As more authors get their own blogs, it is becoming more desirable to have audio as well as text, and the technology is actually pretty easy. I believe authors should have a podcast (5 reasons here), and several people have asked me how I make mine. I have a full module on this in the Author 2.0 Program so I will only give the main points here.
Before you start, decide on what you will podcast about. I do interviews, information and inspiration for authors which fits with my blog. Authors who podcast their books often use a separate feed per book.
- Record your audio. I use Skype for my interviews and Pamela to record them. This gives me a .mp3 file ready for edit. I also use a handheld device for face-to-face, or a headset microphone with Audacity software.
- Edit the audio. I use Audacity software (free) which is very easy to use. Drag and drop the file in and then cut the bits out that you don’t want.
- Add Intro and Outro to the file. Make sure you get ‘royalty-free’ music for your podcast. You can add some of your own voiceover to make files you always add to the beginning and end of the track.
- Create your finished .mp3 file. I publish the file as a .wav from Audacity and then open it in iTunes. From there I right click to create a .mp3 file.
- Upload onto your blog and create show notes. I use Blubrry plugin for my wordpress blog and have a feed into iTunes. I create show notes as I edit the file which serves to give people an idea what the podcast is about, as well as provide text for Search Engine Optimisation (as Google can’t search audio right now!)
If you don’t want to host your own podcasts, you can use a service like BlogTalkRadio.
Have fun!
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{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Your podcasts are always well done and sound great. So many don’t do a good job on post production and tarnish an otherwise good effort. By the way you can save the iTunes step to convert to MP3 by installing the Lame MP3 encoder. You can find instructions on installation at the audacity.sourceforge.net web.
Thanks for posting the info.
Sam
iNetSynch
Thanks so much for the tip Sam – that is great feedback!
You should check out BlogTalkRadio.com. Its an easy, free way to record podcasts with live interaction.
I have looked at Podcast Radio but I like owning the podcast on my server and I like the quality I can produce. Amazon hosting is cents per month so it is not exactly an expensive option to self host and there is no danger of it ever being removed. Thanks!
I have to say thats some good info on podcasting. if you want to record an interviews Skype is a good choice, I wrote an article on my blog about how to record skype calls http://www.how2podcast.com/articles/software/recording-skype-useing-software/
Thanks, Benjamin Straw
Yes I use Skype for all my interviews. Pamela is a fantastic add-on for it.
Hi Joanna,
Can you tell us which handheld set and headset microphone you use? when I’ve gotten to this step of buying equipment, I get overwhelmed and am unsure how much $ I need to spend to get reasonable quality.
GREAT POST and very timely for me. Thanks!!
Victoria
Hi Victoria, I just use a Logitech headset at the moment for my Skype interviews. It was just from the Officeworks shop around $100. Nothing too flash as I am still amateur!
But check out this interview with Seth Harwood and Scott Sigler who are real podcasting pros – they talk about equipment in there
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2009/10/17/must-listen-audio-scott-sigler-and-seth-harwood-on-podcasting-to-publishing-success/
Thanks, Joanna
Great information! Thank you!
Great info!! I always enjoy your articles and podcasts. One question I have though is where can one find royalty-free music?
Thanks JD. You can google “royalty free music” to find a whole stack of options. I have used http://musicbakery.com/ before and also Soundsnap as well as http://www.300monks.com/ which is awesome!
Great article. And if there’s someone who’s interested in hosting a podcast, but is apprehensive about the technical side of it, then consider becoming an occasional guest host for my podcast, Critical Wit. It’s about science, literature, and the arts. If those topics are of interest to you, let me know. http://www.criticalwitpodcast.com/guest-hosting/
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