Book Friends Forever Podcast
Episodes
Episode 330: 2025 Year-End Review!
19 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina look back on the year and share their highlights and lowlights, look back at their words of the year, and evaluate how they did on th...
Episode 329: Intelligence vs. Wisdom
12 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina talk about the difference between wisdom as intelligence, as outlined in an episode of the Hidden Brain podcast, and how this applies...
Episode 328: 2025 Holiday Gift Guide!
04 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina have their annual holiday gift guide episode where they give gift recommendations for the people in your life! The gifts ideas includ...
Episode 327: Inventory Management with Lianna Izzo!
26 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina continue their Publishing Curriculum series and welcome special guest Lianna Izzo, to talk about inventory management! They cover eve...
Episode 326: CHOP SUEY: New Imprint, AI and Library Laws, Literary Travel, and Book Recs with Alison Morris!
21 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace Lin and Alvina Ling have an odds and ends episode where they talk about the big news that was recently announced--Alvina is going to be starting...
Episode 325: Decision Making and Regret!
13 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace Lin and Alvina Ling discuss how regret factors into their decision making, and they discuss five styles of decision making, and which style they...
Episode 324: Two Topics: Asian Parents and Gratitude Chains!
07 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina talk about two topics this week. The first, inspired by a post by actor Ming Na Wen, they talk about different types of Asian parents...
Episode 323: Does Publishing Have a Gambling Problem?
31 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina discuss a recent article about the challenges regarding the business model of book publishing, and how publishers tend to gamble big ...
Episode 322: CHOP SUEY: Baker & Taylor, Banned Books, Interns, and Book Recs with Alison Morris!
24 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina have an odds and ends episode where they talk about the closing of Baker & Taylor, and they touch on some topics regarding banned boo...
Episode 321: Community Building With Debbi Michiko Florence!
16 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace Lin and Alvina Ling welcome special guest Debbi Michiko Florence--Grace and Debbi are recording together while on their Very Asian Book Trip! Th...
Episode 320: Gift and Specialty Sales with Adelia Kalyvas!
09 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina welcome special guest Adelia Kalyvas to talk about her job working in Special Sales, specifically the gift side. You'll learn all abo...
Episode 319: Freedom of Speech!
02 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina discuss some recent events surrounding the Freedom of Speech, including late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel being pulled from the ...
Episode 318: Gossip!
25 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina are together in Brooklyn and gossip with each other! They talk about their relationship with gossip, when it can be positive or harmf...
Episode 317: Pivoting and Family with Michele McGonigle DeYoung!
19 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina welcome special guest Michele McGonigle DeYoung! Michele was the first producer/editor of the Book Friends Forever podcast, and they ...
Episode 316: Special Sales with Jenny Mandel!
12 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina continue their Publishing Curriculum series and welcome special guest Jenny Mandel to talk about her job working in Special Sales. Yo...
Episode 315: CHOP SUEY Publishing News!
04 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace Lin and Alvina Ling discuss a bunch of different pieces of publishing news, including the launch of Google's Gemini Storybook App, the cancellat...
Episode 314: Two Topics, Travel and Scams
28 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace Lin and Alvina Ling talk about travel and explore the question of whether or not all travel is transformative or opens one's horizons? They disc...
Episode 313: Well-Read and Gender in Animal Books!
17 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina talk about two different topics--they debate the term "well-read" and whether they consider themselves to be well-read or if they eve...
Episode 312: Freedom to Read with Padma Venkatraman!
14 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina welcome special guest Padma Venkatraman, author and oceanographer, to talk about a recent bill that she helped pass in Rhode Island t...
Episode 311: Key qualities for success with Libby Koponen!
07 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina are in CT with special guest Libby Koponen celebrating Libby's 75th Birthday. They discuss what they think the key qualities for succ...
Episode 310: CHOP SUEY: Ages in Young Adult, Pen Names, and Last Meals!
31 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina have an odds and ends episode where they discuss several topics, including how protagonists in YA have gotten older over the years, d...
Episode 309: Summer!
25 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina talk about summer--what their relationship is to summer, what their favorite childhood memories from summer are, and what their favor...
Episode 308: 2025 Mid-year resolution check-in!
17 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina do a mid-year check in to see how they're doing on their new year's resolutions! They talk about their words of the year, and give up...
Episode 307: Friendship Groups!
11 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina are back from ALA and discuss the importance of friendship groups, if they have them now or had them in the past, and share some arti...
Episode 306: CHOP SUEY: How to ground yourself, publishing news, and AI (again!)!
04 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina have an odds and ends episode where they discuss several topics, including tips on how to stay grounded, various publishing news incl...
