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The Book Pile

Hosted by Kellen Erskine and David Vance · arts · EN-US

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About this Podcast:

A podcast where comedians tell you about books so you never have to read! (Now including fiction!) Kellen does standup; Dave writes ads; together they highlight lessons from the world’s best books--and some of the worst. New episode every Monday!

Pitch Analysis

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Contact path

Verified email

Booking probability

26%

Guest openness

Selective

Verified email on file
80/100
Required Score

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Questions about The Book Pile

What is The Book Pile about?

A podcast where comedians tell you about books so you never have to read! (Now including fiction!) Kellen does standup; Dave writes ads; together they highlight lessons from the world’s best books--and some of the worst. New episode every Monday!

Who hosts The Book Pile?

The Book Pile is hosted by Kellen Erskine and David Vance. The show has published 219 episodes to date.

What has The Book Pile covered recently?

Recent episodes include "Kellen's Favorite Books of 2025 So Far! (And three dumb ones)" (4 June 2025, 20 minutes), "Permission to Feel, by Marc Brackett" (25 April 2025, 34 minutes), and "Chesterton's Gateway, by Ethan Nicolle WITH GUEST Ethan Nicolle!" (18 April 2025, 34 minutes).

How often does The Book Pile publish?

The Book Pile publishes roughly every two weeks, with episodes averaging 28 minutes across 219 episodes.

How hard is it to get booked on The Book Pile?

Booking probability for The Book Pile is 26%, and the host is rated Selective on guests. The Book Pile requires a Pod Score of 80 or higher. The Book Pile's contact route on record: verified email.

About the host

Kellen Erskine and David Vance hosts The Book Pile, an arts podcast with 219 episodes published.

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Recent episodes

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

  • Episode #221

    Kellen's Favorite Books of 2025 So Far! (And three dumb ones)

    Jun 4, 202520 minS1

    SUMMARY: I pretty much summarized it with the title. I've read/listened to 50+ books since January 1 and I'M DONE. No, but I am done with two authors for sure, listen to find out who! Kellen Erskine has appeared on...

  • Episode #220

    Permission to Feel, by Marc Brackett

    Apr 25, 202534 minS1

    SUMMARY: If you like James Bond, Hunger Games, Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings, you will LOVE this spy thriller! We know the cover looks like a therapy book, but it’s not! It has action and comedy and romance, not...

  • Episode #219

    Chesterton's Gateway, by Ethan Nicolle WITH GUEST Ethan Nicolle!

    Apr 18, 202534 minS1

    Have you heard of GK Chesterton? (No he's not that cheese-puff cat). WATCH KELLEN'S NEW COMEDY SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpBt0W1zrDU&t=1237s KELLEN ERSKINE IS IN ON TOUR! APR 25-26 Indiana MAY...

  • Episode #218

    A SECOND LOOK AT: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

    Mar 27, 202531 minS1

    SUMMARY: This episode has everything you could hope for. Conspiracy theories. Hermione exoneration. And a rat who turns out to be a murderer. (Who knew Harry Potter was a sequel to 1300s Europe?) (It’s funny because the...

  • Episode #217

    Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

    Mar 13, 202528 minS1

    SUMMARY: Fight Club is a story with one of the most famous twist endings in book and movie history (they find out violence is good...) But before it was a hit movie, did you know it was also a disgusting book? Join...

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  • Episode #176

    THE ROAST OF Star Wars: The Force Awakens (the novelization of the movie), by Alan Dean Foster

    Mar 10, 202530 minS1

    JOIN OUR PATREON FOR BoNuS EpiSoDEs! https://patreon.com/TheBookPile * The king returns. Alan Dean is back, and he’s more Alan Dean than ever. Break out the thesauruses as we do a live roast of his novelization of The...

  • Episode #216

    The Body, by Bill Bryson

    Feb 24, 202525 minS1

    SUMMARY: (A Dave and Kellen episode!) This book is full of incredible trivia about the human body, beautifully and hilariously written. For instance, did you know that every one of your organs is being played by a tiny...

