Surprise, it's a bonus episode! A couple weeks ago, John and Launch Executive Producer Ben Adair sat down at the Los Angeles Festival of Books to give a behind-the-scenes look into the creation of Launch — from their favorite parts of the show, to the challenges of hosting a narrative podcast — and we thought we'd share the presentation with all of y'all. Plus, John has updates on how Arlo Finch is doing, and how the second book is coming along (there's some controversy between "eldritch" and "Eldritch").

When you really think about something, the chances of anything happening are so small. But people are planners. We make things happen. Where fate and plans align, that can be something special. Consider just writing and publishing a book, for example. What are the odds that happens?

We'll be seeing what Connie and Jodi think about all of this, how books 2 and 3 of Arlo Finch are coming along, and think about the fact that any of this happened at all.

John took Arlo on the road, hitting nine cities in thirteen days. We're absolutely sure that this is what rock stars feel like. These are some of the questions and answers that you sent in via email and asked John on the road.

So, this is it. This is the day. After two years of writing and editing, proofreading and obsessing, Arlo Finch is finally out in the world. This book has gone from being an idea to an actual physical thing you can buy at a store.

As a writer, John’s job is done. But as an author, he has a whole new set of responsibilities.

He’s taking Arlo Finch on the road as its ambassador. He has to talk about the book, get other people talking about the book and (hopefully) buying the book.

In this episode, we’ll be digging into how books are sold, how bookstores work, and how schools play a big role in the success of a middle-grade title. Plus we’ll get our first reviews of Arlo Finch.

This is the exclusive Inside Hollywood edition of printing and distributing books. Even Connie doesn’t know how it works. Paper factories make logs into pulp and presses make pages into books. The books are shipped out to be put on shelves. The most important shelves for Arlo are school libraries, and we talk to librarians about what they think of Arlo.

But what do the advance reviews say? Did Kirkus and Booklist like it? Will the New York Times write it up? Will it sell? That’s the big question now because all the preparation is over. The book goes on sale today. Like... right now. February 6.

This is it. This is launch.

In this episode, we’re going to be judging a book by its cover, and we talked to Vivienne To, artist hired to come up with the design for Arlo Finch.

We’ll also be nerding out over fonts and grammar. Plus, we’ll sit down with one of the most important readers of Arlo Finch -- the guy who has to read it aloud.

Eventually Arlo Finch is here, in our hands, but how? We know where the words come from but the actual book? That’s another mystery worth solving - how do books get made?

Follow Vivienne To on Instagram to see more of her work: https://www.instagram.com/vivienneto/

Adam Ladd's Fonts are available online: https://www.fontspring.com/foundry/adam-ladd

Follow James Patrick Cronin on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JamesPCronin

Saying “It’s like Harry Potter” is a useful way to describe a book, but He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named should absolutely not be named in children’s publishing. Like Facebook or Instagram, it’s the unicorn that warps the industry, and “sets impossible expectations,” according to editor Connie Hsu.

Most middle-grade fantasy series are duds, so not only might Arlo Finch not become Harry Potter, it might not become anything at all.

To hear more episodes, listen exclusively with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for this and more exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/mT4GXWxqdab

Support us by supporting our sponsors!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Arlo Finch sprang from a phone call in an Austin hotel room in October 2015 during an epic thunderstorm. Screenwriter John August spent the next month tracing Arlo's journey over seven chapters and realized he had a book series on his hands. After talking to other screenwriters-turned-novelists, August decided it was time to find a publishing house for Arlo. There’s a preemptive offer, with only hours to decide.

To hear more episodes, listen exclusively with Wondery+. Join Wondery+ for this and more exclusives, binges, early access, and ad free listening. Available in the Wondery App. https://wondery.app.link/mT4GXWxqdab

Support us by supporting our sponsors!

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.