Publishing Disrupted
Exploring the ways in which book publishing is changing and how writers can best meet the challenge. A conversation between two publishing veterans and friends, editor Mick Silva and publisher and literary agent David Morris.
MickSilva.com / DavidRMorris.me
Episodes
25 episodes
Writing the Story that Chose You
In this episode, David and I talked about the difference between writing books that seem important or interesting, and writing the stories that you didn't choose, but must be told. That's a massive difference, and it's not often talked about en...
Our Takeaways from the Festival of Faith and Writing, 2026
David and I discussed our impressions of the FFW writers conference this year where we had many conversations at the Lake Drive Books table about some of our favorite topics--and books.For some reason, none of the big 5 Christian publish...
The Art of the Almost Said: Talking with Writer, Editor, & Poet Bob Hudson
We're joined in the library studio by our friend and publishing colleague Robert Hudson to talk about his boutique chapbook publishing and the soul of the indie press. Much has been made (and is still being made) about mainstream pu...
Can We Forget Platform, Please? Calling All Pathfinders and Waymakers, with Ivy Zeller
David and Mick are joined by fellow book editor and Hyponymous literary agent Ivy Zeller to discuss her refreshing response to the disrupted publishing landscape. What can we learn from zine culture? How specific can we get with aud...
Embracing New Cultures, New Languages, & the New Ember Conference
Extending our theme of how to find new gatherings and community (when the old ones are no longer serving), Publisher David shares his recent experiences with a local German club, and at the progressive-Christian Ember Conference in Oakland, CA....
Connections, Creativity, and Chicken Scratch, with PW Religion Writer Ann Byle
In this conversation with long-time journalist, author, and writing coach Ann Byle, she provided us with some industry analysis, career advice, and some opinionated takes on relevant themes, particularly getting creative in modern Christian pub...
Where We're Coming From: Our Faith Disruptions
As snow falls outside the window in Grand Rapids we decided it was finally time to share how our personal faith journeys have been disrupted and how that's affected our deep engagement with the material we edit, represent, and publish.As...
Craft, Community, and Reinvention: An Interview with Author and Coach Jeff Elkins
So glad to have author and writing coach Jeff Elkins on Publishing Disrupted!What do you do when the education or job you worked so hard for no longer fits the life you’re living?In this episode of Publishing Disrupted, M...
Year-End Wrap-Up, New Year Plans, and Our Favorite Books
What are we doing, where are we going, and will they have snacks there? David and I talked some about our aims for this podcast, and how we (still) don't want to try to boil things down to five takeaways, or share advice much. Mainly, we love e...
Breaking Out of the %*$# Box
Warning! One unnamed host (who knows who he is) used some choice phrasing that may strip the grease stains out of your earbuds. Our genteel, refined listeners and sensitive types are advised to find a different episode.That said, this on...
Author Marla Taviano on How to Build a Career on Frog and Toad Art, Five Years of Daily Posts, and the Spirit of Abundance
Author and poet Marla Taviano knows what it's like when publishing chews you up and spits you out. After four Christian books went out of print despite editors calling her writing "brilliant," she reinvented herself through indie publishing, da...
A Better Publishing Model? Why Higher Royalties Matter More Than Advances
Publishing has been disrupted. There’s now a better way for the vast majority of authors. In this episode, David and I get into the biggest problems with traditional publishing: consolidatation, huge overhead, low royalties, and unearned advanc...
Highbrow and Lowbrow: Why Book Categories Don't Serve Avid Readers
For too long, publishing professionals, ourselves included, have been chasing the largest possible audiences. But in this episode we tried to take our experience and apply some finer lenses to focus on the far-more diverse independent market.&n...
Ink, Root, and Liberation: Rohadi Nagassar on the Power of Collective Creativity
In this, yet another episode of disruption from the bottom up, co-hosts Mick Silva and David Morris talk with author, creator, minister, and new literary agent Rohadi Nagassar about the shifting landscape of publishing and ...
What (Really) Makes a Great Author Great?
Sit down and listen in as I ask David Morris, publisher and literary agent, what really makes great authors great. Beyond the usual list of necessary qualities like being a good writer with a great concept and a reasonably sized platform, what ...
The Joy of Discovery
Join the disruption discussion as we welcome two self-employed publishing colleagues to the show, agent Tom Dean, and ghostwriter/editor Andy Rogers. Some highlights of our conversation about why we love what we do: ...
What Does a "Bestselling Book" Mean Anymore?
In the shifting landscape of book publishing today, how helpful is the "bestselling book" stamp of approval? As authors face increasingly challenging obstacles to recognition (and sales), is bestseller status a shortcut to fame and fortune? Or ...
Why Reading Is Fun (and Sexy)
In this wide-ranging conversation, Mick and David dive into their personal reading habits as men, as book-lovers, and as supporters of great independent publishing. They explore their current reads—from Austrian history and Michigan ghost ships...
The Mainstream Is Dead. Long Live Unique Tribes!
The publishing industry isn’t just changing—it’s completely fragmenting. In our latest episode, we talked about why two former Christian publishing professionals (Mick Silva and David Morris), have shifted so strongly toward a new model of auth...
More Than a Book Deal: Cara Meredith on Faithful Writing in a Changing Industry
In this episode of Publishing Disrupted, co-hosts Mick Silva and David Morris sit down with their first-ever guest, author Cara Meredith, for an honest and layered conversation about life as a working writer naviga...
How to Develop Your Authentic Voice and Give Readers What They Want
In this fifth episode, we get into another fundamental shift in the publishing world: book development. The old playbook of “authority from on high” is dead. Long live the authentic voice!There's the three elements of book proposals: pla...
Author Marketing Should Be Disruptive (or at least not suck)
Everyone knows the worst part about selling books is the selling part. That darned author-marketing! So in this episode, we break down a recent post by popular author-marketing guru, Dan Blank, and discuss the difference between being "intentio...
Navigating the New Publishing Maze
"Do I need an editor?" "Is my book any good?" "Do I need an agent?" These have been the common questions of hopeful writers for generations. But these days, looking to navigate the ever-shifting landscape of publishing is far more complex. In t...
Do Big Profit-Driven Publishers Produce a Positive Predicament?
Even our AI assistant had trouble titling this one! But in this second episode, Mick and David picked up their discussion of the major factors disrupting modern publishing, hitting some highlights: Big mergers and their impact ...