Check out our list of books podcasters need to add to their reading list today!
Between coming up with topics, booking guests, and recording and editing episodes, there’s a lot to keep track of. And that’s just the technical side of things!
You still need to find the time to improve your skills to help keep you at the top of your game.
Thankfully, there are some stellar books available to help podcasters improve their skills and be the best that they can be.
We’ve got a whole range of books to share with you today! There are books that cover insight and tips on podcasting basics, ones that school on the art of storytelling, and even ones to help you monetize your show or give your creativity a boost.
So, wherever you are on your podcasting journey, you’ll definitely some a book or two from this list to help you along the way.
1. Podcasting For Dummies by Tee Morris and Chuck Tomasi
Yip, we’re starting at the beginning with Podcasting for Dummies. This is a great resource if you’re looking for easy-to-understand guidance into the world of podcasting.
Podcasting for Dummies shares top tech information, production insight, and promotional tips, this best-selling podcasting reference shares the latest on podcasting trends and new audience demographics.
It will help fine-tune your idea, discover who your target listener is, and provide all the information needed to record, edit, and share your content. This book will even show you how to apply the methods top podcasters use to monetize and market their podcasts.
If you’re looking for a basic, easy-to-understand, but value heavy podcasting guide, Podcasting For Dummies is a top shelf option. And with 4.5 out of 5 stars in Amazon reviews, there are plenty of others who agree.
2. Podcasting Made Simple: The Step by Step Guide on How to Start a Successful Podcast from the Ground Up by Daniel Larson
If you’re looking for a step by step walkthrough on how to start a podcast right from the ground with no previous experience, then Podcasting Made Simple should find a place on your reading list.
This is an easy-to-read, easy-to-follow podcasting guide, and was made for people with no podcasting experience. So whatever obstacles you think you may be facing that you feel is preventing you from launching your own show, this book will show you the way through, around, or over it!
It’s got solid information, an upbeat tone, and will put you on the right podcasting track.
BONUS: Daniel Larson has another book to add to your (ever-growing) reading list! Podcast Marketing: How to Easily Grow Your Audience in the Thousands and Make a Lasting Impact with Your Brand is another handy read, full of really valuable points and insights.
3. Make Noise: A Creator’s Guide to Podcasting and Great Audio Storytelling
Make Noise by veteran podcast creator and strategist Eric Nuzum is another highly-recommended read for podcaster’s looking to up their podcasting ante.
He shares a career’s worth of wisdom, advice, practical information, and big-picture thinking as motivation for other podcasters “make noise”— to help them stand out in this fastest of fastest-growing media universes.
There are so many great take-aways and principles shared in this book. But perhaps one of the most important is the one Eric Nuzum considers the key to successful audio storytelling: learning to think the way your audience listens. Unpacking that point alone makes this book worth the read! And with 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon, it’s another must-have for your bookshelf.
Next up, if you’re looking to get into podcast monetization, here’s a title to check out…
4. Profit from Your Podcast: Proven Strategies to Turn Listeners into a Livelihood
Profit from Your Podcast is brought to our shelves by another veteran podcaster, Dave Jackson, founder and host of School of Podcasting.
This book provides top strategies and real-life examples of podcast monetization. And throughout, Dave Jackson’s main aim remains clear — to guide the podcaster thoughtfully and thoroughly through the monetization process.
Built on Dave Jackson’s fifteen years of experience in podcasting, this in-depth guide will benefit all types of podcasters as they dive into monetizing. The chapters are all full of usual insight, and with a rating of 4.7 on Amazon, it’s clear that it’s been a great guide to many.
This next pick is not really about improving your podcasting skills, per se, but it is a really interesting read, and gives fascinating insight into the goings on at Spotify. So however you feel about Spotify as a platform, from podcasting’s perspective, this next book makes for some interesting reading.
5. The Spotify Play: How CEO and Founder Daniel Ek Beat Apple, Google, and Amazon in the Race for Audio Dominance
In The Spotify Play Swedish investigative tech journalists Sven Carlsson and Jonas Leijonhufvud, who covered the company from its inception, draw upon hundreds of interviews, previously untapped sources, and in-depth reporting on figures like Mark Zuckerberg, Sean Parker, Steve Jobs, Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, Pony Ma Huateng, and Jimmy Iovine.
At it’s center is a story about a disruptive innovator who played the industry giants in a quest to revolutionize the consumption of sound, building today’s largest online source of audio, with more than 50 million songs, one million-plus podcasts, and over 300 million users.
6. Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide
Creativity: A Short and Cheerful Guide was written by the comedy genius, John Cleese.
In this quirky ready, John Cleese shares his key ideas about creativity. But fundamentally, that it’s a learnable, improvable skill. Which is fantastic news for podcasters when we’re feeling like those vats of creativity are nearing empty!
As John Cleese shows in this short, practical, and often amusing guide, creativity is a skill that anyone can acquire.
I will say that t’s a really short read. It’s not going to be an in-depth guide that unpacks creativity at all it’s levels. But, if you’re looking for something quick, light, but also impactful to give your creativity a boost…or if you really just love John Cleese…this book is a fun read.
And finally, in at number 7…
7. Podcast Growth: How to Grow Your Podcast Audience by Colin Gray
Podcast Growth: How to Grow Your Podcast Audience is brought to our coffee tables by Colin Gray of The Podcast Host. This book aims to help podcasters grow a sizable and dedicated audience around content creation.
In it, they pull together their favorite tips and tactics for podcast growth. And with over a decade of professional experience, there’s plenty of tips to be shared.
This book features on this list mainly because of its actionable strategies. And these strategies are also really adaptable. You can work through all of them or pick and choose the ones that will be most effective for your content and brand.
Another pros are the details on timeframes, checklists, and recommended resources to help you as a podcaster keep moving forward.
If podcast growth is what you’re after, grab yourself a copy of this book!
Epilogue
Well there you have it, podcasters — the essential book list for up-leveling your podcasting game. From how to engage and monetize listeners, to mastering audio storytelling techniques, to fostering creativity — these books will help equip you with the knowledge and skills needed to craft amazing podcasts every time.
And with the holidays fast approaching, now is the perfect time to add these titles to your holiday reading list!
Related read: 18 of the Best Podcast Newsletters for 2022
