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Read the Acknowledgments: Daily Summaries Delivered
by The Black List
The Black List's Randy Winston hosts the live visual podcast Read the Acknowledgments. The podcast is designed for book and writing professionals to share their industry experiences and help give writers a clear picture of the ecosystem that is publishing. The series exists in part to fundraise for writers and literary nonprofits in need. Read the Acknowledgments is a subsidiary of The Black List, LLC.
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The most recent episodes — sign up to get AI-powered summaries of each one.
- 3 weeks ago1h 12m
Laura McGrath & Alia Hanna Habib on Debut Book Data and the Role of the Book Agent
Author and Temple University Assistant Professor of English Laura McGrath and Alia Hanna Habib, Vice President and Literary Agent at The Gernert Company join Randy to discuss what debut book sales say about the ever-changing landscape of book publishing, the agent-writer-editor relationship, and query letters.Subscribe to the podcast via Apple, Spotify, and Substack.Highlights include building an audience beyond social media, the volume of queries agents receive, books to buy right now, and much more.
- Jan 21, 20261h 7m
Porscha Burke & Yahdon Israel on the Work of Being An Editor
Storehouse Voices' Associate Publisher Porscha Burke and Yahdon Israel, Senior Editor at Simon & Schuster join Randy to discuss the how books are acquired, the author-editor relationship, how books are sold, and the acquisition to publication timeline.Subscribe to the podcast via Substack and Spotify.Highlights include how editors rest, books editors read for leisure, the power of stories and much more.
- Jan 15, 20261h 12m
Parul Bavishi & Matt Trinetti of the London Writers’ Salon
Founders Matt Trinetti and Parul Bavishi are on a mission to build the world’s most encouraging and engaging writing community, and help every human to realize their creative potential through writing; they discuss how with Randy Winston.Subscribe to the podcast via Substack and Spotify.Highlights include how to support a growing community, How the London Writers' Salon works, writing advice for writers, and much more.Books mentioned in the episode: COSTANZA by Rachel BlackmoreASK ME HOW IT WORKS by Deepa PaulTHE NOTORIOUS VIRTUES by Alwyn HamiltonTHE GOLDEN HOUR by Kate Lord Brown
- Dec 15, 20251h 11m
Nicole Dennis-Benn and Leslie Shipman on the author-speaking agent relationship
Award-winning novelist Nicole Dennis-Benn and Leslie Shipman, Founder of The Shipman Agency, join Randy to discuss the author-speaking agent relationship, how The Shipman Agency works, professional boundaries, and the importance of a strong writing community.Subscribe to the podcast via Substack and Spotify.Highlights include the difference between a book agent and a speaking agent, what an author learns from book one to book three, negotiating terms and much more.Books mentioned in the episode:
- Aug 27, 20251h 9m
Ashley Garland and Glory Anne Plata on the value of book publicists
Riverhead Books' Publicity Director Ashley Garland and Assistant Director of Publicity Glory Anne Plata join Randy to discuss the author-publicist relationship, book tours, the role of a publicist, and the importance of author websites.Subscribe to the podcast via Spotify and Substack.Highlights include book jacket decision-makers, keys to publicity campaigns, the never-ending book publicity cycle and much more.Books mentioned in the episode:Mỹ Documents by Kevin NguyenAudition by Katie Kitamura
- Aug 11, 20251h 13m
Zakiya Dalila Harris and Sincere Brooks on voice in writing, finding inspiration, and advocating for emerging writers
Best selling author Zakiya Dalila Harris and writing professor Sincere Brooks join Randy to discuss advocating for writers, writing pain points, and book-adjacent writing inspiration. Subscribe to the podcast via Spotify and Substack.Highlights include how to protect your craft, writing scenes, empathy in story and much more. Books mentioned in the episode:THE OTHER BLACK GIRL by Zakiya Dalila Harris
- Aug 6, 20251h 12m
Episode 12: Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, Maura Cheeks, Josefine Kals on the importance of craft, community, and knowing the publishing business
Best selling and critically acclaimed authors Maura Cheeks and Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, and Summit Books Associate Publisher Josefine Kals join Randy, live at Liz's Book Bar in Brooklyn, NY to discuss the importance of craft, relationships in and outside of the book world, and how to navigate the business of publishing.Subscribe to the podcast via Spotify and Substack.Highlights include the value of indie booksellers and librarians, book advances, publicity strategies and much more. Books mentioned in the episode:FRIDAY BLACK by Nana Kwame Adjei-BrenyahCHAIN GANG ALL-STARS by Nana Kwame Adjei-BrenyahACTS OF FORGIVENESS by Maura Cheeks
- Apr 22, 20251h 1m
Episode 11: Spotify's Casey Acierno, Henna Silvennoinen, and JED’s Courtney Knowles discuss the Spotify x JED Impact Award
Spotify’s Henna Silvennoinen, Casey Acierno, & JED’s Courtney Knowles join Randy to discuss how fiction writers can participate in the Spotify x JED Impact Award: A Mental Health in Fiction initiative. Spotify x JED Impact Award Submission PageSpotify’s Mental Health Resource Hub for WritersSubscribe to the podcast via Spotify and Substack.Highlights include what makes an unpublished manuscript eligible, how many projects will be selected for $50K in grants, helpful mental health resources for writers, mental health misconceptions, Spotify and JED’s history of work in the mental health space, and much more. News on this initiativeVarietySpotify For The RecordJED: News and Views
About Read the Acknowledgments
The Black List's Randy Winston hosts the live visual podcast Read the Acknowledgments. The podcast is designed for book and writing professionals to share their industry experiences and help give writers a clear picture of the ecosystem that is publishing. The series exists in part to fundraise for writers and literary nonprofits in need. Read the Acknowledgments is a subsidiary of The Black List, LLC.
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