Print Run Podcast

Print Run is a podcast created and hosted by Laura Zats and Erik Hane. Its aim is simple: to have the conversations surrounding the book and writing industries that too often are glossed over by conventional wisdom, institutional optimism, and false seriousness. We’re book people, and we want to examine the questions that lie at the heart of that life: why do books, specifically, matter? In a digital world, what cultural ground does book publishing still occupy? Whether it’s trends in the queries from writers that hit our inboxes or the social ramifications of an industry that pays so little being based in Manhattan, we’re here for it. Probably to laugh at it and call it names, but here for it nonetheless. Print Run is the happy-hour conversation after a long day at a catalog launch; it’s the bottle of wine you drink most of on a Tuesday when the manuscripts are no good. We’re for writers, for publishers, for anyone who’s opened a book and wanted to know—really know—what goes into getting the damn thing made. Join us. We’ll talk about the worst sex scene we’ve ever read and wonder aloud about how millennials will affect the books of the future. We’ll figure out why Jonathan Franzen wants to replace your child with a penguin and whether or not that penguin will be buying hardcovers when he grows up.

Episodes

Episode 179—The Psychologisode

June 27, 2025 • 53 mins

This week, Laura got mad enough at Erik’s approach to his creative life that she’s devoting an episode to psychoanalyzing him and his writing practices. What could go wrong!

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Episode 178—The One About (Un)bound(less)

June 6, 2025 • 59 mins

In light of the recent revelations about Unbound/Boundless’s failure to pay their debts to their authors, we talked about what went wrong, what flawed publishing impulse these mistakes come from, and the importance of publishing companies not pursuing growth at all costs. We also yell a little bit about AI. Come unpack the horrors with us!

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Episode 177—The Jimmies, The Rock, The Tariffs

April 2, 2025 • 44 mins

This week…. Well folks there’s not much to say other than that we were pretty loose, given the general state of things in both publishing and beyond. We talk about MrBeast getting eight figures for a book, Dwayne The Rock Johnson being a True Crime Girlie, and the tariffs that promise to upend the publishing industry. Come hang out and blow off some steam with us.

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Episode 176—Co-ops as the Way Forward

March 19, 2025 • 35 mins

This week we look at the announcement of a fascinating new agreement between eight small publishers that revolves around sharing shipping costs as a way to discuss the concept of cooperation in our industry; what do co-op initiatives like this do for the survival of independent publishing–or agenting, or writing, or anything else outside the industry’s largest corporate structures? We talk about how cooperation actually exists in o...

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Episode 175—What We Owe Each Other

February 19, 2025 • 67 mins

In response to an excellent listener question, today we’re talking about how writers can approach asking potential agents about how they might handle specific aspects of their lives–whether that’s gender or sexual identity, disability, pregnancy or possible pregnancy, and much more–that could affect their publishing journey. We are in an age where all of us are growing increasingly vulnerable in different ways to what feels like a ...

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Episode 174—The Subgenre is YOU

February 6, 2025 • 52 mins

This week we use one of publishing’s favorite new portmanteaus–romantasy–to talk about the fluid nature of genre and subgenre, and discuss the ways in which these endless classifications can help bring new readers into a given category of book, as well as what drawbacks occur when we get more and more specific with our book taxonomy. We arrive at a key conclusion: the thing being categorized is not the book, but rather its readers....

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Episode 173—The Manuscript Wish List at the End of the World

January 23, 2025 • 49 mins

We don’t need to tell you that the world feels pretty dark right now. The question then becomes: as creatives, as publishing people, as writers, readers, agents, whatever–what are we looking for to get us through? This episode we talk about what we’re hoping to see from and get out of art and publishing this next stretch, when all feels lost but we’re forging ahead anyway. Join us while we look for the light in the dark!

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Episode 172—The End of the Social Media Marketing Era

January 16, 2025 • 48 mins

This week we talk about the functional death of social media as a promotional tool in the publishing industry. Now that we all agree that these platforms are actively corrosive to not only our body politic but literary culture specifically, where do we go next? What forms of cultural production might actually get people excited about books again, once we detach ourselves from the Slop Machines? We explore that vision and more. Join...

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Episode 171—Summer, Again

July 25, 2024 • 43 mins

It’s time for the annual Print Run Summer Check-In, where we list out all the ways we’re both keeping it together and losing our marbles. Summer is strange time in publishing, and it leads us to a conversation on deep work versus shallow, frenetic work, how we manage our interior creative selves in relation to the job, and the chaos that is sure to come this fall. Join us!

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Episode 170—A Culture of Mistrust

July 3, 2024 • 56 mins

On the heels of some recent discourse on the trust between querying writers and agents managing submission piles, we go long on the culture of trust–or lack thereof–that exists between these two parts of the publishing industry, why it occurs, and what could fix it. We talk about the nature of ideas and copyright, the structures of the modern literary agency, publishing culture, and much more. It’s a fun and fiery episode–hope you ...

