The Owl's Nest Podcast: Recent Episodes
Owl's Nest Publishers
Whether you're a writer, reader, or just interested in the publishing world, expect plenty of literary discussion and story-craft ramblings. And bonus literary guests, too!
This week on the episode, we are joined by artist Amy Grimes. Amy is the artist behind The Carver and the Queen by Emma C. Fox, published by Owl’s Nest Publishers in 2023. Karin and Beth Anne discuss telling stories through art, studying the classics, and much more in this fun episode.
Links + Resources
Amy’s website
Amy’s Instagram
Thanks as always to Wilder Adkins for our music
This week on the episode, we are joined by Wilder Adkins, the musician behind our intro and outro podcast and audiobook music. Wilder joins Karin and Beth Anne to discuss writing songs, writing novels, the creative process, and more.
Links + Resources:
Wilder's website
Listen to his music
Porchlight Arts
This week on the podcast, Karin and Beth Anne discuss love! Specifically love and romance in adolescent literature.
Let us know what you think about romance in middle grade and teen book; you can leave a comment on our Instagram or on the Spotify app.
Have a question? Ask us on the Spotify app, and your question may be answered in the next episode!
Links+Resouces:
Summer Book Club
Sign up for Book Club
Not Exactly Love
Peony Watercolor's Wish for Sun and Moon
Welcome back!
This week on the podcast, Beth Anne and Karin are joined by podcast producer Ally Castaldo. They discuss how the podcast started as well as the upcoming release of our highly anticipated audiobooks. Come in and listen!
Thanks as always to Wilder Adkins.
This week on the podcast, Beth Anne is joined by Lisa Varner, Owl's Nest Publisher's Book Club Resource Developer. They discuss all things Summer Book Club: what books we will read, what ages can join, what to expect, and more.
Links+Resources:
As Beth Anne mentioned, registration is required to participate. Registration will close about a week before each meeting. You can find out more information here and register here.
June books: Hertz Gets Fused and A Trick of Spades
July Books: Orion and the Starborn and Thread of Dreams
August Books:Peony Watercolor's Wish for Sun and Moon and Son of the Deep
Thank you as always to Wilder Adkins for our theme music
Welcome to Season 5 of the podcast! Beth Anne and Karin are excited to be back to discuss the second book in the Orion Rising series, ORION AND THE DOOR OF ECHOES by K.B. Hoyle.
Links+Resources:
Preorder ORION AND THE DOOR OF ECHOES
Catch up on the Orion Rising series
Thank you as always to Wilder Adkins for our show music
Welcome to today’s episode! Karin and Beth Anne are interviewing debut author J.L. Thaxton about her middle grade novel Fern of the Forest. Come in and listen as they discuss this new book, middle grade novels, and creating stories kids want to read.
Thank you to Wilder Adkins for our music.
Links+Resources
Purchase FERN OF THE FOREST
Follow Jamie on Instagram
Welcome back, Nestlings!
Today, Karin and Beth Anne discuss fiction as a way to process our world. When the world feels dark, lonely, and scary, how do we process what is going on around us?
As J.R.R. Tolkein writes in On Fairy Stories, “Why should a man be scorned, if, finding himself in prison, he tries to get out and go home? Or if, when he cannot do so, he thinks and talks about other topics than jailers and prison-walls? The world outside has not because less real because the prisoner cannot see it.”
Come in and listen!
Links+Resources
Subscribe to our Substack for book and publishing newsThank you to Wilder Adkins for our music.
Welcome back to another episode of the podcast. This week, Karin and Beth Anne discuss how to best support small independent publishers and authors. Listen to find out how best to support Owl's Nest Publishers and all our authors.
Links + Resources:
One way to request books from your library
Purchase books from Owl's Nest Publishers
Thank you as always to Wilder Adkins for the music
Welcome back to season 4 of the podcast! Today, Karin and Beth Anne discuss the different types of publishing. What should you expect from self publishing or small press publishing? What should you look out for when publishing your book? Come in and listen!
Thanks as always to Wilder Adkins for our theme music.
It's the end of another season, and today, Karin and Beth Anne discuss what they read this year, reading challenges, what books we published, and more. Come in and listen!
