Wish you could get a free education in writing and publishing? Publishing-related podcasts can provide just that, and the number available has exploded within the past couple of years. Many aim to provide writers with craft tips, career inspiration, productivity hacks, book marketing advice, the latest publishing news, or inside scoops from industry pros.
It’s easier than you think to fit these podcasts into your busy schedule — like with audiobooks, you can multitask while listening. I listen as I’m getting ready for work in the morning, commuting to and from the office, cooking, or cleaning my apartment… all things I’d need to do anyway! And it’s super easy to tune in on iTunes or free podcast apps like Castbox.
Since there are so many to choose from, we compiled a list of some of the most popular, well-reviewed, and consistently produced podcasts on writing, publishing, and book marketing. Because each podcast covers a wide variety of topics, we didn’t organize these by subject (traditional vs. self-publishing, craft vs. marketing, and so on). And even if a podcast primarily caters to self-published authors, there are fantastic insights for traditionally published authors to glean, too (and vice versa). We hope this gives you plenty to listen to and learn!
Great for: Writing career advice and inspiration.
During each 88 Cups of Tea episode, host Yin Chang interviews a different author (from a wide variety of genres) or industry professional (including literary agents and editors). Topics covered include how-to’s, writing and craft tips, career advice, inspiration, and insights on individual publishing journeys. Yin does an excellent job of asking guests probing questions in a conversational way, so you feel like you’re really getting an inside look at each guest’s thought process and experiences in the industry.
Notable episodes:
- Rachel Caine: Balancing A Successful Writing Career and Multiple Day Jobs
- Rhoda Belleza: Silencing Your Internal Editor
- Susan Dennard: The Revision Process & Overcoming Perfectionist Tendencies
Tip: This podcast also has an active Facebook group, where listeners get to post questions they want Yin to ask next week’s guest.
Great for: Productivity and writing craft tips.
The Writer Files, hosted by Kelton Reid, covers topics from writing and productivity to creativity and the neuroscience behind authors’ success. Each episode includes a guest author or a compilation of tips in which many writers divulge their writing habits. Guests include novelists, short story authors, fiction podcast writers, cartoonists, journalists, bloggers, neuroscientists, and more, making this podcast a unique source of advice and inspiration from a wide variety of content creators.
Notable episodes:
- 21 Productivity Hacks from 21 Productive Writers: Part One and Part Two
- How the Bestselling Sci-Fi Author of The Martian Andy Weir Writes
- How Hugo Award Winning Sci-Fi Author John Scalzi Writes
Great for: Writing craft tips.
Writing Excuses is a fast-paced, educational podcast for writers, by writers. It’s most recently hosted by authors Brandon Sanderson, Howard Tayler, Mary Robinette Kowal, and Dan Wells. While many of the 15- to 25-minute episodes dive deep into a specific craft element, the 13 seasons are a gold mine of publishing, career, and productivity insights. The shorter episode lengths ensure that the hosts get right to the point, making the podcast quick and fun to binge-listen.
Notable episodes:
- 12.2: How to Nail Character Voice in First Person
- 11.24: Stakes!
- 10.5: What Do You Mean My Main Character is Boring?
Tip: Check out the show notes on their website for assignments, writing prompts, and a recommended audiobook to accompany each episode!
Great for: Insider publishing info and craft tips.
The PubCrawl podcast is hosted by S. Jae-Jones (JJ), author of Wintersong and former Big Five editor, and Kelly Van Sant, literary agent at Red Sofa Literary. Mainly geared toward traditionally published and aspiring authors, most episodes feature JJ and Kelly dishing all sorts of insider publishing information, writing and craft tips, and advice for writers both pre- and post-publication. While there hasn’t been a new episode in several months, the archives offer a wealth of information and industry insight!
Notable episodes:
- Author Career: The Business of Being an Author
- Promotion
- Ask a Book Publicist! With Mallory Hayes
Tip: The PubCrawl blog is also a fantastic resource, compiled by a group of authors and publishing professionals.
Great for: Insight into authors’ publishing journeys (and their writing tips).
In each Writer, Writer, Pants on Fire podcast episode, award-winning author Mindy McGinnis interviews a different author — most of them traditionally published. Conversations cover a wide variety of topics, and many include stories of how each author signed with their agent and secured a book deal, plus any writing and publishing tips they have to offer.
Notable episodes:
- The Element of Control in Self-Publishing & Staying Healthy as a Writer: Sara Crawford
- Sara Raasch: Marketing Your Book
- Beth Revis: A Decade of Publishing Rejection
Tip: All of the author episodes are free, and those featuring agents and editors are teasers — the full versions are accessible by subscribing to Mindy’s Patreon, with price tiers for different types of content.
