Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today's guest is Rachel Kramer Bussell, author of How to Write Erotica and editor of over 70 anthologies of erotica. Follow Rachel on Instagram @rachelkramerbussel and Twitter @raquelita. >>> Watch the full interview with Rachel on YouTube : https://youtu.be/b7jf092QHFg?si=4HaQegucDPuIS936 The Bleeders...
Dec 16, 2024•14 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today's guest is Zachary Zane, author of Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto . Follow Zachary on Instagram @zacharyzane_ and Twitter @ZacharyZane_. >>> Watch the full interview with Zach on YouTube : https://youtu.be/7_qeIcK1N7g?si=j7EN2zy3y6dnxCxa The Bleeders is hosted by Courtney Kocak. Follow her on Tw...
Dec 09, 2024•8 min•Season 1Ep. 43
Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today's guest is Eleanor C. Whitney, author of Promote Your Book , Riot Woman , and Quit Your Day Job . Follow Eleanor on Instagram and X/Twitter @killerfemme and check out her website eleanorcwhitney.com . The Bleeders is hosted by Courtney Kocak. Follow her on X/Twitter and Instagram @courtneykocak. For more,...
Dec 02, 2024•20 min•Season 1Ep. 42
Today’s guest is Lexi Kent-Monning, who details the five-year journey of revising and submitting her debut novel, The Burden of Joy , which found its home at the small press Rejection Letters. In this episode, Lexi shares how she rediscovered her love of writing at age 33 and took her writing career into her own hands without an MFA. She also explains how her manuscript evolved from memoir to autofiction, giving her more creative freedom, and discusses her DIY approach to book promotion. Follow ...
Sep 19, 2024•38 min•Season 1Ep. 41
This is Jon Small's second interview for The Bleeders podcast. In this episode, Jon delves into the creative process behind his debut book, Write About Now , which is based on his podcast and features inspiring origin stories from his guests. He shares the challenges of obtaining permissions, the decision to self-publish, and the common themes that emerged from these stories. Jon also discusses how this book marks the beginning of his new journey as an indie author and his goals for the future. ...
Aug 30, 2024•40 min•Season 1Ep. 40
This is four-time author Chloe Caldwell's second interview for The Bleeders podcast. In this episode, Chloe shares two submission stories — one a nightmare and one a dream — along with advice for other writers on submission. Follow Chloe on Instagram @chloeeeecaldwell and buy the re-release of her cult classic novella Women . If you missed Chloe's first interview, listen here. Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscri...
Jun 02, 2024•24 min•Season 1Ep. 39
The new year is upon us, which has got me thinking about my writing-related resolutions, and how to accomplish them. So today’s episode is all about writing practice — the daily grind of it, the unsexy truth about how we manifest our writing goals by showing up and allowing ourselves to get words on the page, however messy they might be at first. I'm bringing back last year's conversation with the perfect guest on this topic: Kellianne Benson, community manager and director of 750words.com. Foll...
Jan 02, 2024•35 min•Season 1Ep. 38
Today's guest is Chelsea Martin. I adore indie queens like Chelsea. She has been incredibly prolific thus far in her literary career, and I love her "just do it" approach to publishing. We talk about how to balance perfectionist tendencies with being productive and putting out a lot of work, how to deal with a shitty publisher, the joys of having a good agent, and more. Follow Chelsea on Instagram @chelsea_martin_. Order Chelsea's new novel Tell Me I'm an Artist and one of my favorite essay coll...
Oct 09, 2023•42 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Today's guest Chloe Caldwell has forged her own unique path in the literary scene, and it’s one that I really admire. In this throwback episode, she gives us the play by play for how she became the author of four books — Legs Get Led Astray , Women , I’ll Tell You in Person , and The Red Zone . We cover everything from cold queries to agents to small presses to trusting your vision. Follow Chloe on Instagram @chloeeeecaldwell. Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about...
