Interested in appearing on a podcast to promote your work—or in starting a show of your own? I asked some of my fellow podcast hosts and great guests for tips about what makes for a good show experience.
Energetic
My friends Hernan and James Sias produce and host the Business Bros podcast, and their advice for guests and host is simple:
“Have high energy!”
Let me tell you something, it’s hard not to have high energy on their show. I have guested on it and interviewed Hernan on my show, PR After Hours. The Bros are fun, and the show is impactful—they do several episodes a week, live, and you should check it out.
Be a Storyteller
Jamie Green started podcasting about two and a half years ago. An environmental consultant during the day and musician by night, he wanted to highlight the vibrant Kansas City music scene, so he created and hosts the Trading Fours podcast. It has really taken off.
He’s interviewed local musicians, Kansas City music legends and some big names in the world of music and other artistic endeavors. His show is respected by industry insiders, and guests compliment him on his professionalism and hoisting skills. His advice to podcast guests?
“Think ahead of the interview about sharing good stories. A good storyteller is such a delight on a podcast. The best storytellers I’ve had on are Ian Rankin, Jason Falkner, and Chris McLernon - and not shockingly – theirs are some of my most popular episodes.”
I couldn’t agree more, Jamie. That’s why I ask guests to provide some topic suggestions—besides helping me conduct the interview, it gets them thinking about what they will say. (And thanks again for composing a piece of excellent theme music for MGO!).
Keep it Pithy
Another piece of advice is from my buddy Mike Hulsey. We did a show together briefly in my podcast hobbyist period. He doesn’t host a show anymore, but he’s a consumer of podcasts. Mike’s plea to podcasters?
“Keep your podcast short.”
He adds that he won’t listen to an episode longer than 20 minutes—even if he’s enjoying it. Keep in mind that your show’s length depends on your format and target audience, but brevity is not a bad thing to keep in mind.
Use Good Equipment & Think Like Late Night
Brian Hutton is an old friend who also was a hobby show co-host of mine and a fantastic repeat guest. He has numerous good tips for prospective podcast guests.
“As a guest, have decent equipment and test it. If you’re doing a multiple-podcast tour, spring for the decent external mic and headphones,” he said. “They’re not that expensive, even if you can’t afford the top of the line, you can get a really good mic secondhand on eBay or Facebook Marketplace or places like that.”
He also recommends putting pillows or cushions around you and your mic as a sort of poor man’s soundproofing. “It will make you sound better and more professional.” I might add that suggestion works best for audio-only shows. Sofa cushions stacked around you might raise eyebrows on a YouTube show.
Finally, he suggests creating a callback to a recent episode of the show you are appearing on. As I mentioned previously, you should listen to an episode or two to get a feel for the show. Brian says you should mention one of those previous shows to build rapport.
“Hosts will appreciate it as it helps build credibility and audience.”
Finally, he advises providing a few questions you want the host to ask. “Think about late-night TV chat shows. There are always softball questions to set up comedy bits and interesting anecdotes. Most hosts will be happy to set you up in that way if it helps you to tell your story.”
Have Fun
I couldn’t add much more other than to remember to have fun. Listeners love guests and hosts who are clearly having a good time. Now go do it!
Have you appeared on a podcast or hosted one? What tips helped you?
J. Alexander Greenwood is an award-winning writer, public relations consultant, podcaster, speaker, and former journalist and broadcasting executive. He is best known as the author of the John Pilate Mysteries and host/producer of the Mysterious Goings On podcast and the PR After Hours podcast. Mysterious Goings On was named an Apple Podcasts "New & Noteworthy" show in 2016 and was a 2019 People's Choice Podcast Awards nominee. In 2022 the show was named a Top 5 Literature Podcast by CrowdUltra. Alex has recorded hundreds of hours of podcasts and made numerous appearances on TV, radio, podcasts, webinars, and conferences. He is the author of the Amazon Top-Selling book, The Podcast Option.
When a writer stops writing, maybe to retire or perhaps because they can no longer craft stories, where do their words go? What happens to the manuscripts, finished and incomplete, the notes, journals, social media accounts when a writer wants to or has to quit? How can a writer pass on their hard work and legacy to the right people?
When a writer ends their career by choice or by fate, there are many considerations. Before continuing, I want to disclaim that this post is mostly my reflections. My goal is to encourage others to think about their writing legacy and how to handle it with grace. This typically involves experts like lawyers and accountants, and if you want to get the best advice to match your specific needs, I suggest working with those experts.
In this post I will reference The Author Estate Handbook by Michael La Ronn. It is a good starting point for authors when they want to figure out how to handle and pass on their writing assets to others. Doing this with thought and planning can be satisfying and affirming for an author and their loved ones.
