Pub Crawl

In the wake of their conversation about plot and story, Dan and Ezra consider the question of character -- how important is character in fiction? And how do you go about creating memorable characters? Plus: a foray into the topic of marine mammals.

Does plot matter? Ezra is skeptical but Dan argues that plot absulutely does matter, and sketches out key elements of storytelling.

Dan and Ezra try to wrap their heads around AI detectors: How they work… and sometimes don’t work. The guys run some of their own prose through detectors, with surprising results. Links:Adobe: Three key AI detection techniqueshttps://www.adobe.com/acrobat/resources/how-do-ai-detectors-work.htmlJane Friedman: AI and Publishing: FAQ for Writershttps://janefriedman.com/ai-and-publishing-faq-for-writersoriginality.aigrammarly.comscribbr.com

Does there come a time when a writer is just too old to create? Is it time for Dan and Ezra to hang up their writer's berets and retire to the nearest wine bar? Links:Keith Sawyer's essay about creatity and agehttps://thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/is-creativity-a-young-persons-game/Psychologist Dean Keith Simonton's articel in Scientific American on "creative trajectories"https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-creativity-decline-with-age/"Crystallizec abilities" vs. "processing speed"https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4906299/

Dan and Ezra consider the truly unbelievable growth in the number of books published in 2025, and hypothesize that there is a single, highly prolific author is driving the increase. Then they turn to the question of Bisac codes, a tool for categorizing and organizing books by topic.Episode links:Publishers Weekly: Book Output Topped Four Million in 2025https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/publisher-news/article/99943-book-output-topped-4-million-in-2025.htmlMeg's Publishing Services: How Amazon Categories Work vs. Bisac Codeshttps://www.megspublishingservices.com/mpsblog/rr2ggpxj0ikoy5um0wzraqic24bm7kBook Industry Study Group: Listing of Bisac Codeshttps://www.bisg.org/complete-bisac-subject-headings-list

Dan and Ezra dig into the implications of Amazon’s new search algorithm, the euphonious “A10,” and then welcome Christopher Ward, who brought out his new graphic novel, “The Hottest Fires of Hell,” as a self-published work.Data about graphic novel readers:https://www.libraryjournal.com/story/graphic-novels-broaden-their-appeal-lj240909Amazon page for “The Hottest Fires of Hell”https://www.amazon.com/Hottest-Fires-Hell-Graphic-Resistance/dp/B0F4X8RSQ9Illustrator AM Case’s Instagram pagehttps://www.instagram.com/lilstarnerd/

Is writer's block a thing, really? Dan says yes. Ezra says hmmmmm-maaaaaybe, but probably not.

Ezra and Dan consider the concept (dream?) of bestseller-dom and what it might take to get there. Links:Links:Brook Warner’s essay on best sellersList of best-selling books - Wikipedia New York Times: This Year’s Surprise Hit NovelsNovelr: The New York Times Beatseller Lists ExplainedAbout those 12 copies…Ezra and Dan both got it wrong, at least a bit. That data comes from Kristen McLean, an analyst at Circana (formerly Bookscan).  Here's some background from data scientist Simon Willison. You can follow his links to related stories.

Dan and Ezra tackle the topic of reviews, and in particular, bad reviews. In the second half, they welcome novelist Peter Blauner, the author of "Picture in the Sand" and many other works. Should you write your first draft in longhand? Peter says yes! Random references to "The Great Gatsby" abound.Links:Peter Blauner's Website

Screenwriter and novelist Allison Burnett joins Pub Crawl to talk about his experiences in traditional publishing, self-publishing, and the movie business, not to mention long-ago stand-up routines as part of the Burnett-Greenberger comedy duo. Links:https://www.allisonburnett.com

Dan and Ezra discuss the relative merits of electronic books and the challenges in creating clean files that render well on different readers. Plus, Dan drops an F-bomb. E-book creation software links:Atticus - www.atticus.ioVellum - www.vellum.pub

Why bother to write a novel when the world seems to be shattering all around you? In the latest episode of Pub Crawl, Dan and Ezra consider the consolations of writing.

Sitting? Standing? Lying down? What's your preferred position for writing? As usual, Dan and Ezra see things a little differently, with plenty of literary trivia thrown in.

In this week's episode, Ezra and Dan discuss their books' Amazon landing pages and ways to make them more effective.

Hosts Dan Greenberger and Ezra Palmer wrestle with the question of whether, and how, to use AI when writing fiction.

Dan and Ezra dig into the question of how to get started with a book... and as usual don't see entirely eye to eye. Today's discussion includes topics as varied as the three-act structure, Saul Bellow, and psychedelic drugs.

Dan and Ezra debate the pros and cons of a frequently maligned medium. Dan likes audiobooks. Ezra, not so much. Plus: Werner Herzog imitations.Links: Edison Research: How Many People Listen to Audiobooks?https://www.edisonresearch.com/how-many-americans-listen-to-audiobooks/AAP Data for Digital Audiobook Sales in 2024https://goodereader.com/blog/business-news/us-ebook-revenue-increased-by-1-6-in-2024

Dan and Ezra share notes on their early advertising efforts on Facebook, Amazon and Reddit. The results? Meh.Links:Barbara Jane Probst: What Makes Readers Give an Unknown Author a Chance?https://janefriedman.com/give-unknown-author-chance/Reddit Ad Statistics 2025 from Marketing LTBhttps://marketingltb.com/blog/statistics/reddit-ads-statistics/Jannee' Butterfield: The Silent Bestseller: How Some Self-Publisherd Books Thrive Without Viral Marketinghttps://janefriedman.com/the-silent-bestseller-how-some-self-published-books-thrive-without-viral-marketing/

On today’s episode, Dan and Ezra discuss the challenges of finding the all-important first readers for your book — getting help from friends and relatives, investing in a fee-based review, tapping into ARC services like NetGalley to distribute free copies to influential readers, and engaging with the reading community on Goodreads.LinksGary Kroeger’s essay on attending the 40th SNL Anniversaryhttps://www.garyhasissues.com/2015/02/backstage-at-snls-40th/NetGalley’s reader profilehttps://insights.netgalley.com/2025-netgalley-com-community-update/Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) ServicesBookSirenshttps://booksirens.com/BookSprouthttps://booksprout.co/NetGalleyhttps://www.netgalley.com/NetGalley’s reader community profilehttps://insights.netgalley.com/2025-netgalley-com-community-update/

For Thanksgiving, Dan and Ezra give thanks for the help they got -- and really needed -- to get their books out into the world.

Dan and Ezra dig into the process of creating eye-catching covers, and argue over whether covers make any difference. 2:34 A surprisingly generous gesture nets Dan the cover image of his dreams. 11:26 Why Amazon declined to allow Ezra to advertise his book. 15:21 What is the secret to making an iconic book cover? 30:05 Thinking about colors and fonts.

A look at the state of the self-publishing industry and book publishing at large, and the enormous challenges micropublishers face when seeking to build audiences. Dan offers some inspiration and Ezra shares a cautionary tale of a phantom fan.