These NBA finals are a fascinating contrast in team building. Spurs exemplify the highest-end result from a tear-down rebuild through draft. Great picks; even better luck. Rose's Knicks built entirely through smart deals and signings; not one starter was a Knicks draft pick. Either mode can work.

This raised my eyebrows. Credit to Presti, Daigneault, and everyone else, then, who found/developed this incredible team from mostly late lottery, late first round, second-round, and undrafted players, many from non-elite programs. Unlike, say, the Lakers. #nbasky

In two days at IBPA PubU in Portland, 5/14, Noon to Four, attendees only. Learn how to go from author-publisher or micropress to full-fledged traditional publisher, as well as how to start from scratch. #booksky #ibpapublishinguniversity #publishinguniversity #pubu

FFS, make it work Milwaukee. You have a top 5 player still in his prime. If you luck into one of these guys, you bend every effort to build around him for as long as you possibly can. #nbasky

Want to start your own publishing company, or grow your existing venture into a full trade publisher? I'm delivering a workshop, Starting Your Publishing Business, at Publishing University next Thursday, noon-4, 5/14. #ibpapublishinguniversity #pubu #indiepublishing #independentpublisher #booksky

Really liked this. Great illustrations of how tanking to get the very top picks isn't the only way, let alone the best way, to build a championship team.

It’s great to see more booksellers publishing. Our Agate Publishing Academy just launched a discount/rebate program for independent booksellers, staff, and customers interested in our Publishing Basics course and certification. Reach out if you want to learn more—a new session starts in a few weeks.

More from me about trying to demystify publishing--in this case for the sake of writers in particular. As our industry changes, this is more urgent than ever before.

I am here less frequently than I am other places, at one of which I did this thing, as part of a really thought-provoking publishing project about aging. substack.com/home/post/p-...

Tonight I'm interviewing *live* the amazing Denise Nicholas about her new book FINDING HOME--here's a link, open to all, 4 PST/6 CST/7 EST. We'll be talking for about 45 minutes to an hour, I think. www.eventbrite.com/e/denise-nic...

More on perils of tanking from Hollinger: "The post-Mitchell-Gobert rebuild was a smart piece of business in the abstract that yielded major draft capital, but results appear as far away as ever. Consider that Utah coach Will Hardy is in Year 4 and still has never coached a game that mattered."

This is why tanking isn't the only correct way to rebuild a team: "The grim reality of life as a rebuilding team: It doesn’t really end until you’ve found a player worth building the team around....Through two draft cycles...there isn’t one player you’d call a surefire long-term starter yet."

Thank you.

A couple of high-profile Western Conference contenders really need help at point--can't one of them make a deal to take Dosunmu or Jevon Carter from Bulls in exchange for PF depth? Tari Eason the kind of high upside young vet AKME likes.

Most national writers like @talkhoops.bsky.social are broken records re Bulls. This team did a gut rebuild as recently as 2017. And in past year's "retool" they've moved 4 of 5 key players assembled in 2021 reset. Our lottery and injury luck over this time: bad. www.nytimes.com/athletic/668...

Just starting to dig into this here, but it looks like Agate has more than 50 books on this list, and we are preparing how to pursue this whole process with our authors.

Really proud of this one. I think these lists are especially worthwhile because they show a book's impact over time. CROWN: AN ODE TO THE FRESH CUT is having that kind of impact.

I hope people found this useful--it was fun to unpack. Look for Jane to post the recording on YouTube next week, after which I'll be cross-posting it at What Publishing Is.

What Writers Need, over on the Dougstack. #booksky substack.com/home/post/p-...

"San Antonio landed the No. 1 (Victor Wembanyama), No. 4 (Stephon Castle) and No. 2 (Harper) selections in three consecutive drafts." Now that's the kind of lottery luck that makes tear-down rebuilds really work. Too many people forget Bulls did tear-down back in 17--but got 3 consecutive #7 picks.

A Nazi owns Twitter, right wing billionaires own the Wall Street Journal and the LA Times, and CBS is run by a right wing nepo baby who just fired one of the network’s biggest stars for criticizing Donald Trump. Here’s why America has a left-wing media bias problem.

