Read the Acknowledgments – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

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Read the Acknowledgments

The Black List

Arts

Frequency: 1 episode/29d. Total Eps: 19

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. Read the Acknowledgments is a subsidiary of The Black List, LLC.

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Apple Podcasts

🇺🇸 USA - books
12/06/2026
#77
🇺🇸 USA - books
05/06/2026
#45
🇺🇸 USA - books
04/06/2026
#32
🇺🇸 USA - arts
04/06/2026
#90

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

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https://bookshop.org/p/books/heavy-an-american-memoir-kiese-laymon/6682101?ean=9781501125669
1 share
https://bookshop.org/p/books/friday-black-nana-kwame-adjei-brenyah/6961446?ean=9781328911247
1 share

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RSS feed quality

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Score global : 43%

Publication history

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Laura McGrath & Alia Hanna Habib on Debut Book Data and the Role of the Book Agent

Friday, May 15, 2026 • Duration 01:12:09

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.

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Highlights include building an audience beyond social media, the volume of queries agents receive, books to buy right now, and much more.

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Porscha Burke & Yahdon Israel on the Work of Being An Editor

Wednesday, January 21, 2026 • Duration 01:07:43

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.

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Highlights include how editors rest, books editors read for leisure, the power of stories and much more.

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Episode 8: Thomas Gebremedhin and Jackson Howard Discuss How Editors Find What They Want

Wednesday, April 16, 2025 • Duration 01:17:28

Thomas Gebremedhin, Vice President and Executive Editor at Doubleday, and Jackson Howard, Senior Editor at Farrar, Straus and Giroux and its imprints MCD and AUWA, join Randy to discuss all things discovery and editing.

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Highlights include what editors look for in authors and manuscripts, how editors find their next book, and much more.

Books mentioned in the episode:

STAY TRUE by Hua Hsu

DARK LABORATORY: ON COLUMBUS, THE CARIBBEAN, AND THE ORIGINS OF THE CLIMATE CRISIS by Tao Leigh Goffe

BEAUTIFUL DAYS by Zach Williams

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Episode 7: Our Inaugural Adaptation List w/ Traci Thomas and Franklin Leonard

Tuesday, January 14, 2025 • Duration 01:03:51

Traci Thomas, Creator and Host of The Stacks, and Franklin Leonard, Founder and CEO of The Black List, join Randy to discuss The Black List's Inaugural Adaptation List.

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Highlights include surprise titles on the list, titles that should have made the list, what makes for a great adaptation, and much more.

Books mentioned in the episode:

Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe

Heavy: An American Memoir by Kiese Laymon

New People by Danzy Senna

Jesus’ Son by Denis Johnson

See Now Then by Jamaica Kincaid

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw

Frederick Douglas: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight

Episode 6: Book Scouting and Foreign Rights 101 w/ Erin Edmison and Szilvia Molnar

Tuesday, January 14, 2025 • Duration 01:15:09

Book Scout Erin Edmison and Sterling Lord Literistic Foreign Rights Director and Author Szilvia Molnar.

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Highlights include why book scouting is important for writers, things writers should know about foreign rights, what book scouts are looking for in a book, foreign rights advances and royalties, and much more.

Books mentioned in the episode:

The Nursery by Szilvia Molnar

Middlemarch by George Eliot

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

I Don’t Care by Ágota Kristóf

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Episode 5: Authors A.E. Osworth and Denne Michele Norris on Education, Writing Groups, and Staying True to Who You Are

Tuesday, January 14, 2025 • Duration 01:26:41

Author A.E Osworth and author and Electric Literature Editor-in-Chief Denne Michele Norris join Randy to discuss education, writing groups, and staying true to who you are.

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Highlights include the importance of writers advocating for writers, how writing instruction impacts writing, and much more.

Books mentioned in the episode:

Awakened by A.E. Osworth

When the Harvest Comes by Denne Michele Norris

skin & bones by Renée Watson

Aggregated Discontent: Confessions of the Last Normal Woman by Harron Walker

Stag Dance by Torrey Peters

The Favorites by Layne Fargo

Craft in the Real World: Rethinking Fiction Writing and Workshopping by Matthew Salesses

Episode 4: How Discovery Happens w/ Trellis Literary Agents Stephanie Delman and Allison Hunter

Season 1 · Episode 4

Tuesday, January 14, 2025 • Duration 01:13:59

Trellis Literary agents Stephanie Delman and Allison Hunter join Randy to discuss how discovery happens.

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Highlights include why agents do what they do, the relationship between writers and agents, how agents find their writers, important questions writers should ask, and much more.

Books mentioned in the episode:

Killer Potential by Hannah Deitch

A Promise to Arlette by Serena Burdick

Jamaica Road by Lisa Smith

Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein

Storybook Ending by Moira Macdonald

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Episode 3: Robert Jones Jr. and Mateo Askaripour Discuss Community, Love, and Purpose

Monday, January 13, 2025 • Duration 01:35:09

NY Times Bestselling authors Robert Jones Jr. and Mateo Askaripour join Randy to discuss community, love, and purpose.

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Highlights include why Robert and Mateo write, how both guests found their purpose in writing, writing consistently, how Mateo and Robert dealt with the discovery of their debut novels, and much more.

Books mentioned in the episode:

The Prophets by Robert Jones Jr.

Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour

This Great Hemisphere by Mateo Askaripour

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Episode 2: What Writers Should Know About Book Editors

Season 1 · Episode 2

Monday, January 13, 2025 • Duration 01:12:04

Dutton Senior Editor at Dutton Pilar Garcia-Brown and Atria Books and Washington Square Press Senior Editor Jenny Xu join Randy to discuss what writers should know about book editors.

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Highlights include the relationship editors have with agents, how editors find the stories they want to publish, how acquiring a book works, book advances and much more.

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Episode 1: How Fiction Works on The Black List Platform

Monday, January 13, 2025 • Duration 01:37:37

Randy Winston, Read the Acknowledgments Host and Creative Director of Fiction, is joined by Franklin Leonard, The Black List Founder and CEO, to talk Fiction on The Black List website.

Subscribe to the podcast via ⁠Spotify⁠ and ⁠Substack⁠.

Highlights from this episode include a brief history of The Black List, fiction writer profiles and benefits, how to host a project, fiction evaluations (how they work), fiction readers on The Black List website, and benefits for book industry members.

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Read the Acknowledgments – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Spotify

Read the Acknowledgments – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Bookshop48

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Bookshop48

Spotify

Other16

Spotify3