Answers in the Form of Questions: A Definitive History and Insider's Guide to Jeopardy! For $1000, Alex, what is a fantastic new book from author Claire McNear? Culture and sports journalist McNear has written a delightful history not only of the game show itself, but she also chronicles the fascinating history of the impressive efforts of would-be contestants to get a spot on the ultimate trivia show.

Aspiring competitors have built elaborate systems and spent years in some cases for the chance to show off their deep knowledge of everything from sports and history to literature and pop culture, and McNear shares their intense, endearing efforts.

The author joins us today to talk about that and more, including those Jeopardy! sketches we all love on Saturday Night Live, the evolution of beloved host Alex Trebek’s 30+ years on the show, and what, and who, might be the future of Jeopardy!

Resources:

• Answers in the Form of Questions: A Definitive History and Insider's Guide to Jeopardy! 
• Claire McNear on Twitter
• Claire McNear at The Ringer

That parenthetical quote above comes directly from the fantastic new book Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back: Dilemmas of the Modern Fan, and we are very excited to have that book’s authors, Jessica Luther and Kavitha A. Davidson, on #Authoring this week. The sports journalists have written a deeply insightful and thoughtful examination of the many issues that today’s thinking sports fan faces when considering their fandom.

From the life-altering brain injuries plaguing NFL players and insensitive mascots rampant throughout sports at all levels to the legal problems some of our favorite sports stars find themselves in to the systemic racism and sexism that is at the center of many ongoing sports problems, Jessica and Kavitha tackle all those issues and more, and offer a nuanced, hopeful look at how, as the book title says, the modern fan can feel better, and maybe even take some action, about loving sports.

Resources:

• Loving Sports When They Don’t Love You Back: Dilemmas of the Modern Fan
• Jessica Luther on Twitter
• Kavitha A. Davidson on Twitter
• Jessica Luther at the Burn It All Down sports podcast
• Kavitha A. Davidson at The Lead sports news podcast

The concept of “building an author platform” provokes fear in many writers: Why do we need to be media stars in addition to writing great books? The simple answers: so you can get paid more for your work, get your books into more readers’ hands, and go on to write and sell more books. But building a platform might not be as hard as you think—and it doesn’t necessarily require Today show appearances or millions of social media followers.

Luckily we have publicity expert Brielle Cotterman—who helps clients raise their profiles through books, media, and public speaking—on this week’s episode with some simple, actionable tips to become just a little bit more of a celebrity, at least within your own niche. You might even have some fun along the way.

Resources:

• Brielle Cotterman’s website
• Help a Reporter Out