Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: New Books Network
Episode: Claire Parnell, "Inequalities of Platform Publishing: The Promise and Peril of Self-Publishing in the Digital Book Era" (UMass Press, 2025)
Host: Chelsea Harris
Guest: Dr. Claire Parnell
Date: December 7, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Chelsea Harris interviews Dr. Claire Parnell about her new book, Inequalities of Platform Publishing: The Promise and Peril of Self-Publishing in the Digital Book Era. The discussion explores the transformation of book publishing by digital platforms like Amazon and Wattpad, focusing especially on issues of inclusion, exclusion, systemic bias, and the intersections of technology, culture, and economics. The conversation is candid about both the advances and the persistent inequities of self-publishing in the digital age, addressing algorithmic bias, content moderation, commercialization, community action, AI's disruptive effects, and the future of cultural participation.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins and Focus of the Book

[02:34 - 05:54]

• Motivated by the idea that digital platforms promised to democratize publishing, Parnell set out to interrogate whether these spaces were genuinely more equitable than traditional publishing.
• Focus on Amazon and Wattpad as contrasting but dominant platforms in the digital self-publishing landscape.
• Special attention on romance fiction, a field often at the cutting edge of innovation and diversity movements.
• The book centers on the experiences of authors of color and LGBTQIA authors navigating self-publishing.

Quote:

"More equitable access didn't really mean equitable participation."
— Claire Parnell [04:28]

2. Research Methods & Approaches

[06:23 - 09:19]

• Utilized a blend of interviews, metadata analysis, platform walkthroughs, and critical research.
• Importance of author interviews to capture lived experiences of platform use.
• Combined methodologies to pierce the "black box" of opaque platform algorithms.
• Drew parallels between traditional publishing's logics and the algorithmic logics of digital platforms.

Quote:

"Platforms... and their algorithms [are] like black boxes. They're quite opaque... so how people relate to them, how they experience them, I think is a really important way to understand the impacts that they're having."
— Claire Parnell [07:41]

3. Perpetuation of Biases in Self-Publishing Platforms

[09:22 - 14:06]

• Platforms like Amazon and Wattpad reproduce many established publishing biases, both overt and covert.
• Examples include:
  • Visibility algorithms shaping which books/authors are seen.
  • Content moderation disproportionately impacting marginalized groups.
  • Book categorization mirroring outdated systems (e.g., positioning whiteness/heteronormativity as default in BISAC codes).
  • Use of author photos/bios in classification, introducing further layers of bias.
• Platforms blend inherited publishing discrimination with new algorithmic forms.

Quote:

"Platforms... replicate these old biases as well as introduce some new ones that we're yet to reckon with."
— Claire Parnell [13:28]

4. Why These Issues Matter Now

[14:06 - 17:00]

• Links between AI training data biases, cultural censorship, and the consolidation of tech company power.
• Parallels drawn between content moderation on platforms and real-world book bans, often targeting works by authors of color and queer authors.
• Concern for the increasing centralization of cultural production and access in the hands of tech giants.

Quote:

"The way that fewer and fewer platforms and cultural producers are... responsible for access to both production of culture and access to culture, is... really concerning."
— Claire Parnell [16:15]

5. Pros of Platform Publishing: Increased Access and Diversity

[17:07 - 20:08]

• Self-publishing platforms have challenged traditional publishers to be more inclusive, particularly by demonstrating markets for BIPOC and LGBTQIA narratives.
• Authors gain agency—control over covers, content, and representation.
• Real, positive impacts on the diversity of available stories, despite limitations.

Quote:

"We do have a more inclusive and diverse book culture and publishing culture now than we did before... so it's hard to see how that hasn't had somewhat of a positive impact."
— Claire Parnell [19:42]

6. Censorship of Sex and Sexuality Online

[23:14 - 27:48]

• Rise in blanket censorship of sexual expression after SESTA/FOSTA legislation (2018) in the US, which increased platform liability.
• Platforms often moderate queer and sexual content more strictly, conflating sexual expression with harmful material.
• AI-based moderation systems can embed and amplify these regressive policies.
• These issues overlap with broader cultural and political attacks on queer and marginalized communities.

Quote:

"What's concerning is how things like sex trafficking and protecting children are being weaponized against a whole host of people and activities and the impacts on sort of queer communities in particular."
— Claire Parnell [27:05]

7. The “Pipeline” and Commercialization of Stories

[28:29 - 32:55]

• Discussion of how platforms like Wattpad use data-driven models to select stories for publication and adaptation (film, TV)—a process that often reinforces existing biases.
• Story DNA algorithm (trained on the Western canon and popular stories) acts as a new gatekeeper, potentially privileging established, dominant narratives.
• Concern about commercialization only benefitting those who fit within these algorithmic "success" parameters.

