Chapter 23: Jesse Finkelstein zooms into the zeitgeist and zeroes in on zesty Zora

Feb 19, 2019

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3 Books is a completely insane and totally epic 15-year-long quest to uncover the 1000 most formative books in the world. Each chapter is hosted live and in-person at the guest's preferred location by Neil Pasricha, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Awesome and The Happiness Equation. Each chapter of 3 Books uncovers and discusses the three most formative books from one of the world's most inspiring people. Sample guests include: Judy Blume, David Sedaris, Chris Anderson of TED, and the world's greatest Uber driver. Each of the 333 chapters is dropped on the exact minute of every new moon and full moon until September 1, 2031. 3 Books is an Apple "Best Of" award-winning show as well as the world's only podcast by and for book lovers, writers, makers, sellers... and librarians. For more info check out: www.3books.co

Jesse Finkelstein is the co-founder and principal of Page Two Publishing, a premium author-centric publishing house. Prior to founding Page Two, Jesse was Chief Operating Officer at D&M Publishing leading the company’s digital and international sales strategies, and Associate Publisher at Raincoast Books. Jesse holds a Master of Publishing from Simon Fraser University and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from McGill University.

Chapter Description:

Have you ever found something you love doing but one tiny part of it you hate?

You love the company, the job, the values, the people … but hate your boss.

You love the school you teach at, the kids, the classroom … but can’t stand the commute.

We encounter these decisions all the time. You love something but you just can’t deal with this little part of it.

Enter Jesse Finkelstein, co-founder and principal of Page Two Publishing, a premium author-centric publishing house.

Why did I bring up the deal-breaker conundrum?

Because Jesse always felt this way about the publishing industry.

She went up through the ranks at the big publishing companies, all the way to COO at D&M Publishing. But she kept asking herself: What if there was a publishing company that put the author’s goals first?

So Jesse created Page Two, which sits somewhere in between self-publishing and traditional publishing.

Page 2 takes an author’s idea, looks at whether it has market potential, and then supplies the author with all the tools a big publishing house would: editors, copy-editors, graphic designers, distribution channels, everything.

In Chapter 23 of 3 Books, Jesse and I go deep into how the publishing landscape is evolving … and then we dive into her three most formative books.

We discuss how acclaimed political writers can actually not be political enough, how books can get over-edited, the Harlem Renaissance, and how reading acts as therapy, and much, much more…

I absolutely loved listening to Jesse and think you will, too.

Welcome to Chapter 23.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN:

When is it okay to be a quitter?
How can authors retain creative control in the strict world of publishing?
What are the most important steps to take when publishing a book?
How have self-published books radically changed over the past decade?
How did the Harlem Renaissance affect book publishing, particularly for black authors?
How has poetry transformed over the past century and why is it resurfacing again?
What makes a book accessible to readers and how do writers tap into that?
What book can help us learn from trauma and look past it with a fresh perspective?

Leave us a voicemail! Your message may be included in a future episode: 1-833-READ-A-LOT.

You can find show notes and more information by clicking here: https://www.3books.co/chapters/23