Today’s episode is a Grant and Brooke exclusive. Join the co-hosts of Write-Minded as they share the books about writing that have most inspired them and why. They’ve chosen classics: Annie Lamott’s Bird by Bird and Annie Dillard’s The Writing Life; popular books by giants in their genres: On Writing, by Stephen King and The Art of Memoir, by Mary Karr; and a couple of their personal favorites: Booklife, by Jeff Vandermeer and The Art of Recklessness, by Dean Young. Tune in for an episode dedicated specifically to the power of books that support writing and the writing life. We’d love to hear from you what your own favorites are and why. Send a tweet to Grant and Brooke @grantfaulkner and @brooke_warner.

The idea of narrowing the scope of one’s readership can strike fear into the hearts of writers who fantasize about broad readerships, and their writing being for everyone. But there are amazing rewards that come with understanding your niche, and writing to a specific audience. Brooke and Grant speak with their guest Ryka Aoki about niche writing, micro and small presses, and discovering and carving out a path to a defined readership that’s both supportive and career-propelling.

Most authors dream of getting traditionally published, but in today’s publishing climate it’s becoming increasingly difficult for authors to get those deals. In today’s episode Brooke and Grant discuss traditional publishing, The Dream, and rejection. Meredith May, a journalist and sixth-generation beekeeper who has a brand-new memoir out, shares her long journey toward traditional publication—including the many drafts, writing the book proposal, and her eventual meeting of hearts and minds with her publisher. And don’t miss this episode for what you’ll learn from Meredith about bees.

Join Grant and Brooke as they revisit their New Year’s Resolutions (Grant is on track with posting to Medium once a week and Brooke did indeed finish her book, but otherwise anything else promised has long since been forgotten). This is a springboard to a conversation about series—because writing series is all about buckling down, big time! Best-selling author Darynda Jones, who’s just finished Book 13 in her popular Charley Davidson series and has a new series underway, is the perfect guest to talk about how to even approach a series, not to mention how rewarding—and challenging—they are to write.

In this week’s episode, Brooke and Grant tackle one of the problematic effects of building an author platform, which is what happens when you start to feel artistically limited, or creatively hemmed in. Many authors can feel like they’re supposed to be the “poster child” for the stories they want to share. Others experience success in a single genre and discover how difficult it is to try to make the leap into another. With her early success and having forged her way through poetry, memoir, and fiction, Leigh Stein, author and co-founder of BinderCon, is the perfect guest to unpack these topics and more.

In today’s episode, Brooke and Grant speak with YA author Lilliam Rivera about writing contemporary YA, the power of finding your own experience in literature, and why you might be drawn to writing the stories you wish had been available to you when you were young. YA as a genre is exploding, and Rivera discusses why she doesn’t hold back when it comes to what she’s willing to explore in fiction—race, family dynamics, violence, and more. Rivera’s drive and passion will inspire any writer who’s felt drawn to write to share a worldview that’s been historically underrepresented.

If you’re curious about—or maybe even terrified by—the idea of getting advance readers for your work-in-progress, you’ll want to hear from today’s guest Taran Matharu and listen to his success story. Taran shared his work on WattPad and garnered 3 million reads in less than six months. He shares his story on today’s episode, as well as lots of concrete tips for all you writers out there about how to gain more exposure for your work.

Whether you’re already an indie author, or thinking about becoming one, this week’s episode is chock-full of encouragement and concrete advice from Sarra Cannon, career author of 25 books. Hear what Sarra thinks are the pros and cons of self-publishing, find out why publishing DIY is so invigorating, and get some insight into the various paths to publishing available to today’s aspiring authors.

The business of book publishing is one of the most important, albeit less glamorous, parts of becoming an author. This week Brooke and Grant are in conversation with industry expert and veteran Jane Friedman as they cover innovation, publishing trends, the future of book publishing. Jane also offers concrete and sound advice for authors, and busts a few industry myths, too.