This week we’re talking about all things freelancing. We share when, why & how we made the decision to go freelance, what our work entails, and if we ever see ourselves going back to a full-time job. We also answer YOUR questions about freelance life including how much experience you need, how to find clients, and how we structure our schedules and stay motivated. We also get into all the money stuff: from how to set and negotiate your rates, the good, the bad, and the ugly of payment timing, ho...
Aug 24, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep 234•Transcript available on Metacast We’re taking body diversity in books with Jennifer Weiner , the #1 New York Times bestselling author of nineteen books, including That Summer , Big Summer , Mrs. Everything , Good in Bed , and an essay collection, Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing . Jennifer talks about her journey to becoming a best-selling author, what motivated her to feature women with different body types in her books, and the process of getting a visibly plus-size woman on book covers. We also ask Jennife...
Aug 17, 2022•54 min•Ep 233•Transcript available on Metacast It's finally time for another Q&A! We answer some quick questions about how we found our voices as writers, advice for balancing creative projects and a day job, how we answer the question “so what do you do for work?” We also dive into lengthier questions about our favorite books of the year, the backlist books we love, the best & worst parts of hosting a podcast, and more! Our favorite books of the year Becca: Every Summer After by Carley Fortune , This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub , and Tomor...
Aug 10, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep 232•Transcript available on Metacast For the final episode of our series about how a book gets made, we’re talking all things marketing and publicity with Cristina Arreola, the senior marketing manager at Sourcebooks Landmark, and Ashley Winstead, the author of In My Dreams I Hold A Knife , Fool Me Once , and the forthcoming The Last Housewife . Cristina and Ashley answer our questions about at what point marketing gets involved in the publishing process, how publishers decide how much marketing support a book gets, what the author...
Aug 03, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep 232•Transcript available on Metacast It’s finally time to discuss our listener-picked Book Club selection: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus ! We talk about our general feelings about the book, how we reacted to the moments of sexism in the 1960s setting, our thoughts on the main character, and the differing perspectives of the three key women in the book. We also discuss how we felt about the ending and since this book already has a TV adaptation in the works, we talk about our casting thoughts and hear from listeners about th...
Jul 27, 2022•59 min•Ep 230•Transcript available on Metacast We’re BACK and continuing our series about how a book gets made! This week we’re chatting with Amanda Bergeron, an executive editor at Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House, and Carley Fortune, the author of Every Summer After . Amanda breaks down the acquisition & publication process from the editor's end, how many submissions she receives, and what leads her to choose a book to work on. Carley shares her writing process from conception to submission, how she felt when she got her initial...
Jul 20, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Ep 229•Transcript available on Metacast We’re so excited to start our summer series about how a book gets made! This week we’re talking all about book agents, from what they do to how authors find an agent in the first place. We brought on Taylor Haggerty, an agent at Root Literary representing commercial fiction for teens and adults, and Iman Hariri-Kia, writer and editor born and based in New York City whose debut novel A Hundred Others Girls will be published July 26th by Sourcebooks. We chat with Iman about her writing process for...
Jul 06, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep 228•Transcript available on Metacast It’s FINALLY time to talk about Cover Story by Susan Rigetti! Also, we recommend reading this book spoiler-free, so if you haven’t read it yet, read it then listen to this ep! This book was fun, juicy, and compulsively readable. We discuss our overall thoughts on the book, what we thought of the format, and of course, we have a much-needed discussion about the ending! Obsessions Becca: Fresh flowers - Peony season Olivia: The Deep End on Hulu My Friend Anna by Rachel DeLoache Williams Imposter S...
Jun 29, 2022•59 min•Ep 227•Transcript available on Metacast We’re already halfway through the year and it’s time for a 2022 goals check-in! Both Olivia and Becca share the personal and professional goals they set for this year, give an update on their progress, and discuss what they’ve learned along the way! Related to our convo: Check out the journal Olivia has been using here! Check out Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman Listen to Grace and Becca’s previous Goals episode here ! Obsessions Olivia: Supergoop Glowstick SPF...
Jun 22, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep 226•Transcript available on Metacast This week we’re discussing a topic we always get requests to cover, imposter syndrome! To help break things down, we brought on Dr. Lisa Orbé-Austin, a licensed psychologist, executive coach, organizational consultant, and speaker. She recently gave a Ted X Talk about The Imposter Syndrome Parado , and is the co-author of Own Your Greatness: Overcome Impostor Syndrome, Beat Self-Doubt, and Succeed in Life and the upcoming book, Your Unstoppable Greatness: Break Free From Imposter Syndrome, Culti...
Jun 15, 2022•1 hr•Ep 225•Transcript available on Metacast This week we’re (figuratively) ripping our skin off and talking about the books we’re writing! This is an appetizer to a series we’re planning to do this summer all about how a book gets made. We give a mini preview about what our books are about, and break down what our book writing process was like, from what made us finally start writing to what we wish we knew before we wrote our books. We also share the resources that helped us along our process and talk about what’s coming next for our boo...
