So You’re Thinking About Starting a Podcast or Writing a Book: Are You Crazy or Have You Always Been This Daring?

As I reflect on reaching the milestone of producing and hosting 300 podcast episodes on Charlotte Readers Podcast, there is a lot to digest. Like why did I do something I knew nothing about and try to write a full length novel at the same time. The idea seemed crazy and destined for failure. But here I am, 300 episodes later, having interviewed 310 authors in 300 episodes, in 30 states and four countries about their books, stories, or poems, and I have my fourth book and first full-length novel to show for it. As Augustus McCrae said in his dying days in Lonesome Dove, “aw God, Woodrow, it’s been a helluva ride.”

I’m not dying (not today, anyway), but I thought my podcasting days might be over at 300 episodes–and like Augustus, it had truly been a helluva ride. But the demands of podcasting had increased with success, it was getting harder to do the podcast alone and it was becoming more difficult to find the time to do it well and do the other things I want to do, like write my next novel. I had to ask the question: Do I give up the podcast, or do I pivot? This blog post is about why you should do what’s creatively crazy, why and how I did it in starting a podcast and writing a full-length novel, and how and why I pivoted rather than quit the podcast.

Do What’s Crazy

I’ve talked with people who say they don’t know what to do with themselves if and when they retire and who complain that can’t do creative things (or so they believe) and to people of all ages who say they’d like to do this or that creative thing–write a book, learn a new skill, [you fill in the blank]­­, but they have their doubts.

To each of them I say: What’s the worst thing that can happen if you do this crazy thing you know nothing about? It’s failure, right, but even in failure, there is goodness. Maybe you won’t learn to play the piano as well as you thought you could, or it might take much longer than you thought, but you definitely will learn something. And if you goal is to write and publish a book and you start writing a book and become frustrated that it takes you three to six years to get it published, just think how long it would have taken if you’d never gotten started.

Most good ideas look crazy from the start. So embrace them and see what happens. It’s worked for me.

What About Podcasting and Novel Writing–How Crazy Are They to Do for First-Timers?

There are all types of podcasters: celebrities who make a lot of money off their names, radio shows that now double as podcasts, entrepreneurs who build their podcasts to promote their businesses, podcasters who find a niche–think true crime, for example–and make money on their podcasts with sponsor deals, and podcasters who do it because they have something to share with the world and don’t care whether they make money or not. And the list goes on.

With podcasting, as well as with anything else like writing and publishing a book, the answer to how crazy the idea is may depend upon one’s expectations.

If you take up something new and creative like podcasting or writing a book because you’ve heard you can make a lot of money doing either one, you’re probably going to be disappointed unless you are one of those celebrities with a big name or you have a unique idea that will land you a quick sponsor for your podcast or publisher for your book.

My suggestion: start your creative venture with small goals and build from there. Think about the experience, what you may learn, how much joy you might get out of learning something new and how much fun it will be engaging with other creators, and then go for it.

My Crazy Experience with Podcasting and Novel Writing

I hung out with lawyers for 35 years. You can imagine what a breath of fresh air it was to talk with authors about their books and their writing lives, and to see the possibilities.

I call myself a recovering trial lawyer because I work hard to get rid of old habits, to get beyond my past of trying to be practically perfect in every way–a trial lawyer’s poison–and shift to being open to creative ventures in my 60s that might fail, like turning myself into a podcaster (300 author episodes in the last three and one-half years) and an author (three novellas while practicing law and a published novel after three years in “retirement”).

My dad always said I could do anything if I got a law license. I’m sure he wasn’t talking about podcasting or writing a novel in 1979 when he convinced me to go to law school.

Did you hear the one about the lawyer who walked into a podcast studio? True, it sounds like a bad Dad joke, but I wasn’t kidding when I announced I was doing just that in the fall of 2018 when I retired from the law firm. My dad asked, “how do you make money at that.” I said “I don’t, Dad, I just want to do something creative in my Act 3.” He was mystified.

Too many lawyers who reach their sixties don’t know how to reinvent themselves, thinking the only thing they know how to do is practice law. Like being at the Hotel California, they get trapped – they can check out but they can never leave, a line I worked into my recent novel, Deadly Declarations.

At my 40th College Reunion in the summer of 2019 at Davidson College, someone paid me a back-handed compliment. It went something like this. “You were the last guy in our class who I thought would write a book and do something creative like start a podcast.” It’s true. He knew what I was like in college. I didn’t fit the mold of creator or author. I was a college football player who majored in history and then turned that into a law degree because I didn’t know what else to do with my history degree.

