To be a better podcaster, read these books
For Radio Rookies:
Radio: An Illustrated Guide by Jessica Abel and Ira Glass
Written by Jessica Abel and Ira Glass, this little $3 guide is a step-by-step primer on how to make a radio story: detail on where they find stories, how to construct one, how to conduct an interview, how to write a script, how to edit sound, and even how to hold the mic. This little 32-page guide offers everything you need to get started.
Best for: someone who is ballin’ on a budget and wants a quick glance IMMEDIATELY into how This American Life is made.
Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need by Blake Snyder
Borrow from screenwriters and learn how to tell your story in a reliable, tried and true, three-act structure. This is a great guide to learn how to write scripts following the Save the Cat 15-point story outline. It includes breakdowns of popular movies and shows that demonstrate how stories are told in bite-sized chunks. If you struggle with structure, this could be a great resource for you.
And it’s not just helpful for screenwriters, this plot structure can be used in podcasting as well. We’ve actually written a guide about how to write an interview podcast according to the save the cat beat sheet! And, if you’ve got an idea for a new podcast, but you’re not quite sure what it’s about yet, the first couple of chapters of this book will convince you that having a logline will save you a lot of frustration down the road.
Best for: creative types who like to dabble in all sorts of mediums. Snyder’s three-act structure can be applied to writing books, creating videos, and of course, podcasting.
For Established Podcasters Looking to Up their Game:
The Podcaster's Audio Guide by Jay Cockburn
From our very own senior producer Jay Cockburn comes The Podcaster’s Audio Guide, a concise but scrappy introduction to simple sound engineering techniques for podcasters. You don’t need to be a sound engineer to apply their tricks to your pod and level up your production. Perfect for those who already have a podcast, this guide will take you from DIY to a show that sounds like it’s been professionally recorded and produced.
You’ll learn the basics of audio engineering including equipment, recording, editing, mixing, and publishing. Complete with cheat sheets, starting set-ups and a comprehensive jargon buster, this is a great guide to add to your stack, whether you’re a student, hobbyist, audio curious, or die-hard podcaster. Forthcoming in January 2022, but you can preorder it now.
Best for: podcasters who want to inch their way into sound engineering territory!
So You Want to Start a Podcast: Finding Your Voice, Telling Your Story, and Building a Community That Will Listen by Kristen Meinzer
A comprehensive, step-by-step guide to creating a hit show, this book covers everything from host and guest booking to editing and marketing. Meinzer is an award-winning commentator, producer, and former director of nonfiction programming for Panoply, who has hosted three successful podcasts. She offers her expertise and guidance to help podcasters work smarter, not harder.
Budding podcasters should spend time defining their goal before they set out into the podcast universe. This book encourages you to create a plan and consider length, segments, interviews, concept, and more. It also prompts you to do some much needed soul-searching: Why do you want to start a podcast? What’s your show about? Who’s it for? And how is it going to be structured?
Read this if you want smart advice from someone who’s been there, and some inspiration to help you produce an entertaining and informative podcast.
Best for: people who need a plan and can’t create unless there are some guidelines in place. If you’re not so organizational, this will help you hone in on your idea.
For Starry-eyed Narrative Storytellers:
Out on the Wire by Jessica Abel
For all the This American Life stans out there, this is a great book to add to your podcast stash. Less how-to guide and more exploration of how to make unforgettable stories, cartoonist and writer Jessica Abel looks at how beloved radio producers construct narrative.
Get inside of the heads of the new generation of great American journalists and radio storytellers. If you’ve ever wondered how Ira Glass, Jad Abumrad, and Alex Blumberg construct their radio stories to feel so wonderfully urgent and ultimately compel us to spend extra time sitting in the car to let it sink in (driveway moments) or laying in bed looking up at the ceiling, or wandering down another wooded lane to elongate your walk, this is the book for you.
Out on the Wire is an investigation into their narrative techniques featuring the nitty-gritty of how shows like This American Life, Radiolab, Snap Judgment, Planet Money, the Moth Radio Hour, Radio Diaries, and 99% Invisible come together. It’s also graphic nonfiction, so yes, there are pictures!
(Unsure but intrigued? Check out this small excerpt on LitHub. It totally worked on me!)
Best for: someone who knows how to edit and cut tape, but needs some inspiration when it comes to piecing together narratives and storytelling.
Long Story Short by Margot Leitman
Wanna tell stories that leave listeners spellbound? The Moth 5-time champion storyteller Margot Leitman shows you how to do just that in this bestselling practical guide to storytelling, featuring fun infographics.
Long Story Short offers a clear and engaging roadmap to telling your own personal stories by breaking it down into concrete components, plus it includes tons of exercises so you can start applying the principles ASAP. Leitman guides you through the entire storytelling process while providing personal anecdotes and tips on content, structure, emotional impact, and delivery.
This is meant for people telling stories, whether you’re doing stand-up comedy, giving a speech at a wedding, or just want to make people laugh. That’s what makes it a great resource for podcasters, we tell stories!
Best for: podcasters who want to tell engaging personal stories with emotional impact.
Reality Radio: Telling True Stories in Sound by John Biewen
Unless you were asleep for the last several years, you’re probably aware that radio documentaries are having a moment. Millions of listeners want to hear arresting, intimate storytelling at the touch of a button, and Reality Radio brings together some of the best producers doing just that. This collection of essays features 19 contributors who tell (and demonstrate!) how they make radio the way they do, and why.
Whether you’re in radio, podcasting, or video formats, this book is worth reading. One reviewer wrote, “Reading it the first time, it was as if someone had lifted the curtain and showed me an entire landscape of ideas and approaches that take recordings into a new dimension.” Wow!
Best for: someone who is stuck in the middle of a project and needs a fresh perspective to dive back in.
That’s our list! If you have a podcaster in your life who loves to read, this could be a good resource for future gift-giving!
