Podcasts about writing

Getting published is about a lot more than just wanting to be published. From nurturing the craft to finding an agent to getting a publisher to even look at your story to marketing and selling, authors have to develop a lot of skills. The experiences of professional and amateur authors can be a great source of information about what to do and more importantly what not to do.

There are a couple of podcasts that I've found invaluable when it comes to writing. Some podcasts focus on technique while others are packed with interviews with agents, editors, and authors. Still others are more personal and tackle the very real challenges and frustrations that come along with writing.

Here are a few of my favorite podcasts and why I like them:

Writing Excuses Don't let the tag line fool you. The invaluable information that Dan Wells, Brandon Anderson, and Howard Tayler pack into about 15 minutes spans common mistakes beginning authors make, writing skills, fiction styles, and so much more. These guys are published authors and have experience creating, publishing, and marketing. Don't let their tag line fool you, they are that smart.
Get Published by Michell Plested is a mixture of person experience about Michell's experience selling his fiction and interviews with a variety of authors, agents, publishers, editors, and anyone else that an author might learn from. His emphasis on the responsibility of an author to market and sell their works inspired me to create my own website. It was listening to his podcast that made me realize that in order to get the opportunity to be published I need to not only produce something worth publishing but also do everything I can to show others that it's worth publishing.
I Should Be Writing with Myr Lafferty is look into the life of one author's struggles in the publishing industry. Myr does the massive amounts of interviews with anyone and everyone an aspiring author would want to hear from. What sets her apart is her willingness to share the emotional side of being an author. Self-doubt, fear, discouragement, depression, hope, inspiration, and so many more emotions can push a writer to do better or make him/her want to hid his/her work in a locked drawer and never show it to another living soul. Myr shares her experiences with the flip side of creativity in a way that is easy to relate to and very personal. She also gets a lot of questions from her listeners and does feedback shows that are invaluable.
The Writing Show recently went through a change in format, but the archives are filled with great information. Paula B and others host interviews and discussions. A few series follow authors as they try to get their works completed and published. The current focus of the podcast is for Paula to review submitted first chapters from her listener 'Slush Pile.' She's got a lot of interesting things to say about first chapters, but I have to admit I'm no longer listening to the podcast.

I've not only learned a lot from these podcasts, I've also been introduced to some up and coming authors using podcasts to build their audience (Nathan Lowell, Scott Sigler, Ben Delano, etc.). Listening to these podcasts also keeps me thinking about the many facets involved in getting published. When I can't be writing or am feeling the solitary nature of the pursuit I tune into these podcasts and learn something.