Episode 305: Live at the Carle Museum with Melissa Hung!
26 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina are together at the Carle Museum, recording a live episode with special guest Melissa Hung, curator of Grace's solo art exhibit at th...
Episode 304: Subrights with Janelle DeLuise!
19 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina welcome special guest Janelle DeLuise, Senior Director of Subrights at Hachette Book Group to the podcast. They talk about what Subri...
Episode 303: Bucket Lists!
12 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina revisit the "bucket lists" they created in 2005, see what they've already crossed off, and create updated lists. For the Fortune Cook...
Episode 302: CHOP SUEY: Library of Congress, AI summer reading lists, and Summer of…!
05 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina have an odds and ends episode where they give some updates on the recent firing of the Librarian of Congress, they talk about the AI-...
Episode 301: Personal Organization!
29 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina talk about their personal organization techniques, including what kind of tools they use and how they coordinate with their family. F...
Episode 300: Book Tours!
22 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina record an episode while Grace is in the middle of her book tour for THE GATE, THE GIRL, AND THE DRAGON, so of course the topic is eve...
Episode 299: Editing Middle Grade: The Gate, the Girl, and the Dragon!
08 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina are celebrating the launch of Grace's THE GATE, THE GIRL, AND THE DRAGON and they talk about their writing, editing, and revision pro...
Episode 298: CHOP SUEY: Mahmoud v Taylor, MG to picture books, and group chats!
01 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina have an odds and ends episode where they talk about several topics. They discuss the recent Supreme Court case Mahmoud v Taylor about...
Episode 297: How the New Administration is Affecting Publishing!
24 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina talk about how the current presidential administration has and could affect publishing. They discuss how the increase in book banning...
Episode 296: Independent Publishing with Janet Bruins!
19 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina welcome special guest Janet Bruins, who has started her own independent publishing company, Picnic Heist. They talk about how she dec...
Episdoe 295: Authentic and Hubristic Pride!
10 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina talk about two different types of price: authentic pride and hubistric pride, and how that might apply to their work and lives. For t...
Episode 294: Six Styles of Leadership!
03 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina talk about leadership styles, specifically the Goleman six styles of leadership. They also talk about a recent Hidden Brain podcast e...
Episode 293: Chance and the Unknown!
27 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina talk about chance, flukes, and the unknown and how small changes and chance encounters can change the whole course of your life. For ...
Episode 292: CHOP SUEY: Pandemic anniversary, soft censorship, and mission statement follow-up!
20 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina have an odds and ends episode where they discuss several topics. At the five-year anniversary of the global pandemic, they look back ...
Episode 291: Freelance Editing with Sangeeta Mehta and Julie Scheina!
14 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina continue their publishing curriculum series and welcome special guests Sangeeta Mehta and Julie Scheina to the podcast. Both of them ...
Episode 290: Jealousy vs. Envy!
06 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina talk about the emotion of jealousy and how it differs from envy, and how both are normal emotions. They discuss how to better reframe...
Episode 289: Mission Statements!
27 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina talk about different organizations and their mission statements, and start brainstorming a possible mission statement for this podcas...
Episode 288: CHOP SUEY: blurbing, social media, and how publishing has changed for the better
21 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina have an odds and ends episode where they discuss book blurbing, where the kidlit community is on social media, how publishing has imp...
Episode 287: Community!
14 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Alvina is back from Kindling Words and so she and Grace talk about the importance of community (Alvina's word of the year!) and how to build community...
Episode 286: ALAYMA and Publishing news!
06 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina talk about the ALA Youth Media Award winners, as well as a bunch of other publishing news, including about book bans, children's book...
Episode 285: CHOP SUEY: Social Media, How to Cope, and Barnes & Noble!
30 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina have an odds and ends episode where they discuss the state of social media, including new updates on the TikTok ban and Facebook, the...
Episode 284: Simple Joys!
23 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
With all the terrible things going on in the world right now, Grace and Alvina decide to help make themselves and others feel a little better by listi...
Episode 283: 2025 New Year's Resolutions
16 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina kick off their first episode of 2025 by sharing their words of the year and their new year's resolution. They also share what word su...
Episode 282: 2024 Year-end Review
28 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina wrap up the year of 2024 by looking back on the year, sharing some highlights and lowlights, and also taking stock of how successful ...
Episode 281: CHOP SUEY: Making reading fun, remember why we write, and favorite holiday books with Alison Morris!
19 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina are joined by special guest Alison Morris to talk about various topics, including the industry's efforts to help encourage children t...
Episode 280: Deep Work and Attention Span!
