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Read the Acknowledgments: Daily Summaries Delivered
by The Black List
The Black List's Randy Winston hosts the live visual podcast Read the Acknowledgments. The podcast is designed for book and writing professionals to share their industry experiences and help give writers a clear picture of the ecosystem that is publishing. The series exists in part to fundraise for writers and literary nonprofits in need. We encourage viewers and listeners to make donations to writer support funds such as the Authors League Fund, Hedgebrook, Baldwin for the Arts, and Lampblack's Direct Aid Fund.
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- 3 days ago51 min
Ruth Dickey & Rob Arnold on Creative Writing, Nonprofits, and Supporting Books Today
Executive Director of the National Book Foundation and author Ruth Dickey and Rob Arnold, essayist, poet, and Executive Director of Poets House, join Randy to discuss the National Book Foundation and its annual awards ceremony and benefit, Poets House, deciding on the next book to read, and writers as leaders.Subscribe to the podcast via Apple, Spotify, and Substack.Highlights include why book award lists matter, executive role misconceptions, writing while supporting writers, the importance of book readers, and much more.
- Aug 20, 20261h 5m
Jade Song & Ling Ling Huang on Belonging, Agent Questions, and Life Before Books
Author, filmmaker, and artist Jade Song and Ling Ling Huang, author and Grammy award-winning violinist, join Randy to discuss the origin story of I LOVE YOU DON'T DIE, the beginnings of IMMACULATE CONCEPTIONS, writers finding agents, and the collaborative nature of book publishing.Subscribe to the podcast via Apple, Spotify, and Substack.Highlights include why Jade and Ling Ling write, various elements of the writing process, writing a screenplay v writing a novel, and much more.
- Aug 6, 202615 min
RTA's Inside the Program: Nancy Trypuc on the new Evil Twin Manuscript Initiative
Zando Project's Publishing Director and Deputy Director of Marketing, Nancy Trypuc joins Randy to discuss The Black List's new fiction initiative with Evil Twin. The Evil Twin Manuscript Initiative is a new partnership created to identify an unpublished or self-published horror novel to enter into a $25,000 publishing deal with Zando imprint Evil Twin. Deadline is November 20, 2026.Subscribe to the podcast via Apple, Spotify, and Substack.Highlights include tips for writers interested in participating in the new fiction program, upcoming titles from Evil Twin, industry thoughts for emerging writers and published authors, and much more.
- Jul 13, 20261h 7m
Adam Vitcavage & Emma Copley Eisenberg on her new novel FAT SWIM, the Debutiful platform and podcast, and ice cream!
Founder of Debutiful, Adam Vitcavage and Emma Copley Eisenberg, nationally bestselling author, join Randy to discuss Emma's new novel FAT SWIM, writing community support, writer career moves, and book industry business surprises.Subscribe to the podcast via Apple, Spotify, and Substack.Highlights include dungeons and dragons, the impact of Debutiful, what Emma's learned over the course of writing three books, and much more.
- Jun 17, 202638 min
Isabel Booth & Marcia Markland on THEN HE WAS GONE, the First Novel Discovered on The Black List Platform
Author Isabel Booth and Marcia Markland, Crooked Lane Books' Editor-at-Large, join Randy to discuss how the unpublished manuscript THEN HE WAS GONE was discovered on The Black List platform, why an editor uses The Black List, writing with empathy, the impact writing has on community, and how to celebrate a win. Subscribe to the podcast via Apple, Spotify, and Substack.Highlights include books that inspire more writing, what an editor is looking for in a manuscript, deciding what to write next, book recommendations, and much more.
- Jun 11, 20261h 9m
Dhonielle Clayton & Caroline Richmond on Writing, Community, and Life in Between
New York Times bestselling author, and President and founder of Cake Creative and Electric Postcard Entertainment, Dhonielle Clayton and Caroline Richmond, award-winning author and Executive Director of We Need Diverse Books, join Randy to discuss the intersection of YA and children's books x literacy in America, what emerging writers should consider when looking for an agent, community building, and life for writers beyond the page.Subscribe to the podcast via Apple, Spotify, and Substack.Highlights include how the nonprofit We Need Diverse Books is shifting the landscape for marginalized writers and readers, why Children's books are essential, authors and their agents, how trends affect the writing process, and much more.
- May 15, 20261h 12m
Laura McGrath & Alia Hanna Habib on Debut Book Data and the Role of the Book Agent
Author and Temple University Assistant Professor of English Laura McGrath and Alia Hanna Habib, Vice President and Literary Agent at The Gernert Company join Randy to discuss what debut book sales say about the ever-changing landscape of book publishing, the agent-writer-editor relationship, and query letters.Subscribe to the podcast via Apple, Spotify, and Substack.Highlights include building an audience beyond social media, the volume of queries agents receive, books to buy right now, and much more.
- Jan 21, 20261h 7m
Porscha Burke & Yahdon Israel on the Work of Being An Editor
Storehouse Voices' Associate Publisher Porscha Burke and Yahdon Israel, Senior Editor at Simon & Schuster join Randy to discuss the how books are acquired, the author-editor relationship, how books are sold, and the acquisition to publication timeline.Subscribe to the podcast via Substack and Spotify.Highlights include how editors rest, books editors read for leisure, the power of stories and much more.
About Read the Acknowledgments
The Black List's Randy Winston hosts the live visual podcast Read the Acknowledgments. The podcast is designed for book and writing professionals to share their industry experiences and help give writers a clear picture of the ecosystem that is publishing. The series exists in part to fundraise for writers and literary nonprofits in need. We encourage viewers and listeners to make donations to writer support funds such as the Authors League Fund, Hedgebrook, Baldwin for the Arts, and Lampblack's Direct Aid Fund.
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