Strangely enough I’ve been looking for podcasts to listen to while I work. When Victoria sent me this blog post, I knew I had a starting point. And, as she mentions at the end of the post, if you have any more suggestions, please share them.
No matter where you are in your writing career, studying the craft of writing is not only recommended, but imperative. In every job I’ve ever had, I’ve been required to be re-trained every so often to ensure I still knew the job or to ensure that I’m evolving as the world and the job changed. In the counseling world, they call this “Continuing Education Units” or “CEUs.” A licensed professional counselor has to keep abreast of trends and new theories to ensure continued effectiveness. The same is true for writing.
There are thousands of books on the market to help you improve your craft. Millions of articles and blogs offer tidbits too. However, my time is extremely limited when it comes to being able to sit down and actually read. I can listen to books, YouTube, or podcasts while I’m driving, while I’m lying in bed, or while I’m cooking dinner. I can multitask while processing information. As someone who is a mother, a wife, a full time worker, and an author, time is a precious commodity.
So, here are my recommendations for podcasts I think every writer could benefit from if they have the opportunity to listen.
- The Novel Marketing Podcast – https://www.authormedia.com/novel-marketing/ – This is put out by Thomas Umstattd, who started building websites in 2007 for authors, launched a blog to help authors with technology in 2009, and started this podcast in 2013. It is marketed as “the longest running book marketing podcast in the world.” Being an author is a business. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t think of marketing, when I dreamed of being an author. Cost benefit analysis, return on investment, MATH none of that are my strong suit. However, it’s a necessary evil in the publishing world today. The more you tricks you know, the more you understand, the better off you will be in your writing career. The Novel Marketing Podcast offers lots to think about and support in learning marketing.
- Grammar Girl – https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/grammar-girl – Mignon Fogarty is the founder of the Quick and Dirty Tips network and creator of Grammar Girl, which has been named one of Writer’s Digest’s 101 best websites for writers multiple times. She is also an inductee in the Podcasting Hall of Fame. When I’m writing my first draft I throw caution to the wind. I just write it how it sounds in my head. When I go back and edit is when I remember grammar is a thing. However, grammar is another Achilles’s heel of mine. Mignon has a way of explaining grammar that doesn’t sound like Ben Stein in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” Her delivery is fun and quirky, which makes digesting the information she’s offering that much easier.
- A Way with Words – https://www.waywordradio.org/ – Each week, author/journalist Martha Barnette and lexicographer/linguist Grant Barretttalk with callers about slang, old sayings, new words, grammar, word origins, regional dialects, family expressions, and speaking and writing well. They settle disputes, play word quizzes, and discuss language news and controversies. Their tag line is “A show about language and the way we use it.” This is a public-radio show, so maybe not exactly a podcast, but I listen to it on my podcast app. To me, it’s a podcast. Maybe this is my inner nerd coming out, but I do love words and phrases. I love how they explore the evolution of the words we use today. It’s super insightful.
- The Manuscript Academy – https://manuscriptacademy.com/our-podcast – The people who brought you manuscriptwishlist.com, are responsible for this for this podcast: literary agent Jessica Sinsheimer and conference organizer and media professional Julie Kingsley. It features interviews with top agents, editors and authors on the craft, business, and community of publishing. This podcast provides you with insight on the publishing side of the world that we may not get everywhere else. I love when the literary agents they have on pick random queries and read them. They explain what is right with it and why they would pass on it. For those of us querying, this is invaluable.
- BookEnds YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCukLkiCzvK6AIMnYIDqxUug – Okay, this may not be a podcast either. However, it doesn’t make it any less valuable. In the same vein as The Manuscript Academy, The BookEnds YouTube Channel offers writers a peek into the world of literary agents and publishing. Jessica Faust and James McGowan of this agency lay it out plainly in a very genuine way. They offer tips on querying, they talk about the books they’re reading, and insight to the world of publishing. It’s as close to sitting down and chatting with a literary agent I have gotten so far.
So, that’s it. That’s what I have for you. There are tons of other podcasts, and I’m always on the hunt for more. Some runners up are: iWriterly – https://iwriterly.com/. Meg Latore uses her YouTube Channel to talk about the publishing world. Her unique take as someone who once worked for a literary agency and opted to self-publish her first book and is worth checking out. On the flip side, Alexa Donne, a traditionally published Young Adult Author, has a YouTube channel – https://www.youtube.com/c/AlexaDonne/about where she talks about her experience in publishing as well as offering advice. I feel like she is the flip side to Meg Latore.
Hopefully, I’ve introduced you to some new resources that will boost your writing career. I can only assume, since you’re reading this blog, you want help on your journey. We authors should be helping one another to succeed. We’re not in competition in one another. Readers aren’t, usually, monogamous and they shouldn’t be. So, let’s lift one another up. If you know of a podcast I didn’t mention, feel free to comment and share it with the rest of us.
https://www.authorvictoriajayne.com