The Open Book Podcast
with David Steinberger

A behind-the-scenes look at books and publishing

Join us for wide-ranging discussions with publishers, editors, authors, journalists, thinkers, executives, and other makers of culture, hosted by David Steinberger, CEO of Open Road Media and Chairman of the National Book Foundation.

Listen Now:

Hot Desk

Laura and Colin Dickerman

Laura - Author, Colin - VP and Editor in Chief, Grand Central Publishing

A writer and an editor join us to discuss a new book set in the world of publishing. Hot Desk—the debut novel from Laura Dickerman (with input from her editor brother Colin)—is a genre-spanning story. It is part rom-com, part publishing satire and part upscale book club fiction. The book spans a shared post-covid desk and two distinct eras in the book business from the heyday of the 80’s to the current industry as two sparring colleagues chase the same coveted assignment. Both the book and our episode give a peek behind the curtain of publishing.

INTERVIEWED ON: October 22nd, 2025

Books discussed:

Hot Desk by Laura Dickerman

Younger meets Writers & Lovers in this rollicking, sparkling, and funny novel that spans decades and generations of a family in the publishing industry.

LAST RITES by Ozzy Osbourne

AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "People say to me, if you could do it all again, knowing what you know now, would you change anything? I'm like, f*** no. If I'd been clean and sober, I wouldn't be Ozzy. If I'd done normal, sensible things, I wouldn't be Ozzy."

Moby Dick by Herman Melville

This nineteenth-century classic is at once a thrilling adventure, a timeless allegory, and "the greatest of American novels" (The Atlantic Monthly).

Fear of Flying by Erica Jong

Isadora Wing is tired. Tired of being psychoanalyzed. Tired of grad school. Tired of fighting with her husband. Tired of having unfulfilled desires. She thinks she knows what she's searching for and how to achieve it. But her quest to engage in no-strings-attached sex quickly shifts into a journey of self-discovery that will leave her questioning her own mind, her ideals, and what she truly wants in life....