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.