Great for: Book marketing, self-publishing, and productivity tips.
The Self Publishing Formula podcast is hosted by bestselling author and marketing expert Mark Dawson and former BBC journalist James Blatch, and contains a wealth of valuable information for authors (both self- and traditionally published). Most episodes feature interviews with other authors and marketing experts and are dedicated to a single topic, including book marketing, social media marketing, publishing tools, writing craft, productivity hacks, and more.
Notable episodes:
- SPF-110: How I Quit the 9 to 5 to Write (And Never Looked Back) – with Ernest Dempsey
- SPF-106: How to Get Reviews – with Mark Dawson
- SPF-090: Using BookBub CPM Ads for Profit – with Adam Croft
Great for: Self-publishing, book marketing, and running an author business.
The Creative Penn Podcast, by fiction and nonfiction bestselling author Joanna Penn, covers topics on writing, creativity, publishing options, book marketing, self-publishing, and creative entrepreneurship. After providing updates on Joanna’s own publishing journey and any big industry news, most episodes feature a guest author or industry professional diving deep into a specific topic. Joanna is a joy to listen to, and you’ll learn a ton of valuable information from her podcast.
Notable episodes:
- #389: Branding for Authors with Kristine Kathryn Rusch
- #378: Strangers to Superfans. Book Marketing with David Gaughran
- #359: How to Write Diverse Characters with Alex Anders
Great for: Self-publishing news and tips.
The Sell More Books Show is a weekly podcast helping self-published authors stay up-to-date on the latest industry news, sales tools, and strategies. Hosted by authors Jim Kukral and Bryan Cohen, it’s a fantastic source of information about the latest tactics for self-publishing, selling, and marketing books, with interesting discussions and entertaining commentary.
Notable episodes:
- Episode 185: KDP Jumpstart, Createspace, and Seven-Figure Deals
- Episode 174: Kindle Unlimited 3.0, Six-Figure Steps, and the Power of Habit
- Episode 167: Whispersync, Six-Figure Authors, and The New KDP Dashboard
Tip: Since this is a news-heavy show, it makes sense to start with the most recent episodes.
Great for: Insider industry insights and the traditional publishing process.
The Shipping & Handling podcast is hosted by literary agents Bridget Smith from Dunham Literary and Jennifer Udden from Barry Goldblatt Literary. Episodes cover a plethora of topics, and Bridget and Jen offer an honest look at the traditional publishing process as well as industry and personal insights on books, writing, and fandom. Their casual banter and gossip make this podcast so much fun!
Notable episodes:
- Episode 43: Bees! Or, the Submissions Process 101
- Episode 40: Professional Jealousy
- Episode 14: Finding Time
Great for: Insider industry insights.
The Print Run podcast is hosted by literary agents Laura Zats and Erik Hane, both from Red Sofa Literary. In each episode, Laura and Erik have a conversation about a specific publishing topic or industry news. According to their website, “We’re for writers, publishers, for anyone who’s opened a book and wanted to know — really know — what goes into getting the damn thing made.”
Notable episodes:
- Episode 42 — Anatomy of a Bestseller
- Episode 72 — What About the Money
- Episode 24 — Writing vs. Publishing
Great for: Insights on how traditionally published authors landed agents and book deals.
The relatively new Write or Die podcast is hosted by author Claribel Ortega. In each episode, Claribel interviews a different author about their publishing journey — specifically, how each author started writing, landed an agent, and secured a book deal — and paying special mind to diversity in children’s literature. With plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, this is an entertaining podcast for both aspiring and traditionally published authors.
Notable episodes:
- Episode 8: Phil Stamper & The Not So Secret Zelda Fan Fic
- Episode 3: Julie Dao & The Secret Harry Potter Fan Fic
- Episode 14: Sonia Hartl & The Hot Santa
Great for: Self-publishing and writing tips.
The SPA Girls Podcast — or the Self-Publishing Author Podcast — is a weekly podcast on indie publishing tips, resources, advice, and real-life case studies hosted by four writers from New Zealand: Cheryl Phipps, Shar Barratt, Trudi Jaye, and Wendy Vella. Some episodes dive deep into a specific topic, but most feature interviews with successful self-published authors or industry professionals. Listening to this podcast is a pleasure — it feels like sitting down for coffee with your best author friends!
Notable episodes:
- EP143 – Interview with Carlyn Robertson from BookBub
- EP103 – How to Find an Extra 30 Mins Writing Time Every Day
- EP148 – Interview with Indie Superstar Bella Andre
Great for: Writing craft tips.
