Why You Should Write a Book if You Have a Podcast

Why You Should Write a Book if You Have a Podcast

Hours Categories Content, Storytelling

This article is brought to you in partnership with Lulu.

One of my favorite books from my college reading list is A Confederacy of Dunces. It’s a funny, tragic book that highlights the fact that someone will always think society is on a downward spiral…as well as hypocrisy.

An interesting fact about the book is that it almost didn’t see the light of day. The author, John Kennedy Toole, died tragically in 1969. A Confederacy of Dunces wasn’t published until 1980, thanks to work from another writer — Walker Percy — and Toole’s mother, Thelma.

A Confederacy of Dunces went on to win a Pulitzer Prize.

I regularly think about all the incomplete and unpublished works out there — from authors and would be authors who didn’t, or couldn’t, get their books on the shelves.

Then I think about how easy publishing and distributing a book is today. And while the writing is still the hard part, that can be easier too.

Especially if you have a podcast.

What Podcasting has to do with Writing a Book

As someone who’s written 5 books over the last 12 years, I can tell you my process for each of them has looks more or less the same:

  1. Pick a topic I know very well — something I’m an expert in. Do some research to see what other books exist on that topic.
  2. Create a mind map or outline of everything I want…

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Find a YouTube Editor to Put Your Podcast on YouTube

Hours Categories Tools, Video

We’ve talked a lot about videos in podcasting here, but finding an editor can be tough.

Luckily, Jay Clouse‘s newsletter recently showed me a new resource that’s worth checking out: ytjobs.co.

The list full jobs, as well as freelancers willing to work on a per-project basis, across different disciplines as they’re related to YouTube.

Definitely something worth having in your back pocket for when you need it!

Checkout YT Jobs

Paid Substack Podcasts Now Available on Spotify

Hours Categories News

Late last week, Spotify and Substack announced a new partnership that will bring both free and paid Substack podcasts to the Spotify platform:

With just a few clicks, podcast creators on Substack can add Spotify distribution to their podcasts to grow their audiences while retaining full control over their subscriber bases, their content, and their revenue. Once a creator enables distribution to Spotify from Substack, listeners can link their Substack and Spotify accounts or become subscribers through Substack to unlock access. 

It’s great to see more integrations like this, and Apple’s Delegated Delivery happened. I hope we see more podcast hosts take advantage of Spotify’s Open Access.

As you might know, while my Be Everywhere strategy was an incredible failure, I’m bullish on letting people pay you however they want. So if people want to pay you and consume your podcast on Spotify, we should make it as easy as possible.

Why Short Form Video (and Other Clips) Don’t Work to Grow Your Podcast

Why Short Form Video (and Other Clips) Don’t Work to Grow Your Podcast

Hours Categories Tips, Video

I want you to imagine that you’re stuck in your office, hitting a wall. To clear your mind, you decide to take a walk around the block. You have your headphones in and truly enjoying the first nice day in a while. Then someone in full running gear comes up next to you.

“Hey — want to run a marathon?”

All you can think is, “what an absurd question. I just wanted to go for a 10-minute walk — I’m not at all prepared to run a marathon right now.”

And indeed, that seems like a pretty wild request, right? Running a marathon requires being prepared, the right gear, and the right mindset. It’s fundamentally different from just going on a walk.

Read More “Why Short Form Video (and Other Clips) Don’t Work to Grow Your Podcast”
I’m Renaming my Podcast (and Documenting the Process)

I’m Renaming my Podcast (and Documenting the Process)

Hours Categories Experiments

Last week I announced I’m renaming my podcast, and unveiled the new artwork:

It’s called the Streamlined Solopreneur and I’m super excited about the new direction.

Now, I have a big list of things I need to handle in order to make this work smoothly — How I Built It is 8 years old, after all — and I want to make sure I do it right.

Read More “I’m Renaming my Podcast (and Documenting the Process)”

Turn Your Content into a Book with Lulu [Sponsor]

Hours Categories Sponsor

You’ve got a library of great content. Sure, it’ll continue to bring in organic traffic. But how are you monetizing it?

Take the content you’ve been working on for years and turn it into a book, just being a published author lends you credibility and authority.

When you publish your own book, you’re telling potential listeners you have the knowledge to offer them something valuable. Learn how to turn your content into a published book (for free! )at Lulu today.

Check out Lulu Today.

And thanks to Lulu for sponsoring Podcast Workflows this month!

