#12: Startup Publisher Piatkus Books

#14: Mary Shelly Mother of Gothic Horror

In honor of All Hallows Eve (Halloween), learn about Mary Shelly, the mother of Frankenstein's monster.

#13: Robinson Crusoe

Robinson Crusoe was an instant bestseller in 1719, yet Daniel Defoe never became rich from it. Why not? In this episode, we look at how authors made (and failed to make) money in the early 18th century, and how printers like William Taylor profited far more than the writers themselves. Books Discussed Robinson Crusoe (1719) — Daniel Defoe The Farther Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1719) — Daniel Defoe Serious Reflections During the Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe (1720) — Daniel Defoe Journal of the Plague Year (1722) — Daniel Defoe Moll Flanders (1722) — Daniel Defoe Frankenstein (1818) — Mary Shelley The Martian (2014) — Andy Weir   People Referenced 00:16 - Daniel Defoe — Author of Robinson Crusoe, pamphleteer, journalist, and one of the early writers of the novel 00:55 - William Taylor — London printer and bookseller who published Robinson Crusoe 01:25 - Nathaniel Mist — Printer and publisher of Mist’s Weekly Journal, for whom Defoe worked while secretly reporting to the government 13:15 - Mary Shelley — Author of Frankenstein 15:30 - Charles Dickens — 19th-century novelist who published many works as serials 15:35 - Louisa May Alcott — Author of Little Women, also serialized before book publication 15:20 - Rose Wilder Lane — Daughter of Laura Ingalls Wilder, who targeted serialization markets in the 1930s 15:40 - Andy Weir — Author of The Martian, first published as a serialized story on his blog Episode Links Episode 11: Defoe, the Pillory, and Seditious Libel Episode 3: Laura Ingalls Wilder (part 1) Episode 4: Laura Ingalls Wilder (part 2)

#12: Startup Publisher Piatkus Books

Piatkus Books started as a small U.K. publisher focused on supplying books to libraries. Judy Piatkus founded her second publishing company in 1978, while still in her 20s. This episode tells the story of the company's founding and early days, up through its growth into fiction, international sales, and  £10M in revenue before selling in 2007, just ahead of the global financial crisis. People Discussed 00:00 | Judy Piatkus — Founder of Piatkus Books; author of Ahead of Her Time 06:42 | Edwin Buckhalter — Co-founder with Piatkus of Severn House (sold to him in 1978) 13:14 | V. C. Andrews — Bestselling Gothic/romance novelist 13:19 | Danielle Steel — Prolific romance novelist and perennial bestseller 16:51 | Mary Berry — British baking icon; author of multiple Piatkus cookbooks 19:25 | Nora Roberts — American author and perennial bestseller 19:25 | J. D. Robb — Nora Roberts’s pen name for the “In Death” series 14:33 | James Patterson — Thriller writer, covered in Episode 7 [https://probably-delete.transistor.fm/s1/7] and Episode 8 [https://probably-delete.transistor.fm/s1/8] Bibliography Ahead of Her Time (2021) by Judy Piatkus: https://www.amazon.com/Ahead-Her-Time-Judy-Piatkus/dp/1786785315 [https://www.amazon.com/Ahead-Her-Time-Judy-Piatkus/dp/1786785315] The Great Crash 1929 (Piatkus 2008 edition) by John Kenneth Galbraith: https://www.amazon.com/Great-Crash-Market-Plunged-Depression/dp/0749909870 [https://www.amazon.com/Great-Crash-Market-Plunged-Depression/dp/0749909870] “Marketing James Patterson” (2002) — Harvard Business School case by John Deighton:  https://hbsp.harvard.edu/product/505029-PDF-ENG Episodes Referenced Episode 9 [https://probably-delete.transistor.fm/s1/9] - Covering Ingram Book's start as the Tennessee Book Depository Episode 8 [https://probably-delete.transistor.fm/s1/8] - Covering James Patterson's Marketing on Along Came a Spider, including Patterson's view of book clubs.

#11: Publishing and Pillory (Daniel Defoe)

The author of Robinson Crusoe, started his professional life as the 1700s equivalent of a blogger and a hot-take merchant. Daniel Defoe’s satirical pamphlet The Shortest Way with the Dissenters landed him in the pillory. Listen to learn about the early career of the author of one of the great early English novels, why Queen Anne’s government treated political criticism as treason, and how a booming London led to a vibrant press despite political crackdowns.  Books/Works Discussed The True-Born Englishman (1701) by Daniel Defoe: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/30159/30159-h/30159-h.htm The Shortest Way with the Dissenters (1703) by Daniel Defoe: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?cc=ecco;idno=004844761.0001.000;node=004844761.0001.000:2;rgn=div1;view=text [https://www.amazon.com/Shortest-Way-Dissenters-Proposals-Establishment-Church/dp/1379768691] Robinson Crusoe (1719) by Daniel Defoe: https://www.amazon.com/Robinson-Crusoe-Wordsworth-Classics-Daniel/dp/1853260452 [https://www.amazon.com/Robinson-Crusoe-Wordsworth-Classics-Daniel/dp/1853260452] Daniel Defoe: His Life (1989) by Paula R. Backscheider: https://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Defoe-Paula-R-Backscheider/dp/0801845122 [https://www.amazon.com/Daniel-Defoe-Paula-R-Backscheider/dp/0801845122] People Referenced 00:48 | Daniel Defoe — Prolific English pamphleteer, satirist, and later author of Robinson Crusoe. 02:56 | John Baker — London printer who paid Defoe per 500-copy pamphlet run, giving the author an unusually high royalty share. 06:24 | Queen Anne — British monarch (1702-1714) whose ministers prosecuted Defoe for seditious libel. 12:44 | William III (William of Orange) — Took the English throne after the 1688 Glorious Revolution, shaping the political landscape Defoe inherited. 15:36 | Jonathan Swift — Tory-leaning contemporary satirist and author of Gulliver’s Travels.

#10: Expansion of Ingram Books - Part 2

This episode tells the story of how Ingram transformed from a regional schoolbook depository into the go‑to wholesaler for U.S. trade books. Learn about how Harry Hoffman and Ingram expanded the company's reach in books and prepared the way for Amazon and its business model.  Books Discussed The Family Business: How Ingram Transformed the World of Books (2021) by Keel Hunt https://www.amazon.com/Family-Business-Ingram-Transformed-World/dp/1682753124 [https://www.amazon.com/Family-Business-Ingram-Transformed-World/dp/1682753124] Big Fiction: How Conglomeration Changed the Publishing Industry (2023) by Dan Sinykin (Columbia University Press) https://cup.columbia.edu/book/big-fiction/9780231192958/ People Referenced 04:07 | Bronson Ingram — Ingram family leader who backed the book venture; introduced in Episode 9 [https://probably-delete.transistor.fm/s1/9]. 04:14 | Jack Stambaugh — Early partner in the Tennessee Book Depository; featured in Episode 9 [https://probably-delete.transistor.fm/s1/9]. 04:20 | Harry Hoffman — CEO who built Ingram’s trade wholesaling and spearheaded the microfiche program. 27:51 | Ben Thompson — Analyst and writer behind “Aggregation Theory” (Stratechery) 31:12 | Jeff Bezos — Founded Amazon in 1995; early operations benefited from proximity to Ingram’s Eugene, OR warehouse and deep title catalog.