How I Write Jon Yaged: How Book Publishing Works | How I Write
John Yaged, CEO of Macmillan and a veteran publishing executive, pulls back the curtain on how books get made and sold. He talks about why publishing consolidated. How advances are priced and why agents matter. Plus the tug-of-war between data and gut instinct, the hidden economics behind a book, self-publishing, AI tools, and why word of mouth still rules.
01:25:10
What Makes Picture Books Artistically Complex
- Great picture books compress unusually complex storytelling into words, images, and the unseen action between page turns.
- John Yaged says children's creators also succeed by respecting kids' intelligence instead of talking down to them.
Where AI Helps Publishing Right Now
- John Yaged sees AI less as a writer replacement than as a workflow tool for summaries, metadata, and demand forecasting.
- Macmillan already used AI forecasting to avoid printing roughly 1 million unnecessary copies in one year.
Why AI Written Books Create Copyright Risk
- AI-heavy manuscripts create both artistic unease and a business problem because copyright may not protect nonhuman-created text.
- John Yaged says publishers need authors to disclose outside material, and AI use blurs who owns the work at all.
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Intro
00:00 • 2min
Why Publishing Consolidated
02:02 • 2min
How Advances Get Calculated
04:02 • 4min
Getting Through the Front Door
07:59 • 4min
Data Helps, Gut Picks Winners
12:13 • 2min
The New York Bubble Problem
14:15 • 2min
Creating Space for Creativity
16:29 • 10min
Ad break
26:01 • 1min
Why Publishing Copies Itself
27:07 • 2min
Healthy Pushback Makes Better Books
29:34 • 2min
Who Gets Paid From a Book
31:11 • 6min
Backlist Is the Real Asset
36:42 • 4min
Why Children’s Books Endure
40:41 • 7min
Different Markets Want Different Books
47:30 • 3min
AI as Publishing Infrastructure
50:25 • 9min
Trends, Printing, and Self-Publishing
59:20 • 6min
Marketing Still Runs on Word of Mouth
01:04:52 • 3min
Macmillan Balances Profit and Culture
01:08:17 • 13min
Why Macmillan Wants to Be the Place
01:21:17 • 4min
#91270
Brundibar
Tony Kushner
Maurice Sendak
In Brundibar, siblings Aninku and Pepicek seek milk for their ill mother but are thwarted by the bullying organ-grinder Brundibar.
With help from talking animals and hundreds of children, they overcome him and succeed.
Based on a 1938 Czech opera performed over 50 times by children in the Terezin concentration camp, the story by Tony Kushner and illustrations by Maurice Sendak subtly nods to Holocaust history while delivering a timeless message of unity, perseverance, and resistance against tyranny.
#66299
A Sick Day for Amos McGee
Philip C. Stead
Erin E. Stead
Amos McGee is a dedicated zookeeper who spends quality time with his animal friends every day: playing chess with the elephant, racing the tortoise, sitting quietly with the shy penguin, lending a handkerchief to the rhinoceros, and reading to the owl at dusk.
When Amos wakes up sick and misses work, his worried friends take the bus to his home to care for him in return, reversing their usual roles with kindness and humor.
The story celebrates friendship, reciprocity, and gentle humor through timeless illustrations.
#160
• Mentioned in 133 episodes
Antifragile
Things That Gain from Disorder
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Albino Santos Mosquera
Genís Sánchez Barberán
In 'Antifragile', Nassim Nicholas Taleb delves into the concept of antifragility, arguing that some systems not only withstand stress and disorder but actually benefit from them.
The book builds on ideas from his previous works, such as 'Fooled by Randomness' and 'The Black Swan', and is part of his five-volume philosophical treatise on uncertainty, 'Incerto'.
Taleb provides examples from various fields, including science, economics, and history, to illustrate how antifragility can be achieved and how it contrasts with fragility and robustness.
He also discusses strategies like the barbell strategy and optionality, and critiques modern society's attempts to eliminate volatility, which he believes are harmful.
The book is praised for its revolutionary ideas and multidisciplinary approach, though it has also received criticism for its style and some of the author's views on mental health and other topics.
#173
• Mentioned in 127 episodes
The Black Swan
The Impact of the Highly Improbable
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
David Chandler
Nassim Taleb
The Black Swan is a landmark book by Nassim Nicholas Taleb that investigates the phenomenon of highly improbable events with massive impacts.
