More and more, my role as an in-demand ghostwriter puts me in direct contact with the exciting world of self-publishing. I say that this is an exciting world because, for its many uncertainties, self-publishing also seems to hold all the cards on possibilities as well.
With a seemingly endless stream of resources and opportunities available at a writer’s disposal, where should you go to find the most current self-publishing help?
Thankfully, there are a whole host of self-publishing podcasts out there. Every day it seems I’m either listening to the newest of one of my favorites, or binge-listening to catch up on another.
This list is by no means a definitive list of the best self-publishing podcasts.
My Five Favorite Self-Publishing Podcasts
Far and away, my favorite self-publishing podcast is The Creative Penn. Coming out on a weekly basis, podcast hostess Joanna Penn, self-published author and marketing guru, offers a wide variety of tips on how to market a book.
As far as the format goes, Joanna first introduces her personal projects, talking books she’s writing and stories she’s working on. Then she follows that with her “futurist” segment, which is how she discusses what she sees happening in writing and publishing.
Lastly, she offers a guest interview, and in my time listening to her, they’ve been spectacular. As a side note too, Joanna is British and she has the cutest little laugh which gives her an added charm.
A close second, The Smarty Pants Book Marketing Podcast offers, as promised, a wealth of book marketing tips. For someone looking for self-publishing help, this podcast really breaks the process of selling the book down into easy to follow steps. The podcast subjects are often singular, covering topics like email lists, reader acquisition, etc…
Another side note? The Smarty Pants Book Marketing Podcast is hosted by a mother-daughter team, with the former serving as the marketing guru and the latter, a best-selling author. The two ladies have obvious chemistry on the mike, but they also defer to each other’s area of expertise.
A bit more technical, Mark Dawson’s Self-Publishing Formula podcast is the one bona fide masterclass on the subject of self-publishing. If you need self-publishing help and can’t find it here, you’re really lost.
Dawson is a no-nonsense book marketer. His subjects range a bit bigger and he tackles them more ambitiously than any of the others. What he lacks in cheeky charisma, he really makes up for with comprehension. Dawson is the person to go to if you’re looking for ideas on how to invest in Facebook ads, or Google ads, etc…
On the opposite side of the coin, The IngramSpark self-publishing podcast is where to look for more ground level self-publishing help. A print-on-demand service (one that is highly recommended by many) IngramSpark really covers those intimidating basics that for many as barriers to entry.
What a manuscript looks like. How to get it up on their site. Comparing are book sizes. If you’re just getting your feet wet, start here.
Last, but certainly not least, The Sell More Books Podcast. How did I get into this podcast? Well, many of the other podcasts I was listening to referred to, or featured, host Jim Kukral. Unlike the others, this isn’t a podcast that I listen to religiously.
The approach here, for my tastes, is a little bit more catch-all and I often feel like the topics they cover and covered more deeply on any number of other podcasts. If you’re looking for a beginning marketing podcast, just to get an idea of how to sell books, start here. Click here if you want to check out a recent list of my favorite writer podcasts.