Unprintable: The LitReactor Podcast Episode 17 - Reader/Author Interaction and the Goodreads Controversy

Every month, Unprintable will take an irreverent look at books, the publishing industry, reading, writing, and more; featuring the know-it-all geekery of LitReactor columnist Cath Murphy, Education Director Rob W. Hart, and Managing Editor Joshua Chaplinsky.


Episode 17 - Reader/Author Interaction and the Goodreads Controversy

Eh-peh-sode Se-ven-teeeen (to be sung to the tune of Seventeen by Winger) kicks off with a ribald discussion of crowd funding and the Two Dollar Radio indiegogo campaign. Seems they're going into the talking picture business. Also, the author of the latest Bond novel says the character doesn't like sleeping with all those women, he really wants to settle down. And our very own Rob "The Hitman" Hart does the crime convention known as Bouchercon, where apparently drunken debauchery and sexual harassment are the name of the game.

Reads: Gay cowboy revenge noir, understated Scandinavian short story horror noir, and pop-science nonfiction noir.

Topic: Yes, we know "freedom of speech" on the internet means a no-holds barred right to be an asshole, but how should authors and their readers interact? Should they interact? And was Goodreads right to shut down the hate?

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Any questions? Comments? Criticisms? Suggestions? Help us help you. Email them to podcast@litreactor.com.


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Cath Murphy writes for a bunch of literary and film websites (where “bunch” isn’t quite as many as it sounds), offering unwanted opinions on anything that appears in her crosshairs. She is a co-host of Unprintable: The Official Podcast of LitReactor.com, and along with the fabulous Eve Harvey she also podcasts very rude stuff on Sluttylemon.

Rob W. Hart is the associate publisher for MysteriousPress.com. His short stories have appeared in Dogmatika, Needle: A Magazine of Noir, Crime Factory, and Shotgun Honey, and he is the author of The Last Safe Place: A Zombie Novella. He lives in New York City. You can find him on the interwebz at www.robwhart.com.

Joshua Chaplinsky is the Managing Editor of LitReactor. He also writes for the popular film site Twitch and has written for ChuckPalahniuk.net.


Special thanks to Gordon Highland for the intro and musical cues. Visit him at gordonhighland.com.

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