The 2025 Winter Preview Draft [Teaser]

Summary

Book Riot - The Podcast: The 2025 Winter Preview Draft [Teaser]

Release Date: January 4, 2025

In this teaser episode of Book Riot's "The 2025 Winter Preview Draft," hosts Jeff O'Neal and Rebecca Schinsky delve into their triannual Winter Draft process. This segment offers listeners a glimpse into how the duo curates and selects books for their community, the challenges they face, and their anticipation for the upcoming reading season.

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1. Introduction to the Winter Draft

The episode kicks off with Rebecca humorously revealing her turning 42 and the ensuing conversations about life and the universe during her holiday party (00:32). Jeff introduces the concept of the Winter Draft, highlighting its unique position as a triannual event—the only term Jeff uses humorously to describe something happening three times a year (00:44).

Notable Quote:

"It's a winter draft, a triannual. There's no word for three times a year." — Jeff (00:44)

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2. The Selection Process

Jeff and Rebecca outline their method for selecting books each season. Both hosts independently pick ten books, ensuring there are no overlaps between their choices. These selections are then presented to the Book Riot Podcast Patreon community, who vote to determine the final list.

Jeff explains the democratic yet flexible nature of the voting process:

"This is one thing I've learned about voting. It doesn't have to make any sense. The voters’ choices are as their own and they can vote for any kind of reason they want." (01:31)

Rebecca adds that the voting often reflects individual preferences, leading to a diverse array of selections rather than a consensus on the "best" books.

Notable Quote:

"Our 10 books are then offered unto the Book Riot Podcast Patreon voting body to pick which list they want to vote for." — Jeff (01:31)

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3. Challenges in Choosing Books

Navigating publishing catalogs poses significant challenges for Jeff, especially when trying to balance releases across different seasons. The inundation of titles from January to April complicates the selection for the Winter Draft.

Jeff candidly shares his frustrations:

"I'm gonna put on my grief Mount Rushmore up with ebook pricing and audiobook bundling membership." (01:06)

Rebecca echoes these sentiments, noting the difficulty in pinpointing standout titles amidst a sea of releases:

"I was out with my chorus people last night for our holiday party and I mentioned that it was my birthday and I'm turning 42 and I knew that I was in the right place when multiple people at the table made references to life, the universe and everything." (00:32)

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4. Reflecting on Previous Voting Results

The hosts reflect on the outcomes of the previous Fall Draft, where Rebecca's selections secured 60% of the votes. Jeff recognizes the diversity in voter preferences, with titles like Osman, Clune, Rooney, and Powers resonating strongly with the audience.

Rebecca mentions additional favorites from Jeff's list that garnered votes, including "Wakey Wang" and "Murakami," indicating the collaborative and varied tastes of their listeners.

Notable Quote:

"I know because of how I know filtered edelweiss differently trying to find things that are coming out between January and April." — Rebecca (01:31)

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5. Prospects for the 2025 Winter Draft

Turning attention to the current season's draft, Jeff expresses a mix of confidence and uncertainty. While he has a substantial list of potential picks, he's unsure how they will resonate with voters.

Rebecca is optimistic about the upcoming selections, anticipating sleeper hits and expressing interest in both established authors and intriguing debuts. She notes the absence of overwhelmingly big names, suggesting a season ripe for undiscovered gems.

Notable Quotes:

"If I were GM here, like in football, I would trade if I had a top pick I would trade down." — Jeff (05:13)

"It looks like it could be a pretty satisfying reading season." — Rebecca (04:49)

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6. Conclusion and Call to Action

The teaser concludes with Jeff and Rebecca encouraging listeners to join their Patreon community to access the full episode and additional premium content. They emphasize the collaborative nature of the Winter Draft and the excitement surrounding the upcoming book selections.

Notable Quote:

"Thanks so much for listening. Join us at patreon.com/bookriotpodcast to hear the rest of this episode and get access to our full back catalog of premium content." — Rebecca (05:13)

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Timestamp Key:

• 00:32: Rebecca discusses her birthday and conversations at her holiday party.
• 00:44: Jeff introduces the Winter Draft as a triannual event.
• 01:06: Jeff expresses frustration with ebook pricing and audiobook bundling.
• 01:31: Jeff explains the voting process for the Winter Draft.
• 04:00: Rebecca shares her thoughts on the current selection pool.
• 04:49: Rebecca anticipates a satisfying reading season.
• 05:13: Jeff and Rebecca invite listeners to join their Patreon for more content.

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This teaser episode offers a strategic overview of Book Riot’s Winter Draft, highlighting the thoughtful curation process, the interactive voting system, and the hosts' enthusiasm for discovering and sharing diverse literary works. For comprehensive insights and full discussions, listeners are encouraged to subscribe to the premium content on Patreon.