In part-1 of this 2-part series, we looked at reasons why someone would want to become a writer mid-career and why they may want to leave. Sadly, we cannot always control when we need to write less. Health reasons, memory loss, burnout and death could happen to any of us, being prepared can ensure that your work, its emotional significance, and potential income would go into proper hands. Keeping in mind that your copyrights extend generally 70 years past the life of the author, your work can benefit generations that follow you with planning. Take ideas from this post to plan for handing off your writing assets.
Today in part 2 we will explore ideas about how writers can tactfully hand off all their word-work to their significant others. Who are the best candidates to take your work? What are the assets and where do you keep them? What approaches can you use to communicate your wishes to others? These questions are the focus of planning for your estate.
Potential Candidates to step into your writerly shoes
Who you give your writing materials to takes careful thought. Consider these options.
A family member who shares an interest in creative writing
Critique partners who you know get you and the value of your work
Younger writers in your genre with a similar style to your own
An indie entrepreneur with an interest in story and savvy for small business
If you don’t have anyone in mind, there is another possibility…
Ask at a university, community college, place of worship, if they would appreciate the works.
Sometimes when a writer passes away, they don't leave any directives for what to do with their work. When my grandfather had an aneurism decades ago, we found out he was a closet composer. In addition to his detailed work of fixing clocks of all complexity, he had also spent many quiet evenings planning extensive compositions for a big band he intended to reinvigorate. My family found several filing cabinets full of scores, handwritten, with parts for individual instruments. Regretfully, the Eddie Shumway Orchestra never played a single note.
It overwhelmed my grandmother, who thought he was busy fixing clocks and didn’t know how many compositions he had created. She called around to local organizations who suggested reaching out to Universities in the region. After a few phone calls, the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana decided his collection had encapsulated the Big Band Era. They accepted his works into their collection, honoring the work my grandfather had done. The solution made everyone happy and shared my grandfathers creative works with the world.
Take Inventory
Writers have many assets to consider. How these are handled is important to carry on the work of the writer. It is important to honor their work and to pass on their knowledge to others. Knowing what you have is a necessary step to solidify your wishes for your books once you pass on.
Questions to Consider
Who in your world has access to these following items?
How would you feel it it was left in their care?
Who would you feel would handle it well? Or poorly?
Writing materials
As a keeper of messy paper notes and rolled up scrolls, I wouldn’t want to subject someone faint-of-heart to my system of spontaneous notetaking, but it could happen. One illness, one accident, one family tragedy could derail the trail of research leading to my next-big-thing. It makes me want to organize these gems into something more manageable if I were to unexpected pass on.
Consider what your next of kin or writer bestie would do with your precious notes and figure out what you would want to happen with them. Writing materials can be anything you use in your writing process, from your lucky troll doll ornament to your favorite stash of pens. Create a list of the items you value with a simple explanation that nonwriters would understand.
Social media accounts
This is a tricky one. Writers spend a tremendous amount of energy and resources to create a presence online building their brands. We should include the access information in a place where your heirs could find it.
Your passwords
How do you store your passwords, usernames, and emails is only one part of this complex gift. In the world of increased security, many social media platforms require regular reauthentication. Many now use two-factor authentication and if the person taking over your author business doesn’t have your email or phone number, they may never get access to your work.
Michael La Ronn, the author of The Author Estate Handbook suggests solving this problem with trying out various authenticator tools. Using a password keeper, or a protected spreadsheet, can also save these important keys to your work. Also consider keeping your access information in a safe space and tell someone where to find it in an emergency.
Your systems and workflow
Writers use many tools that make the magic happen, but someone in your family may have no idea how to use all the digital pieces that go into the work of an author. Save them the trouble and find a way to communicate what you do, so that they too can keep your system going. Perhaps write out a list of your tools and describe their purpose in layman's terms. Draw or describe your process and keep it with your passwords information.
Here is a sample list of programs writers use to self-publish. Think of the tools that you use and pay for. I've created a spreadsheet and notes about my overall system in OneNote. This information can keep the person taking over your author business sane and allow them to keep your books in front of readers even after you are no longer writing.
Scrivener
Email services like Mailchimp and Mailerlite
Wordpress
Webhosting services and all the smaller providers that keep it running smoothly and spam-free
Post office box (key, number, receipts)
Resources like One Stop for Authors access
Plotrr (story lines and outlines)
Vellum
KDP for authors
Vella
Smashwords
Ad services
ARC delivery and Author Swaps, like Bookfunnel
Microsoft 365
Google Suite
Programs for doing taxes and business related records
Connections to organizations
Your heirs may want to know which organizations you belonged to in order to get help regarding your works, especially if they’re not in a genre they are familiar with. Keep a list of your organizations, passwords, roles you took on, contacts you worked with, and a general description of the group to gain access to their resources as needed.
