Release Day Review Revisited: Missing Pages

I’ve always wanted to be a writer. The joke is, I knew I wouldn’t make any money writing so I did the smart thing and went into theatre. Don’t worry, I think it’s hilarious.  

Well I’m here and somehow I’m writing, I can consider myself a writer. Although, as a kid dreaming of having my name on the front of a novel, the idea of being someone who writes about podcasts is a confusing one. I don’t want to say I’ll never write a novel, it’s always a possibility.

The world of writing should probably actually be considered the world of publishing. I’m self-published, on my tiny blog that sits in a very specific corner of the internet. I know what the words agent and editor mean. Using them in practice feels far away. So when I get the chance to have any insight into that world, I use it.

It helps when the stories have an edge of mystery and true crime to them. This is what brings us to Missing Pages from The Podglomerate. This podcast, hosted by Bethanne Patrick is a fascinating look at publishing scandals that have rocked beyond the writing world. We have a publishing insider as our guide through this twisty, winding, and at times the incomprehensible world of publishing scandals.

I enjoyed taking a few evenings with this podcast, but I think I would enjoy it more if I didn’t take it on a marathon. Episodes follow a basic episode structure, introducing the background and explaining scenarios before diving into the drama and effects of a single scandal. Chapter by chapter we are pulled in by the story and captured by what starts as little lies, deceit, and sometimes even what I think turned out to be mostly unintentional plagiarism. My favorite episodes were “Anna March: Inventing Anna” and the two-part series on Caroline Calloway. Did I know anything about any of these writers before these episodes? Nope. Although I did learn why Three Cups of Tea is a book I think I see more frequently in second-hand stores than I feel like anything else.  

I enjoyed these stories and the way they are told. I really like something having true crime vibes without being about murder, and Missing Pages has it. There is a mystery and the tension of discovery pulled through each episode. The writing is tip-top, and the production quality makes it an easy podcast to listen to. You’re not batting an eye when a guest comes on, or when an ad plays through.

It is the delivery that sometimes, feels slightly hyperbolic when it doesn’t have to be. There’s a nudge, nudge vibe that made me take a moment and sigh. This is an inconsistent discomfort through each episode but is consistent in that it happens in most episodes. Particularly “Dreams vs. Reality” which I found to be a questionably necessary filler episode. The information was good, and there were points in which I was chuckling, but for the most part, I had to ask myself why someone who picked up this podcast would need a 48-minute episode on how a book gets published. If anything, it should have been dropped toward the beginning of the season, rather than toward the end.

My criticisms of this podcast have more to do with personal taste rather than quality. I enjoy the show and will be keeping an eye out for season two. I just know that for me, it’s not a podcast I’m going to be listening to all in one go. I think I knew that with the first few episodes when I first looked at this podcast.

Listen to Missing Pages Here: Podlink

If you liked this podcast, check out The Bleeders which I highlighted an episode of Here. This is another podcast that takes a look into writing and publishing, but not from the same, scandal-ridden perspective.

Thank you for reading, I have one more review to drop this week for Release Day Reviews Revisited, with a bonus review Revisited coming in January! Please remember to subscribe and get a monthly update on what I’ve been doing. In the new year, I hope to also bring new things to Magpie, and I’m so excited to see where this can go! Thank you!