Jun 08, 2022•1 hr 12 min•Ep 224•Transcript available on Metacast This week we’re helping you build your summer reading list with recommendations from some of our favorite bookstagrammers! They each share two books they recommend we read this summer and answer a pressing question: If you could have a meal with any book character at any chain restaurant, which character and restaurant would you choose? Sarah’s Picks: Unlikely Animals by Annie Hartnett (esp for fans of Nothing To See Here) The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger (Out July 5) Find Sarah at @sarahsbo...
Jun 01, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep 223•Transcript available on Metacast It's finally time to talk about Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman ! We loved this book and we’re so excited to talk about it. We share our feelings and respond to listener calls about the book, its characters, its two timelines, and if we think the book accurately reflects how Hollywood operates today. We also talk about the celebs we pictured as Gabe Parker, Olivia shares her celebrity interview stories, and we defend our celebrity crushes. Obsessions Becca: Pineapple Spindrift Olivia: Bir...
May 25, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep 222•Transcript available on Metacast This week we’re chatting with New York Times bestselling author and owner of Books are Magic , Emma Straub! She’s the author of five novels, including This Time Tomorrow , which came out on May 17. We ask her about her path to becoming an author, and chat about the process of writing This Time Tomorrow. And as the first bookseller on the podcast, we ask Emma about how Books are Magic came into her life and she shares the surprises that come with owning a bookstore! Find Emma at @emmastraub on IG...
May 18, 2022•1 hr•Ep 221•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’re together in person to talk about TRAVEL! Specifically, travel planning. We have travel on the brain, and thought you might, too. We discuss how we choose our destinations, how far in advance we plan our trips, if we like to plan ourselves or let someone else take over, the trips we have coming up, and MORE! Our Travel Must-Haves Olivia - AQUIS Rapid Dry Lisse Hair Wrap Towel Becca - Sleeping Eye Mask, Megababe Thigh Rescue Our Obsessions Becca - Hotel Lobby Spa Candle Olivia - S...
May 11, 2022•58 min•Ep 120•Transcript available on Metacast This week we welcome Phylicia Jones, Senior Director of Global People Development at PagerDuty, to answer all your work questions. She shares an overview of her career, what drew her to working in HR, and answers listener questions about cover letters, learning to be a great manager, navigating ambiguity at work, quitting when you feel a personal obligation to your boss, and more. Connect with Phylicia on Linkedin! Phylicia’s book recommendations Daring Greatly by Brene Brown Start with Why by S...
May 04, 2022•1 hr 10 min•Ep 219•Transcript available on Metacast Hi space nuts! It's time to discuss our April book club pick: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. This book is Olivia’s most-recommended read, and Becca (to her surprise) loved the book, too! In this week’s ep we discuss how we picture Rocky, if we’d ever go to space, and listen to your voicemails about your thoughts on the book. We also have a space food taste test live on the pod to fully get ourselves into the theme! Obsessions Olivia: Athleta Cabo Linen Wide Leg Pant Becca: Athleta Salutation St...
Apr 27, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep 218•Transcript available on Metacast Today, we’re continuing to get to know Olivia as she’s answering your questions! She answers questions including how she met her husband (and dog!), what she was like as a kid, her typical workday, her go-to airport snacks, her niche interests, her childhood celeb crush, and her favorite way to eat a potato. She also shares her book hot takes, her favorite past BOP book club pick, and a book from childhood that made her a lifelong reader. If you’re looking to get to know Becca a little more, che...
Apr 20, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep 217•Transcript available on Metacast This week we’re re-visiting a highly requested topic: our morning routines! We discuss the goals behind our morning routine, when we wake up (and when we have to be asleep to make that happen) what we do first thing in the morning, our at-home coffee order, breakfast, exercise, getting into work mode, and how our weekends look different. Obsessions Becca - Balance Bound Undated Daily Notepad Olivia - Song - My Ego Dies at The End by Jensen McRae and her album Are You Happy Now? (and you can find...
Apr 13, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep 216•Transcript available on Metacast Reporting live from our first one-on-one hangout ever, Olivia and Becca are together in person to kick off this new era of Bad On Paper! To start off this month of getting to know Olivia, we’ll be answering some of The 36 Questions that Lead to Love from the New York Times Modern Love column, in hopes that we fall a little in love and so does our audience! These questions have us discussing our dream dinner guests, if we’d want to be famous, our ‘perfect day’, health anxiety, what we have in com...
Apr 06, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep 215•Transcript available on Metacast It’s time to talk about our March book club pick: Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerso n. We absolutely LOVED this book. We discuss what grabbed us about this book, the themes of not understanding your parents as individuals vs. parents and identity, all the food in this book (including black cake!), our feelings on the ending, and more! We also say our podcast goodbyes to Grace! (IRL, we’re planning our Charleston reunion as we speak) Books this reminded us of The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett The...