These events, termed Black Swans, are unpredictable, have a significant impact, and are rationalized after the fact to appear less random.
Taleb argues that humans are hardwired to focus on specifics rather than generalities, leading to a failure to consider what we don’t know.
The book delves into cognitive biases, the limitations of mathematical models, and the importance of robustness and antifragility in navigating a world filled with uncertainty.
The second edition includes a new essay, 'On Robustness and Fragility,' offering tools to navigate and exploit a Black Swan world.
#27836
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Babar
An Elephant's Best Friend
Various
Babar is a classic children's book series created by Jean de Brunhoff.
The stories follow the adventures of Babar, a young elephant who leaves his family after his mother is killed by hunters.
He travels to the city, where he learns about human culture and eventually returns to his family to become their king.
The books are known for their beautiful illustrations, charming characters, and exploration of themes such as family, loss, and cultural differences.
The series has been adapted into numerous films, television shows, and other media, making Babar a globally recognized character.
The books have been praised for their ability to engage young readers while also exploring complex themes.
#21
• Mentioned in 380 episodes
Harry Potter
J.K. Rowling
The Harry Potter series, written by J.K.
Rowling, follows the journey of Harry Potter, an orphan boy who discovers he is a wizard.
The series spans seven novels, each corresponding to one year of Harry's life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Harry, along with his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, navigates the magical world, confronts various challenges, and ultimately faces off against the dark wizard Lord Voldemort, who murdered Harry's parents and seeks to dominate the wizarding world.
The series explores themes of friendship, love, and the struggle between good and evil.
#68
• Mentioned in 226 episodes
The great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Published in 1925, 'The Great Gatsby' is a tragic love story, a mystery, and a social commentary on American life during the Jazz Age. The novel is narrated by Nick Carraway, who moves to Long Island and becomes entangled in the lives of his wealthy and mysterious neighbor, Jay Gatsby, and Gatsby's obsession to win back his first love, Daisy Buchanan.
The story delves into themes of honesty, the temptations of wealth, and the struggle to escape the past, ultimately reflecting on the disintegration of the American Dream.
#4480
• Mentioned in 11 episodes
The Nightingale
Kristin Hannah
The novel tells the story of Vianne and Isabelle, two sisters living in France during World War II. Vianne, the older and more responsible sister, tries to maintain a sense of normalcy and protect her family, while Isabelle, young and rebellious, joins the French Resistance.
Isabelle adopts the codename 'The Nightingale' as she risks her life to help Allied airmen escape to Spain.
The story delves into the sisters' different paths and the impossible choices they must make to survive the war, including dealing with Nazi occupation, personal losses, and the harsh realities of war.
The novel also explores themes of family, love, and survival under extreme conditions.
#1013
• Mentioned in 37 episodes
Where the Wild Things Are
Maurice Sendak
In this iconic children's book, Max, dressed in his wolf suit, causes chaos at home and is sent to bed without supper.
His bedroom transforms into a jungle, and he sails to an island where he encounters the Wild Things.
Max tames the creatures and becomes their king, but eventually returns home, missing his mother's love.
The book is praised for its honest treatment of children's emotions, particularly anger and the need for parental love.
It has been adapted into a movie and an opera and remains a beloved classic in children's literature.
This episode is presented by Mercury, the banking platform that makes this show possible. I can’t imagine trying to run my business without them. Learn more at https://mercury.com
Do you ever wonder how the book publishing industry works? How does the CEO of a top-five publishing house even think? That's what this episode is all about.
My guest is John Yaged. He runs Macmillan, which is one of the top five publishing houses. I asked him to talk to me like I'm a young writer who has never published a book before. And that's what he did.
If you're interested in improving your writing, if you want to be a super successful writer and understand how this industry works, then you're going to like this episode. About the host Hey! I’m David Perell and I’m a writer, teacher, and podcaster. I believe writing online is one of the biggest opportunities in the world today. For the first time in human history, everybody can freely share their ideas with a global audience. I seek to help as many people publish their writing online as possible. Follow me Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-write/id1700171470 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@DavidPerellChannel Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2DjMSboniFAeGA8v9NpoPv X: https://x.com/david_perell
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