New Books in Communications

Marshall Poe
  • 4.8 (6)
  • Social Sciences
  • Daily

This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: ⁠https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/⁠ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetwork Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/communications

  1. 1d ago

    Make China Great Again: Online Alt-History Fiction and Popular Authoritarianism with Rongbin Han (Columbia UP, 2026)

    Rongbin Han is a Professor of International Affairs at the University of Georgia, where he studies Chinese politics and the internet. Han’s latest book—and the topic of this New Books Network episode—is Make China Great Again: Online Alt-History Fiction and Popular Authoritarianism (Columbia UP, 2026). Make China Great Again delves into a subgenre of Chinese web novels that attempt to re-imagine the country’s history in ways that align with Xi Jinping’s “Chinese dream” and the “great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation”. In these novels, characters might go back in time to foment a communist revolution decades before the PRC’s establishment, industrialize the late Ming dynasty, or bring elements of democratic elections to the Song dynasty.  Given the popularity of web novels in China—almost half of Chinese netizens read internet literature—such alternate histories provide a window into how an authoritarian state can negotiate the consent of its citizenry using popular culture.  Anthony Kao is a writer who intersects international affairs and cultural criticism. He founded/edits Cinema Escapist—a publication exploring the sociopolitical context behind global film and television—and also writes for outlets like The Guardian, Al Jazeera, The Diplomat, and Eater. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  2. 1d ago

    Romantic Media and Wartime Networks with Deven Parker (Stanford UP, 2026)

    Romantic Media and Wartime Networks (Stanford UP, 2026) by Dr. Deven Parker tells the story of how Britain revolutionized its state communication networks on an unprecedented scale during the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, setting the stage for our modern infrastructure state where connectivity and surveillance go hand in hand. Dr. Parker argues that Romantic literary representations of this state communications network managed to reveal—and, on occasion, to resist—its ideological functions. In a wide-ranging study drawing upon an archive of military surveys, spy reports, trial records, and even ladies' hand fans, Dr. Parker reveals the scope and impact of the British government's investments in shutter telegraphs, mapping projects, and postal routes across two decades of war with France. The writers of the Romantic period, meanwhile, were cognizant of the political motivations undergirding the state's overhauled networks, which were designed to facilitate and speed up but also to more easily control communications. Taking up familiar writers including Lord Byron, Mary Wollstonecraft, William Godwin, Charlotte Smith, Charles Lamb, William Hazlitt, and Thomas De Quincey—as well as lesser-known figures such as radical playwright John Dent, inventor Richard Lovell Edgeworth, and the proto-science fiction novelist Jane Loudon—Dr. Parker reads Romantic literature for its astute chronicling and interrogation of the material hardware of the state's media ecology. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  3. 5d ago

    Book Marketing vs. Book Publicity with Jeffrey Yamaguchi

    What should authors be doing to market their books, and when? Book marketing expert Jeffrey Yamaguchi, a writer and poet with 25+ years in publishing, joins Sarah Russo on “The Publishing Playbook” to explain why book marketing and book publicity aren’t the same thing, and why a successful campaign needs both. In this episode:• Book marketing vs. publicity: what you earn and what you pay for• Why your book campaign timeline should start a year or more before pub day• Why every author needs a newsletter, and when to start a Substack• Red flags for pay-to-play and AI scams in publishing• Bouncing back when a book campaign hits a setback• What vinyl record stores can teach authors about promotion• What Jeff is reading right now For more information on Jeff’s work, please visit his website, or check out his Substack, Book Publishing Brick by Brick   Books mentioned in this episode: “Ten Visits: Brief Accounts of Our Visits to All Ten Japanese American Relocation Centers of World War II,” by Frank and Joanne Iritani “The Dog Stars,” by Peter Heller   Key Moments 02:19 - Book Marketing vs. Book Publicity 📣Jeffrey and Sarah untangle the two jobs, what’s earned vs. what’s paid for, and the behind-the-scenes spending authors don’t see. 06:29 - Spotting Pay-to-Play and AI Scams 🚩Fake podcast and festival invitations are flooding authors’ inboxes. Sarah and Jeffrey share the red flags to watch for. 11:52 - When to Start a Substack ✍️Jeffrey explains why authors should start a newsletter early, and how to make the most of one even if your book is almost out. 14:34 - “What Should I Be Doing Right Now?”: The Book Campaign Timeline 🗓️Jeffrey walks through his timeline and why the cover reveal is when a book becomes real. 16:41 - “You Still May Get a No”: How to Make the Case to Your Publisher 🤝Be strategic with your asks. Jeffrey shares how to lobby for opportunities like regional indie bookseller shows. 19:51 - Bouncing Back from a Campaign Letdown 🌅Every campaign hits a roadblock. Jeffrey and Sarah discuss regrouping, and why marketing holds steady when breaking news derails publicity. 21:39 - Marketing Lessons from Outside Publishing 🎶Jeffrey explains why authors should look beyond books, from movie campaigns to how record stores run their social media. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  4. 6d ago

