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Adventures in Publishing-land

Adventures in Publishing-land

By: STET Podcasts
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Podcasts unite as Marco Rinaldi and Tariq Ashkanani from Page One - The Writer's Podcast and Nadine Matheson from The Conversation get together to chat about the latest news from the publishing world and give their honest and irreverent takes on the stories!


New episodes every second Monday


Brought to you by STET Podcasts - your one-stop shop for all your writing podcast needs!

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Episodes
  • Are Libraries Killing Incomes? (Plus: AI Hits a Wall & The Guardian’s Readers’ Top 100)
    Jun 15 2026

    Watch as a full video episode on YouTube


    This week, we discuss why the publishing industry is pointing fingers at libraries for declining author incomes, but we wonder about the reasons they aren't talking about. Plus, have you heard of Elias Thorne? We talk about AI's repetition problem and why that may be good news for authors. And we revisit the thorny issue of book lists - after we criticised the Guardian's first 'Best 100 books', is their Readers' list any better?


    00:00 Intro

    01:14 Declining Author Income - Libraries to Blame?

    14:13 Thorne in the Machine - AI Running Out of Ideas?

    23:38 Guardian Top 100 - Readers vs Critics

    30:40 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory

    38.23 The Final Chapter - Horrifyingly Good


    Links:

    Authors Guild Looks at Why Author Incomes are in Decline

    Chatbots Keep Telling Stories about Lighthouse Keeper 'Elias Thorne'. We Might Know Why

    Wikipedia may have built the best AI writing detection guide

    The Guardian Readers top 100 novels of all time

    Pokémon Go data trained AI that could assist military drones in war zones


    Adventures in Publishing-land is brought to you by STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing podcast needs, featuring Page One - The Writer's Podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson and more! Find all our shows here!


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    48 mins
  • Nobel AI Scandal, Silicon Serpents & The Children's Literacy Crisis
    May 25 2026

    Watch as a full video episode on YouTube


    This week, we're expanding on our discussion from the last episode about the depressing HarperCollins report on children's reading habits. Author and teacher Cailean Steed joins us to break down the underlying data and explain exactly how hyper-fixating on rigid literacy metrics is actively destroying the sheer joy of reading for kids. Plus, we talk about - of course - AI, as we talk about the Commonwealth Short Story Prize winner scandal, and discuss Nobel Laureate Olga Tokarczuk response to the talk of AI involvement in her work. And we find time to talk about the Guardian's "Best books of all time" list - and make Tariq talk about football again.


    00:00 Intro

    01:08 Literacy vs Joy: Let Kids Enjoy Reading: Cailean Steed Interview

    22:15 Snake Oil Award - Prize-winning Pile On

    37:50 Tokarczuk Prize - An Ignoble Use of AI?

    44:02 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory

    52.26 The Final Chapter - Who are books lists for?


    Links:

    Literacy focus ‘actively undermining’ reading for pleasure, HarperCollins finds

    ‘Obvious markers of AI’: doubts raised over winner of short story prize

    Read The Serpent in the Grove and decide for yourself

    Olga Tokarczuk has responded to the controversy over her reputed use of AI

    The Guardian 100 Best Books of All Time


    Adventures in Publishing-land is brought to you by STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing podcast needs, featuring Page One - The Writer's Podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson and more!


    Follow us on Bluesky

    Follow us on Instagram


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show More Show Less
    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Literacy Lows, TikTok Highs, & the £100 Canceled Book
    May 4 2026

    Watch as a full video episode on YouTube


    On today's episode of Adventures in Publishing-land, we congratulate Tariq on not one but two new Longlistings, and struggle to understand a story about new research that suggests a heavy focus on literacy skills in schools is actively undermining the motivation to read for fun.


    Plus, the TikTok books charts have launched! What effect will they have on the industry? And as copies of Shy Girl sell for more than £100 on ebay, Tariq wonders if he should buy up as many copies as he can to fund his retirement (spoiler: he shouldn't!)


    00:00 Intro

    05:00 The Reading Paradox - Literacy Skills v Joy

    16:52 Top of the Toks - TikTok Book Charts Launch

    31:31 From Shy Girl to Prom Queen? Cancelled Book Sales Soar

    41:49 Stranger Than Fiction - Nadine's Idea Factory


    Links:

    Literacy focus 'actively undermining' reading for pleasure, HarperCollins finds

    TikTok releases first monthly BookTok Bestseller List

    Copies of Mia Ballard's Shy Girl listed online for over £100


    Adventures in Publishing-land is brought to you by STET Podcasts - the one stop shop for all your writing podcast needs, featuring Page One - The Writer's Podcast, The Conversation with Nadine Matheson and more!


    Follow us on Bluesky

    Follow us on Instagram

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
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