Author K.M. Weiland has hosted and produced the Helping Writers Become Authors podcast for nearly 10 years! These 440-plus well-prepared, actionable, 15- to 20-minute episodes cover a variety of topics on the craft of writing — from creating characters to outlining novels to polishing prose — as well as getting into the creative mindset, being productive, and writing mistakes to avoid.
Notable episodes:
- Writer’s Jealousy — And 3 Thoughts on What To Do About It
- Most Common Writing Mistakes, Pt. 62: Head-Hopping POV
- 5 Tips for Organizing Subplots
Great for: Query tips and publishing industry insights.
The Manuscript Academy podcast, created by literary agent Jessica Sinsheimer from the Sarah Jane Freymann Literary Agency, features interviews with agents and editors, who share plenty of behind-the-scenes publishing insights. It’s part of #MSWL (Manuscript Wish List), which helps authors more effectively connect with agents and editors seeking projects like theirs, and includes plenty of query tips for authors looking to sign with an agent.
Notable episodes:
- Episode 6: How to Spend Ten Minutes With an Agent
- Episode 12: Publishing and Publicity in Your Pajamas
- Episode 22: #TenQueries with agent John Cusick
Great for: Writing, publishing, and book marketing tips.
The Bestseller Experiment, by author and screenwriter Mark Stay and recording artist Mark Desvaux, delves into writing, publishing, and marketing books, with the goal of creating bestsellers. Each episode features interviews with publishers, editors, agents, bestselling authors, social media specialists, and more — and while the podcast is geared toward self-published authors, there are plenty of tips from traditional publishing as well.
Notable episodes:
- Episode 49: BookBub Mythbusting
- Episode 105: Ed McDonald, Dear Debut Authors
- Episode 67: Publicity Secrets Reveals
Tip: Note that many free episodes are teasers, and the full versions are accessible by subscribing to the Bestseller Experiment Patreon for $5 per month.
Great for: Inspiration for building an author career and earning money as a writer.
The Ditch Diggers podcast was a finalist for the 2017 Hugo Award for Best Fancast and is hosted by award-winning authors Mur Lafferty and Matt Wallace. It focuses more on the business of writing and tips on meeting deadlines than on the craft of writing (for which you can listen to Mur’s other podcast, I Should Be Writing).
Notable episodes:
- #61: Starting Out Freelancing
- #64: 20 Minute Ditch on Grudges
- #53: The Money Taboo
Tip: Subscribing to Mur’s Patreon for $1 per month will get you access to more than a decade’s worth of archives and early postings of each episode.
Great for: Craft tips and writing inspiration.
The I Should Be Writing podcast is also hosted by Mur Lafferty. Unlike Ditch Diggers, this podcast focuses on providing encouragement, writing tips, and publishing advice to aspiring authors via success stories from authors releasing new books. The interviews focus on the goal of achieving traditional publication, so they only feature traditionally published authors.
Notable episodes:
- #394: Procrastination / Gabe Denning Interview
- #393: Supporting Characters’ Motivations
- #392: Convention How-To
Tip: Subscribing to Mur’s Patreon for $1 per month will get you access to more than a decade’s worth of archives and early postings of each episode.
Great for: Writing and publishing inspiration from bestselling authors.
The Beautiful Writers Podcast is hosted by author Linda Sivertsen, and in each episode she interviews a different bestselling author. Interviews cover in-depth insights on the writing and publishing processes, from breakout successes to authors with staying power, featuring inspirational personal anecdotes, advice, and encouragement.
Notable episodes:
- Arianna Huffington: Revolutionizing Sleep for Creativity (…and everything else)
- Brene Brown: Daring to Create Greatly
- Elizabeth Gilbert: The Big Magic of Creative Living
Great for: Writing and grammar tips.
Grammar Girl is a Quick and Dirty Tips podcast from Mignon Fogarty, and each episode provides fun, simple tips to improve your writing skills. These grammar, punctuation, style, and business tips aim to make listeners better and more successful writers.
Notable episodes:
- 634 – ‘Rack’ or ‘Wrack’? How to Eliminate Adverbs.
- 620 – When to Capitalize ‘Mom.’ In the Doldrums.
- 610 – Top 10 Grammar Myths. How 13 Dog Breeds Got Their Names.
Tip: The full archive is available on Stitcher Premium, which costs $4.99 per month.
Great for: Book marketing tips.
The Book Marketing Show is hosted by Dave Chesson of Kindlepreneur. Each episode is a case study covering a specific book marketing or sales tactic, featuring a guest who has firsthand experience selling books using that strategy.
Notable episodes:
- How to AB Test Your Book Title, Cover, and Description
- How to Sell on More Book Markets Other than Amazon
- How to Collaborate with Another Author
What is your favorite podcast on writing, publishing, and/or book marketing? Let us know in the comments below!
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