    Poetry in General: How a Literary Form Became Public with Keegan Cook Finberg (Columbia UP, 2025)

    What is the place of poetry in the modern world? In Poetry in General: How a Literary Form Became Public (Columbia UP, 2025), Keegan Cook Finberg, an Associate Professor of English at University of Maryland, Baltimore County narrates the contemporary history of poetry as the emergence of a public literary form. The book shows poets' engagement with social and economic changes, such as the rise of bureaucracy and office jobs, suburbanisation, feminism, and neoliberalism, alongside changes in literary forms and literary practices In doing so, the analysis demonstrates both the importance of poetry to reflect social and economic change, as well as its potential as a critical force in our moment of social and economic crisis. Ranging widely across individual poets, artistic collectives, and performance activities, the book will be of interest across the humanities, as well as anyone interested in why poetry matters today.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  5. 6d ago

    BAM!: John Madden, the NFL Explosion, and the Video Game that Changed Sports with Scott Howard-Cooper (Diversion Books, 2026)

    John Madden retired abruptly from coaching in 1979, five months after receiver Darryl Stingley suffered a paralyzing injury against his Raiders. The tragedy would never leave him. He had no intention of entering broadcasting. Yet, within a decade—BAM!—he had become the most recognizable voice in football and a driving force behind America’s most powerful sports league.Veteran sports journalist Scott Howard-Cooper reveals how Madden recast himself at exactly the right moment. Television was transforming sports, and the NFL needed a translator to turn complex strategy into entertainment. Madden didn’t just analyze football; he redefined how it was watched and loved—from the telestrator and pregame film study to Thanksgiving football.But BAM! goes beyond the booth, tracing Madden’s personal life, unguarded moments, unexpected turns, and his influence through advertising, network wars, labor battles, concussion debates, and the Madden NFL video game—which reshaped gaming and brought football to new generations. Yet, Madden could never entirely escape what the game demanded from the men who played it.BAM!: John Madden, the NFL Explosion, and the Video Game that Changed Sports (Diversion Books, 2026) is the story of how one rumpled, affable man became a defining figure in football’s greatest boom—and its reckoning —and why the NFL cannot stop invoking his name. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  6. Oct 25

    From Blood to Ink: How the Press Covered the Gettysburg Campaign with Matthew J. Larson (U Georgia Press, 2026)

    The first book ever on how the press covered the Gettysburg campaign, From Blood to Ink: How the Press Covered the Gettysburg Campaign (U Georgia Press, 2026) chronicles the rise of the press through the Civil War and how its coverage of Gettysburg not only misled the people of two warring factions but also misshaped the battle’s meaning for generations to come. As Dr. Matthew J. Larson reveals, newsmen on both sides transformed the battle into what they needed it to be rather than what it truly was. While the Northern press elevated Gettysburg into America’s Waterloo, the Southern press polished it into another hard-won success for Confederate General Robert E. Lee. In both cases, facts bent to bias, narrative eclipsed reality, and Gettysburg itself became the final casualty. This interview was conducted by Dr. Miranda Melcher whose book focuses on post-conflict military integration, understanding treaty negotiation and implementation in civil war contexts, with qualitative analysis of the Angolan and Mozambican civil wars. You can find Miranda’s interviews on New Books with Miranda Melcher, wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  7. Oct 24