Quote:

"If you're saying that these are the ways that we measure success or good content, then you're only going to get that kind of content back out."
— Claire Parnell [32:07]

8. Influence of Platforms on Culture and Access

[32:55 - 35:49]

• Platforms act as new cultural gatekeepers, enclosing content within proprietary ecosystems (e.g., “originals” that aren’t widely accessible).
• Raises questions about preservation and ongoing access to cultural works when they exist only within private databases.
• Economic barriers to cultural participation (subscription fatigue, paywalls).

Quote:

"This enclosure of culture by capitalists—largely conservative tech companies—is quite significant, particularly if we're relying on platforms at the same time to improve diversity."
— Claire Parnell [35:37]

9. Community Pushback and Reclaiming Power

[36:02 - 38:09]

• Authors diversify (or "go wide") across multiple platforms to mitigate risk and avoid dependence on any single company.
• Some set up their own storefronts and communities, maintaining greater autonomy.
• Covert strategies: modifying metadata, cover designs to avoid moderation flags.
• Collective activism: book communities fundraising for social causes, supporting each other against censorship.

Quote:

"Not just through publishing practices, but through the sort of community itself, there are a lot of ways that people are reclaiming space and power and using these platforms for good."
— Claire Parnell [37:43]

10. Effects of AI and Algorithmic Systems

[38:13 - 42:09]

• Growing impact of AI-written content (particularly in self-help/wellness), with potential for harm and degradation of quality.
• AI systems replicate and amplify biases present in their training data (e.g., MIT study showing Amazon's computer vision misidentifying women of color).
• AI-powered recommendation systems are opaque, hard to audit, and potentially exclusionary.
• Positive recent policy development: Australian government rejected a copyright exemption for AI companies.

Quote:

"I'm a little bit concerned with the impact on book culture and on our lives sort of generally... they seem really difficult to study or reverse engineer."
— Claire Parnell [41:22]

11. Final Thoughts and Advice for Aspiring Self-Publishers

[43:12 - 45:08]

• Persistent inequities in platform publishing are not new—they mirror longstanding issues in traditional publishing.
• Despite challenges, self-publishing is a valid, increasingly mainstream publication route.
• Authors and readers are producing wonderful, inclusive, and creative works via platforms, especially in genre fiction.

Quote:

"It is a very valid publishing pathway in its own right and [is] increasingly big... So, yeah, it's just another sort of pathway to navigate as traditional publishing is as well."
— Claire Parnell [45:08]

Notable Quotes

• “More equitable access didn't really mean equitable participation.” — Claire Parnell [04:28]
• “Mainly it's about how Amazon is quite shit, sorry.” — Claire Parnell [09:41]
• “Platforms... replicate these old biases as well as introduce some new ones that we're yet to reckon with.” — Claire Parnell [13:28]
• “This enclosure of culture by capitalists—largely conservative tech companies—is quite significant, particularly if we're relying on platforms at the same time to improve diversity.” — Claire Parnell [35:37]
• “It is a very valid publishing pathway in its own right and [is] increasingly big...” — Claire Parnell [45:08]

Memorable Moments

• Parnell’s frank assessment of Amazon: “Mainly it's about how Amazon is quite shit, sorry.” [09:41]
• Insights on algorithmic enclosure: comparing streaming culture to ownership of physical media, and the cultural loss risked if platforms disappear. [34:59–35:49]
• The discussion about AI’s disruptive—and worrying—impact on publishing, drawing direct connections to copyright, quality, and equity concerns. [38:28–42:09]

Important Segment Timestamps

• Book origins and focus: [02:34–05:54]
• Research methods: [06:23–09:19]
• Platform biases and their origins: [09:22–14:06]
• Censorship of sex and sexuality: [23:14–27:48]
• Commercialization and the pipeline: [28:29–32:55]
• Enclosure of cultural access: [32:55–35:49]
• Community pushback: [36:02–38:09]
• AI’s influence on publishing: [38:13–42:09]
• Final advice to self-publishers: [43:12–45:08]

Conclusion

This episode offers a nuanced, accessible, and candid exploration of the realities behind self-publishing on digital platforms. While acknowledging genuine advances in accessibility and diversity, Parnell and Harris remind listeners that issues of equity, censorship, gatekeeping, and algorithmic bias persist and in some cases are exacerbated by digital transformation. Yet, they also find hope in the resilience, activism, and creativity of author and reader communities carving out space and forging new paths in the digital book era.

Recommendation:
Parnell encourages aspiring self-publishers to view digital self-publishing not as a lesser route, but as a robust, evolving, and important form of cultural participation. Readers and authors are urged to stay aware, resist platform overreach where possible, and continue building inclusive communities.