In our 16th episode of The Nerd Count Podcast, we welcome Theresa DeLucci to talk about the inside secrets of the publishing industry. We talk about how she got started working in publishing as a marketer, how people are still reading, especially genre, but the numbers of places to buy books have shrunk, how we first met Theresa, writing short fiction, selling a story to Ellen Datlow, the gratifying hard work of working in publishing, the struggles of a shrinking industry, traditional publishing and indie authors, how she markets books, how she helps authors market themselves, how author publicity events can sometimes “move the needle”, how there is no “formula” for success, self-promotion for authors, the brutality of the “Algorithm”, the benefits of writing an “author letter”, her non-fiction reviews of media, reading for the Year’s Best Horror, some upcoming books she’s excited about, pansting vs. plotting, her love of oysters!, and more!

Theresa’s Non-Fiction at Reactor:
https://reactormag.com/author/theresa-delucci/

Theresa’s Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/tdelucci/?hl=en

For our 15th episode, we welcome author and teacher Kate Maruyama. In this episode, we discuss how we met through her mother, writer Kit Reed, Readercon experiences, how she ended up in L.A., working for Sylvester Stallone, the impact of narcissistic sociopaths, how L.A. influences her writing, being stewards of ideas, her experience teaching writing, why editors want to hear your unique voice, the false notion of “correct” writing, the vapidity of AI-produced fiction, how teaching keeps her honest, creating in times of stress, being a juror for the Bram Stoker and Shirley Jackson Awards, choosing your “genre”, growing up with films from the 1930s and 40s, writing multiple POVs, finding her character’s voice, bringing life to “dead” scenes, the capitalist notion of “product”, moving from screenwriting to writing prose, the “deep practice” of writing, and much more!

Books mentioned:

The Collective by Kate Maruyama – https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-collective-kate-maruyama/fd6d6c6c798c0b50?ean=9798896920816&next=t
Alterations by Kate Maruyama – https://bookshop.org/p/books/alterations-kate-maruyama/1945097c02a22fde?ean=9781960018755&next=t
Bleak Houses by Kate Maruyama – https://bookshop.org/p/books/bleak-houses-safer-family-solstice-kate-maruyama/4b243486bdfff446?ean=9781947879591&next=t
A Gentleman’s Suit by Kate Maruyama – https://bookshop.org/p/books/halloween-beyond-piercing-the-veil-kate-maruyama/b2ed1f858648159e?ean=9781957133201&next=t&

In our 14th episode, we welcome the multitalented actor, author, and filmmaker Shiva Kumar! We speak with Shiva about The Lanka Chronicles, growing up in different countries, his childhood as an “outsider”, going to boarding school, his first forays into directing in Bhutan, how a health crisis started him on the writing path, his documentaries on the Holocaust, how he was inspired by Zelazny’s Lord of Light, Indofuturism, how he was interested in working heroes from Indian myths into his fiction, India’s role in the future of humanity, his science fictional retelling of the Ramayana, how acting and writing affects his writing, his thoughts on AI, writing dialog for a screenplay vs. novels, why coffee cups are always empty and no one ever eats food on a plate in TV and film, playing the Prime Minister of Pakistan and head of the Pakistani Secret Service, how acting translates into inhabiting characters in fiction, writing villains, his writing process, writing during stressful periods, doing what he loves, dealing with rejection as an actor, his experience at Appalachian State University, how it takes time to understand the human condition, narrating his own audiobook, and lots more!

Books Mentioned
The Lanka Chronicles by Shiva Kumar – https://www.amazon.com/stores/Shiva-Kumar/author/B0993XCG5P
Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny – https://bookshop.org/p/books/lord-of-light-roger-zelazny/c41678bf1dbdd1a7?ean=9780060567231&next=t