Podcasting for Authors

Alliance of Independent Authors

• Publisher: Font Publications
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN: 9781913588700
• eBook ISBN: 9781913588694
• Topic: Languages & Linguistics
• Subtopic: Digital Marketing
• Index: Languages & Linguistics

Do you want to understand podcasting as an indie author and thrive in this growing industry? We're here to help. Podcasting has never been easier, but with so many options and so much to learn, identifying what information is relevant for authors can be a challenge. Enter Podcasting for Authors. Based on data and analytics from trusted sources, as well as anecdotal advice from authors who are already killing it with podcasting, this guide will not only teach you how to be a good podcast guest but also how to produce your own show and grow a following as a broadcasting author. Reading this guide, you'll learn:

- A breakdown of essential podcasting equipment

- Ways to use podcasting to benefit your author career

- Tips on finding an audience and creating your show

- Strategies for producing high-quality audio

- Practical distribution tactics to maximise your reach

- Effective marketing tactics for you launch and beyond

- And more, including a jargon-busting glossary and links to extra resources to help you keep learning and building on the information provided.

The advice in this book is best practice as honed by the experiences of our members and the thousands of authors – novelists, non-fiction writers and poets – who visit ALLi's Self-Publishing Advice Centre each month. We're the only non-profit organization for self-published writers doing this kind of work. If you're ready to become a savvier author and grow your presence in the podcasting space, grab Podcasting for Authors, and let ALLi show you how to turn your imagination into income.

1

A Note About ALLi

The Alliance of Independent Authors

This book is one of a number of self-publishing guidebooks and campaign books for authors produced by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi).

If you haven’t yet heard of ALLi, it is a global, non-profit association for self-publishing authors. Our mission is ethics and excellence in self-publishing and we bring together thousands of indie authors all over the world who are united behind this mission.

All our profits are reinvested back into the organization for the benefit of our members—and the wider author community.

ALLi is pronounced “ally” (al-eye), and an ally is what we aim to be to self-publishers everywhere. Our name is spelt with a big ALL and small i because our members are like the three musketeers in Dumas’s eponymous novel: ALL working for each individual “i”, and each for ALL.

ALLi offers members a range of benefits but our real strength is our members, team and advisors, who provide something like the ancient system of craft apprenticeship, with the wisdom of the hive-mind instead of one master.

Our work is fourfold:

•ALLi advises, providing best-practice information and education through a Self-Publishing Advice Center that offers a daily blog, weekly livestreams and podcasts, a bookstore of self-publishing guidebooks, and a quarterly member magazine.

•ALLi monitors the self-publishing sector through a watchdog desk, alerting authors to bad actors and predatory players and running an approved partner program.

•ALLi campaigns for the advancement of indie authors in the publishing and literary sectors globally (bookstores, libraries, literary events, prizes, grants, awards, and other author organizations), encouraging the provision of publishing and business skills for authors, speaking out against iniquities, and furthering the indie author cause wherever possible.

•ALLi empowers independent authors through a wide variety of member tools and resources including author forums, contract advice, sample agreements, networking, literary agency representation, and a member care desk.

Headquartered in London, we operate all over the world and at every level, bringing our mission of ethics and excellence in self-publishing to beginner, emerging and experienced authors. Whether you’re just starting out, or you’re already widely published, ALLi can empower you to make better books, reach more readers, and generate greater profits.

When you join ALLi, you’re not just joining an organization, you’re becoming part a transformative, self-organising, global author movement. Whether you’re self-publishing your first novel or your fiftieth, ALLi is with you every step of the way, with a suite of member benefits that includes free guidebooks, discounts and deals, member forums, contract consultancy, advisory board, literary agency, watchdog and more.

Your membership also supports our advocacy work for indie authors globally, from Alaska to New Zealand, and offers access to ALLi’s supportive, dynamic community.

If you haven’t yet, is it time you joined us?

AllianceIndependentAuthors.org

2

Introduction to Podcasting for Authors

“Podcasting" is a term that has entered the mainstream only in the last decade. A podcast is a digital audio file that you can download to a computer or mobile device via the internet. It typically takes the form of serial, on-demand episodes and is similar to the format used by radio shows. Listeners subscribe to the podcast, then episodes download automatically to their device through podcast players like iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and Overcast. If you’re reading this, you probably already know what a podcast is and are ready to explore the possibility of podcasting yourself. This guide will show you the way.