Sep 25, 2023•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 36
Today’s guest is feminist noir crime writer Halley Sutton. She wrote the first draft of her debut novel, The Lady Upstairs , while getting her MFA at Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles. So we got into the pros and cons of MFAs for writers. And we also talk book #2 and how that's different since Halley’s currently in the home stretch with her second novel, The Hurricane Blonde . Halley shared how Pitch Wars helped her first book find its footing, how she turned a rejection letter into ...
Sep 11, 2023•38 min•Season 1Ep. 35
Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Elle Nash, Glasgow-based author of the novels Gag Reflex and Animals Eat Each Other and the short story collection Nudes . Follow Elle Nash on Instagram and Twitter @saderotica. Preorder Elle's new novel Deliver Me ! SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS . https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcast Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishi...
Aug 28, 2023•9 min•Season 5Ep. 34
Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Victoria Kielland, Norwegian author of My Men , which was translated to English by Damion Searls. Follow Victoria on Instagram @vkielland and find out more via Astra Publishing House's website . SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS . https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcast Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subs...
Aug 21, 2023•10 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Frances Badalamenti, author of I Don't Blame You and Salad Days . Follow Frances on Instagram @franbad and connect via her website francesbadalamenti.com . SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS . https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcast Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https...
Aug 14, 2023•9 min•Season 1Ep. 32
Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Jon Small, host of the Write About Now podcast, editor-at-large for Entrepreneur.com , and, in a past life, Glamour’s “Jake.” Follow Jon on Instagram @thejonsmall and Twitter @kidfinesse. SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS . https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcast Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe t...
Aug 07, 2023•10 min•Season 1Ep. 31
Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Laura Cathcart Robbins, author of Stash: My Life in Hiding . Follow Laura on Instagram @lauracathcartrobbins and Twitter @TheOnlyOnePodc1. SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS . https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcast Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.su...
Jul 31, 2023•6 min•Season 1Ep. 30
Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Antonia Crane, author of Spent . Follow Antonia on Instagram @antoniacrane and Twitter @antoniacrane. SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS . https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcast Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome The Bleeders is ho...
Jul 24, 2023•7 min•Season 1Ep. 29
Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Rachel Kramer Bussell, author of How to Write Erotica and editor of over 70 anthologies of erotica. Follow Rachel on Instagram @rachelkramerbussel and Twitter @raquelita. SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS . https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcast Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion S...
Jul 17, 2023•15 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Andrew Bomback, author Doctor and Long Days, Short Years: A Cultural History of Modern Parenting . Follow Andrew on Instagram @andrewbomback and Twitter @asbomback. SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS . https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcast Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substac...
Jul 10, 2023•9 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Samantha Mann, author of Putting Out: Essays on Otherness and editor of the anthology I Feel Love: Notes on Queer Joy . Follow Samantha on Instagram @samantha.mann05 and Twitter @Sdmann0502. SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS . https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcast Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscrib...
Jul 03, 2023•9 min•Season 1Ep. 26
Summer school is officially in session, Bleeders! Today's instructor is Zachary Zane, author of Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto . Follow Zachary on Instagram @zacharyzane_ and Twitter @ZacharyZane_. SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEW BLEEDERS YOUTUBE CHANNEL FOR FULL-LENGTH INTERVIEWS . https://www.youtube.com/@bleederspodcast Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a new podcast about book writing and publishing. Make sure you subscribe to the companion Substack : https://thebleeders.substack.com/w...
Jun 26, 2023•10 min•Season 1Ep. 25
Opportunities of the Week is the brilliant brainchild of our guest today, Sonia Weiser. It’s the type of newsletter that I’ve seen gets recommended a lot in the writing scene because it’s a compilation of all the current pitch calls available on social media. If you are trying to build up your bylines or find a home for some writing work on the internet, I highly recommend you subscribe. In today’s episode, Sonia shares why she started the newsletter and her big takeaways from running it. We als...