Mar 30, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep 214•Transcript available on Metacast It's the last ‘Just Us’ episode with Grace, and we’re reflecting on our podcast memories throughout the years! We talk about Grace’s highs and lows of doing the podcast, what she’s learned about herself through the pod, and her advice for Olivia for taking over the pod! We also look back on our first few episodes, talk about the book we wish we recorded a book club about, and the obsessions she wants to double down on. Books Grace thinks are book club worthy! I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane...
Mar 23, 2022•59 min•Ep 213•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’re getting to know Becca’s new cohost (starting April 6) Olivia Muenter ! We talk to Olivia about her background, her initial thoughts when Becca approached her to be a co-host, what she’s most excited and nervous about joining the podcast, and topics she wants to discuss on the pod. We also discuss more book-ish things like Olivia’s novel-writing process, her reading tastes, her dream reading setup, and what books she can read over and over again. Listen to our previous episode wi...
Mar 16, 2022•56 min•Ep 212•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we’re doing a Q&A! We answer your questions about our favorite (and least favorite) Book Club Picks, future projects we’re excited about, getting motivated, how to get through a bad mood, what we’re watching right now, and more! Our favorite podcasts hosted by two best friends A Thing or Two Happier in Hollywood Girls Gotta Eat What we’re watching right now The Dropout Oscar Best Picture Nominees AFI 100 List Discovery of Witches Euphoria Bel-Air Bridgerton Season 2 (out March 25) Jul...
Mar 09, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep 211•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we got the chance to chat with Kate Spencer, co-host of Forever35 and author of the memoir The Dead Moms Club . We talk about her first novel In a New York Minute (which is a Grace approved romance BTW!) discuss her writing process, and she shares her advice for aspiring writers. We discuss how she got to where she is today, her desert island beauty picks, the books she’s loving right now, and of course, Wordle. You can find Kate at @katespencer on Instagram, @katespencerwrites on Tik...
Mar 02, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep 210•Transcript available on Metacast This week, it’s finally time to talk about Greenwich Park by Katherine Faulkner ! Grace loved this book, but Becca was… just meh! We discuss our differing opinions on the book, our mid-book theories, what we thought about the ending, and what kinds of thrillers we reach for. We also talk about Bone, Marry, Bury finally being out, Grace’s upcoming trips, and more! Obsessions: Grace: Tory Burch Resort + Swimsuits Becca: Inventing Anna What we read this week : Becca: The Unsinkable Greta James by J...
Feb 23, 2022•1 hr•Ep 209•Transcript available on Metacast We can’t believe we haven’t done this episode before, but today we’re sharing our favorite Amazon finds! To get a full list of our favorites, check out the show notes below or click this link ! We also talk about our IRL reunion in NYC, Becca’s bad mail day, and Grace breaking her Wordle streak. Our home finds Becca: Lazy susans ( for spices , for fridge ), Metal reusable straws , Chateau Spill wine spray Grace: Onion Chopper , Marble Ice Cream Bowls , Cabana Stripe Beach Towels Clothing/Beauty ...
Feb 16, 2022•59 min•Ep 208•Transcript available on Metacast So today we have some bittersweet news. In this episode, we talk about this big news, the future of the podcast, and our podcast highs from the last 4 years. ‘Just Us’ Episodes we loved Always Ask For More Money – Negotiating Your Salary, Getting A Promotion, and Setting Freelance Rates How We Read So Much + Hidden Gem Books (With Listener Recs!) FMK: Quarantine Edition Favorite Snacks, Chores That Give Us A Rush, and The Brighter Side of Quarantine. Listener Q&A: Big Life Decisions, Career Move...
Feb 09, 2022•1 hr•Ep 207•Transcript available on Metacast It’s time for our first guest of 2022! This week we’re speaking with Lindsay Silberman, blogger, and founder of Hotel Lobby Candle . We talk about her career path, when she got into blogging, how she started Hotel Lobby Candle, what it takes to even create a scent, her favorite travel destinations, and more! We also talk about reading nonfiction in the morning and dealing with injuries. You can find Lindsay at @lindsaysilb on Instagram, lindsaysilberman.com , and check out Hotel Lobby Candles at...
Feb 02, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Ep 206•Transcript available on Metacast This week our Book Club is BACK and we’re discussing Wish You Were Here by Jodi Picoult . This book deals with Covid-19, which you may or may not have the emotional capacity to read about right now. We totally understand if you could not join us for this book club. Wish You Were Here follows Diana, a type-a art specialist who has her entire life planned out. She has been planning her dream trip to the Galapagos with her surgeon boyfriend. In March 2020, on the eve of their trip, New York City is...
Jan 26, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Ep 205•Transcript available on Metacast 