12 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina talk about the concept of deep work, and our diminished attention spans. They discuss the books Deep Work by Cal Newport and Attentio...
Episode 279: 2024 Gift Guide!
05 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina give some holiday gift recommendations for readers, editors, authors, illustrators, kids, and more! For the Fortune Cookie segment, t...
Episode 278: Children's Sales with Danielle Cantarella!
27 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina continue their "publishing curriculum" series and welcome special guest Danielle Cantarella, Executive Director of Sales at Hachette ...
Episode 277: CHOP SUEY: Reading trends, the Black List, and House Trust!
21 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina have an odds and ends episode where they discuss what they think the trends for next year will be, they discuss a new site for discov...
Episode 276: Library and Educational Sales with Katie Tucker!
14 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina continue their "publishing curriculum" series and welcome special guest Katie Tucker, Senior National Account Manager at Hachette Boo...
Episode 275: Work to vacation to work transitions!
07 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Alvina and Grace are back from vacation and have been dealing with transitioning back to work mode. They also talk about how it was transitioning to v...
Episode 274: 50! with Anna Alter
31 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina and their friend and special guest Anna Alter are in Bermuda celebrating turning 50 this year! They talk about the past, present, and...
Episode 273: CHOP SUEY: Hybrid work, Boba tea, and MacArthur Genius Grants!
24 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina have an odds and ends episode where they discuss hybrid work vs full remote work, the controversy surrounding the company Bobba and a...
Episode 272: Indie Bookstore Sales with Julie Isgrigg!
17 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina continue their "publishing curriculum" series and welcome special guest Julie Isgrigg, Independent Bookstore Representative. They dis...
Episode 271: Longevity in the Industry!
10 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina discuss longevity in the publishing industry, both as an author and illustrator and as an editor, using a recent podcast episode and ...
Episode 270: Cynicism Vs. Skepticism!
03 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina are recording together in Brooklyn! They discuss the difference between cynicism and skepticism, and which one is "a poison pill" and...
Episode 269: CHOP SUEY: Internet Archive, self publishing after a bestseller, and screen adaptations!
26 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina have an odds and ends episode where they're joined by Children's Literature Specialist Alison Morris to catch up with each other's li...
Episode 268: Digital Marketing with Savannah Kennelly!
19 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina continue their "publishing curriculum" series and welcome special guest Savannah Kennelly, Senior Digital Marketing Manager at LBYR. ...
Episode 267: Trade Marketing with Bill Grace!
12 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina continue their "publishing curriculum" series and welcome special guest Bill Grace, Senior Marketing Manager at LBYR. They discuss ev...
Episode 266: Publicity with Cheryl Lew!
05 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina continue their "publishing curriculum" series and welcome special guest Cheryl Lew, Associate Director of Publilcity. They discuss ev...
Episode 265: CHOP SUEY: Q&A, four stages of retirement, and Chat GPT
29 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina have an odds and ends episode where they answer some listener questions, including a couple about the middle grade market. They discu...
Episode 264: 25-year Anniversary career highlights so far!
22 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina celebrate their 25 years in the publishing industry and share their top ten career highlights so far, including how they got their st...
Episode 263: School & Library Marketing with Christie Michel!
15 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina continue their "publishing curriculum" series and welcome special guest Christie Michel, Senior Marketing Manager, to talk about Scho...
Episode 262: Retirement!
08 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina talk about what they envision their eventual retirement will look like (don't worry, it's still a long time away for both of them), i...
Episode 261: CHOP SUEY: Publishing News1
02 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina have an odds and ends episode where they discuss a bunch of publishing news, including publishing imprint closures, new imprints, mov...
Episode 260: Our Present and Future Selves!
25 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Alvina is back from her 50th Birthday vacation to Banff! Grace and Alvina talk about how their present selves inform their future selves. For the Fort...
Episode 259: Sparkle and Awe!
18 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina discuss two different podcasts on similar topics: how to bring sparkle back into your life, and how to experience awe. For the fort...
Episode 258: Mid-year Check In!
11 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina look back at their new year's resolutions to see if they've made any progress (spoiler alert--they have!). For their fortune cookie s...
BFF 257 Managing Editorial with Andy Ball!
27 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina continue their "publishing curriculum" series and welcome special guest Andy Ball, Director of Managing Editorial, to talk about the ...
Episode 256: CHOP SUEY: Deadlines, Friendship Style, and AI!
20 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina have an odds and ends episode where they tallk about how they deal with deadlines and time management, what their friendship style is...
Episode 255: Book Production with Lillian Sun!
