BookSmarts Podcast

Recent Posts

September 22, 2026Episodes

Episode 69: Reader Communities & Discovery Trends with Booktrovert

Tarah Theoret is the Vice President, Community Growth & Engagement for NetGalley and Booktrovert. Bringing over two decades of publishing experience from major trade publishers—including HarperCollins and Penguin Young Readers […]
August 17, 2026Episodes

Episode 68: Publishing Workflows & Trends with Westchester Publishing Services

Tyler Carey has worked in publishing and technology for over 20 years, with a background including work at Wolters-Kluwer and Harris Connect. His roles have included account management, sales, marketing, […]
July 20, 2026Episodes

Episode 67: Merchandising Insights from Books-A-Million’s Kathy Gagliano

Kathy Gagliano is the Executive Vice President of Merchandising at Books-A-Million, America’s second-largest book retailer. Bringing a wealth of experience from major retailers like Parisian, Inc., Federated Department Stores, and […]
June 1, 2026Episodes

Episode 66: Technological Advancement at University Presses

For university presses of all sizes, technology adoption is a constant necessity—yet the process can feel daunting, confusing, and even disruptive. Jana Faust (University of Nebraska Press) and Rachel Lee […]
May 11, 2026Episodes

Episode 65: The Indie Voice: Advocacy and Community with IBPA’s Andrea Fleck-Nisbet

Andrea Fleck-Nisbet is Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), where she leads the largest nonprofit trade association serving independent publishers. With more than 20 years of […]
April 20, 2026Episodes

Episode 64: The Benefits of Independent Distribution with Joe Biel

Joe Biel is an independent publisher who draws origins, inspiration, and methods from punk rock to sell millions of books. He is the founder and CEO of Microcosm Publishing, a Publishers Weekly‘s fastest-growing […]
March 16, 2026Episodes

Episode 63: Nurturing Christian Publishers at ECPA with Jeff Crosby

Jeff Crosby is the president and CEO of ECPA, the trade association of Christian publishers and has worked in bookselling and publishing roles for more than four decades. He is […]
February 17, 2026Episodes

Episode 62: Publishers Without Borders Director Discusses London Book Fair

Prashant Pathak is the Co-Founder and Director of Publishers Without Borders, a global and non-commercial community supporting publishing professionals through collaboration and knowledge-sharing. With 20 years of experience across publishing, […]
January 20, 2026Episodes

Episode 61: The Role of Fixed-Layout EPUBs in Publishing with Ken Jones

Ken Jones is an experienced book publishing software expert. Before founding Circular Software, he served as the Technical Production Manager, software trainer, and automation developer at Penguin. Circular Software is […]
November 17, 2025Episodes

Episode 60: CoreSource & the Future of Book Distribution with Marit Vagstad

Marit Vagstad has worked in the book publishing industry for more than 20 years in marketing, sales, and product management roles. She currently is the Director of CoreSource, Ingram Content […]