Links+Resources:
2024 books published by Owl's Nest Publishers:
Son of Bitter Glass by K.B. Hoyle
Thread of Dreams by Emily Barnett
A Trick of Spades by Tasha Kazanjian
Peony Watercolor's Wish for Sun and Moon by Robyn Field
Son of Gold and Sorrow by K.B. Hoyle
Little Women: Annotated for Teen and Middle Grade Readers edited by Stephanie Ebert
ICYMI: Owl's Nest Publishers' Reading Guides
Thanks as always to Wilder Adkins for our music.
This week on the podcast, Karin and Beth Anne are discussing publishing books written for boys. What books do young and adolescent boys tend to enjoy, and are these type books being published for boys today? Come in and listen!
And as always, we'd love to hear your feedback. Did you know you can leave a comment directly on Spotify? Or leave us a comment on Instagram. We love hearing from listeners!
Thank you to Wilder Adkins for the music.
This week on the podcast, Beth Anne interviews Karin about her newest book, Son of Gold and Sorrow. This is book three of the Fairy Tale Collection, following Son of the Deep and Son of Bitter Glass. Beth Anne and Karin talk about the future of the Fairy Tale Collection, classic fairy tales, and much more. Be sure to listen in!
Links+Resources:
Purchase Son of Gold and Sorrow
Reading Guide for Son of Gold and Sorrow
Thank you as always to Wilder Adkins
Welcome to Season 4 of Owl's Nest the Podcast! In today's episode, Karin and Beth Anne interview Anjanette Barr, a literary agent at Dunham Literary. They discuss the role of literary agents and how agents can help writers as well as the current social media conversation around the need for agents. Come in and listen!
Links + Resources:
You can follow Anjanette on Instagram or her website.
Thank you, as always, to Wilder Adkins for our music.
Welcome back to Owl's Nest the Podcast! This week, Karin and Beth Anne are talking through the most frequently asked questions we receive as a publishing house. This episode is for anyone interested in publishing with Owl's Nest Publishers or anyone who is curious about how publishing works.
If we didn't answer your question, we would love to hear from you! Ask a question on Instagram, email us, or leave a message on Spotify!
Links + Resources:
FAQ
Thank you as always to Wilder Adkins
This week on the podcast, Beth Anne interviews Stephanie Price. They talk about reviewing books on Instagram, how reviews help authors and readers alike, and their favorite types of books to read. Come in and listen!
Links + Resources:
Find Stephanie online on Instagram and on her website.
Thanks to Wilder Adkins for our show music.
This week on the podcast, Beth Anne interviews Karin about her book The Queen of Ebenezer. This book was a surprise release in early 2023, and we've never talked about it on the podcast... until now! Karin discusses how it came to be, its inspiration, and its reception. Come in and listen!
Links + Resources
Buy The Queen of Ebenezer
Thank you to Wilder Adkins for our music
WandaVision
Piranesi
A Monster Calls
Dante's Purgatory
Welcome back to the podcast. This week we have a special podcast guest, our very own Ash Schlax! Ash has been with Owl's Nest Publishers from the start designing book covers, editing poetry, and all things design.
Links+Resources:
Find Ash on Instagram, Society 6, and Etsy.
Thanks as always to Wilder Adkins for our music.
This week on the podcast, Karin and Beth Anne talk to Owl's Nest author Robyn Field. They discuss the writing and publishing process, the origin of this book, and why this book is such a great fit for Owl's Nest Publishers.
Robyn's debut middle grade novel with with Owl’s Nest Publishers, Peony Watercolor's Wish for Sun and Moon, comes out August 6. Links + Resources;
Preorder Peony Watercolor's Wish for Sun and Moon
Thank you to Wilder Adkins for our music
This week on the podcast, Karin and Beth Anne discuss the process of editing. What should authors expect when they submit their manuscripts to publishers? Should authors have their manuscripts professionally edited before submitting to a traditional publisher? We hope you find this episode both informative and encouraging in your querying journeys.
Links + Resources:
Our submissions page
Check out our partnerships
Thanks as always to Wilder Adkins
Welcome back, Nestlings! If you haven't heard, some changes are happening in the nest; Beth Anne joins Karin to discuss those changes as well as what to expect for the rest of 2024.
