Trio House Press (@triohousepress.org)

Before & After the Book Deal: The Truth About Publishing Success with Courtney Maum Welcome, writers and book lovers. The Bleeders is a podcast about book writing and publishing. https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome: https://thebleeders.substack.com/welcome Today’s guest is Courtney Maum—novelist, memoirist, and author of Before and After the Book Deal—and she talks candidly about the reality of a writing career, the myth of the breakout book, and why longevity matters more than literary hype.In this episode, Courtney breaks down what publishing actually looks like across every lane: Big Five launches with national tours, indie presses that nurture your inner “art witch,” and self-publishing born out of necessity. She shares the story behind the book that almost never happened—and how the lowest advance of her career became the one that defined her platform—plus why the industry now expects authors to function as marketers, publicists, event planners, and content creators all at once.We also discuss building an audience in the newsletter era, the limits of social media, and why “a thousand true fans” is a better goal than virality. Courtney explains how writers can protect their mental health in a system built on comparison, what’s actually changed since 2020 (AI, proposals, platform pressure), and why readers—not gatekeepers—ultimately determine a book’s shelf life. This conversation is essential listening for any writer trying to build a sustainable creative career in today’s publishing landscape. Preorder Courtney Maum's latest book https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/courtney-maum/alan-opts-out/9780316599108/ and preorder Courtney Kocak's debut memoir https://bookshop.org/a/85623/9781949487541. Subscribe to Courtney Maum's Substack https://courtneymaum.substack.com/welcome. Follow her on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cbmaum/, and buy your copy of Before and After the Book Deal on https://bookshop.org/a/85623/9781948226400, or wherever books are sold! The Bleeders is hosted by Courtney Kocak. Follow her on https://www.instagram.com/courtneykocak/ and https://bsky.app/profile/courtneykocak.bsky.social. For more, check out her website https://courtneykocak.com/links. Courtney is teaching some upcoming workshops you might be interested in: - https://writingworkshops.com/products/land-big-bylines-by-writing-for-columns-zoom-seminar: https://writingworkshops.com/products/land-big-bylines-by-writing-for-columns-zoom-seminar - https://writingworkshops.com/products/start-podcast-workshop-courtney-kocak: https://writingworkshops.com/products/start-podcast-workshop-courtney-kocak - https://writingworkshops.com/products/edit-elevate-revision-intensive-zoom-seminar-with-courtney-kocak: https://writingworkshops.com/products/edit-elevate-revision-intensive-zoom-seminar-with-courtney-kocak - https://writingworkshops.com/products/how-to-build-a-platform-for-writers-who-shudder-at-the-thought-zoom-seminar: https://writingworkshops.com/products/how-to-build-a-platform-for-writers-who-shudder-at-the-thought-zoom-seminar - https://writingworkshops.com/products/start-a-newsletter-to-supercharge-your-platform-network-business-zoom-seminar: https://writingworkshops.com/products/start-a-newsletter-to-supercharge-your-platform-network-business-zoom-seminar https://www.spreaker.com/episode/before-after-the-book-deal-the-truth-about-publishing-success-with-courtney-maum--70086210