The Bleeders: about book writing & publishing

The Bleeders: about book writing & publishing

The Bleeders is a podcast (and support group!) about book writing and publishing. Transparent conversations with authors, agents, and people in the publishing industry about how to write and sell books. The title is a nod to the famous (potentially misattributed) Hemingway quote: “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” Sign up for The Bleeders companion Substack! https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome

Episodes

May 8, 2026 44 mins
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 publishing expert, author, and newsletter pioneer Jane Friedman, a 25+ year industry veteran and the author of The Business of Being a Writer. She talks candidly about how the publishing industry has transformed in the creator econo...
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    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 Antonia Crane, author, academic, and one of my all-time favorite memoirists. In this special episode, the tables are turned as Antonia interviews me about my debut memoir Girl Gone Wild, and we get into what it actually takes to wri...
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    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 Brooke Warner, publisher of She Writes Press, author of Write On, Sisters!, renowned former editor at Seal Press, and a 25-year publishing industry veteran. She talks candidly about how the industry has evolved, why traditional publ...
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    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 the tables are turned—host Courtney Kocak sits down with Trio House Press junior editor Lili Gourley to talk about her debut memoir Girl Gone Wild.

    Girl Gone Wild is a coming-of-age tale of ambition, delusion, drugs, sex, and misogyny... includ...
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    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 Courtney Maum—novelist, memoirist, and author of Before and After the Book Deal—and she talks candidly about the reality of a writing career, the myth of the breakout book, and why longevity matters more than literary hype.In this e...
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    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 Sari Botton, writer, editor, and publisher of the Substack hits Oldster and Memoir Land, joining The Bleeders to talk candidly about her unconventional path through publishing, why she ultimately chose ownership, longevity, and crea...
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    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 author and entrepreneur Ali Kriegsman, joining The Bleeders to talk candidly about her path through traditional publishing, burnout, rejection—and ultimately choosing to self-publish her debut novel "The Raise" on her own terms.

    In t...
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    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 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 @ch...
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    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 Margo Steines, author of ⁠Brutalities: A Love Story. In this episode, we discuss Margo's experience as a dominatrix, sex work then vs. now, the toxic societal pressures on women's bodies in the 90s and how that resulted in eating d...
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    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 Elle Nash, author of Animals Eat Each Other, Nudes, Gag Reflex, and Deliver Me. In this episode, Elle shares her experiences with the book publishing, including getting an agent, going on submission, receiving rejections, and ultima...
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    Mark as Played
    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

    In today's episode, host Courtney Kocak shares her experience attending a college reunion and how it's impacted her heading into the final revision of the manuscript for her debut memoir, GIRL GONE WILD, out March 2026 with Trio House Press! The tri...
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    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 Dedeker Winston, author of The Smart Girl’s Guide to Polyamory and co-author of Multiamory: Essential Tools for Modern Relationships. In this episode, Dedeker talks us through her publishing journey—from landing an agent to selling ...
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    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 Antonia Crane, author of Spent. Follow Antonia on Instagram @antoniacrane.

    The Bleeders is hosted by Courtney Kocak. Follow her on Instagram @courtneykocak and Bluesky @courtneykocak.bsky.social. For more, check out her website court...
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    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 Hannah Howard, author of the memoirs Feast and Plenty. In this episode, Hannah returns to the pod to share her insights on surviving the publishing rollercoaster, aka what it's like when you’re on submission and you get your happy e...
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    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 Sarah Fay, memoirist, writing coach, and Substack strategist. Her debut memoir, Pathological, chronicles her 25-year journey through the mental health system. In this episode, Sarah shares how she manifested her dream agent, her sur...
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    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 Greg Mania, author of the memoir Born to Be Public. In this episode, Greg shares his winding path to publication—from losing an agent, to finding the right publisher with the indie press Clash Books, to signing with a new agent, and...
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    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 Margaret Killjoy, a prolific author and podcaster whose latest book, The Sapling Cage, kicks off a fantasy trilogy featuring a trans protagonist. In this episode, Margaret joins us to talk about her evolving writing process, navigat...
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    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 comes all the way from Africa! Ghanaian author Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah has such a cool story about how she used her blog as a launch pad for publishing her first book, The Sex Lives of African Women. Nana shares the whole process, includ...
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    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 Deborah Derrickson Kossmann, author of Lost Found Kept: A Memoir. In this episode, we dive into the premise of Deborah's debut memoir, how she landed her publisher, and what she learned from working with a small press. Follow Debora...
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    Mark as Played
    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 Elle Nash, author of Animals Eat Each Other, Nudes, Gag Reflex, and Deliver Me. This episode is an interesting peek into Elle's creative process as we talk through her body of work, the North star of writing to your taste, developin...
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