“A platform with the largest, most engaged following in the world doesn’t necessarily covert into a book.”
How many of us dream of someday writing a book? For this week’s episode I sat down with Abigail Bergstrom, head of publishing at Gleam Titles,the forward-thinking literary division of digital-first talent agency Gleam Futures, to grill her all about the inside world of publishing, the future of books, and how online creatives can find a route into making those book dreams a reality.
Abi’s Instagram|Twitter Gleam Futures site |Gleam Titles site |Gleam Titles Twitter|Gleam Titles instagram
Things we talk about in this episode:
- HowGleam Titles and Abigail’s role as head of publishing came about
- The changing face of the publishing industry
- How essential an online audience is for a publishing deal
- Loyalty versus stats
- Why some digital-first creator books succeed or fail
- Self publishing vs traditional publishing, and why there’s still space for the latter
- Choosing an agent and/or publisher
- Upcoming trends and titles from London Book Fair
- Diversity in publishing and voices we still need to hear from
Links mentioned in this episode:
- Why Mummy Drinks*
- Unbound
- Wattpad
- Gleam Titles website
- OMGyes (potentially NSFW)
Books we mentioned in this episode*:
(The following links are all affiliate links – meaning if you buy via any of them, I receive a small commission at no extra cost to you)
- Why Mummy Drinks – Gill Simms
- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman
- All Grown Up – Jami Attenburg
- Everything I Know About Love – Dolly Alderton
- Conversations with Friends – Sally Rooney
- Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race – Reni Eddo-Lodge
- When breath becomes air – Paul Kalanithi
- All my friends are superheroes – Andrew Kaufman
- The Multi-hyphen method – Emma Gannon
- She must be mad – Charlie Cox
- Why social media is ruining your life – Katherine Ormerod
- Cordially invited – Zoe Suggs