Thank you as always to Wilder Adkins for our music.
Links+Resources:
Pre-order here
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Welcome back to another episode where we take you behind the scenes of the publishing world. This week, Karin and Beth Anne discuss Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs). We discuss:
- The industry perspective of ARCs
- How to request ARCs
- The etiquette of ARCs
Thanks for joining us!
Links + Resources:
Partnerships page
Thanks as always to Wilder Adkins
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Welcome back and happy Summer! Join Karin and Beth Anne as they discuss Summer reading. Did you know we have our own Summer Reading challenge this Summer? Listen to find out more and check it out on our website.
Links + Resources:
Summer Reading Challenge
Thanks as always to Wilder Adkins
Check out our Partnerships!
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Welcome to season 3 of Owl's Nest the Podcast! We are thrilled to be back with an interview with our author Tasha Kazanjian about her book A TRICK OF SPADES. Listen in as Karin, Katie, and Tasha discuss the writing and publishing process of this fantasy novel.
Links+Resources:
You can purchase Tasha's book at our website, Bookshop.org, Amazon, or your favorite local bookstore.
Follow Tasha on Instagram or her website.
Thanks as always to Wilder Adkins for our music.
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It's the season two finale! Today, Karin and Katie are looking back at the first two years of Owl's Nest Publishers. What went well, what was hard, what surprised them, and what was not so surprising?
We will be taking a short break from podcasting, but you can always find us at our website, Instagram, or Facebook. We have an exciting year ahead of us in publishing, and we are glad you are here with us for the ride!
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Happy New Year, Nestlings!
We are looking forward to this upcoming publishing year, and we are starting off this new year with a new book from our very own K.B. Hoyle!
Join us in this episode as Karin and Katie discuss the upcoming Owl's Nest book SON OF BITTER GLASS, fairy tales, retellings, and more.
Links+Resources:
SON OF BITTER GLASS by K.B. Hoyle
Thank you as always to Wilder Adkins for our music.
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Welcome back, Nestlings!
On today's episode, Katie and Karin are discussing one of the behind the scenes aspects of publishing- money! Specifically, what does it take to run a publishing house or to self publish? How do books get produced and marketed?
Join us in this transparent discussion, and let us know if you have any burning questions we didn't answer this week!
This is our last episode of 2023, but we will be back in the beginning of 2024 with more publishing content. Let us know on Instagram or comment on Spotify what you'd like to hear from us in 2024!
Happy holidays!
Thanks as always to Wilder Adkins
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Welcome back, everyone! Today Karin is joined by Beth Anne to discuss what we do here at Owl’s Nest Publishers through the lens of the book series The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander. Have you read this series? There’s much we love about it and think it sets a gold standard for all we aim to do here at Owl’s Nest. Come in and listen!
Links + Resources:
Chroniclesof Prydain
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Welcome back, Nestlings! We’re back after a short hiatus totalk about book festivals.
Owl’s Nest Publishers was fortunate to be able to attend the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville, Tennessee at the end of October. Today, we discuss the good (and the bad) of attending book festivals.
Tell us where we should go next!
Links + Resources:
Give an Owl's Nest book as a gift for the holidays!
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This week on the podcast, Katie and Karin are discussing Owl's Nest Classics.
What is an Owl's Nest Classic? They are reprints of classic works that capture the imagination of teen and middle grade readers. These are not rewritten, revised, or abridged works, but classic stories presented in full along with introductions, text notes, and discussion questions that are specially crafted to speak to young readers.
Listen to hear why we are passionate about these annotated classics and our plans for future releases!
Links + Resources:
Pre-order A Christmas Carol
Anne of Green Gables
Thanks as always to Wilder Adkins for our music.
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We are thrilled today to have Carolyn Givens from Bandersnatch Books on the show with us today. Carrie is an author and cofounder of Bandersnatch Books, a publisher of treasures found off the beaten path, books that might otherwise be overlooked in the vast world of publishing. Karin and Carrie discuss all things independent publishing. Come in and listen!
Links + Resources:
Bandersnatch Books
You can find them on Instagram and Facebook.
