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/feb/20/james-bond-producers-give-amazon-full-creative-control-of-007
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
D.J. Williams – https://www.djwilliamsbooks.com/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Faber, The Big Five, and Stephen King. Then, stick around for a chat with D.J. Williams!
D.J. Williams – With the DNA of a world traveler, D.J. Williams was born and raised in Hong Kong, igniting an adventurous spirit as he ventured into the jungles of the Amazon, the bush of Africa, and the slums of the Far East. His global travels have submerged him in a myriad of cultures, providing a unique perspective that fuels his creativity.
As a fresh voice in mystery, suspense, and YA fantasy, his novels have climbed the charts ranking as high as #1 on Amazon Hot New Releases. His books The Auctioneer and Hunt For Eden’s Star have received stellar reviews from Kirkus Reviews, the most trusted voice in book discovery. Williams has also been featured in Publishers Weekly and Writer’s Digest.
With the launch of his latest YA series, Beacon Hill, the trailers and documentary featuring the first book, Hunt For Eden’s Star, and the second book, Secrets of the Highlands, have reached over 1.8 million+ views. Beacon Hill is also currently under optioning consideration for film, television, streaming, and animation by the producers, production companies, and studios who have created the most successful YA franchises of all time.
Williams has also been an executive producer and director on over 500 episodes of broadcast television.
Check It Out!
D.J. Williams – https://www.djwilliamsbooks.com/
Faber Comes To The US – https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/97068-faber-comes-to-the-u-s.html
They Don’t Call Them The Big Five For Nothing – https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bookselling/article/97059-they-don-t-call-them-the-big-five-for-nothing.html?oly_enc_id=5567B4071634C0Y
‘Hansel and Gretel’ Picture Book Due This Fall from Stephen King and Maurice Sendak – https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/97085-hansel-and-gretel-picture-book-due-this-fall-from-stephen-king-and-maurice-sendak.html?oly_enc_id=5567B4071634C0Y
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
D.J. Williams – https://www.djwilliamsbooks.com/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.
Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about the ‘copyrightability’ of AI works, NetGalley, and Kindle Vella. Then, stick around for a chat with Tod Lending!
Tod Lending – Academy Award™-nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker Mr. Lending has spent nearly four decades creating documentaries that illuminate the human capacity for resilience amid adversity. Now a debut novelist, he brings his deep storytelling instincts to the written page, exploring moral dilemmas and the lingering shadows of persecution in his upcoming work.
Check It Out!
Tod Lending – https://todlending.com/
The Umbrella Maker’s Son – https://todlending.com/purchase/
New Government Report Addresses ‘Copyrightability’ of AI Works – https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/copyright/article/96974-new-government-report-addresses-copyrightability-of-ai-works.html?oly_enc_id=5567B4071634C0Y
NetGalley Responds to Kobo Device Owners – https://lunch.publishersmarketplace.com/2025/01/netgalley-responds-to-kobo-device-owners/#:~:text=NetGalley’s%20newly%2Dlaunched%20implementation%20of,and%20we%20love%20Kobo%2C%20too!
Kindle Vella Closure – https://forum.literatureandlatte.com/t/kindle-vella-is-closing-down/143758
Show Links:
Writers, Ink on YouTube! – https://www.youtube.com/@jdbarker_author/podcasts
J.D. Barker – https://jdbarker.com/
Christine Daigle – https://www.christinedaiglebooks.com/
Jena Brown – https://www.jenabrownwrites.com
James Blatch – https://www.jamesblatch.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Dick Wybrow – https://www.dickwybrow.com/
Jakob Kerr – https://www.jakobkerr.com/
TODAY’S SPONSOR:
AutoCrit – https://www.autocrit.com/jd (click this link to take advantage of our Writers, Ink special offer!!!)
Other Links
Best of BookTok – https://bestofbooktok.com/
Booktrib – https://booktrib.com/author/writers-ink/
Music by Nicorus – https://cctrax.com/nicorus/dust-to-dust-ep
Voice Over by Rick Ganley and recorded at Mill Pond Studio
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.