Some episodes are engaging and tell a story of a behind-the-scenes adventure in publishing. Other episodes struggle to focus on the topic, or give superficial information and repeat in different ways. Bethanne has a good voice, but she takes a long time to get the story out. Overall, I feel like I’m getting an abbreviated wiki article each time - and I would rather just read it myself.

Binged almost all episodes in one day. More, please!

I found this podcast very informative and interesting. I really enjoyed the interview with Jodi Picoult.

I was excited about this podcast but after finishing the first episode I felt unclear about the story being told and I had seen the documentary/film about this hoax. Then after listening to two more episodes I realized it is an editing/story telling problem.

Ironic that a literary podcast is this poorly written. This host is awful. She’s patronizing, righteous and overwrought. I mean how many times do you have to virtue signal by mentioning someone’s “whiteness” when talking about a writer. Would love to hear this podcast with a better journalist/writer/personality at the helm.

Why I cannot listen to you - the noise you lay behind the voice as a so-called music bed -1. It's not music, it's electronic drivel, and 2. it's not necessary: If your story line, script, and delivery cannot provide enough entertainment to keep a listener engaged, then quit.

How is a podcast about publishing so poorly written and edited?

Well written and super informative.

Very interesting show, looking forward to hearing more

I subscribed to Unabridged and I’m still getting ads for other Wondery podcasts. This is misleading. Canceling.

Interesting information but STOP THE BACKGROUND MUSIC!!

The subjects are interesting, but the writing is mundane and the presentation is overwrought and trying too hard to imitate other podcasts that focused on more dramatic material. Lastly, it is too estrogenic for my tastes.

I really, really wanted to love this, as a publishing insider and a lover of hot goss (iykyk) but I find the host patronizing and smug, and the writing should be A LOT better. a podcast focused on publishing industry stories has the potential to be amazing but this falls short on a lot of levels and that’s disappointing. I gave it four episodes to see if it got better but I still feel pretty ick about it. It feels like a publishing goss podcast for all the wrong people, not the people who actually want it.

The stories are fascinating but the writing of the episodes is so confusing and muddled and clearly biased that it’s almost impossible to tell what the story is actually about. The last episode about three cups of tea was nonsensical. I couldn’t understand the story, and then the third act was a weird moralistic take on a largely irrelevant interview with a comedian who hadn’t even read the book, the book which wasn’t a comedy? What a disappointment. Great idea though.

Too much review and rehashing already discussed info = padding?

This podcast isn't terrible in theory. There's enough chicanery happening in the publishing world for good stories but this podcast just can't find it's footing. Too trashy to be journalism and too journalistic to be trashy Missing Pages occupies an uncomfortable space in the middle. Also the scripts need an editor and the host's delivery is wooden and unsure. I made it to episode 8 before I threw in the towel. If you're desperate to hear poorly presented stories about the publishing world, this may be for you but if you like well made podcasts, I'd skip this one.

I was really excited about this podcast but I had to turn it off after the second episode. I think a podcast exploring inequities in publishing could be really great! But a podcast posing as unsolved weirdies, that then just preaches for 45 minutes without any concrete evidence is lame. I want to know WHY Dan Mallory did what he did, and a deep dive into the physical infrastructure that allowed him to do so. Not an interview with a completely unrelated author and a vague thesis statement about abuses of power. Doesn’t matter how right you are, soapboxing (especially in podcast form) is always irritating.

I’ve been enjoying this podcast so far, but todays episode made me very annoyed. the “dreams vs. reality” was a whole episode of being condescended to. Someone must have not felt like writing an actual episode this week, so we all had to suffer through the kindergarten class version of this pod.

The show frequently judges others for doing things for dubious reasons, while seeming completely oblivious that the show is 100% capitalizing on salacious gossip. Gossip is bitter when delivered in such a holier than thou frame.

