Podcast Purview is a column highlighting the month’s best podcasts on writing (or whatever I can get to that strikes me that month). There will be interviews with podcast hosts about their shows and instructional posts on podcast production. As an avid podcast fan, my desire for this column is to point you to some of the best lessons or interviews I’ve heard, including if they have giveaways. I’ll post twice a month, on the second and fourth weeks to separate the posts between podcasts published in the first and second halves of each month.
Starting off, Adventures in Sci-Fi Publishing episode 136 with Bryan Thomas Schmidt was tremendous because of the instant chemistry he brought as an interviewee. I’d say, top guest of this round of shows – especially since it was his first time on a podcast. It was also just a well-rounded interview, ranging from discussing space opera, to how to include religion without offense, why he choose one publisher out of the four interested, his influence from Timothy Zahn and Star Wars, and enough about Bryan’s personal life that you root for his success.
- Giveaways: Win a copy of Brenda Cooper’s newest book. Directions from their website:
- Brenda Cooper is giving away signed copies of MAYAN DECEMBER and THE SILVER SHIP AND THE SEA. To enter you can tweet about the contest (make sure to include our handle so we see it – @aisfppodcast), or email us with MAYAN DECEMBER in the subject line and your name and address in the email body. The contest is open to residents of North America only. Entries due Wednesday, October 5th.
- Next up is the
Eric Wilson interview on Fiction Addict.
- This was a great interview from a podcaster well versed in Eric’s history. Host Jake Chism discusses Eric’s publishing experience going from a large CBA publisher (Thomas Nelson) to turning them down in order to choose the right publisher for what he wants to write. Excellent discussion on his book
- and great advice throughout for writers.
Flying Island Press’s podcast, Galley Table, had an especially insightful podcast on marketing called “Nudie Bear Polo”. You’ll have to listen till the end to find out why that title, but it makes sense. This is the kind of show you’ll want to listen to multiple times to catch all the advice. They discuss: Scott Roche’s experience publishing with Smashwords, including how to set discounts; how to select titles that optimize Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Allison Duncan’s new site, AuthorOutbreak.com, that utilizes SEO by advertising your book on a separate site than your homepage; and limitations of previews comparing different ebook stores like Smashwords, Googlebooks, etc. * Note, Allison goes into more detail on her interview on Get Published “SEO and Self-Promotion with Allison Duncan” .
My favorite podcast, Writing Excuses, ep 6.15 on “Writing Other Cultures” gave some helpful insights interviewing Lauren Beukes on how she wrote her award-winning book, Zoo City, as a White South African from a Black South African’s perspective. The writing prompt at the end: “Write a story in your community, with a twist,” is a great idea. Lauren wrote her story in the community she’s familiar with in South Africa, but with a twist of spirit animals that latch on to your back whenever you do something wrong.
Other podcasts worth noting: SF Signal doing a series of WorldCon interviews (Novella Panel, Brent Weeks, and Lee A. Harris of Angry Robot Books); Get Published’s “Importance of Editing” with Michell’s editor.
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Timothy C. Ward writes Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror that reveals what glory can be found on the other side of pain. He also hosts two podcasts on writing, AudioTim and the Holy Worlds Podcast. Tim used his bachelor’s degree in English to send him to live in Australia and South Korea before he earned his Master of Divinity at Faith Baptist Theological Seminary in Iowa. His stories reflect his love for adventure and observations on how trials shape character.
Tags: adventures in scifi publishing, column, fiction addict, highlights, Podcast Perview, podcasting, review, sfsignal, Timothy Ward, writing excuses
Absolutely wonderful and absolutely a great piece.