AI Summary
5 min readPlanet Money producer Alexei Horowitz-Ghazi goes behind the scenes of the publishing industry to trace how the podcast's own book—a field guide to the global economy—secured a deal. What emerges is a glimpse into a concentrated market where agents pitch proposals amid consolidation, editors chase "tingles" from great ideas, and competitive auctions determine advances.
Agents Spot a Book Opportunity
Literary agents Jane von Maren and Laura Nolan approached Planet Money executive producer Alex Goldmark after NPR retained them to scout podcast properties for books. They saw potential in the show's engaged audience, citing successes like 17,000 comic books and 20,000 t-shirts sold from past projects. Goldmark, initially lukewarm, warmed to the idea after a meeting where agents argued a book could reach airports, libraries, and schools beyond podcast listeners.
They brainstormed formats, settling on a broad "field guide" using vivid stories on work, dating, investing, and more for mass appeal. Goldmark tapped freelance reporter Alex Miyasi, a Planet Money veteran, to co-write a proposal: sample chapters, outline, and business case highlighting the show's promotion power. Over a year, the group refined it via Google Doc.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:17) **Book Publishing Mystery** - Host introduces hidden economy behind books and their cultural influence
- 2 (01:49) **Series Launch** - Planet Money begins reporting on landing their book deal
- 3 (03:09) **Mission Assigned** - Host takes on reporting Planet Money book origins with EP Alex Goldmark
- 4 (05:10) **Agents Enter** - Literary agents Laura Nolan and Jane von Maren pitch Planet Money
- 5 (07:22) **First Meeting Pitch** - Agents persuade Goldmark on book as mission extender
- 6 (09:25) **Proposal Crafted** - Team builds book proposal with writer Alex Masi
- 7 (11:14) **Market Seeding** - Agents whisper about book at industry lunches
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
So when Planet Money was approached to make its own book, not only did it present an opportunity to spread the gospel of whimsical economic infotainment to new audiences everywhere, but it also presented an opportunity to get a rare peek behind the curtain of the notoriously opaque world of publishing.
On today’s episode, the first chapter in our series on the making of a book: Planet Money sets out to land a book deal. We enter the high stakes, high school drama of the publishing industry, where literary agents try to woo powerful book editors. And we learn what happens when lofty artistic ideals meet the cold logic of the market. It’s a courtship dance with millions of dollars potentially on the line. There will be whale fights, corporate speed dating, and a literary shotgun wedding.
Related:
- Episode 2: Our BOOK vs. the global supply chain
- Episode 3: BOOKstore Economics
- Episode 4: How to make a BOOK into a bestseller
- Series: Planet Money makes a book
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This episode was produced by Willa Rubin with produc
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