Over the past few weeks, I've been making the podcast rounds, promoting my new novel Allow Me to Ruin Your Christmas.
And despite having worked in radio for over twenty-five years, conducted countless interviews, and sat on the guest side numerous times, I experienced a first.
A podcast host not only began reading my current book (at the time of the recording she was fifty-five pages deep), but had specific questions about passages and character dialogue.
It...was...AWESOME.
I also found it interesting that she had a list of questions to ask but we ended up so engaged with one another, she ended up asking only one question from her show prep. One. That's it.
That, my friend, is the power of prep. You can't fake that kind of execution.
And while I love the opportunity to be a part of podcasts, radio shows, and an occasional TV segment, I don't expect anyone to read my book. That being said, knowing the title and summary is nice. But I'm not snobbish about these kinds of things.
As a podcast host myself, I take pride in the hours of prep involved in making my guests feel as though they're at home talking with a friend. And at the risk of a humble brag, some of them applaud the fact that I actually read their book.
I've written three books since 2018 and experienced that feeling for the first time. It was one of the most interesting conversations about my writing ever (writers love being asked about their work).
This kind of preparation only enhances the listener experience. Guests and audiences can definitely tell when a host comes into an interview ill-prepared. And it ain't good.
So cheers to podcasters putting in the hours of preparation. Your work is NOT unnoticed.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my new favorite podcast host. Her name is Joanna Vander Vlugt and she hosts the JCV Art Studio Podcast. Learn more about her work HERE.
Here's our conversation.
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