Jun 19, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Today’s guest is Carmen Rita Wong, and she has a doozy of a story — it’s memoir meets family mystery, and it’s so freaking good! In this episode, Carmen shares how her magnum opus finally came together after decades in the making, plus writing and publishing wisdom she's gleaned through publishing FIVE books. She also introduces us to the concept of flashbulb memories... There are so many gems in this episode, so grab a pen and some paper because you’re gonna want to take notes! Follow Carmen on...
Jun 08, 2023•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 23
I found Marina through a Twitter thread she wrote about querying, so today, I’m bringing you the first Work in Progress, with an emphasis on publishing. Marina shares how she landed her agent, her top querying tips, how her fantasy novel Beheaded is doing out on submission, the importance of protecting your mental health, and more in today’s episode. This episode is very apropos for me at the moment because I’m about to start querying my book proposal—I hope you get as much out of this as I did!...
Feb 14, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 22
I’m so excited to have Allie Rowbottom on the show today! Allie is the author of the memoir/family history/cultural commentary Jello Girls, which I love, and the new novel Aesthetica, which is incredibly zeitgeisty in its subject matter and has been getting rave reviews. Not only is Allie Rowbottom a super hot lit queen who can string together a hell of a sentence, but she’s also really nice and generous with information in this interview. She shares a top-secret tip for writing good fiction, ho...
Jan 11, 2023•1 hr 9 min•Season 1Ep. 21
The new year is upon us, which has got me thinking about my writing-related resolutions, and how to accomplish them. So today’s episode is all about writing practice — the daily grind of it, the unsexy truth about how we manifest our writing goals by showing up and allowing ourselves to get words on the page, however messy they might be at first. And we’re diving into this topic with the perfect guest: Kellianne Benson, community manager and director of 750words.com. Follow Kellianne on Twitter ...
Dec 26, 2022•41 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Alissa Wilkinson wrote her book Salty during the first year of the pandemic, which left its mark on both the process and the content. Alissa tells us about how "Salty: Lessons on Eating, Drinking, and Living from Revolutionary Women" and her first book came to be and a little bit about her current Joan Didion-related project. We also talked about how book writing fits in amid her daily journalism grind, her unique publishing path from academic to more traditional, and more in today’s episode. Fo...
Dec 12, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Today's guest is Matt Bell, who wrote his novel-writing craft book Refuse to Be Done between drafts of his latest novel Appleseed , and perhaps both books were the better for it. Matt has an exhausting yet enviably productive novel-writing process, and he's taking us to church today with this sermon and many others. He's a writer's writer and knows all about creating the best writing and publishing life for him, as we all should! Matt's process is truly inspiring—we'll get into that, his tips fo...
Nov 27, 2022•45 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Elle Griffin set out to query her gothic novel and, in the process, made some disappointing discoveries about the publishing industry that led her to serialize it on Substack. Today she's going to share her journey down this unconventional path that definitely has some upsides, like making $19K her first year on Substack and retaining the rights to her work. Elle also shares why Anne Lamott's shitty first draft advice does not work for her, what it's been like writing her second serialized novel...
Nov 07, 2022•28 min•Season 1Ep. 17
In today's episode, Write or Die Tribe founder Kailey Brennan DelloRusso explains what she's learned while writing her untitled novel-in-progress (which got its start during NaNoWriMo!). We discuss the benefits of having a writing accountability buddy, the thought (and plot)-provoking questions she gleaned from "The 90-Day Novel'' by Alan Watt, as well as the sublime Zen of "holding it loosely." Kailey shares her inspiration for Write or Die Tribe and how to get involved in the community. Plus, ...
Oct 27, 2022•29 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Bassey Ikpi’s “I’m Telling the Truth, but I’m Lying” is one of my all-time favorite books. She grew up thinking authors were magicians, but it turns out she knows how to cast the spell too! In this episode, Bassey shares how the book proposal was a totally different book but working on it amid a mental health crisis led her down a more authentic path. Bassey talks about having an emotional memory, emotional accuracy vs. chronological accuracy, how she found her agent, the importance of a good ed...
Oct 07, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 15