If you’re looking for an explanation for how 40 passages from Megan McCafferty’s “Sloppy Firsts” ended up in Kaavya Viswanathan’s “Opal Mehta” well…you aren’t going to get an answer here. I agree with other reviewers who found this first interview with Viswanathan in 15 years extremely disappointing and not at all illuminating. If Viswanathan didn’t intentionally plagiarize, then who did? “I guess we’ll never know the truth,” Patrick says. And why not? PATRICK DIDN’T ASK. At another point, someone says something to the effect of, “We’ll never know if someone at Alloy gave McCafferty’s books to Viswanathan.” Again, we’ll never know because PATRICK DIDN’T ASK. Patrick praises KV for her candor, but it seemed clear to this listener that Viswanathan the lawyer definitely set some ground rules that the most important questions were the ones she wouldn’t answer. Even worse for a respected critic and reviewer like Patrick? Her reluctance to call the large scale theft of another author’s work what it was--plagiarism. Not "alleged." Plagiarism. And contrary to the "bombshell" in the interview, Harvard's internal investigation was about Kaavya’s *academic* work while a student. It did not absolve her from the plagiarism in Opal Mehta because that was outside Harvard's purview. (Another investigation went into articles she wrote for a local newspaper, which also found no plagiarism.) Viswanathan talks about “incentives” in publishing. The incentives here are clear. Patrick got a “scoop” and Viswanathan got to take the first step in her redemption tour—one that will culminate with the inevitable press cycle for the publication of her literary adult novel in progress. I expected better from Patrick, a respected book critic and interviewer. I will not be listening to any future episodes.

This feels like my author group chats but with reporting. Basically exactly what I want!

Stories I’d almost forgotten about!! Very excited for upcoming Greg Moretensen episode. Also appreciate the book reviews at the end of each episode. Subscribed!

I understand the angle of the episode on Kaavya Viswanthanan: the author was really just a figurehead for a YA book project cobbled together by others. While that is worth exploring, the episode glosses over the sheer amount of brazen plagiarism in “How Opal Mehta Got Kissed” and the author’s obvious role in it. She is depicted as a victim or dupe who needed to “heal” (!) after getting caught up in a massive con job. Really?

Repetitive, slow, full of filler and unnecessary digressions. The host assumes listeners are familiar with events that occurred in the 90s - thirty years ago! - and feels the need to explain things like how instagram works. There is a crazy amount of social justice throat clearing, especially given that the YA world is now EXTREMELY into this stuff and has regular drama around it. If this was more tightly packaged and better edited, it would have been a great listen. Unfortunately, as it is it puts me to sleep.

The host talks sooooo slowly. Her delivery is incredibly stiff, too. Sounds like she’s not used to reading aloud, or unsure of her ability to read aloud, or self-conscious about thinking about her stiff & slow delivery. Tried it at 1 & 1/4 speed but then the other ppl are too fast. Can’t be bothered to slog thru this. There’s also a quality of gloating schadenfreude that comes off as kind of distasteful. Sort of like listening to petty gossip.

I find it ironic that a show about the publishing industry would need editing but the episode I heard was very bloated and repetitive. There is just a lot of structural bloat and talking that doesn’t contribute to the topic being presented. Furthermore there’s a lot of fawning over guests who often just repeat which already been said. There’s also some awkward tropes which I guess are supposed to be funny but are more condescending than anything else.

This is billed as an insider look at publishing industry but a lot of the little details are being incorrectly reported? It also moves soooooooo slooooowly

Starts out promising but veers into sensationalism when it tries to “expose” the publishing industry for its alleged crimes against social justice. Surely there’s another way to frame whatever lessons exist here, or at least deploy a more journalistic method to prove the host’s point? The Dan Mallory episode — which is about exploitation of facts — is a WILD example of thesis supporting evidence (rather than the other way around). Also — the scripts badly need an editor. I should have given it 2 stars, actually.

Too much ‘Spirit of the Age’.:(

I don’t understand the point of this podcast. It claims to be investigative and yet it can’t seem to actually tell a story. It claims to be progressive and yet speaks for protected classes instead of elevating them to represent themselves. But the kicker for me was when the host took it upon herself to explain how instagram works. She clearly thinks very highly of herself, and yet manages to spend over an hour saying absolutely nothing remarkable.