If they decide they can't or don't want to spend their time churning out books, maybe they can find someone interested in your work in the writing groups. Another possibility is the support other writers could give the newbie taking over your work.
Manuscripts (finished and incomplete) digital and handwritten
Whether these documents are digital or in the back of a dusty closet, let your next writing partner know where to find these gems. Keep details on where you are with these with the other important pieces of your author business. They can use these to keep your publication going, even after you’re gone.
In OneNote, I have a page assigned to each project under which pen name it was written under. The information includes meta data and cover material, blurbs and releases, and general ways I have promoted each story. These also include links to where the files are stored and where I keep backups in addition to the cloud.
If you have a process to keep track of the versions of you WIPs, write that down as well. Remind them where you keep your copies and how you track the process from rough draft to cleaned up after Beta Feedback. Letting your heirs know which books were edited and ready for publication can save sending the wrong copy into the world.
Annotated books, Journals, notes, personal processing on paper
I have several books that I have written in that helped me develop into a better writer. What a gift this can be to someone trying to fill your shoes? Let them in to the secrets that helped you and give them tools and insights into improvement as a writer.
There are novels that my children have shared with their friends in which they write about how the book made them feel as they read. When the give the book to the next reader, they too write about their reading experience. And as the book is passed between kindred readers, the book becomes more valuable as a record of their friendship.
If there are books that are special to you for various reasons, it’s a good idea to leave a note in the cover explaining the significance. Share with your loved ones who you want those books to go to.
Writing craft books and inspirational resources for writers
Think of how you have worked on any of these following things. How would you feel if someone carelessly tossed these into the trash? Or simply could not access them online? Or carefully handled and revitalized the works to connect with your readership if you could not. Who you leave your work is a critical decision and one that can leave you satisfied. There are 3 general methods one could take to pass on their work.
Final Thoughts
How to pass the writerly torch, 3 methods to consider
Dread Pirate Roberts
In the movie The Princess Bride, the Dread Pirate Roberts is a character that captures a simple farm boy Westley and forces him to work on his pirate ship. The Dread Pirate Roberts holds Westley hostage, threatens to kill him daily, but lets him live as they develop a friendship. He eventually retires and hands over the dark mask, chest-barring, puffy-sleeved black shirt, and cutlass to the former farm boy. Westly assumes the role of the feared head pirate, to make his own fortune and pass on the business to another unsuspecting soul.
This may not be the best way to hand over your writing business. *wink. We can surprise someone with our business, but it could be a resented gift, as it is full of expectations and responsibility. A person's experience level with technology and business and desire to write should be strongly considered. What was once a joy to you could become a burden to another.
Perhaps build a relationship and teach the person who will take over for you is better. At a minimum, leave someone directions with instructions about what your wishes are. See the next example for ideas on how to compile your business for a nonwriter.
Keep a Secret Capsule
Keep all the passwords, instructions, lists, spreadsheets, and manuscripts in a safe place. Have a simple way someone can access it with minimum effort and a passcode or key.This method is a way to enable you to have access to your work in the worst case scenario. Similar to the pirates booty above it provides the keys to the captain’s ship, but only when he or she is ready to retire. In the case of death, the captain knows that his first mate will likely find the capsule and know what to do.
Another benefit of this method is you can create it on your own schedule and little by little while you continue to write. If you have someone you can make into your first mate, someone who you believe would make a good replacement to keep the work going, this may be the method for you.
Michael La Ronn also has a companion book, The Author Heir Handbook to giver to an heir. He wrote it in a way that nonwriters can understand that is less overwhelming.
Bring someone on board and transition them slowly into your shoes
As a fan of transparency, this method is a strong one to consider if you want to know in advance whether your person is the right one to take over you works. Spend time with a young protégé and show them what you do. Take their input and suggestions and let them know you would like them to take ownership of your work someday. Teach them the tools and how to keep up with the ever-changing technology that runs our systems.
This method provides peace of mind to the writer because they know that they have chosen the person and trained them. It also gives the new writer the tools necessary to make the transition a success, along with giving them a step up into the world of publication.
You are writers.
You know the importance of a good ending.
Make yours the best it can be. Be thoughtful about the hard work you have invested in your authorship.
As you have done well this far, continue to influence others with your words.
Pass on the pen the best way you can.
What advice do you have for other authors, including younger ones who may be starting out? Who do you have in your writer team that could take over for you? What is your hope for what happens with your writing when you retire?
About Kris
Kris Maze is an author, writing coach, and teacher. She has worked in education for many years and writes for various publications, including Practical Advice for Teachers of Heritage Learners of Spanish and the award-winning blog Writers in the Stormwhere she is also a host. You can find her horror stories and young adult writing on her website. Keep up with future projects and events by subscribing to her newsletter.
A recovering grammarian and hopeless wanderer, Kris enjoys reading, playing violin and piano, and spending time outdoors.