    Revolutionary Ink: New York Printers and the Promise of Democracy, 1693-1804 with Mark J. Noonan (Cambridge UP, 2026)

    In Revolutionary Ink: New York Printers and the Promise of Democracy, 1693-1804 (Cambridge UP, 2026), my guest Mark J. Noonan explores the careers of New York printers whose presses disseminated Enlightenment ideals that fueled the American Revolution and framed the political debates of the early republic. Long overshadowed by the celebrated authors whose works they produced, printers William Bradford, John Peter Zenger, James Parker, Thomas Greenleaf and others helmed presses that provoked civic engagement, cultivated an appreciation for the arts and sciences, and defended press liberty. The book also examines the equally revolutionary work of their wives, who assisted with and sometimes ran their husband's presses. Throughout the narrative, Noonan addresses the discrepancy between revolutionary rhetoric and practice, and argues that to grasp New York's early print history is to confront the paradox of the Anglo-American Enlightenment: its profound advancements alongside the denial of universal human rights. Roberto Mazza is currently a visiting scholar at the Buffett Institute for Global Affairs at Northwestern University. He is the host of the Jerusalem Unplugged Podcast and to discuss and propose a book for interview can be reached at robbymazza@gmail.com. Blusky and IG: @robbyref  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

  8. Oct 22

    No! The Art and Activism of Complaining

    To be heard as complaining is not to be heard, writes Sara Ahmed. In No! The Art and Activism of Complaining, her sweeping exploration of complaint as a means of resistance, Sara Ahmed attunes her “feminist ear” to those who seek to challenge powerful institutions. She shows how complaints can unbury past complaints, getting them out of filing cabinets or from behind closed doors, allowing us to see institutions more clearly—how they work, and for whom they work. Where complaints live, how complaints are made, who receives them, who buries them and where—Sara Ahmed’s accessible, attentive writing brings to life the lessons learned from people knocking at closed doors, teaching us how to collectively resist the glacial weight of institutional power. This book inspires all of us to persist, to say “No!” and to build new collectivities that break down brick walls together. Guest: Sara Ahmed is an independent feminist scholar. She has published eleven books, including The Feminist Killjoy Handbook. She lives in Cambridgeshire, England. Host: Dr. Christina Gessler is an academic writing coach and editor. She is the producer of the Academic Life podcast and newsletter.  Playlist for listeners: How We Show UpIndigenous D.C.We Refuse:  A Forceful History of Black ResistanceWhat Might BeLiving ResistanceLeading Toward LiberationLeading From The MarginsThanks To LifeI Have Avenged AmericaBlack Boy Out Of TimeShoutin In The FireThe Names Of All the FlowersHands Up, Don't ShootThat LibrarianBook BanningWelcome to Academic Life, the podcast for your academic journey—and beyond! Please join us again to learn from more experts inside and outside the academy, and around the world. Missed any of the 300+ Academic Life episodes? Find them here. And thank you for listening! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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About

This podcast is a channel on the New Books Network. The New Books Network is an academic audio library dedicated to public education. In each episode you will hear scholars discuss their recently published research with another expert in their field. Discover our 150+ channels and browse our 28,000+ episodes on our website: ⁠newbooksnetwork.com⁠ Subscribe to our free weekly Substack newsletter to get informative, engaging content straight to your inbox: ⁠https://newbooksnetwork.substack.com/⁠ Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky to learn about more our latest interviews: @newbooksnetwork Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/communications

Information

  • Creator
    Marshall Poe
  • Years Active
    2011 - 2026
  • Episodes
    600
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © New Books Network
  • Show Website
    New Books in Communications

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