We're back! This week we dive into titles and why choosing the right title for a book is important. From trends, genre, story details, publisher and author choices, what we call a story can have a huge impact on sales, reader appeal, and even our own judgment (don't judge a book by its title?)

Angela and Sarah discuss confusing titles, controversial titles, and advice on choosing the right title for a story.

Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Or send us an email to thewaywewordpodcast@gmail.com

Books mentioned in this episode:

Helen of Troy 1993 by Maria Zoccola

https://bookshop.org/p/books/helen-of-troy-1993-poems-maria-zoccola/21580400?ean=9781668046333&next=t

All the Sinners Bleed by S. A. Cosby

https://bookshop.org/p/books/all-the-sinners-bleed-s-a-cosby/18738107?ean=9781250831927&next=t

Dog Bless You by Alex Miller

https://bookshop.org/p/books/dog-bless-you-discovering-god-s-love-through-man-s-best-friend-alex-miller/22469362?ean=9781641469340&next=t&next=t

It's One of Us by J. T. Ellison

https://bookshop.org/p/books/it-s-one-of-us-first-time-trade-j-t-ellison/20059850?ean=9780778310952&next=t

If You Were My Daughter by Marianne Richmond

https://bookshop.org/p/books/if-you-were-my-daughter-a-memoir-of-healing-an-unmothered-heart/f03973641cba801e?ean=9781464231933&next=t

Maggie:or, A Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee

https://bookshop.org/p/books/maggie-or-a-man-and-a-woman-walk-into-a-bar-katie-yee/21930349?ean=9781668084212&next=t

Shifting Time by Kelly Bennett Seiler

https://bookshop.org/p/books/shifting-time-kelly-bennett-seiler/7876351?ean=9781593096502&next=t

What If by Randall Munroe

https://bookshop.org/p/books/what-if-serious-scientific-answers-to-absurd-hypothetical-questions-randall-munroe/7083933?ean=9780544272996&next=t

Welcome back, Everyone! This week author Art Bell joins the show to introduce his latest book What She's Hiding, discuss the transition from writing memoir to thrillers, and share how his time at Comedy Central and Court TV informed and shaped his writing. Art is a wealth of knowledge and inspiration for readers, writers, and storytellers across the board.

Art Bell is a former television executive. As president of Court TV, he oversaw daily live courtroom coverage and the production of hundreds of hours of original true-crime television series, documentaries, and movies. His memoir Constant Comedy: How I Started Comedy Central and Lost My Sense of Humor, was a finalist in the 2020 Best Book Awards in both the memoir and business categories. Bell has had short stories, nonfiction, and satire published in several journals, including Lowestoft Chronicle, Aethlon: The Journal of Sports Literature, The Ocotillo Review, Fiction Southeast, Castabout Arts and Literature, High Shelf Press, and Writers Read. What She’s Hiding is his first novel.

Find Art at his website: https://www.artbellwriter.com

As always, you can find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Or send us an email: thewaywewordpodcast@gmail.com

Books mentioned in this episode:

What She's Hiding by Art Bell

https://bookshop.org/p/books/stranger-to-danger-art-bell/21048144?ean=9781646047512&next=t

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-glass-castle-a-memoir-jeannette-walls/951745?ean=9780743247542&next=t

Welcome back! This week Angela and Sarah take on the elephant in the room. Should authors use artificial intelligence to write their books? Should publishers cut overhead costs by having AI write contracts, design covers, and write copy, etc? Is there a difference between using AI as a tool to aid performance vs letting it do the bulk of the work for you? We tackle everything in this episode about one of the most heated debates in the art world today. We also look at the future and where these trends are going. No matter where you stand, we all need to be prepared for the changing times we live in.

Let us know what you think! Send us all your opinions on AI, art, and writing. Are you worried? Afraid? Excited? We want to know! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Or send an email to thewaywewordpodcast@gmail.com

Books mentioned in this episode:

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

https://bookshop.org/p/books/klara-and-the-sun-kazuo-ishiguro/18514778?ean=9780593311295&next=t

The Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-uglies-collection-uglies-pretties-specials-extras-scott-westerfeld/12981965?ean=9781534432673&next=t

Support your local independent bookstore! Be sure to add Reading Rock Books to your bookshop.org order.