I was just introduced to this podcast and I've listened to the first Caroline Calloway episode. I enjoy the way the presenter speaks and overall, the way Calloway's story is told is engaging. That said, the episode is about 45 minutes long, and the story of Calloway didn't even start until after the 10-minute mark, following an introduction, promotions, more teasers, and more ads. By the time the story did begin, I found myself frustrated in the way I get with online recipes or infomercial-y clickbait sales pitches that lure you in with the promise of something interesting and 10 minutes later have not told you anything about it, just a lot of sales-y chatter. I understand that this podcast is a commercial endeavor and so the ads are a given, but I do think the host and producers could lose much if not most of the introductory chatter and just cut to the story itself. I do plan to listen to the part-two episode of Calloway's story, but I'm anticipating skipping over the first 10-15 minutes to get to the story part and I do wonder whether the story couldn't have just been a single episode if the unnecessary filler talk were cut out. As a listener, I am coming for the story itself and personally, I don't get much from all the lead-ins, being told over and over that everyone knows the story already and about what a scandal it was.

Love the host! She threads the needle in such a way that makes the inner workings of books actually not a snore. Caroline Calloway ep is fascinating!!

Tbh I was enjoying this podcast until the host attempted to provide a brief history of trans representation, which she admitted she was unqualified to do yet did anyway. Can’t stomach the rest.

What is the point to this hopelessly dumb podcast? This podcast and its host are very pretentious, and every voice presented is equally bad. It seems the only thing that upsets publishing insiders is when someone breaks their internal rules without crossing the correct palms with silver. You can be a liar, a cheat, a plagiarist or anything else you want as long as you are from a properly wealthy family and attend an elite approved school. I have yet to hear the voice of one person who has actually worked a day in their life. If you like smug self important jerks, then please dive right in.

The missing pages episode on Dan Mallory opened my eyes to how book publishing works. It was also surprising and disappointing in how Mallory manipulated his way to the heights of the writing profession and has managed to stay there. With the Untold Story there’s a window into the unintended consequences and damage from the process… Looking forward to more reveals in missing pages…

Podglomerate has put together yet another hit, they just can’t seem to miss. Guaranteed to learn something to make you sound smarter than you actually are at your next cocktail party.

The stories are so engaging and packed with detail and intrigue! So much great insider info. I thought publishing/books would be boring since I usually don’t follow that stuff, but I’m hooked. Who knew that industry had so much dirt! More please!

… that I’m sure hundreds or thousands of you will eat up. Get a life.

D. Christo and team have some great material here. Looking forward to future releases.

It disappoints me how far someone can still run with lies in a professional setting. Since this has been uncovered before,readers would assume there would be more fact checking safeguards in place. Still, I found the episode very interesting, and look forward to more “Missing Pages”.

I could not believe the host’s bootlicking of Kavvya Viswanathan, a young woman so privileged that her parents hired someone to get her into Harvard. Kaavya demonstrates absolutely no humility, no remorse, and the host is right there beside her to speculate wildly about how someone else is to blame for her extensive plagiarism. The host essentially absolves her from any responsibility, believes her unbelievable and universally discredited lies, and closes with the softball: “ So have you healed from the trauma of the media attention?” UGH. A weird and pointless podcast that told us almost nothing about what actually happens with packaging companies. Shame on you both.

The story of AJ Finn was interesting- then you just had to inject your own personal opinion that he “got away” with lying because of a white racist, patriarchal, cis society. What a cop out. How about he got away with it because he made the publishers a ton of money… so easy to go the racist route when the truth is more boring. No more of your podcast for me.

Excellent podcast. I really enjoyed the show on Dan Mallory. It’s such an interesting “behind the scenes” look.

Heard about this podcast from a friend and was intrigued by the premise and after one episode I’m totally hooked. Love the concept, love the narrator, and it just feels like there’s a very deep well of content to draw from in the publishing world. Very excited to keep listening!

Great story. Riveting