The Red Door
The Balter of Ashton Harper
Bandersnatch submissions
Reminder that Owl’s Nest Publishers is currently open forsubmissions
Thank you to Wilder Adkins for our music
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Do you ever wonder why authors and independent publishers are often asking readers to rate and review their books? In this week's episode, Karin and Katie take us behind the scenes of why rating and review really do make a difference in a book's success.
Links + Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Leave a review on Storygraph
- Leave a review on Amazon
- Leave a review on Goodreads
- Speaking of reviews, we would love for you to rate our podcast or leave us a comment on Spotify or Instagram
- Thank you to Wilder Adkins for our music
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Welcome back, Nestlings! We are excited this week to introduce you to our author Devin Brown.
Devin is an English professor at Asbury University where he shares his love of reading through his classes in adolescent literature, creative writing, and the works of C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien. He has published over a dozen books. Devin and his wife, Sharon, live in Lexington, Kentucky. His debut Owl's Nest Publisher's book is a middle grade contemporary called Not Exactly Love.
Links + Resources:
Not Exactly Love is now available!
Rate and review Not Exactly Love
Thank you Wilder Adkins for our music.
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We're back! And we are ready to read your stories!
Join Karin and Katie as they discuss opening up submissions for the Fall: what we want and what we don't want. We are excited to see what all you have been working on this year. Submissions open September 1, 2023.
Links + Resources from this episode:
Submissions
FAQ
Thank you as always to Wilder Adkins for our music
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/owlsnestpublishers/message
Hello, Nestlings! We could not wait for you all to hear this fun interview we had with our author Suzanne Purvis, so we are dropping into your feed with this bonus episode. Suzanne Purvis is a transplanted Canadian living in the Deep South, where she traded “eh” for “y’all.” She’s an author of long, short, flash fiction, and poetry for both children and adults, often written with a touch of humor. Suzanne's debut with Owl's Nest Publishers is a Middle Grade novel in verse called HERTZ GETS FUSED.
In this episode, Katie and Suzanne discuss HERTZ as well as other novels in verse they have loved.
We hope this bonus episode ties you over until Owl's Nest the Podcast starts again this Fall; be sure to subscribe because you won't want to miss the great content we have lined up for you!
Links+Resources mentioned in this episode:
Suzanne Purvis
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
Shakespeare Bats Cleanup and Shakespeare Makes the Playoffs by Ron Koertge
The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary by Laura Shovan
Every Shiny Thing by Cordelia Jensen and Laurie Morrison
Amber and Clay and Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! by Laura Amy Schlitz
Love That Dog, Hate That Cat, Moo by Sharon Creech
Margarita Engle
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
Newbery List
Sharon Creech
Ellen Hopkins
Thank you as always to Wilder Adkins
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/owlsnestpublishers/message
In our last episode of season one, Karin and Katie discuss writing and editing books. If you have ever thought about writing a book or are curious about the process of writing and editing a book, this episode is for you!
Thank you all for listening to our podcast this season. We would love to stay in touch this Summer. Be sure to check out our website and our Instagram for announcements of our upcoming books!
Thank you as always to Wilder Adkins.
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/owlsnestpublishers/message
In this week's episode, we talk about how to help our children and teens become better writers, especially if they have a desire to one day be published.
Links + Resources mentioned in this episode:
Outschool
One Year Adventure Novel
Emerging Writers' Institute
SD Smith
Thanks to Wilder Adkins for our theme music.
Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/owlsnestpublishers/message
Welcome back to Owl's Nest the Podcast!
We are back from a short break with an exciting announcement: our newest book Hertz Gets Fused by Suzanne Purvis was released last week. Hertz Gets Fused is the first novel in verse we have published, so for today's episode we are discussing all things novels in verse with guest co-host, Owl's Nest Publishers's Marketing Director, Beth Anne Dunphy.
Links + Resources mentioned in this episode:
Purchase Hertz Gets Fused by Suzanne Purvis
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Love That Dog and Hate That Cat by Sharon Creech
Macy McMcmillan and the Rainbow Goddess by Shari Green
Wave by Diana Farid
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga
You Can Fly by Carole Boston Weatherford
Grasping Mysteries: Girls Who Loved Math by Jeannine Atkins
Joyful Noise by Charlotte Zolotow
Amber and Clay by Laura Amy Schlitz
Gone Fishing and Gone Campingby Tamera Will Wissinger
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This week on the podcast, Karin and Katie discuss why Owl's Nest Publishers publishes books for adolescents. Why is it important? Can kids and teens not just read adult books?