Podcasts are mainly speech-based: interviews, talk shows, lectures, panel discussions or quizzes, fiction, drama, poetry, comedy sketches—anything you might hear on speech radio. The unique selling point that distinguishes podcasts from radio shows is the ability to download the audio and listen any time you want. And just like self-publishing versus traditional publishing, podcasting has given rise to a far more diverse and multi-faceted range of content than traditional voice media.

A few years ago, listening to a podcast was a niche interest activity, but as mobile technology evolved, the cultural zeitgeist has shifted. Thanks to massive demand, access to technology, and the omnipresence of the internet, more people than ever are now recording and listening to podcasts on every possible topic. There are now an estimated two million unique shows, together encompassing 48 million episodes today, according to the Podcast Insights website. Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, tells us that one in eight people in the UK now listen to at least one podcast episode each week, and the US stats show a similar picture.

Many authors have jumped into the space as listeners, guests, hosts and podcast creators. Learning from peers, authors are using this valuable platform to engage their community and draw attention to their brands and their books.

The idea of hosting, never mind producing a podcast, is daunting for most authors but there’s no need to fret. All those author- podcasters who seem so confident have also experienced doubts, imposter syndrome, and overwhelm at times. While podcasting requires skills you are unlikely to have developed yet, concerns diminish with exposure. You will feel some degree of anxiety when approaching such an unfamiliar topic—there’s no escaping that—but it’s okay to take your time. If you aren’t particularly technically savvy, or you experience doubt and anxiety over appearing on a podcast, that’s not a reason to forego podcasting.

Ultimately, you will need to figure out whether this medium is right for you and how deeply you want to get involved. This short guidebook will show you how to decide and explain exactly how get started and keep going, in the way that’s right for you.

No matter where you’re starting from, you can make inroads into podcasting in a way that enables you to build your following, sell more books, and feel more engrained in the lives of your readers and other authors in your niche.

3

How to Read this Book

This guide is designed to be read chronologically, but we understand that authors’ lives are busy, and you may just want to dip into particular sections. So some contextual information has been repeated in multiple chapters. While reading the full guide for context first is advisable, do dive into the chapter you most need most right now, if that’s your way of working.

Everyone starts off in the same state of ignorance, but the information outlined within the following pages can be digested and practiced in manageable chunks at whatever speed you deem comfortable. Please note that we cite costs and payments in United States Dollars (USD), unless quoting a source, as it is the most universal currency for indie authors, and many of the dominant service providers are based in the US and operate in USD.

The podcasting industry contains a lot of jargon and this guide contains industry-specific terms and acronyms that you might not have heard of before. These terms can be confusing, even off-putting, at the beginning. While we’ve given the terms in this book as much context as possible, we’ve also provided a glossary at the end of the document for easy reference which we hope will prove useful.

Podcasting is an industry in its infancy, and its tools are constantly improving. While this book is up-to-date at the time of writing, some of the tools and processes may have changed by the time you read it.

Read on to learn about the particulars of the industry, what it takes to become a podcaster, and how to be an effective host, guest or producer.

4

The AskALLi Self-Publishing Podcasts

Before we begin, as you are an indie author, you’re likely to be interested in the Alliance of Independent Author (ALLi)’s Self-Publishing Advice Podcast in which the ALLi team dives deep into publishing for authors, at different levels. There is also an interview stream, where members are interviewed about the inspirations behind their books, and a member Q&A in wh...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• 1. A Note About ALLi
• 2. Introduction to Podcasting for Authors
• 3. How to Read this Book
• 4. The AskALLi Self-Publishing Podcasts
• 5. Why Podcast?
• 6. Types of Podcasts for Authors
• 7. Getting Started
• 8. Designing Your Show
• 9. Following a Production Process
• 10. Using Equipment
• 11. Ensuring High-Quality Audio
• 12. Hosting
• 13. Free Launch Tactics
• Copyright
• 14. Keep Going
• 15. Glossary
• Untitled
• Acknowledgments
• 16. About ALLi
• Untitled
• 17. More Advice
• 18. We’d Love Your Feedback
• Untitled