  • Episode #215

    Re-Issue: Excellent Advice for Living, by Kevin Kelly

    Feb 19, 202531 minS1

    SUMMARY: Enjoy a digitally-remastered edit of one of our favorite episodes, where the author shares exactly what the book is called. Plus, Dave tells a story about being accidentally cool at a wedding, and Dave...

  • Episode #214

    Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

    Feb 10, 202534 minS1

    SUMMARY: What if Pride and Prejudice were spooky? What if Mr. Darcy were less handsome, but also more abominable? What if instead of four sisters, Lizzie had no parents and a best friend who dies of tuberculosis? If you...

  • Episode #213

    Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman

    Jan 28, 202526 minS1

    SUMMARY: The typical human lifespan is in the neighborhood of 4,000 weeks. That is an extremely precious, finite, and dwindling amount of life. It gives all of us urgent reason to (while we still can) take advantage of...

  • Episode #212

    How to Read 100 Books This Year

    Jan 21, 202516 minS1

    SUMMARY: Whether you want to read 100 books this year, or even just 87, Kellen has some tips for how to succeed--and he's strategically waited 3 weeks into January so that he could get a head start before you. WATCH...

  • Episode #211

    Everybody Lies, by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz

    Jan 15, 202525 minS1

    SUMMARY: To celebrate this book about dishonesty, we’re gonna test how well you know Kellen and Dave with a game of two truths and a lie. You ready? See if you know us well enough to pass the quiz. 1. Statement 2 is...

  • Episode #210

    Our Favorite Books of 2024!

    Dec 30, 202438 minS1

    SUMMARY: Our best books this year had everything: Murder! Therapy! Lyndon B. Johnson! The three elements of good literature. Come join us as we review our favorite books of the year. Happy New Year, and thanks for...

  • Episode #209

    Re-Issue: A Christmas Carol (with an EVEN NEWER introduction for 2024!)

    Dec 23, 202422 minS1

    Rediscover this gem of a Book Pile episode (#114) that we dug up from 2022 (now with an even newer intro full of public-domain Christmas music!) Listen to Dave whisper laugh! Hear Kellen disagree with Dave's habit of...

  • Episode #208

    Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke

    Dec 17, 202429 minS1

    SUMMARY: We live in a society inundated by endless sources of entertainment and cheap dopamine. In today’s book, Anna Lembke discusses how we can respond to such dangers, like, for instance, a pool table. Friend, either...

  • Episode #207

    Kellen Crams to Get His 100 Books Read by The End of The Year!

    Dec 12, 202423 minS1

    SUMMARY: Kellen is behind on his reading, and he needs your help! (Sounds like a Saturday morning PBS cartoon...). Kellen gives a rundown of most of the books he's read so far this year; also he has an idea for a very...

  • Episode #206

    A 2nd LOOK AT: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets!

    Dec 3, 202439 minS1

    SUMMARY: It's been 3 years so we gave this book "another go" as they say in non-American English speaking countries, like Wizard Land. Today we cover the second Harry Potter, which managed to improve on the original...

  • Episode #205

    Re-Issue: The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury

    Nov 25, 202424 minS1

    SUMMARY: When you hear a story, do you lose interest after like 5 minutes? Then you will LOVE short stories, a new thing we invented. Today’s book is a short story collection by Ray Bradbury, who realized that anything...

  • Episode #204

    THE ROAST OF: The Spy Who Loved Me, by Ian Fleming

    Nov 18, 202425 minS1

    SUMMARY: This is a James Bond book without James Bond, a love story without love, and a spy story without spying. The only person who’s unaware of all this is the author, Ian Fleming, AKA the only person feminists beg...

  • Episode #202

    Yes Please, by Amy Poehler

    Nov 4, 202432 minS1

    SUMMARY: Dave and Kellen take another dive into the great Amy Poehler's ( SNL , Baby Momma, Parks and Recreation ) memoir. Also Dave is terrible at comforting people and Kellen rants about actors' award speeches. KELLEN...

Recent guests

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Best industries to pitch The Book Pile for

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