Join hosts J.D. Barker, Christine Daigle, Jena Brown, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about Draft2Digital, Bookshop DRM, Harper’s Bazaar Short Story Contest, and AI Slop books. Then, stick around for a chat with Benjamin Hale!
Benjamin Hale is the author of the novel The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore (Twelve, 2011), the short fiction collection The Fat Artist and Other Stories (Simon & Schuster, 2016), and the nonfiction book Cave Mountain: A Disappearance and a Reckoning in the Ozarks (HarperCollins, 2026). He has received the Bard Fiction Prize, a Michener-Copernicus Award, and nominations for the Dylan Thomas Prize and the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Fiction Award. His writing has appeared, among other places, in Conjunctions, Harper’s Magazine, the Paris Review, the New York Times, the Washington Post, Dissent and the LA Review of Books Quarterly, and has been anthologized in Best American Science and Nature Writing. He is a senior editor at Conjunctions, teaches at Bard College and Columbia University, and lives in a small town in New York’s Hudson Valley.
Check it out!
Benjamin Hale: https://benjamin-hale.squarespace.com/
Cave Mountain: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/cave-mountain-benjamin-hale?variant=43731587661858
Draft2Digital and Bookshop DRM – https://selfpub.substack.com/p/draft2digital-and-bookshop-open-ebook
Unhappy Returns: Harper’s Bazaar Short Story Contest –
For Some Reason, Someone Who Generates AI Slop Books Has Unmasked Herself – https://gizmodo.com/for-some-reason-someone-who-generates-ai-slop-books-has-unmasked-herself-2000719325
AutoCrit: https://autocrit.com/
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
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
JP Rindfleisch: https://shop.jprindfleischix.com/en-cad
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
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, JP Rindfleisch, and Kevin Tumlinson as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about ProWritingAid’s Novel Beginnings, the Washington Post, bookshop.org, and bookstreaming.
Check it out!
Washington Post Book World – https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/99611-washpo-nixes-books-section-amid-widespread-layoffs.html
Can “Bookstreaming” Save the Literacy Crisis? – https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/celebs/a70062900/bookstreaming-kai-cenat-literacy-crisis
Bookshop.org, Draft2Digital Partner to Make Self-Published Ebooks Available Through Indie Bookstores –
Ingram Spark announced free revisions – https://selfpub.substack.com/p/ingramspark-confirms-major-policy
AutoCrit: https://autocrit.com/
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
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
JP Rindfleisch: https://shop.jprindfleischix.com/en-cad
BookTrib: https://booktrib.com/promote-your-book/#
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, Jena Brown, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about anxiety, Reading Rainbow, and the publishing industry’s gambling problem. Then, stick around for a chat with Ariel Sullivan!
Ariel Sullivan is the author of Conform. She lives in Connecticut with her husband, two sons, and their two French bulldogs. Growing up a military brat, Ariel moved every two years. As a perpetual new kid, Ariel often observed from the outskirts, where a deep love of reading was born. When she isn’t writing, Ariel loves to read everything from poetry to psychology, bake with her sons, listen to live music, and travel.
Check it out!
Ariel Sullivan: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2320095/ariel-sullivan/
Conform: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/787677/conform-by-ariel-sullivan/
The Anxiety Plaguing Male Fiction Writers – https://www.vulture.com/article/jordan-castro-muscle-man-review.html
‘Reading Rainbow’ to return, with viral librarian Mychal Threets as its host – https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/reading-rainbow-reboot-viral-librarian-mychal-threets-host-rcna234777
The Publishing Industry Has a Gambling Problem –
IngramSpark: https://www.ingramspark.com/
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/#
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, Jena Brown, Kevin Tumlinson, and Jena Brown as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including stories about PoP, ReaderLink, B&T, and reader community networks. Then, stick around for a chat with Kelsea Yu!
Kelsea Yu is a Taiwanese Chinese American writer who lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and children. Whether through a speculative or real-world lens, her writing explores diaspora identity, twists on folklore, complicated interpersonal relationships, and characters who make unconventional choices.
Kelsea’s novella, Bound Feet (Cemetery Gates Media), was nominated for a 2022 Shirley Jackson Award. Her debut novel, It’s Only a Game, is published by Bloomsbury Children’s, and her next novella, Demon Song, is forthcoming from Titan Books in 2025. Her debut adult novel, Stormraven, is forthcoming from Gallery Books and Titan Books in 2026. She has stories published in magazines such as Clarkesworld, Apex, PseudoPod, and Fantasy, and in various anthologies. Her nonfiction has been published in Nightmare, Apparition Lit, Sarah Gailey’s Personal Canons Cookbook, and elsewhere.
During Kelsea’s time as a first reader khōréō, the magazine received an Ignyte Award, two Hugo nominations, and a Locus nomination. She is also an active member of SFWA, HWA, and ITW. Find her on Instagram as @anovelescape or Bluesky as @anovelescape.bsky.social. She is represented by Jennifer Azantian of Azantian Literary Agency.
Check it out!
Kelsea Yu: https://www.kelseayu.com/
Demon Song: https://www.thebookseller.com/rights/titan-books-to-publish-beautifully-uncanny-horror-from-kelsea-yu
At PoP, Publishing’s Finance Minds Share How Strategy Drives Acquisitions – https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/trade-shows-events/article/98661-at-pop-publishing-s-finance-minds-share-how-strategy-drives-acquisitions.html
Publishers Warily Await Completion of ReaderLink-B&T Deal – https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/industry-deals/article/98672-publishers-warily-await-completion-of-readerlink-b-t-deal.html
Grow Your Reader Base by Tapping into Reader Community Networks – https://www.ingramspark.com/blog/grow-your-reader-base-with-reader-community-networks
IngramSpark: https://www.ingramspark.com/
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/#
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 as they discuss the week’s entertainment news, including a look at how different generations interact with media (via WattPad.) Then, stick around as Christine chats with author, screenwriter, and podcast host Brock Swinson!
Brock Swinson is an interviewer for Creative Screenwriting and host of the Creative Principles podcast, where he interviews writers, directors, actors, and musicians, such as Aaron Sorkin, Ethan Hawke, and Judd Apatow, about the habits, routines, and methods of a creative life. Brock’s latest book is called Ink In The Barrel: Secrets From Prolific Writers and is available for free on his website. Pick up a copy in audio or digital and help Brock reach his goal of giving away 100,000 copies!
Check It Out!
Grab Ink In The Barrel for free! – https://www.brockswinson.com/ink
Creative Screenwriting | Creative Principles Podcast – https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/ | https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creative-principles/id1292130289
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/
JP Rindfleisch IX – https://www.jprindfleischix.com/
Kevin Tumlinson – https://www.kevintumlinson.com/
Brock Swinson – https://www.brockswinson.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
Show notes & audio production by Geoff Emberlyn – https://twitter.com/horrorstoic
Website Design by Word & Pixel – http://wordandpixel.com/
Contact – https://writersinkpodcast.com/contact/
*NOTE: Some of the links are affiliate links.