Owl's Nest the Podcast

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

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

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!

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.

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!

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

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: Chronicles of Prydain

Welcome back, Nestlings! We’re back after a short hiatus to talk 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!

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.

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

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.

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

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

This week, Karin and Beth Anne recap our wonderful year at Owl's Nest Publishers in 2025. From four new releases and two audiobooks to a season of book festivals, this was a big year for our team. We look forward to more books, audiobooks, and festivals in the year to come.Happy New Year, Nestlings! We'll see you in 2026.Links + Resources:⁠Songs of the Sun⁠⁠Fern of the Forest⁠⁠Orion and the Door of Echoes⁠⁠Twenty Timeless Poems: An Owl's Nest Anthology⁠⁠The Queen of Ebenezer audiobook⁠⁠Son of the Deep audiobook⁠Thank you as always to Wilder Adkins for our music.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Owl's Nest team! This week, author Devin Brown is on the podcast reading two of the poems included in his recently published Twenty Timeless Poems. Listen as Devin reads the poems and accompanying essays for a small taste of what can be found in this exciting new poetry anthology.Links + Resources:⁠Twenty Timeless Poems: An Owl's Nest Anthology⁠Thank you as always to Wilder Adkins for our music.

Welcome to another episode of Owl's Nest the Podcast. This week, Beth Anne and Karin are discussing the book trends; perhaps these are not the top trends you'll see on social media but the most requested books from real kids, teens, and parents at the various book festivals we have visited this year. We also discuss the types of books we are most interested in receiving on submission in 2026, so this is a must listen for authors interested in submitting to Owl's Nest Publishers! Links+Resources:All books can be found on Owl's Nest Publishers websiteK. B. Hoyle's dystopian series: The Breeder CycleThanks as always to Wilder Adkins for our theme music.

Have you ever wondered what it's like to work at a small book publisher or work at a book festival? On today's episode, come behind the scenes with podcast and audiobook producer Ally as the team travels to Decatur, Georgia to attend the Decatur Book Festival. What you'll hear is all the audio our team and our authors recorded on our weekend at the Decatur Book Festival. There's going to be behind the scenes clips, ambient festival noise, our team navigating traffic. And because this was Ally's first time working a book festival, you'll listen as she learns the art of promoting books, watches our team shine at what they're good at, and watches our authors connect with readers. Links+Resources:To find out more about Owl's Nest Publishers, check out our About Us page. The authors interviewed at the festival were K. B. Hoyle, Robyn Field, Emma C. Fox, and Tasha Kazanjian. Missed us at the festival but interested in supporting Owl's Nest Publishers? Choose a book today! Consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads or share on your own social media. Thank you as always to Wilder Adkins for our theme music.

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 + ResourcesAmy’s websiteAmy’s InstagramThanks 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 websiteListen to his music Porchlight Arts