Podcasting and Its Benefits to Writers by Ron Vitale

The publishing world is changing before our eyes and most writers do not have the luxury to sit down and simply write. Today, we have to wear many hats--marketer, publicist, and information technology guru just to name a few. When podcasting started to take off six or seven years ago, I wanted to join in the conversation and learn all about it. I remember hearing about Scott Sigler and how he had created an audiobook version of his novel EARTHCORE and its becoming a huge success. Scott recently wrote a blog post on Joe Konrath’s site and I recommend that you take the time to read his post as he goes through all the ins and outs of how he became successful through podcasting his works.

If you’ve questioned why you might want to start podcasting and how it could help you as a writer, let me posit a few ideas to get the juices flowing. Be aware though, that this article isn’t going to teach you how to create a podcast. I’ve already written that post years ago. Instead, I want to share with you how you can become a better writer through podcasting and why you might wish to start.

Build Your Confidence in Public Speaking

When I first sat down in front of the microphone and began recording, I realized that I needed to find a way to successfully take the ideas in my mind and communicate them clearly to my audience. Sounds easy, right? Think again. Depending on your comfort level in talking, keep in mind that podcasting is a great way to strengthen how you speak. Now you’re able to hear all the “umms” and “hmms” that you use in normal conversation as well as how many times you say the word “like.” Maybe you speak too fast or pronounce words incorrectly. After I first started podcasting, a listener of my Magic: The Gathering “The Magic Sock” podcast compiled a 30 second clip of all the times I said “umm” and sent it back to me as feedback. Talk about a confidence shredder! Yet I realized that in order to become a better communicator, I needed to focus on my diction.

I find that podcasting exercises different writing muscle as, for me, there’s a difference between sitting down and writing and speaking into a microphone. Practicing how I speak and focusing on word choice when I podcast has helped me to become better at speaking with my peers at conferences and on phone interviews.

Join a Community

The podcasting community is a tightknit group willing to help each other out. Most people tend to podcast for two reasons: Talk about writing with writers, turn their novels into audiobooks and a few do both. I’d recommend that you consider using the free podcasts on the web to hone your writing skills. What better way to do market research, than to listen to what people are writing about through podcasts, or better yet, share your own stories with the community?

I highly recommend Mur Lafferty’s “I Should Be Writing” podcast as it is a great example of how to use podcasting as a means to talk about the business of writing. Not only can you learn about our trade, but she has fascinating interviews with fellow writers who share their stories. I would suggest subscribing to her podcast, or create your own like hers and network with like-minded writers in your genre. Remember, with podcasting, the possibilities are limitless. Think it, create and share it and you’ll find listeners and make connections with other writers.

Turning Your Novel into an Audiobook

Back in 2008, I read about how Evo Terra, Tee Morris and Chris Miller had created Podiobooks.com as a way for authors to release audiobook versions of their novels. I realized that by taking my novel, DOROTHEA'S SONG and creating it into an audiobook that I would be able to teach myself not only about audio editing, file conversion and mp3 ID3 tagging, but also be able to build an audience for my work and strengthen my brand. The business model is simple: You put up your audiobook for free and listeners have the option to donate to you/Podiobooks (typically $9.99). Seventy-five percent of the donation goes to the author, the rest keeps Podiobooks.com running.

I will not get into the philosophical debate as to whether a writer should give content away for free or not. If you read Scott Sigler’s blog post that I mention above, you’ll see that it’s possible to build a viable business around your audiobook. No, it’s not easy, but it is possible.

Strengthen Your Writing Skills

If you choose to turn your novel into an audiobook and create it yourself to release on Podiobooks.com, be prepared to be humbled as you’ll quickly learn the true mettle of your words. Some writers read their work out loud during the editing phase as a means of revising dialogue. When you’re podcasting, you have to take that novel-length book and read it—every single word of it. I recorded my book into 15 episodes and created them one at a time, editing them and then, after I had finished all the parts, released them in serial format in the fall of 2008. Other authors choose to record as they go along, but knowing how busy my schedule was, I wanted to have all the episodes in the can, finished and ready to go.

Once you start recording, you will discover all the little imperfections that are left in your book. For me, I also struggled with fatigue and my imperfections as a reader. After working 10 hours, coming home, putting the kids to bed, sitting down to read a chapter was downright hard. I remember one particularly difficult night in which I made seven mistakes on one page. I would read, make a mistake, snap my fingers (to make an audible editing mark so that I knew where to edit) and then restart again. Over time, I became more comfortable with reading my work, in the flow of the dialogue and began editing on the fly as I could hear how what I had written could become better. Trust me, podcasting is going to strengthen your inner editor as you’ll be able to hear what needs to be corrected.

Putting It All Together

Podcasting is not for everyone.  But if you’re willing to learn a new skill, you can strengthen your writing, experiment in a new market and network with other writers. Life is about choices and the experiences we allow ourselves to embrace. Entrepreneur and careerist Penelope Trunk often writes about learning new skills and “navigating scary situations” and I realize that in order to become a better writer I will need to take risks.

With podcasting, think about the possibilities and, at the very least, become a listener of a writer’s podcast as there’s a treasure trove of information to learn.