I love a good writerly podcast. The Publishing Rodeo is a raw, gloves off, no holds barred look under the hood at the world of publishing. Two authors discuss how the industry works, the different pathways to it, and the elements that come together to make a book a best seller or a flash in the pan.

Sunyi and Scott are two authors who wrote their debuts in the same genre. They signed with the same publisher, but had very different outcomes with their novels – one became a hit and the other barely made a bleep. The Publishing Rodeo interrogates the differential treatment of authors and how that can impact success, the publishing ecosystem, self publishing versus traditional publishing, what ‘success’ looks like and the pitfalls to looks out for (of which there are many).

The podcast is like listening to a bunch of authors in a pub talking about the alchemy of the world of publishing and the injuries they sustained trying to navigate it. The first episode is called ‘Publishing is Nuts’, which is the conclusion you will probably come to after listening to this podcast series.

I love the authenticity of this show. And as an author who has dipped their toe into this world and backed away from publishing offers on the basis of concerns about contract terms, or because I didn’t think I could meet the publishers expectations (because I have a day job), the show is also quite validating. And it has a great title.

My take away is that writing is an activity that must be done foremost for oneself, and that you should never judge your worth by whether you manage to get a publishing contract. There is a significant element of luck and subjectivity at play once you send your words out into the world.

A full list of my favourite podcasts can be found here.