December 2, 2025
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56:02Now PlayingDoug talks with Skyhorse founder and publisher Tony Lyons about radical free speech, navigating controversy, Amazon censorship battles, Melania Trump’s bestseller, and why he champions authors the industry tries to ignore.
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Lyons has published authors the big houses wouldn’t touch, including Melania Trump, Woody Allen, Cheryl Hines, Tim Hardaway, Philip Roth’s biographer, Rand Paul, and RFK Jr. His catalog now includes 12,000+ books across 26 imprints, covering everything from literary fiction to true crime to political nonfiction.
In this wide-ranging conversation, Tony opens up about:
-Why he believes in “radical free speech” in publishing
-The real story behind publishing Woody Allen’s memoir
-How The Real Anthony Fauci sold 1.4+ million copies
-Why controversial books get removed from Amazon
-The rise of niche media vs. legacy TV appearances
-What sells in publishing today, and what doesn’t
-How AI is shaking up book creation and distribution
-His 20-year journey building Skyhorse into a major indie house
-The book parties, wild stories, and authors he’ll never forget
Doug and Tony also dig into the future of fiction, independent bookstores, media censorship, the next big opportunities for publishers, and why Lyons refuses to sell Skyhorse, even after major acquisition offers.
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