There’s a lot to learn when it comes to self-publishing, and the podcasts included below provide so much useful information for writers, especially those who want to self-publish! Just as I did with my favorite bookish podcasts, I’ll share my favorite episodes that I’ve listened to so far.
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1. The Creative Penn
The Creative Penn is hosted by Joanna Penn, thriller author and podcaster/speaker. She typically has guests, such as other authors and entrepreneurs, and occasionally does solo shows. They discuss everything from writing, to marketing, to the ins and outs of self-publishing!
Favorite episodes:
- Story or Die with Lisa Cron – Cron is the author of craft books like Story Genius, Wired For Story, and Story or Die. She explains the fascinating brain science of why humans are hard wired for story! I recommended Story Genius in my “5 Craft Books For Romance Writers” post.
- Tips for Indie Author Success And 20 Books to 50k with Craig Martelle – Craig Martelle is a science-fiction author and founder of the event & Facebook group “20 Books to 50k” (a great group I highly recommend for indie authors!). He talks about tips to build a successful career as an indie author.
2. The Self Publishing Show
The Self Publishing Show is hosted by two men – Mark Dawson (bestselling self-published author) and James Blatch (new author just starting out). They have a guest (author or entrepreneur) on each episode, and it’s great to be able to get the perspectives of both veteran author and a newbie!
Favorite episodes:
- Rising From Non-Writer to Amazon #1 w/ Meghan Quinn – I loved listening to Meghan Quinn talk about her journey to becoming an author and hitting #1 for A Not So Meet Cute!
- Give Your Readers What They Want w/ Melanie Harlow – Melanie is the bestselling author of romances including the Bellamy Creek series. She discusses her writing process and how she structures her series for maximum reader enjoyment.
3. Wish I’d Known Then…For Writers
Wish I’d Known Then…For Writers is a podcast hosted by authors Jami Albright (romance author in KU) and Sara Rosett (wide cozy mystery author). They have guests on each episode, as well as some solo ones with just the two of them, to discuss topics from creating characters to using social media. I like having the perspectives of both a wide and KU author!
Favorite episodes:
- What We Wish We’d Known About Creating Characters – this episode had some nice commentary on creating character descriptions, different methods that can be used to come up with character traits, choosing character names, and more.
- What We Wish We’d Known About Developing Story Ideas – in this episode, both authors discussed how they develop their storylines, what their first “inkling” that comes to them is, and more.
4. That’s The Butts
BONUS PODCAST!
That’s The Butts is an Instagram live series run by traditionally published author Sarah Grunder Ruiz. She then edits the live conversations into podcasts! I included this one last because I’m not sure it will become an ongoing podcast (though I would love for it to!). Sarah is a hilarious human (and excellent writer), and I have enjoyed listening to her talk with her beta readers and other authors about “the sucky parts of writing.”
I sometimes find podcasts more digestible than craft books, so have enjoyed learning more about writing and self-publishing through them.
There are plenty more podcasts for self-publishers out there! If you have additional recommendations, please drop them in the comments below.
