New Podcast Provides Behind-the-Scenes Look at the World of Books and Publishing

Former Pantheon Publisher Lisa Lucas and Grove Atlantic Publisher Morgan Entrekin Featured in Inaugural Episodes of “Open Book with David Steinberger

 

New York, NY (July 18, 2024) – Open Road Integrated Media (ORIM), the book industry’s leader in utilizing technology to enable book discovery, announced today the launch of Open Book with David Steinberger, a podcast offering a behind-the-scenes look at the world of books and publishing. The podcast is hosted by David Steinberger, CEO of Open Road and Board Chair of the National Book Foundation, presenter of the National Book Awards. The inaugural two episodes feature Grove Atlantic Publisher Morgan Entrekin and Lisa Lucas, former Publisher of Pantheon and Schocken Books and former Executive Director of the National Book Foundation. Both episodes are available at openroadintegratedmedia.com/podcast, as well as Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and other podcast platforms.

Future episodes will feature such leading figures as Macmillan CEO Jonathan Yaged, Penguin Publishing Group President Allison Dobson, Authors Equity CEO Madeline McIntosh, City Lights bookstore Chief Buyer Paul Yamazaki, 37ink Publisher and former Bon Appetit Editor-in-Chief Dawn Davis, literary agent and Writers House President Simon Lipskar, and writer Ted Conover, pioneer of immersive nonfiction and author of such works as Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing and Cheap Land Colorado: Off-Gridders at America’s Edge.

Speaking of the origins of the Open Book podcast, David Steinberger said, “We didn’t set out to create a podcast. For the past two years, we’ve been hosting lunchtime conversations with major publishing figures at our Open Road office in lower Manhattan. We’ve really enjoyed these conversations, and thought it would be good idea to share them with book lovers everywhere.”

In the first Open Book episode, “Adventures of an Independent Publisher,” David Steinberger and Grove Atlantic’s Morgan Entrekin cover a range of topics, from the surpising way Morgan, as a young editor, found himself editing Kurt Vonnegut, to making Black Hawk Down a #1 bestseller, to taking a chance on The Sympathizer, which went on to win the Pulitzer Prize and is now a series streaming on HBO.

The second Open Book episode, “Speaking for Books,” features David Steinberger and Lisa Lucas discussing Lisa’s groundbreaking career as the first woman and first Black person to lead the National Book Foundation, as well as the first to serve as publisher of Pantheon and Schocken Books.

“In today’s post-COVID world, authentic conversations about books are more important then ever,” said Paul Yamazaki, Chief Buyer at City Lights bookstore. “The Open Book podcast is a meaningful step forward in deepening our connection to books and to one another.” “If you are interested in a behind-the-scenes view of publishing, or if you just love a great book, there is a lot to learn from the Open Book podcast,” said former Macmillan CEO John Sargent, who will be featured in a future episode. “And as an added bonus, they are fun!”

Open Book with David Steinberger is produced by Rick Joyce, directed by Hannah Moseley, and engineered by Bren Russell. Our theme music is written and performed by Erik Friedlander. To listen and learn more, visit our website at openroadintegratedmedia.com/podcast.

About Open Road Integrated Media

Open Road Integrated Media is the publishing industry’s leader in applying proprietary data science technology to book discovery, enabling authors and publishers to achieve dramatic increases in the sales of their titles. The Open Road Ignition service accelerates discovery and sales of previously published (backlist) eBooks, while Open Road Activation enhances discovery and sales of newly launched (frontlist) titles in all formats. Open Road’s partners include such industry leaders as HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Scholastic, Grove Atlantic, Kensington, Europa Editions, Abrams, Harvard University Press and Yale University Press. Open Road’s proprietary marketing vehicles include Early Bird Books, a daily eBook deals newsletter and website; The Lineup, for fans of true crime, horror and the paranormal; The Portalist, for fans of science fiction and fantasy; Murder & Mayhem, for fans of mystery and thriller; The Archive, for fans of history and non-fiction; and A Love So True, for fans of romance. Open Road also applies its data science technology to enhancing the discovery and sales of books it publishes. Its publishing programs include Bloodhound Books, a UK-based publisher of commercial fiction, and Open Road Media, a global eBook publisher whose catalog includes legendary authors such as Joan Didion, Graham Greene, William Styron, Alice Walker, Pat Conroy, Gloria Steinem, John Jakes, Pearl S. Buck, Walker Percy and Ruth Rendell.