And occasionally, she writes scary stuff at KrissyKnoxx.com.
All post photos from Canva Pro.
Available now!
Sylvie's Summer of Scary Shi*t! A Campfire Ghost Story
This little scary project is now available at Amazon and at my website.
Being stuck in a dead-end town really wasn't teenaged Sylvie's worst nightmare.
When 8th grade Sylvie Morgan's parents travel to Africa to study insects, she is left with relatives in the Midwest for a summer of endless boredom and babysitting.
Sylvie's Uncle Toby tells a horrifying tale around a campfire of a destructive ghost that terrorizes Effingham County every 17 years, but she thinks it's not as terrible as not having phone service.
But an axe wielding neighbor and a polydactyl cat may soon make her a believer in this town's legendary ghost. The legend that now seeks her as she faces and fights the terror of the entire town.
The death of a popular character has caused more than one angry fan to send email to the author and unfavorable reviews to chat groups and review sites. So, when you absolutely must cause a character’s demise, how do you do that without enraging your readers?
When and how you choose to kill off a character can make or break a story. It’s quite difficult for authors. The characters are very real. Permanently dispatching them is a bit like purposefully ridding oneself of an ally.
Characters should be killed off when the purpose of their demise will be the most impactful. Death may occur near the story’s end such as in John Steinbeck’sOf Mice and Men, once we really feel for the victim. Or, like in Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead, where deaths frequently happen with no warning, establishing the theme that the characters are never safe.
Four Ways to Kill a Character
1. Make the Death Meaningful
Nothing aggravates a reader more than characters who die for no good reason. If you’ve built solid, relatable characters, then they deserve to die for a purpose.
For a death scene to be truly meaningful the other characters need to be invested in the outcome as well as the reader.
Show how the death affects your characters
Explore the repercussions of the death
Look at the emotional impact on the characters
Hodor, one of the kindest characters in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Fire and Ice, sacrifices himself by holding a door shut with his body to block the attack of a horde of wights, allowing the family he served time to escape. He is torn apart, while he repeats his own name until it’s revealed that Hodor is really saying “hold the door,” a phrase that became the only thing he could say.
2. Foreshadow the Character’s Death
When done right, foreshadowing is a great way to create emotional tension for the reader. It can set up expectations of the characters’ behaviors and outcomes.
Here are some common examples of elements used as foreshadowing:
Dialogue, like “I have a bad feeling about this”
Active weather, such as storm clouds, wind, driving rain, clearing skies
Omens, like a broken mirror or prophecies
Symbols, such as blood, weapons, certain colors, types of birds, and physical/emotional symbolism like the pain of Harry’s scar in the Harry Potterseries
Settings, like a graveyard, battlefield, river, isolated path
Characters’ reactions, such as secrecy, fear, apprehension, curiosity
Time and/or season, such as midnight, dawn, twilight, fall, winter
If you end the life of an important character suddenly, readers are probably not going to react well. They anticipated spending quality time with this character. Ripping that character from them at the last-minute means sacrificing foreshadowing. And may get your book tossed across the room.
In John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany, the reader knows early on that Owen is going to die. The narrator, who is retelling past events, tells us. Owen’s dreams provide clues to the manner of his death. When tragedy strikes, we are ready for it.
3. Avoid resurrections.
Unless you are writing a medical thriller with a plot that involves a miraculous drug that reverses death, or writing a fantasy that will allow a bit of wiggle room for returning from the dead, don’t be tempted to bring a main character back to life.
Another possibility is to have a “resurrecting” of a character who never actually died.
In Charles Dicken’s Our Mutual Friend, a young man named John Harmon pretends to have drowned in the Thames so that he can gather more information on his sudden inheritance and the man who accepts the money in his place —Mr. Boffins.
4. End on a Positive Note
Generally, people want satisfying, if not happy, endings. Even in the middle of a disaster, it’s important we find a ray of light. Sometimes, all you need to do is point out the good accomplished by the character’s death, like Owen Meany's, but at times little changes can give you a surprise happy ending.
Audrey Niffenegger’s The Time Traveler’s Wife uses its time-traveling basis to allow the main characters to reunite, in the distant future, after the husband’s death. Their love and happiness alter its ending, easing the sadness.
If a death is needed in your story, then you can use these ways to satisfy your readers even in the middle of tragedy.
Have you ever killed a character? What do you think is the best way to kill a character and still keep the readers happy?
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About Ellen
Author, speaker, and former teacher, Ellen L. Buikema has written non-fiction for parents, and The Adventures of Charlie Chameleon chapter book series with stories encouraging the development of empathy—sprinkling humor wherever possible. Her Works In Progress are The Hobo Code, YA historical fiction and Crystal Memories, MG Magical Realism/ Sci-Fi.