In honor of National Poetry Month, Cameron Mitchell is on the show this week to talk about the power of poetry and how it connects us to our humanity and our communities, and how it shapes our perspective on the world around us.

Why is poetry important? Do we fully appreciate poetry? Is the right emphasis being placed on poetry in schools? Join the conversation as we dive into verse, spoken word, and the world of rhyming thought with one of Nashville's premier poets, Cameron L. Mitchell.

Find Cameron on Facebook and Instagram at Cameron L. Mitchell and Camspeaks1 or at his website: https://www.freefyre.org

Find us on the socials: Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Or send an email to thewaywewordpodcast@gmail.com

Thanks for listening!

This week Angela and Sarah welcome author Melissa Grace to discuss the journey of storytelling and what it means to be an "extraordinary" person. Learn how each of us got our start, how we met, and what propels us on the road to storytelling today. Melissa offers a beautiful take on how grief inspires stories and how writing can be used as a powerful tool for processing grief. Melissa's latest book Marjorie and Me releases August 19.

Find us on the socials: Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Or you can send us an email at thewaywewordpodcast@gmail.com

We'd love to hear from you!

What informs your decision to buy a book vs just borrowing it? Does it matter how successful an author is as to whether or not you purchase? This week we are diving into what it means to be a good literary citizen based on a clip from the Pen Pals podcast with hosts Kelton Wright and Krisserin Canary. How should we profile our buying choices? Is it important to purchase books? How do sales impact authors, book deals, and what remains in print? Can we support the publishing industry and our local library at the same time? Angela and Sarah give their thoughts on all of this and more.

Disclaimer: the thoughts expressed in this episode are based on a clip from the aforementioned podcast and not the entire episode. The clip was used as a thought-provoking conversation starter and not meant to be a critique on the Pen Pals podcast itself or full content from their show.

What are your thoughts? We'd love to hear form you! Finf us on the socials: Instagram, Facebook, and Threads. Or send us an email to thewaywewordpodcast@gmail.com

Have you listened to the Pen Pals podcast?? Find them on Spotify and show them some love as well. https://open.spotify.com/show/4dfnjo9y1crwxLsACOiqEC?si=0ae989e694a84a05

Ever wondered how books get assigned to the shelves at your favorite bookstore? In this week's episode Angela gives us a behind-the-scenes look at Reading Rock Books and how they curate the titles on their shelves. Is it a simple task? How much influence do employees and community members have? Can the same book sit on multiple shelves? Angela and Sarah discuss all of this and more. Do you have a favorite bookshop? Let us know!

Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads or send an email to thewaywewordpodcast@gmail.com

Have you heard the buzz about Sarah Wynn-Williams' new memoir Careless People? This week we are taking a look at the case that's making headlines. To print or not to print? That's the question being posed in this high-profile case. Sarah Wynn-Williams is the former director of public policy for Facebook. In her new memoir Careless People, published by Flatiron Books, Wynn-Williams exposes what she claims are policies that promote growth and personal agendas at the expense of safety. In an earlier interview with NPR, Wynn-Williams said, "Mark Zuckerberg looks at the world as if it's a board game, like a game of Risk. And it's about occupying every territory, building an empire. Those are the things that concern him, not the sort of real-world impact of what that means." There is even an allegation of sexual assualt among many other alarming concerns.

Since the release of this bestseller, Meta has filed an injunction against Wynn-Williams claiming a violation of her severence agreement. She is currently banned from speaking about her book, but that isn't stopping Flatiron and Macmillan from continuing their publication of this whistleblowing memoir. Angela and Sarah dive into all of this and the implications it has on future books and authors, and whether there is ever an appropriate time to silence the written word.

NPR Interview:

https://www.npr.org/2025/03/14/nx-s1-5318854/former-meta-executive-barred-from-discussing-criticism-of-the-company

Let us know your thoughts! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Or send us an email at: thewaywewordpodcast@gmail.com