13 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina continue their "publishing curriculum" series and welcome special guest Lillian Sun, Production Director, to talk about the book prod...
Episode 254: Novel Design with Sasha Illingworth!
06 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina continue their "publishing curriculum" series and welcome special guest Sasha Illingworth, Associate Creative Director, to talk about...
Episode 253: Change!
30 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina talk about change--what the major changes in their lives have been, and how one can become better at adjusting to change. For the For...
Episode 252: Growth Mindset!
23 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina are recording together on the day after Grace's 50th birthday! They talk all about the concept of growth mindset and what it means, a...
Episode 251: CHOP SUEY: Posthumous Publishing, AI and audiobooks, and Fyre Festival of Books
16 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina have an odds and ends episode where they tallk about how they feel about posthumous publishing, using AI for audiobooks, and the disa...
Episode 250: Copyediting with Christine Ma!
09 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina continue their "publishing curriculum" series and welcome special guest Christine Ma, to talk about the copyediting and proofreading ...
Episode 249: Picture Book text and art editing and revision with Saho Fujii!
02 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina continue their "publishing curriculum" series and welcome special guest Saho Fujii, Executive Art Director, to talk about the pictur...
Episode 248: Editing and Revision!
26 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina continue their "publishing curriculum" series and talk about the writing, editing, and revision process, with a focus on writing, edi...
Episode 247: CHOP SUEY: Publishing news, World Happiness, and Think Again
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina have an odds and ends episode where they discuss the various publishing news including some relating to book banning, they discuss th...
Episode 246: The Acquisitions Process!
11 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina continue their "publishing curriculum" series and talk about the acquisitions process, including what happens at editorial meetings, ...
Episode 245: Personality Tests!
04 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina both take two different personality tests (the Myers Briggs and Big Five Tests) and talk about their results and the science behind p...
Episode 244: Middle Grade and Market Fluctuations
28 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina talk about the slumping middle grade market and talk about how the market fluctuates overall. See complete show notes at www.bookfrie...
Episode 243: CHOP SUEY: Hugo Award controversy, Author's Equity, and Double Standards
21 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina have an odds and ends episode where they discuss the Hugo Award controversy, a new publishing house launching called Author's Equity,...
Episode 242: 5-year Anniversary!
14 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace is back from sabbatical, and she and Alvina celebrate a bit belatedly the five-year anniversary of this podcast! They look back at where they an...
Episode 241: Moving with Libby Koponen!
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While Grace is on sabbatical, Alvina talked with their friend, author Libby Koponen about moving--how many times they've moved (Libby has moved over 4...
Episode 240: Upheavals, Slumps and Rekindling Creativity with Laurel Snyder!
29 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace takes a break from her sabbatical to record the podcast in person with Alvina and special guest author Laurel Snyder. They're recording together...
Episode 239: Big Magic with Shelli R. Johannes!
22 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While Grace is on sabbatical, Alvina talked with author Shelli R. Johannes about the book BIG MAGIC by Elizabeth Gilbert and how it changed her perspe...
Episode 238: Mental Health with Stephen Colman
15 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While Grace is on sabbatical, Alvina talked with her husband Stephen Colman about his mental health journey, including tips on managing anxiety and de...
Episode 237: Bonus episode: How it All Began!
14 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
For this surprise bonus episode, Grace and Alvina drop the very first episode of Book Friends Forever into the feed to celebrate the 5-year anniversar...
Episode 236: The Pareto Principle with Jane Kuo!
08 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina welcome special guest, author Jane Kuo and they discuss the Pareto Principle and how it might relate to publishing and productivity. ...
Episode 235: CHOP SUEY: ALAYMA, sprayed edges, and banned book awards!
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina have an odds and ends episode where the discuss the ALA Youth Media Awards, the special effect called sprayed edges, and various news...
Episode 234: Taiwan Trip!
25 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina are together again after Alvina's epic vacation to Taiwan! Alvina shares all about her trip in this episode. See complete show notes ...
Episode 233: Creating the Creative Life with Anna Alter!
18 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
While Alvina is in Taiwan, Grace welcomes special guest and friend Anna Alter to discuss the children's book industry and how Anna has pivoted to wor...
BFF 232 QUESTIONS WITH GUEST CO-HOST NATASHA TARPLEY
12 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Alvina is in Taiwan this week. Grace welcomes fellow author Natasha Tarpley. See more about Natasha at her website https://natashatarpleywrites.com ...
Episode 231: 2024 New Year Resolutions
05 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Grace and Alvina look forward to 2024. See complete show notes at www.bookfriendsforever.com. Click here to become a Patreon member: https://www.pat...