Keeping Informed Through Podcasts
By Elizabeth S. Craig, @elizabethscraig 
I’ve never been much of an audiobook listener due to my impatience. I know I’m an extremely fast reader and I get frustrated by the slower pace of narration. I thought the same would be true for industry podcasts. Recently, however, I’ve gotten into them. This has surprised me, since I’d usually rather skim a transcript over listening to anything.
I still do like the transcripts to remind me of salient points. But now podcasts are helpful resources that I enjoy listening to. I think that’s because I’ve now got a system for making them useful for me. I know some of you are light years ahead of me on this stuff. I thought I’d blog my revelations in case any of you out there are where I am in the discovery process.
I tend to listen to them when exercising (to forget that I’m exercising, since it’s my least favorite activity) or driving.
It took me a while to realize that I could subscribe to and download podcasts. I’d thought it would be some painstaking process of pulling websites up on my phone, clicking play, and then watching my data minutes get used up.
Instead, I use free podcast apps, Stitcher and Podcast Addict to subscribe to different podcasts. Once I’m subscribed, I’m alerted to new episodes. Then I download the episodes to my phone. That’s key to avoid those nasty data charges when the wifi is horrid at the YMCA (i.e., all the time). I plug in my earbuds, and learn.
And learning is what it’s all about for me. I wish I had time to be entertained, but I’m really just in search of helpful industry news and information. And forgetting that I’m at the gym.
In the car, I have Bluetooth enabled and listen to podcasts while I’m driving (and driving and driving) my daughter to different activities. The podcasts play through the car speakers. And entertain my nearly 14 year old! Or not. :)
I can still be an impatient listener. Still that person who’d rather skim the transcript. But the nice thing about Stitcher and Podcast Addict and all those other apps is that we can speed up the recording. Which, sometimes, results in a hilarious effect, but frequently just means that I can skim the audio. And then slow it down during parts where I really need to absorb the information. I follow up by reading show notes on the various websites or the transcripts.
I follow a fair number of shows, but there are some I listen to more than others:
Joanna Penn. She’s always so professional and seems to be a couple of steps or more ahead of me. I tend to be cautions and I like following people who are experimenting.
Rocking Self Publishing Podcast. Genial host Simon Whistler with interesting guests.
Science Fiction and Fantasy Marketing Podcast. Several hosts here. One is Lindsay Buroker, and I’m a fan of her blog, as well. Useful for all genres.
Sell More Books Show. Nice news wrap-up.
Self Publishing Podcast. This is one that’s frequently NSFW, so heads-up on that. I believe they’re revamping their show now to make it more business, less social. A good deal of useful information and an interesting look at the way the men do business as writers.
The Author Biz. Stephen Campbell’s guests always have interesting things to talk about.
Hope this helps for anyone else who is as clueless about podcasts as I was. They’re a nice, free way to learn more about writing and marketing. And listening to voices does, somehow, evoke more of a personal touch. It can help me to absorb the information more easily.
Do you listen to podcasts? Which ones? I’m always looking for something new.
Keeping informed through podcasts:
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