By Corinna Kloth
About the Podcast
This podcast focuses on the business end of the pen. What does that mean? It’s getting into the nitty-gritty of the business side of being a writer or publisher. We at Talking Book Publishing will bring in industry experts, Published authors, publishers, agents, and editors for conversations about what tools writers need to be as successful as they can on their publishing journey.
Kathleen Kaiser, a seasoned music journalist turned publicist, has a career that spans over 40 years across various industries. From her early days in rock and roll to her work in the digital revolution, she has been a marketing professional, a conference producer, and an advocate for the arts and literary communities. As president of the Writers & Publishers Network, Kathleen continues to contribute to the literary world through her podcast, “Talking Book Publishing,” which she co-hosts with poet Adanna Moriarty. In this interview, Kathleen shares insights into her multifaceted career and the vision behind her podcast.
Could you both tell us a little about yourselves?
K&A: Beginning as a music journalist turned publicist, Kathleen Kaiser has forged a career spanning 40+ years of involvement in the most exciting industries of her generation. From rock and roll in the late 60s and 70s to the digital/internet revolution of the late 80s, 90s, and 00s, she has been a marketing professional for Fortune 100 companies, small startups, and produced conferences/tradeshows worldwide.
In 1993, she opened Kathleen Kaiser & Associates, an emerging technology-marketing firm, which now focuses on working with the nonprofit arts and literary communities. She produced the 805 Writers Conference from 2011-2022 and is an advisor for the Women in Leadership Executive Program at the UC Santa Barbara PaCE. In addition, she sits on the IWOSC, Ojai Women’s Fund, and the Ojai Performing Arts Theater boards. Over her career, Kathleen published articles throughout the United States, Japan, the UK, and Italy. In addition, she has five published books, four on the music industry, one novel, and several plays.
Named Publicist of the Year in 2016 by the Book Publicists of Southern California for her contributions to the literary community, Kathleen maintains a small list of authors/clients that allow her to continue her volunteerism. She is president of the national literary nonprofit Writers & Publishers Network (WPN. In addition, she produces webinars for WPN and launched a podcast –Talking Book Publishing with Kathleen Kaiser – in March 2021, which she now co-hosts with poet Adanna Moriarty.
In her free time, she works on another historical novel and writes articles for regional and literary publications. Kathleen is a proud fourth-generation small businesswoman.
How did you get started with The Podcast?
K&A: I started blogging in 1998, which was early on, and I regret not continuing. When podcasts arrived, I thought it was time to step out. I’d interviewed people throughout my career and had a music news show on KROQ in LA during the late 1970s. And I had Adanna Moriarty to back me up technically. She started After Hours with the Producer, and we decided to jointly interview the guests a few years ago. She is my co-host.
How would you describe your podcast?
K&A: We talk with industry people—publishers, marketers, authors, editors, and more—about what is happening in the industry, what is going on with Amazon, and tips and tricks they have used to sell more books successfully. The business side of publishing is rarely addressed, and that is our focus. We are a conversational podcast combining the guests’ news and our takes.
What’s the most challenging and most satisfying part of running a podcast?
K&A: Oddly, it’s finding chatty guests who want to participate in a conversation, not dominate the hour or give three-word answers. I sometimes phone them in advance to make sure they can deliver. Most satisfying is receiving an email from a listener about how the show helped them decide to market their book, and it worked!
What’s one of your favorite episodes?
K&A: We had two back-to-back podcasts last fall that went off topic a bit but became even more informative: Dave Chesson from Kindlepreneur and the next podcast with Jay Hartman, publisher of Misti Media. Both went off on what they are experiencing with Amazon’s cuts to the KDP staffing, like 1400 people. There was lots of great info. Both were very high-energy.
What’s your uploading schedule, and what can we expect from talking book publishing in the upcoming months?
K&A: We release on the second and fourth Thursdays each month. We have a few authors lined up, and I’m always open to more inquiries. I want people who share information, not pitch products or services. There are more than enough of those types out there. I like to hear how someone figured out a way to get more reviews or how advertising helped sales—real experiences.
Where can listeners find talking book publishing?
K&A: We are on all major podcast sites or at TalkingBookPublishing.com. On that page we put up any handouts or links guests mention.
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