Do you listen to podcasts? If you are a writer, editor, or publisher, podcasts are a great way to stay updated on industry news and build your knowledge and skills. They’re also a time saver—you can multitask by listening to them while your hands are busy.
This page lists the best podcasts for writers, editors, and publishers. I listen to all my podcasts (except one) through the free Podbean app on my phone, but you can also find these podcasts elsewhere.
Writing Excuses
Short, fun, and packed with knowledge, Writing Excuses was started by fantasy author Brandon Sanderson, horror and scifi author Dan Wells, and comic writer/illustrator Howard Taylor. This is a great podcast for new writers. More seasoned writers might find the information too foundational, but there are always nuggets of knowledge to learn.
Novel Marketing Podcast
Hosted by the highly experienced Thomas Umstattd Jr., this podcast is “the longest-running book marketing podcast in the world”. It is great for writers who need to boost their marketing skills. Umstattd’s episodes include many interviews with industry professionals, as well as independent and traditionally published authors. It was Umstattd who convinced me that I no longer needed social media as an author.
The Creative Penn Podcast
Joanna Penn should be a name on every author’s desk. Penn provides a rundown of news and insights from the publishing industry and conducts interviews on writing and creativity, publishing options, book marketing and creative entrepreneurship. She is also heavily interested in how artificial intelligence affects the future of writing and publishing, and has become an AI guru for writers.
Writers and Illustrators of the Future Podcast
This is a great podcast for science fiction and fantasy writers, and especially if you write short stories. Hosted by John Goodwin, the Writers and Illustrators of the Future Podcast features interviews with authors, publishers, and illustrators. Sometimes, the interviewees are winners of the Writers of the Future Contest, a coveted quarterly short story competition.
Self-Publishing Advice & Inspirations
This one is a single “podcast” with several categorised sub-podcasts offered by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi). Sub-podcasts are published throughout the month:
- The Member Q&A Podcast, hosted by Michael La Ronn and Sacha Black
- The Publishing for Profit Podcast, hosted by Orna Ross, Joanna Penn, Anna Featherstone and Joe Solari
- The Creating Better Books Podcast, Howard Lovy and Partner Members
- The Reaching More Readers Podcast, hosted by Holly Greenland and Dale Roberts
- The Self-Publishing News Podcast, hosted by Dan Holloway
- The Inspirational Indie Authors Podcast, consisting of interviews hosted by Howard Lovy
- The Creative Self-Publishing Podcast, hosted by Orna Ross and (occasionally) Shanaya Wagh
- The ALLi Campaigns Podcast, hosted by Orna Ross and Melissa Addey.
Self Publishing Show Podcast
This fantastic podcast is hosted by the immensely successful self-published thriller and mystery author Mark Dawson and the early-career Cold War thriller author James Blatch. They discuss writing skills and news together, and Blatch interviews million-selling indie authors, breakout stars from traditional publishing, industry insiders, and tech geniuses. Their episodes are also available on YouTube if you like to watch the discussions and funny banter. I have a soft spot for British humour.
Book Marketing Show
Dave Chesson is the founder of Kindlepreneur and has established himself as an Amazon publishing guru, but his wealth of knowledge stretches far and wide. Chesson’s episodes are for writers with a bit of publishing experience, touching on some intermediate and advanced publishing and marketing subjects. However, unpublished writers can also benefit from his podcast if they see it as preparation for their future writing career.
Write Now with Scrivener
Hosted by journalist Kirk McElhearn, this is a great podcast about soft skills—interviewing writers to learn how they put words on the page and manage their time. It also offers tips and tricks for using Scrivener, the writing app built by writers, for writers. Of course, you don’t need to be a Scrivener user to learn from the podcast. If you are interested in Scrivener, check out my review to see how it has benefitted me.
The Modern Editor Podcast
Hosted by Tara Whitaker, this podcast is specifically for freelance editors, but editors hired by publishing houses and authors who self-edit can also benefit. Whitaker goes behind the scenes of what it takes to run an editorial business in today’s world. Her episodes are honest, open, and extremely helpful.
Wish I’d Known Then … For Writers
Catered towards indie authors, hosts (and authors themselves) Jami Albright and Sara Rosett interview self-published authors about what’s worked—the ideas, tips, and strategies that have taken them to the top of the bestseller charts—as well as what they’ve learned from their missteps and blunders. We’ve all made mistakes, and writers like to stick together, so why not learn from each other?
Subscriptions for Authors
The creator economy is changing and we are seeing the growth and success of subscription platforms. Authors Emilia Rose and Michael Evans are spearheading this new publishing strategy and have also created a purpose-built subscription publishing platform, Ream (it is currently heavily used by self-published romance authors, but it is gradually expanding into other genres). Rose and Evans interview authors pioneering new ways to monetise their fiction and build reader communities, and share novel marketing ideas, new platforms/technologies, and game-changing strategies.
Sell More Books Show
This is a great all-rounder podcast for authors at any stage in their career. Hosted by authors Bryan Cohen and H. Claire Taylor, the podcast focuses on helping new and experienced authors stay up-to-date with the latest self-publishing and indie news, tools and book selling/marketing strategies.
Archived or Sporadic Podcasts
The following is a list of podcasts that have either stopped production or are published on an irregular schedule. While not up to date, there is still a wealth of information to learn from these older episodes.
Go Publish Yourself: An IngramSpark Podcast
From the great print-on-demand and book distribution company, IngramSpark, this podcast explored trending topics, discussed publishing industry news, and shared expertise on successful self-publishing. The hosts were IngramSpark Director Robin Cutler and Manager of IngramSpark’s Author Acquisitions Program Justine Bylo, and they were occasionally joined by industry representatives.
Science Fiction & Fantasy Marketing Podcast
Hosted by a team of speculative fiction authors—Lindsay Buroker, Joseph Lallo, Jeffrey M. Poole, and Laura Kirwan—this podcast was a great resource for marketing specifically for the science fiction and fantasy genres. Episodes had plenty of depth and covered a good range of topics, many of which are still beneficial today.
Six Figure Authors Podcast
This podcast discusses what works best from authors Lindsay Buroker, Joseph Lallo, and Andrea Pearson, as well as industry experts and other successful authors. The focus is on current best practice in the publishing industry.
Queries, Qualms, & Quirks
Author Sarah Nicolas asks published authors of all genres to share their successful query letter and discuss their journey from first spark to day of publication. Learn how authors started their writing, got their first book deal, and their experiences with publication.