Podcasts are a great way to absorb useful information, keep up with news in the writing industry and hear from other writers. While many of us struggle, given the pace of modern life, to study a non-fiction book or digest a magazine, you can listen to podcasts in your car, while you do the housework or even as you work out at the gym…
Which makes them a perfect solution for busy writers.
Self-publishing has grown enormously in the last few years, and where once you might have gone to great effort to find information, there’s now plenty (of insanely good quality!) available online and kept up to date by dedicated podcasters – people who bring us the latest news and insights on a weekly or monthly basis.
Here are some of the best – in our humble opinion, and in no particular order – along with a few reasons why you should download and take a listen. If any peak your interest, just click the name to jump on over and get stuck in.
Authority Self Publishing
Hosts Steve Scott and Barrie Davenport host podcasts that zoom in on one aspect of self publishing per show, and analyze the nitty gritty of what it means to self-publish in the 21st century. Expect lots of “how-to” episodes and technical knowledge ranging from Amazon keywords to marketing your book and productivity. This show is most suitable for the intermediate to advanced self-publisher, but newbies will still feel plenty of benefit.
Rocking Self-Publishing
A podcast sporting interviews with one successful self-published author per week, dishing up lessons, inspiration and motivational advice. Long-form interviews and deep insights make this radio style podcast ideal for your longer workouts, lazy days off, or anywhere you can grab a quiet hour or so to listen.
The Sell More Books Show
Does exactly what it says on the tin! This podcast narrows in on marketing techniques for self-published authors, concentrating on the age-old question: How do I sell more books? Expect lots of talk about metrics, analytics, strategy and techniques to get you noticed on Amazon and elsewhere, along with advice on book covers, formatting, foreign rights and more.
The Creative Penn
Joanna Penn is one of the most respected voices in self-publishing, and her podcast is one of the most well known. Expanding on her informative and extensive self-publishing website, Joanna publishes a new podcast every Monday and talks about the self-publishing life, marketing, everyday tasks and the publishing industry in general. She presents a polished mix of topics, and talks about the overall nature of the writer’s life just as much as she does contracts, finances, and the business side of paving your own way in publishing.
Self-Publishing Formula
This podcast has been running for just over a year, but it’s managed to pack in a ton of quality in its short lifetime – and it’s only getting better. Journalist Mark Dawson has had novels traditionally published, but now prefers the DIY approach… and he uses this show as a platform to talk about starting out in self-publishing and avoiding common pitfalls, and even enlists the help of some of the biggest names in publishing to uncover the answers to listeners’ queries.
Read to Lead
While not exclusively a self-publishing podcast, Read to Lead is an incredible resource for anyone who runs a business or wants to one day – and if you self-publish, that’s exactly what you do. Host Jeff Brown interviews heavyweights in the publishing business – and wider fields – to help listeners demolish the myths of business ownership, navigate each stage of a successful career, and read and write on a more productive level.
On a final note: There’s really no best place to start when hunting for the perfect self-publishing podcast. If you sense a gap in your knowledge, it helps to search for that particular topic and then listen to a few other episodes to get a ‘feel’ for the show before you commit by hitting the subscribe button.
Alternatively, if you have more time on your hands or just enjoy listening to a wide variety of authors talk about self-publishing, subscribe to them all and dip in and out as you please.
And if you find a podcast which hasn’t been updated in a while, don’t be so hasty as to scroll past it before checking out past episodes. You might just find the gem of advice you’ve been looking for in the archives!
Free Checklist: Discover the "Must-Haves" Your Story Needs for a Gripping First Chapter
Uncover the key elements of a first chapter that grabs a reader's attention and makes them DEMAND to read more.
This printable checklist is a handy reference that helps you avoid common first chapter pitfalls in your current and future books.