It’s odd that I was never as entrepreneurial in my law practice as my managing partner wanted me to be but I’ve taken to it as a creator. I suppose it’s because I don’t mind promoting what I create because I’m excited about the projects and proud of the end results. I’m not selling billable hours. I’m selling stories, which I must admit, don’t pay as well as lawyering, but each new listener and each new reader who enjoys what I produce makes me feel richer.

Having said all this, I almost gave up podcasting after 300 episodes. Why?

The Reason I Chose to Pivot and Create Charlotte Readers Podcast – Beyond 300

As I said earlier, while it has been a definite honor and privilege to reach the 300 podcast episode milestone, I wasn’t sure I could continue and be able to write my next book and do other life things I want to do.

Giving up had its downsides though. I have been fortunate to become part of a much larger writing and creating community by virtue of the podcast. I’ve been able to help other authors promote their work and they have helped me promote mine. Why stop at 300 author friends and however many listeners we have who enjoy the podcast? And why not try to make more author friends and try to reach new listeners? But how to do it? That was the question.

After much thought, I chose to pivot and I am very pleased I did because I have two wonderful co-hosts who are joining me in my podcast venture. Hannah Larrew has been the podcast publicist, a book lover, and a bundle of energy. She represents traditionally and independently published authors and other artists across the creative spectrum and is going to bring that book whisperer knowledge to the show. Sarah Archer is a very talented novelist and screenwriter who has traveled widely and knows her stuff. She’s taught about writing and is very engaged in the writing community. With her knowledge about traditional publishing and my experience with independent publishing, we hope to provide helpful tips to our audience of writers, and Hannah will weigh in on the marketing front and her own writing.

In other words, it will be fun, educational, and a continuation of the community building that has been so rewarding these past three years.

So what’s going to be different about Charlotte Readers Podcast – Beyond 300?

No longer will this podcast be a one author interview show. No longer will it release weekly. We plan to do more in each show and because the show will be much longer, we are going to offer the audience two episodes a month that are more in depth and can be consumed in bites.

Each episode will feature more authors in a variety of formats. There will be short interviews. We will use something called SpeakPipe to have authors provide us with audio content. And we will feature authors who write for our community blog on writing and book marketing topics.

The three hosts will talk about what they are reading and we will have community experts weigh in with their suggestions, including a contribution in each episode by Storied Charlotte Blog. The three hosts will tackle a writing and marketing topic in each episode and we are going to open up SpeakPipe to listeners who can leave us messages to be played on the show, whether it be comments about a past show, questions for the hosts, or their own book recommendations or writing and marketing tips.

Plus, and this is most important. While we hope it will be engaging and interesting for listeners, it will be fun to do, there will be new energy with three co-hosts and it will feel like a new project. And we will be able to meet and engage with creatives in the writing and podcasting communities. Much better than a mixer with lawyers.

What About You? Are You Thinking About Something Crazy Like Podcasting or Writing a Book?

Are you a podcaster who is thinking about writing a book to promote your podcast?

Are you an author who is thinking about doing a podcast to promote your writing?

Or, are you simply interested in doing something creative, you have something to say to the world, and you want to do it with a podcast, a book, or some other medium.

If you fall into any of these categories, know two things. One, if you choose to move forward, it will take effort.

On my podcasting journey, I came up with 5 Ps for podcasting: Production, Performance, Persistence, Patience, and People.

And in my writing journey, I came up with 5 Cs for writing: Character, Conflict, Complications, Climax, and Conclusion, plus putting your butt in the chair, and being disciplined and persistent.

Item two for making a choice to move forward with that creative venture is to manage your expectations and set reasonable goals.

If you chose to move forward with your crazy idea, your choice will make a positive difference in your life. You will meet other interesting creators, you will learn new skills, and at some time in the future, you will be able to pat yourself on the back for that thing you did. And that’s true, even if you get rejected, think you’ve failed, and are frustrated along the way. Something good will come out of it.

Authors with an entrepreneurial spirit often do something extra to help them with their craft, gain more readers, and meet other writers. Maybe it’s teaching. Maybe its blogging. Maybe it’s as crazy as starting a podcast or a YouTube channel or anything else they know nothing about.

Is it time to jump from the safe space of that plane you’ve been flying on–to take that leap of faith–and pull the rip cord?

It could be scary, but damn, the view could be amazing.