Transcript

[Rebecca]

Foreign. You're listening to a teaser for Book Riot Podcast Premium content. If you want to hear the rest, join [e-mail] bookriotpodcast for just $10 a month, get access to our full library of premium content in addition to receiving early ad free access to the regular episodes you hear in the show. Here we go.

[Jeff]

Enter Birthday I won't say how old you are, but don't panic. That's a hint for everyone.

[Rebecca]

I was out with my chorus people last night for our holiday party and I mentioned that it was my birthday and I'm turning 42 and I knew that I was in the right place when multiple people at the table made references to life, the universe and everything.

[Jeff]

If you don't, they they come get you at night, you know, right? They start making you cool, you dress well, you. Anyway, I'm joking. It's a winter draft, a triannual. There's no word for three times a year.

[Rebecca]

It doesn't make sense in the same way that publishes seasons don't make sense.

[Jeff]

I think with the new year I'm gonna let this finally go. But I was as frustrated as I've ever been navigating catalogs to do the winter draft this year just between the G there's January and February stuff in the fall and spring and summer. It makes me crazy anyway, no one cares. Well or they care. They certainly know. But I'm going to put on my grief Mount Rushmore up with ebook pricing and audiobook bundling membership.

[Rebecca]

It's. You know, it does lead to some nice surprises on these episodes though because inevitably one of us will have missed something the other I know because of how I know filtered edelweiss differently trying to find things that are coming out between January and April.

[Jeff]

There's at least one on my long list that I knew existed and I couldn't find it or my screens weren't coming up for the publisher so I just googled it and found it. So I don't know what to say.

[Rebecca]

Here we are.

[Jeff]

Here's what we do. We pick 10 books each. We cannot pick the same books. That's why it is a draft. Our 10 books are then offered unto the Book Riot Podcast Patreon voting body to pick which list they want to vote for. And I say that generally because you can use whatever criteria you want. This is one thing I've learned about voting. It doesn't have to make any sense. The voters choice are as their own and they can vote for any kind of reason they want. Fear Originally the idea was a to ask voters to judge upon our 10 as a basket of picks for the general reader. I do not think that's what people vote for, Rebecca.

[Rebecca]

Do you know it ends up being who got a couple of the titles that different voters were into. And I just pulled up our vote from the fall which you won with 60%. Ah of the vote you had Osman, Clune, Rooney and Powers and those are the four that got repeated the most as folks explained why they voted for you. I had a couple that folks liked. Oh, you also had. I think you had the Wakey Wang as well. Murakami got you some votes. Stanley Tucci got you some votes. You had a good basket last time around. Means I get to go first today.

[Jeff]

Yeah, well there's a weird one at the top because we don't know as much about our. Well, for me at least I don't know what our listeners are going to do with what I think. Maybe we're talking. Maybe I'm talking about a different book here. We'll see where this is going to go. But we're not taking anything off the board. I don't think we haven't talked about taking anything off the board. I don't think we have to take anything off the board. My long list is 28, so I'm more than stocked. Rebecca, what would you like to say about the the butchery that you got to choose your prime strips from here? Were they well stocked or is it a little long? What would you say about the cuts on offer to you?

[Rebecca]

I wasn't able to find anything that's like immediately this is going to be the big book of the season. I think there are some contenders. This looks ripe for some sleeper hits because there aren't like huge names coming out. I think what you were referring to was maybe the new Rebecca Yaros and the like, what are our listeners going to do with that? But it's kind of off the envelope of the stuff that we tend to pick or that like listeners of the show tend to be into. So outside of like big new Romantasy, I think this will be. There's a lot that I'm interested in this season. Like there's there's some authors that I really like. There's some debuts that look really interesting. It looks like it could be a pretty satisfying reading season. But I wasn't like, yes, that is the filet that I desire and it's going to be the winner.

[Jeff]

If I were GM here, like in football, I would trade if I had a top pick I would trade down. I wouldn't trade into future drafts because I think there's a lot here. But. But if I could trade my second pick for like 10, 11 and 12, I absolutely would take it because I am super unconfident in my top four or five. But there's a lot that I'm interested in and I think some that'll get votes, I just don't. My sense of relative scale is completely off kilter.

[Rebecca]

Yeah. Often when we do these, there's like a couple titles that we both have the feeling of, I need to take this before the other one takes it. And I don't really feel that, like there are some that I'll be really happy if I get them in my basket, but there's nothing here that I'm going to be like really upset if you get to it before I do. Thanks so much for listening. Join us at patreon.com bookriotpodcast to hear the rest of this episode and get access to our full back catalog of premium content. That's patreon.com bookriotpodcast.