The Making of the Modern Publishing Industry
Jeff talks to Prof. Dan Sinykin about his new book, Big Fiction: How Conglomeration Changed Book Publishing and American Literature.Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.For...
View ArticleThe It Books of November
It’s the last big month for new releases, so Jeff O’Neal and Rebecca Schinsky saddle up for one more It Book Knockout Round for 2023. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.For...
View ArticleTHE SISTERHOOD with Prof. Courtney Thorsson
In this episode, I talk to Prof. Courtney Thorsson about her new book, The Sisterhood: How a Network of Black Women Writers Changed American Culture.Over the course of two years, a group of remarkable...
View ArticleThe It Books of the Year
Jeff and Rebecca sit down to determine the It Books of the Year. From 24 finalists, they will whittle down to twelve. The last cut is the deepest. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or...
View ArticleHow to Bring Back a Book
Joshua Bodwell of Godine & Black Sparrow Press talks to Jeff about a book they both love, The Orchard by Adele Crockett Robertson, and the process of reissuing it as part of Godine’s Nonpareil...
View ArticleThe State of Ereaders
Jason Snell of sixcolors.com, and ereader connoisseur, joins Jeff to talk about the state of ereaders, what makes a good ereader, a couple of interesting, oddball new devices, and more. Check out...
View ArticleAnatomy of a Scene and Hardest/Easiest with Xochitl Gonzalez
Xochitl Gonzalez, author of Anita de Monte Laughs Last, joins Jeff to debut two new First Edition segments: Anatomy of a Scene and Hardest/Easiest. In the first segment, they each pick a scene to...
View ArticleTHE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET at 40
40 years ago, Sandra Cisneros published what would become a contemporary classic: The House on Mango Street. To mark the occasion, Everyman’s Library has released a new edition. The introduction to...
View ArticleConnection, The Alchemy of Happiness, and Office Parties with Rachel Khong,...
In this episode, Jeff talks with Rachel Khong about her new novel, Real Americans. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.For episode extras, subscribe to the First Edition...
View ArticleClaire Messud and THIS STRANGE, EVENTFUL HISTORY
In this episode, Jeff talks with Claire Messud about her new novel, This Strange, Eventful History.Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.For episode extras, subscribe to the...
View ArticleAyana Mathis and THE UNSETTLED
Jeff O’Neal talks with Ayana Mathis about her latest book, The Unsettled. The Unsettled was a 2023 New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and a Best Book of the Year selection by The New Yorker, The...
View ArticleThe Reading Life of Ada Limón
In this episode of First Edition, the reading life of U.S. National Poet Laureate Ada Limón.Discussed in this episode:You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World, edited by Ada LimónIn Praise of Mystery...
View ArticleWhat is Going On With Book Sales?
Jeff is joined by Brenna Connor, Director & Industry Analyst for U.S. books sales for Circana. She has the goods: what is selling, what is trending, how retailers are doing, and much more. I...
View ArticleMy Reading Life
While I am out on vacation, I am bringing something out from the vault. I have done a couple of “Reading Life” episodes here on First Edition with Adam Limon and James McBride, and that format got...
View ArticleDemocracy…the Book
This episode is from our old podcast series Annotated, and it seemed fitting to bring it out of the archive this election season. In this episode: A woman with no prior political experience decides to...
View Article10 Burning Questions for the World of Books and Reading
An audio version of a post I wrote for Book Riot recently, The 10 Most Interesting Questions in the World of Books and Reading. Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. For...
View ArticleTracking Bestsellers, What You See (or Don’t) When You Read, and Growing Up...
Book Riot editor Danika Ellis joins Jeff to talk about how she tracks bestsellers for Book Riot, how growing up online was sort of great, and what we see (or don’t) when we read. Subscribe to First...
View ArticleWhat It Is Like To Break Into Agenting & The Black List
A couple of segments here ported over from The Book Riot Podcast. First, Brooke Nagler tells us what it’s like to break into the world of literary agenting. Then, Franklin Leonard and Randy Winston...
View ArticleThe Books Won’t Save Us
Book Riot’s Sharifah Williams joins Jeff to talk about her piece, “The Books Won’t Save Us.” Subscribe to First Edition via RSS, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. For episode extras, subscribe to the First...
View ArticleDedicated to Debuts: Adam Vitcavage of Debutiful
Jeff is joined by Adam Vitcavage of Debutiful to talk about covering debuts, new authors, and all that entails. Discussed in this episode: Debutiful (website) Debutiful (podcast)
View Article