A Podcast a Day Keeps the Brain Rot Away by Keri Kruspe

 

Before I became a professional writer, through the years I had to endure extensive training for my job in customer service, compliance, and sales. You’d think that working in the same industry for over thirty years I wouldn’t need constant reminders about the same thing over and over.

But…you’d be wrong. I wish I had a photographic memory…unfortunately, I don’t. Good news is I’m not unique. That’s why most secular employers have their employees take online tests and courses for the same thing every year, regardless of their tenure in the industry.

Having said that, why would I think running my own business as a writer was any different? Add to the fact I’m learning my way around a different industry which includes on how to write, how to publish and how to market my work. While I have taken numerous courses over the years for all three areas, I have a tendency to get overwhelmed and forget most of what I’ve learned.

Enter my savior... Podcasts

One way to keep me up-to-date in the industry is to listen to podcasts. The best part is most podcasts are FREE. Filled with useful tips about how to be a better writer, but also what might make me a successful author who can make a living with it.

To that end, I maintain a steady diet of various podcasts geared to writers. For at least thirty minutes a day as I get ready for work, I’m listening to the latest episode of a podcast instead of music or the news.

Sometimes I’ll play it in my car as I drive to work as well. That way, I’ve made unproductive time the exact opposite. Podcasts can deliver some of the best ideas and insights available. An example is The Creative Penn by Joanna Penn. She’s been a pioneer in the indie industry, having done a podcast for over ten years. I could smack myself for not finding her earlier, but I’m really glad she’s with me now.

 I’ve enjoyed her interviews and insights for several years now. Lately she’s been on a “kick” about AI (Artificial Intelligence) taking over the industry. I would never have known that was even a thing if I hadn’t been listening to her.

How do I know which one to listen to on any given day? It depends on what I’m in the middle of. If I’m working on my first draft, my focus is on writing. When I’m cleaning that up, I’ll zero in on anything to do with edits. Of course, marketing is my weak point, so I’m always on the lookout for anything that might help me in this area.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who does this. So, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite podcasts that I’ve discovered over the years.

Here are the ones I currently listen to:

• The Creative Penn - Joanna Penn
• The Self-Publish Show - Mark Dawson/James Blatch
• The Rebel Author Podcast - Sacha Black
• The Dialogue Doctor - Jeff Elkins (I love his laugh throughout the show)

The newbies I recently found:

• How to Self-Publish with the SPA Girls
• Novel Marketing - Thomas Umstattd Jr

The ones I haven't had a chance to listen to yet:

• The Sell More Books Show  - Jim Kukral/Brian Cohen/Abigail Dunard. 
• I already follow Bryan Cohen. He introduced me to Mark Dawson and his SPF community
• Helping Writers Become Authors - K.M. Weiland. 
• I liked her introduction on her website. She claims she lives in "make-believe worlds, talks to imaginary friends, and survives on chocolate truffles and expresso". Someone I can totally relate to.
• The Publishing Profits Podcast - Tom Carson-Knowles
• He's the founder of TCK publishing. His name pops up a lot on other blogs or podcasts.
• The Story Studio - Johnny B. Truant/Sean Platt/David Wright
• They target not only authors but have a balance of artists and entrepreneurs.
• The Book Marketing Show - Dave Chesson
• I love Dave Chesson from Kindlepreneur. I subscribe to his emails.

I got this list from Authority Pub and their updated list of 2021. Even so, there are numerous avenues to check for yourself if you aren’t interested in these. Just type in “author podcasts” on your favorite search engine.

Should you consider doing a podcast?

In doing this research, I came across folks questioning whether or not doing a podcast was something an inspiring author should look into (the above podcaster, Thomas Umstattd Jr highly recommends it).

After all, podcasts have been around for over ten years. It’s well entrenched in mainstream and isn’t viewed as just another way of communicating with readers. It could be looked at as a way to connect and deepen the relationship between the author and their fans that email can’t compete with.

Consider this: Someone just finished your latest book. When they get an email from you, it’s hard to duplicate the feeling they experienced from you book. No matter how wonderful your email is, people don’t usually read long emails.

But people have extra time to listen to a podcast (like I do) because they can on their own time and not wait for something to be sent.

I came across this article by Stephen Campbell concerning this subject. Here is the list as to why he says podcasts are the future (even though this article came out in 2015, I found it relevant today).

1. Podcasting allows readers to join you when they want to.
2. Smartphones have brought podcasts into mainstream
3. It's not just about the iTunes or YouTube - podcasting in the car is here to stay
4. The power of subscriptions let people feel like they know and are invested in the real you.

So, should you start a podcast? Well, that's a totally personal decision. If you decide to do so, let me know. I'd love to join you every morning as I put my mascara on!