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Episode 169—We’re Just a Bunch of Guys

March 19, 2024 • 48 mins

In light of yet another round of agent chaos over the weekend, we got together to talk about the information climate in publishing at large, the ways in which even well-intentioned agents can contribute to gatekeeping and access issues for writers. In an age when there are more agents, writers, and information about agents and writers than ever before, everyone could stand to examine whether they’re making publishing a less anxious...

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Episode 168—You Don’t Have To Sit There

February 29, 2024 • 44 mins

This week we get a little bit mad at the Forced Waiting that publishing imposes on all of us, and it builds to a call to arms: you–writers, agents, editors, whoever–don’t just have to wait quietly for progress to happen to you. No matter your situation in publishing, you can get out there and make something happen as a person with agency and the owner of your own career and path. We address the flipside too, of course: agents (incl...

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Episode 167—Dread, But Make It Fashion

January 24, 2024 • 53 mins

In our first episode of 2024, we take a look at the publishing landscape for the year ahead. We believe that there could be several culminating moments of rupture or change in the near future, in everything from AI’s implementation in the industry to how workers in publishing choose to respond to their own working conditions. We get a little rowdy and we have a good time–come join us!

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Episode 166—Give ‘Em What They’re Owed

October 4, 2023 • 56 mins

This week’s theme, across multiple topics, is that workers in publishing deserve to be paid and supported in all the ways required for them to live well and do their jobs to the best of their abilities. We start with a chat about the Half Price Books Union’s contract negotiations, and finish with a look at the recent survey data from AALA. Join us!

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Episode 165—Private Equity, AI, and the Techification of Publishing

August 16, 2023 • 48 mins

This week we use two recent stories–the acquisition of Simon & Schuster by the investment firm KKR and the proliferation of Artificial Intelligence usage in various book-related shenanigans–as a way of talking about something big and broad: publishing looking more and more like the tech world each day. Why might the Silicon Valley approach to business not work in publishing, and why do these recent trends alarm us for reasons big a...

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Episode 164—Level Drain

July 27, 2023 • 54 mins

In the wake of what feels like an endless round of layoffs, restructurings, consolidations, and any other corporate terms for “good people losing their jobs,” we talk about how this constant reshuffling affects the industry as a whole and specifically our jobs as agents. Spoiler alert: it’s not great! But we talk through it and let the feelings out, and do our best to express some solidarity along the way. Join us.

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Episode 163—The Annual Summer Vibe-isode

June 9, 2023 • 34 mins

We’ve had a lot of Serious Content lately and it’s a summer Friday, so come take a break with us while we chat about what we’ve got going on this summer, in terms of book stuff and otherwise. One of our more vibey episodes rather than a big heavy topic, so come hang out!

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Episode 162—Turning Over the Same Leaf

May 23, 2023 • 48 mins

This week in the wake of a LOT of agency shakeups, we asked an extremely basic question: what if the publishing world treated writers like they were professionals? This frame lets us talk about the discourse from the past few weeks, all which shares the common theme of “treating writers really poorly.” Come vent with us, come laugh with us, come imagine a better way of doing things with us.

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Episode 161—Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss

May 12, 2023 • 60 mins

This week we talk about everyone’s favorite publishing topic that never gives anyone anxiety: gatekeeping and access! We explore how agents can do better jobs of creating an equitable and open playing field for writers trying to break into publishing, even while inherently positioned as a “gate” between the writers and the publishers. The conversation gets to some other places too–we call conferences scams again (oops), we talk abo...

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Episode 160—What is Love

March 29, 2023 • 46 mins

We’ve heard it so many times in so many places: editors falling in love with books, agents loving manuscripts from the first page, deal announcements centered on how much every party involved LOVES the book and working with each other. To put it lightly, “love” as a publishing concept in acquisitions can be crazy-making to try to understand, anticipate, or even manufacture. This episode we talk through, in the realm of signing proj...

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Print Run Podcast

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Episode 179—The Psychologisode

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Episode 178—The One About (Un)bound(less)

Episode 177—The Jimmies, The Rock, The Tariffs

Episode 176—Co-ops as the Way Forward

Episode 175—What We Owe Each Other

Episode 174—The Subgenre is YOU

Episode 173—The Manuscript Wish List at the End of the World

Episode 172—The End of the Social Media Marketing Era

Episode 171—Summer, Again

Episode 170—A Culture of Mistrust

Episode 169—We’re Just a Bunch of Guys

Episode 168—You Don’t Have To Sit There

Episode 167—Dread, But Make It Fashion

Episode 166—Give ‘Em What They’re Owed

Episode 165—Private Equity, AI, and the Techification of Publishing

Episode 164—Level Drain

Episode 163—The Annual Summer Vibe-isode

Episode 162—Turning Over the Same Leaf

Episode 161—Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss

Episode 160—What is Love

Popular Podcasts

Episode 179—The Psychologisode

Episode 178—The One About (Un)bound(less)