Alison Barrow, PR Director at Transworld, joins me again to lift the lid on what's really happening in publishing right now — from late-night manuscript reads and "beauty contest" pitches for new books, to why the Christmas run-up is the busiest time of the year for gifting, self-purchase, and special editions. We talk about how author expectations around social media have changed, why debut authors are usually held back for spring rather than launched into the autumn scrum, and Alison gives us a look inside her own experience of seeing a book cover for the first time — as the author.

Plus, it's the first Friday of October, which means the launch of our October Book Club! We're reading The One You Least Suspect by Brian McGilloway over the course of the month, 93 pages a week. I run through my seven pre-reading questions about the book — my expectations for pace, twists, and what I think I'll come away feeling — and I'd love to hear your answers too. Join in and come back each Friday in October as we discuss a quarter of the book at a time.

Book club pick:

The One You Least Suspect, Brian McGilloway

This episode is available as video on Apple Podcasts — watch it here.

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Quick Book Reviews: author interviews and book reviews with no spoilers.

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