The Gatekeeping Episode

No gatekeeping allowed — and that includes yourself. After leaving Jubilee feeling like the real conversations were happening somewhere else, Amanda found them at Copper Books' Book Fair in Nashville. One day, one room, and editors, agents, marketers, and publicists actually telling the truth about what's happening in publishing right now. She's bringing it back to you here, along with a moment of self-reckoning she didn't see coming. In this episode: The honest state of nonfiction publishing right now: who's buying, who isn't, and where cookbooks actually land in that conversation Why a Simon & Schuster editor said one Substack subscriber is worth five to ten Instagram followers to a publisher, and what Amanda actually thinks about that What three publicity powerhouses said about in-house pub teams, and why authors who were promised the moon are learning the hard way to be their own best advocate Allison Trowbridge's reminder that if you have a book idea, you really have a business idea The moment she realized she'd been gatekeeping her own process, and why she's done with that Why the mysterious writer who disappears and reappears with a bestseller is almost never the rule The finger, she admits, was pointing right back at her. Perfect for: writers who want the inside conversation without having to buy the conference ticket, and anyone who's been holding their process a little too close to share. Find Amanda: @amandapolick | amandapolick.com

You can listen to The Gatekeeping Episode online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Gatekeeping Episode is an episode from Babe Cave by Babe Cave.

This episode is 25:42 long.

This episode was published on May 13, 2026.

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