And we want to hear from you! Do you think books for adolescents are important? What do you want to see in books for kids and teens? Leave us a voicemail using the link below in the show notes-you could be featured in a future episode!
Thanks as always to Wilder Adkins for our theme music.
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“Truth, beauty, and goodness” - you may have heard us use this phrase a time or two (or more!). On today’s podcast, we are examining what makes a beautiful book. We’ll discuss literary fiction and commercial fiction, examples of beautiful writing, and why beautiful writing matters. Come in and listen!
Links + Resources mentioned in this episode:
Books mentioned:
Circe by Madeline Miller
Ann Patchett
Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
Owl’s Nest Books mentioned:
Hertz Gets Fused by Suzanne Purvis
The Queen of Ebenezer by K.B. Hoyle
Thank you to Wilder Adkins for our music!
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Are you an author searching for a publishing home for your book? Or are you curious about how books go from manuscript to published book? Thentune in to today’s episode. Karin and Katie are talking about querying books.
What is querying, how to query, and how to NOT query- this is a jammed packed episode just for you!
Links + Resources mentioned in this episode:
Manuscript Wishlish
Query Shark
Owl’s Nest FAQ
Thank you to Wilder Adkins for our music!
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Welcome back to your new favorite literary podcast!
If you’ve ever wondered what makes an Owl’s Nest book an Owl’s Nest book, this podcast is for you. We are going behind the scenes to discuss what we are looking for in a submission. Whether you’ve considered querying Owl’s Nest Publishers or are just curious what to expect from our books, there’s something in this episode for everyone.
Links + Resources from the episode:
Submissions
FAQ
Thanks to Wilder Adkins for our music.
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Welcome back, Nestlings! We are excited this week to introduce you to our author and poet, W. Scott.
W. Scott is an author, poet, performer, and creative spirit. He is the writer of three books of poetry in a series titled Bottled Messages. The second collection of poetry in that series, Notecards and Scrolls, reached #1 on both Amazon's “African Poetry” and “African and Middle Eastern Literature” categories. His debut collection of poetry with Owl's Nest Publishers, Muses from the Moon, was published last month and was #1 on Amazon in three categories: “African Poetry,” “Poetry for Teens and Young Adults,” and “Black and African American Poetry.”
In this episode, we talk about the inspiration for Muses from the Moon, how W. Scott's poetry fits in the rich tradition of black poetry and music, and why he thinks it is important for more young people to read and write poetry.
Links and Resources mentioned in this episode:
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf by Ntozake Shange
The Chaos of Longing by K.Y. Robinson
becoming by Renaada Williams
The Rime of the Ancient Marinerby Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Muses from the Moon by W. Scott
You can find more about W. Scott on our website, his website, or Instagram.
Thank you to Wilder Adkins for our music.
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Welcome back to the nest! This week, we are discussing middle grade books. What is middle grade, and why do we think middle grade books are important? Listen in as Katie and Karin discuss.
If you're a new listener, we encourage you to go back to our first episode to hear a little more about who we are and what we do. You can always find all things podcast on our website.
If you have any questions or comments, you can leave a voice message for us below! Your question could be featured in a future episode!
_____
Link + Resources from this Episode:
Middle Grade Books
Life Between Words- past Middle Grade March
Thank you to Wilder Adkins for our podcast music!
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Welcome to the debut episode of Owl’s Nest The Podcast where we discuss books, publishing, and writing for the adolescent imagination!
On this week’s episode, we talk about our decision to start a independent publishing company as well as our decision to use the teen label rather than the YA label. Listen in!
Links + Resources from this Episode:
Owl’s Nest Website
Meet Karin and Katie
Orion and the Starborn
FAQ
Find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter
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Welcome to a quick preview of Owl's Nest The Podcast. We're excited to launch this new podcast out of the nest on Monday, January 30!
We're excited for you to join us. Until then, fly on over to our website for all your book needs!
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