My Favorite Podcasts for Writers

Having been in the writing community since sometime around 2017, I've seen the rise of writing podcasts right alongside the rise of podcasting in general. But that also means that I've seen shows come and go. Most of the standby writing podcasts weren't supported by major networks and solely relied on the labor of the authors who wanted to create a resource for the community. Shows like First Draft and Write or Die offered me essential information about the publishing industry at the start of my journey and introduced me to a generation of new, amazing authors whose books I loved. While I felt like I was majorly missing some solid writing podcasts for a while, lately, I've developed a new rotation of favorites. I wanted to share my new list of favorite podcasts for anyone looking to expand the writerly podcasts they're listening to. 

The Shit No One Tells You About Writing

I've been binge listening to this one lately after recently discovering it. The Shit No One Tells You About Writing is super craft focused. My favorite part of the podcast is the Books With Hooks segment where Bianca Marais, an author and writing coach, and CeCe Lyra and Carly Watters, agents from P.S. Literary, critique listener query letters. They generally discuss 2 per episode reading the query in full and offering critiques. They summarize and critique the first five pages of the manuscript. They cover all genres, age categories, and types of stories, so you're sure to find an episode that advises on your particular niche. Even if they're discussing a query that's not in your category, there's tons of helpful information to glean. This segment is followed by an interview with an author (usually by Bianca) that further delves into writing craft questions. 

If you want serious, to the point craft discussion to improve your queries (cause I know we all loathe writing them), these episodes are the perfect way to up your game.

This weekly podcast comes out on Wednesdays and is currently putting out modified episodes during a summer hiatus.

Paper Trail

Now, for a very different vibe, we have The Paper Trail Podcast. This is a monthly, super chatty podcast that fills the void of hanging out with your writer friends getting updates on each other's writing lives. There isn't much craft discussion here and the podcast is more about giving a super transparent look at the ups and downs of being a published writer. The hosts write across age categories and genres but seem to focus mostly on middle grade and picture books. There are a lot of hosts on each episode, and if one of the usual hosts isn't available, they'll have a guest so you're always getting a ton of perspectives and hearing from people in different stages of their writing journey. Regular hosts include authors Laekan Zea Kemp, Candace Buford, Emily Inouye Huey, Diana Rodriguez Wallach, and Charity Alyse.

This is a monthly podcast that comes out in the first week of each month.

In Haste 

Like the name implies, In Haste is a great podcast to listen to if you want quick, 30 minute bursts of writing wisdom straight from some of the best writers in the game. With guests whose names you're sure to recognize like Eliza Clark and Caleb Azumah Nelson, these episodes are mostly about the interviews with published authors, asking them the kinds of questions you won't see in most other interviews. Alice Vincent and Charlotte Runice want to find out how these writers create their fantastic stories and how they find the time. All about process and finding the balance between life and writing, this polished podcast gives a look behind the curtain at how these writers live and work. While they're on summer hiatus and not releasing interviews, they have been sharing summer bonus episodes with Alice and Charlotte discussing their own writing practices and what they're reading. 

This is typically a weekly podcast during the season with sporadic summer mini episodes. 

The Publishing Rodeo Podcast

I feel like Publishing Rodeo, at least on Twitter, is the new "it" writing podcast of the latest wave of writing-focused shows. This was the first I discovered after all my usual standby favorites (Write or Die and First Draft) stopped producing new episodes, and I was so glad to have writers discussing writing back in my podcast rotation. 

Sunyi Dean, a UK based writer, and Scott Drakeford, a US based writer, co-host the show, brining a more international perspective on publishing (at least across those two markets) than you typically get on these kinds of shows. They also talk to the widest array of publishing professionals, and as the name implies, are interested more in the publishing aspects of being a writer than discussing craft. Conversations with authors are focused on their publishing journeys. They also talk to other industry professionals from agents to editors to booksellers to cover designers to get a more expansive view on how the industry runs. 

The other duality the hosts like to bring up in comparing their experiences is that Sunyi got a lead title deal and had a successful book launch while Scott's book was largely unsupported, and this divide left their careers in two very different places. These different experiences allow them to give a more expansive insight on the various ways a publishing experience can go for a debut. While they are both in the fantasy/sci-fi/genre fiction side of the book world (a category I don't read or write), I still find the episodes entertaining and full of generally valuable information, even if it is presented through the context of a particular niche. 

More on Reading, Writing, and Me:

The Mother of All Things review

June 2024 Reading Wrap Up

Mother Doll review

Help Wanted review