Are you interested in being a co-host of a bookish podcast? Now’s your chance!
In September 2018, I started the Wonderfully Bookish podcast as a way to expand what I was writing on my blog. It’s been so much fun to make the episodes I’ve made and I’ve interviewed some wonderful people, but now it’s time to ramp it up a bit.
I go through hiatuses (hiati?) with the podcast because it’s really quite difficult to create enough content on my own. Interviews are the best because I have someone to chat with, but they can be difficult to organise, so it’s hard to make every episode an interview. And there are only so many topics I can go through when sitting rambling to myself, with nobody there to bounce of and converse with.
That’s where a co-host comes in.
I’ve listened to so many podcasts that have more than one host, and the dynamic of them is so much more fun than just one person talking to themselves. It works if that one person is entertaining and funny, but alone, I’m not particularly either of those things. (Love a bit of self-deprecation.)
I’ve been thinking about ways that I can give the podcast a new lease of life and make it more interesting to listen to, and having a co-host will help with that a lot. It’ll open it up to so many more discussions, and I’d be so excited to actually chat with someone and create a more interesting dynamic for the show!
If you feel like this could be something you might be interested in, here’s some of the key information you’ll need.
Key Information
What would I have to do?
If you become my official co-host, you’ll record episodes with me a couple of times a month. This would be virtual (unless you happen to live close to me), meaning that we’d record from our own locations over Skype or Zencaster (the thing I use at the moment to record interviews). We’d have fun discussions about anything to do with books – mostly YA, but other things thrown in too. As a co-host, you’d also think of ideas for the show, including fun segments you think we could do, guests you’d love to try and interview, and potential discussion topics.
What technology do I need?
Ideally, you’ll have a computer (either desktop or laptop works!) and a good microphone. If you have an external mic, like one that plugs in using a USB, that’d be perfect – but a built-in computer or webcam mic might work well, too. Apart from those two things and an internet connection, you’re all set!
Should I have previous podcasting experience?
Nope! All you need is a love of books (again, mostly YA would be perfect) and to be happy to record your voice and have it shared with the world. If you have already been part of a podcast before, whether that’s hosting or being a guest, or if you have a YouTube channel, those would be amazing bonuses – but they’re not essential. So long as you have a voice and a microphone, that’s all that matters.
Where should I be located?
Somebody in the UK would be ideal. However, if you’re elsewhere in the world, we might be able to make it work. Obviously time differences are a thing and have a potential to make things awkward, but I’m sure we might be able to work something out. But ideally, both of us being in the UK would work best.
Should I have listened to podcasts before?
Not at all! So long as you have a rough idea of how podcasts work and what they are, we’re all fine and dandy. If you want to listen to mine first to get an idea of what it sounds like and the tone I tend to go for (i.e. fun, bright and bookish), then go and do that if you wish. But it’s not essential to be a huge podcast fan. I wasn’t when I started it!
How often would we record, and would I need to do much prep/other work? Basically, will it fill up all my spare time?
Absolutely not. I do this as a fun hobby, and I want it to be a fun hobby for you, too. I don’t want it to feel like there’s any pressure, but I also want there to be a good level of commitment (i.e. if I choose you to co-host with me, I wouldn’t want to not hear from you for a month).
How often we record would depend on how many ideas we have, and how much free time we both have. I don’t have a set schedule for the show (that’s way too much pressure), so any time we can get together to record would be wonderful, even if it’s just a couple of times a month. It would be great if you could do some brainstorming of discussion topics and other ideas, too – but again, no pressure.
I’d do all the reaching out to potential guests, the editing, and uploading the site and podcasting platforms. We’ll just work together on finding times to record and have a good old time!
How will we discuss ideas and plan when we can record?
We’ll come to this bit when we get to it. I’d imagine this will change depending on the person, because everyone has their own preferred ways of doing things. I’m thinking using something like Asana might be the best best, or maybe Slack so we can organise discussions into separate channels. (If you haven’t used those before, don’t worry. Using something simple like messenger works fine, too!)
Will I be paid for being a co-host?
Unfortunately not. I would love to pay someone, but as I don’t make any money from my blog or my podcast, there’s no way that’s possible. I’m hoping to find someone who just loves discussing books as much as I do, and wants to turn their love of books into something fun and shareable.
What Now?
If you’re interested, YAY! That’s great! I’d LOVE to have you on board. Please fill in the form below (or click here if it doesn’t load properly) – it should only take about 5 minutes. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. Here’s what I’d imagine the process will look like:
- You fill out the form.
- I’ll get in touch to let you know if I might be interested.
- If I am interested in having you as a co-host, we can chat and probably have a quick Skype call to make sure we actually get on and have a fun chat.
- If all goes well, I’ll let you know that I want you to join the podcast, and we’ll go from there.
The deadline to submit the form is the end of August. I’m itching to get going on this, so I don’t want to leave it too long!
If you’ve got any questions, feel free to comment on this post, get in touch on Twitter, or send me an email at podcast@wonderfullybookish.co.uk.
I’m so excited to get this going, and I hope we can work together for aaages!
