{"podcast":{"title":"Book Lounge by Libby","slug":"book-lounge-by-libby-544985","podcast_index_feed_id":544985,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/probooknerds","website_url":"https://www.libbylife.com/booklounge","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/fedf3b38-af3f-11ea-808b-2f096c3aee2e/image/412cf45b684d678f688469c337a1377e.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"OverDrive, Inc.","episode_count":937,"summary":"Book Lounge by Libby is your cozy reading corner of the internet. Hosted by Joe Skelley, each episode invites you into candid and thoughtful conversations about books, writing, publishing and the trends shaping what we read (plus reading recommendations you won't want to miss). Brought to you by ⁠Libby⁠, the library app. Find more at: https://pages.libbylife.com/BL-Links Book Lounge airs year-round, with two 10-week seasons each year, featuring publishing conversations on Mondays and paired book recommendations on Thursdays- plus monthly Book Release Radar episodes. We release 1–3 episodes per month between seasons. Reach out to us at bookloungebylibby@overdrive.com. Happy Reading!","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/book-lounge-by-libby-544985"},"episode":{"title":"Dazzling Debuts: The Real Story Behind First Novels","slug":"dazzling-debuts-the-real-story-behind-first-novels","published_at":"2026-04-13T07:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/book-lounge-by-libby-544985/dazzling-debuts-the-real-story-behind-first-novels","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/book-lounge-by-libby-544985","url":"https://www.libbylife.com/blog/dazzling-debuts-the-real-story-behind-first-novels-book-lounge-by-libby-season-3-episode-1","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pscrb.fm/rss/p/swap.fm/track/2IMk17EdnEqyRhJTIpIU/traffic.megaphone.fm/FPMN1685270052.mp3?updated=1776079855","summary":"Welcome to Season 3 of Book Lounge by Libby! We’re kicking things off with a celebration of debut authors; the moment when years of writing, revising, and hoping finally turn into a book on shelves. Joe is joined by Casey Scieszka, Katie Bernet, and Leia Ham to talk about what it really takes to publish a first novel. From early drafts and rejections to finding an agent, navigating edits, and seeing their books in the world for the first time, this conversation pulls back the curtain on the debut experience. They also dive into the emotional side of publishing: imposter syndrome, creative pressure, and the surreal moment of becoming a “published author.” Whether you’re an aspiring writer or just love discovering new voices, this episode is a behind-the-scenes look at where every author’s journey begins. Make sure you’re following the show so you don’t miss our next episode where we give you debut recommendations! Looking for the video version of our show? Check out the Libby App YouTube channel! Who’s in this episode: Casey Scieszka - website The Fountain Katie Bernet - website Beth is Dead Leia Ham - website The Missing Magic of Sparrow Xia Time stamps: 00:00:00 Title 00:00:23 Updates for Season 3 00:02:26 Intro 00:10:13 Sharing your book with the world 00:28:15 Getting into book two 00:42:17 What do you want most for your first release? 00:48:35 Does being a published author feel different? 00:52:04 Lightning Round 00:59:43 Farewell to our debut guests 01:00:10 Outro Readers can sample and borrow the titles mentioned in today’s episode in Libby. Library friends can add these titles to their digital collections for free in OverDrive Marketplace and Kanopy. Check out our Cumulative List for the whole season! Looking for more bookish content? Check out the Libby Life Bl…","meta_description":"Welcome to Season 3 of Book Lounge by Libby! We’re kicking things off with a celebration of debut authors; the moment when years of writing, revising, and…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3839,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/book-lounge-by-libby-544985/episodes/dazzling-debuts-the-real-story-behind-first-novels/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/book-lounge-by-libby-544985/dazzling-debuts-the-real-story-behind-first-novels.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}