I think it's a great pickup if Bucks do get Anthony. He's been a key contributor to a good squad (one noted for team D) for a while now. Impressed with how the Bucks have regrouped this off-season. #nbasky

We are now open to proposals at [email protected]!

The great Juneteenth novel is FREEMAN by Leonard Pitts, Jr., which I'm proud to say is also the best-selling work of fiction Agate's ever published. bookshop.org/p/books/free...

This is a terrific piece. Way too much NBA commentary offers one-dimensional takes on team-building--especially the Hinkie-philes. Multiple paths can work--teams just need a lot of good judgment, and even more good luck.

yes, it is ethical to buy used. yes, it is ethical to use the library. why are we talking about this. go away

Terrific article that I read as fundamentally about the experience of loving your work. Really resonated with this particular (basketball-loving) business founder.

Royalty time again. Paying royalties means Agate is succeeding. We're small--I've never written a six-figure advance check. But I have written six-figure royalty checks.

For my Chicago friends and colleagues, I am on a panel this Thursday, should you wish to check it out: events.uchicago.edu/event/245132...

I liked this: theamericanscholar.org/in-the-matte...

I just really like Sheila Heti.

Hmmm.

i feel like it's important to remind everyone of something folks living in red states have known for a long time: Even if the decent and good thing is no longer mandated, you can still do it. We can be better than our elected officials.

Both Trump’s theory of power and his popular appeal are grounded in a model of performatively domineering masculinity. Outrage and fear only feed this. What will erode it is mockery, contempt, belittling, and various symbolic and literal attacks on his virility.

Second TV show I’ve watched recently where somebody said, “I don’t read” and then clarified, “I *can* read”

Did someone mention a Taylor Swift book for xmas? bookshop.org/p/books/tayl...

From Friends of Agate Anastasia Berg and Rachel Wiseman, What Are Children For? is one of my picks for the most thought-provoking and important books of 2024. www.theatlantic.com/podcasts/arc...

The runnin', gunnin' 2024 Bulls were in full feast mode last night after some very faminesque performances in recent games. You can't make 'em if you don't shoot 'em.

Enjoying a mild Chicago fall--got to spend a large portion of this weekend outside, when not working. Mild or not, crazy busy.

Anyone else having issues getting this site to load? Also: welcome, all you new members!

Chicago/Evanston friends, if you are around/inclined, I'm having a conversation Tuesday night at Bookends and Beginnings with my friend Gioia Diliberto about her fascinating new book. www.bookendsandbeginnings.com/event/2024-1...

Jane Friedman asked me a bunch of questions about Agate and Agate Publishing Academy, which I answered at GREAT length: janefriedman.com/how-an-indep...

More on our new Agate Publishing Academy, in today's Shelf Awareness: www.shelf-awareness.com/issue.html?i...

Our big new effort here at Agate, in the works for more than a few years. Publishing has been too opaque for too many people for too long. We hope this will help improve that.

I thought this was terrific.

If you have an impossible-to-shop-for person on your holiday list may I recommend A COOKBOOK? The category covers an unreal range of niches and topics, & you’d be shocked how quickly a professional can zero in on an impossibly perfect one for you. Here’s a list of my fave indie cookbook stores:

This is a big reason why I run the indie press I started 20 years ago the way I do--so that the people here can do the work they want to do and earn livelihoods doing it. And contribute to the livelihoods of our writers other collaborators.

More Patchett: "...You want them to be able to make some semblance of a living doing what they love, and being around books, and being around authors, and having that experience, recommending books, talking about books. That’s a wonderful thing. It’s really, really joyful." [2/2]

More Patchett being wise about running a bookstore: "Things are good.... pretty much anybody in this business is doing it because they love books, they love reading, and they want to have this community of people, by which I really mean the people who work at the bookstore." [1/2]

Ann Patchett knows: "You can have a huge ad campaign and a giant tour but the thing the makes a difference is a bookseller reading a book and saying to a customer, 'I loved this one. Try this one.' Booksellers have done that for me. I’m incredibly grateful."