About Lulu
Lulu is a book publishing platform that puts creators in control. Since 2002, we have empowered over 2 million authors, creators, educators, and entrepreneurs from all over the world to publish, print, and prosper with our global print-on-demand network while eliminating the risk and hassle of inventory and fulfillment. Not only is it free to create an account on Lulu, but our templates and tools enable you to sell books globally using Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, the Lulu Bookstore, and more.

Is the Blue Yeti Actually Terrible for Podcasters?

Is the Blue Yeti Actually Terrible for Podcasters?

Hours Categories Gear

There have been countless times in history where the lesser tech won out. BETAMAX was much better than VHS, but VHS became the standard.

Those who are around my age might think about how much better life would have been if the Sony MiniDisc won out — maybe fewer skips and MUCH smaller player to carry around vs. portable CD players.

And while the Blue Yeti’s success isn’t as decisive or monopolistic as VHS or CDs, there’s still a surprising number of podcasters using it, despite the experienced podcast community screaming not to.

But is the Blue Yeti really as bad as some claim? Let’s explore.

Read More “Is the Blue Yeti Actually Terrible for Podcasters?”

PodHighlighter a Great Way to Save Notes from Podcasts

Hours Categories Tools

There’s a new service out that combines 3 of my favorite things: Podcasts, Overcast, and Readwise — it’s called Podhighlighter.

It allows you to listen to podcasts in Overcast and, using Shortcuts on iOS, save highlights from the podcast to Readwise.

I’ve been using the PodHighligher server for a few weeks now, and I’m super happy with it. While it’s super niche, it definitely fills a huge void for people who listen to podcasts (even if it’s only for Overcast).

Read More “PodHighlighter a Great Way to Save Notes from Podcasts”
The Tools for Podcasters Guide is Live!

The Tools for Podcasters Guide is Live!

Hours Categories Tools

When I came up with the idea for Podcast Workflows — nearly a year ago at CEX 2023 — one of the aspects of the site was to have a “Tools” page — something that could showcase the tools used in the deep dives I was doing.

But I didn’t want to rush it. I wanted to focus on the content and see where the site went.

Well, in November, I made the decision to move from weekly breakdowns to more regularly published content around all aspects of podcast workflows, processes, and systems.

That kicked off (unofficially) with Podcast Advent, and in January I started publishing more regularly. I also had my VA move all relevant content from both Casabona.org and Podcast Liftoff to Podcast Workflows.

Read More “The Tools for Podcasters Guide is Live!”

Episodes.fm Makes it VERY Easy to Share Your Podcast

Hours Categories News, Tools

Say goodbye to saying, “…or wherever you get your podcasts.” A new website by Nathan Gathright called Episodes.fm makes it very easy to share a landing page with a comprehensive list of podcast listening platforms:

I launched Podlink in 2018 to make sharing links to the podcasts you love easier. I sold it at the end of 2020, and Spotify laid me off in 2023, but I still wanted to iterate on that mission.

Today, I’m excited to announce an early preview of Episodes.fm.

Starting out, the website will support 30 platforms, and allow you to link both to the podcast, and individual episodes:

The original Podlink supported 8 apps; Episodes.fm is starting with 30 and will add more soon. If you’d like your podcast app included, submit a pull request to this repo.

All you have to do is visit Episodes.fm, and search for your show. It’s quite impressive.

Read the full blog post

My Stream Deck: How I’ve Configured it for Maximum Productivity and Production

My Stream Deck: How I’ve Configured it for Maximum Productivity and Production

Hours Categories Gear, Tools, Workflows

Perhaps the best device I’ve purchased in the last couple of years is my 32-Key Elgato Stream Deck. It’s a streamlined way for me to manage live streams, devices, and automation. I absolutely love it. When I first got it, I shared a photo on Twitter, fully configured. A lot has changed since then…including upgrading from the 15- to the 32-key. Here’s a breakdown of how I’ve set it up – everything from what it’s connected to, to where I got the icons.

Read More “My Stream Deck: How I’ve Configured it for Maximum Productivity and Production”

Should I have the word PODCAST in my podcast’s title?

Hours Categories Tips

Over on Podnews, there’s a great little article called Should I have the word PODCAST in my podcast’s title? My favorite point:

Out of 4.2mn podcasts in the Podcast Index in Feb 2024, 700,000 (16%) had the word “Podcast” in the title. If you want to appear high in search results, then you don’t want to use a word that a sixth of all shows use.

We definitely want to reduce redundancy and increase clarity. Not using the word “podcast” in your podcast’s title will do both.

Read the article