Podcast RSS feeds have long been a part of Substack’s functionality, but not until this month has Substack taken such a major step in investing in podcast content. Its new podcast network, Booksmart Studios, will be led by two former public radio journalists and launch with five new podcasts, including one from John McWhorter and another from Bob Garfield (the latter recently fired from On the Media). Shows will be distributed widely, but only subscribers will get access to extra content. Read Sara Fischer at Axios.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
