Meet the Podcaster

Writing a book can be an lonely process. I’m easily distracted and when I’m in a creative spurt I like to lock myself away and keep my head down. But when it comes to publishing and promoting, a shy retiring writer like me has to come out of isolation. These are not my areas of expertise and I need all the help I can get. I’ve made many new friends along my writing journey who are involved in different aspects of the publishing and marketing world. I thought it would be interesting to run a series featuring some of these wonderful people who have talents and skills I could never master! I’m starting with writer DJ Bowman-Smith, who set up her own podcast. Over to you DJ.

Hi, I’m DJ Bowman-Smith and this is a short post about the Words and Pictures Podcast.  

The podcast is just over a year old – I’m now on my 63rd episode. I began it because I thought it would be interesting to talk face to face with other authors. Although I am on social media and I make many connections, there is nothing like speaking to someone directly. Writers of all genres interest me and I want to talk to them all about their writing and their book covers. Every week I get to welcome all kinds of writers at different stages in their careers. It’s always inspiring.   

Each show starts with a section I call ‘at my desk’. Here I discuss my own writing experiences, my process and anything another writer might find interesting or useful. Now and again, I record a whole episode solo to speak in more depth about a topic.  

 Writing is a solitary occupation. I started the podcast with writers in mind, and on the way found readers. I know for a fact that lots of readers listen in to hear a favourite author speak, or to learn more about what writers do and how they do it. 

 I research each author and compile a short list of questions. During the interview, I have the questions near just in case. But the trick to interviewing somebody successfully is to listen to what they are saying and ask them a question about that.     

The actual nuts and bolts of running the podcast is more time consuming than people may realise. Setting up the interview time and answering questions can take a few emails. More recently I have made an FAQ page for the podcast which saves time. The interview lasts 40 minutes. Editing the sound files takes about an hour and a half. Adding the intro and outro, the music and loading it onto my host site Podbean is another hour. Show notes and the tagline need to be written and an e-mail with all the episode links sent to the guest. When this is done, I make a TikTok ready for the Monday morning when the podcast goes live. And of course, I post through my other social media accounts linking in the guests where possible. Each episode takes about four hours.  

In the future, I hope to monetise the podcast so that it can cover its costs. The host site Podbean has to be paid and I also use Auphonic for some episodes to improve sound quality. The Words and Pictures Podcast is doing well. Achieving enough listeners to interest advertisers will probably take another year. 

Find the Words and Pictures Podcast on your favourite app, ask Alexa, links on my website: http://www.djbowmansmith.com

About DJ

DJ Bowman-Smith is a multi-genre author whose current passion is paranormal women’s fiction. This genre features a mature protagonist and a fantasy element. This is appealing because DJ can’t help adding a touch of make believe to anything she writes and she herself is a woman of a ‘certain age’.

DJ plans to write more in The Mid Witch series and more books with older, strong-minded female main characters.

She is the author of a dark fantasy epic which runs to four books, and she also writes for children under the pen name Tiger Molly.

DJ is an artist and enjoys creating her own book covers and illustrations. She writes for magazines and hosts the Words and Pictures Podcast every Monday. DJ lives in the UK on the South Coast with her husband and a fast and friendly whippet called Evie. She has two grown-up daughters who live in London.

DJ’s latest book, The Mid Witch, was published on 19 August 2023.

Blurb

One Woman’s Struggle with midlife and Magic

Lilly is facing the fact that her husband is a philandering bastard, and she needs to move on now her children have flown the nest. Losing her job has not helped her dire financial straits, and her almost ex-husband wants to sell her ancient family home against her wishes. As she grapples with rude estate agents, stray dogs and hot flushes, a new problem emerges – she’s becoming a witch.

This paranormal women’s fiction is a funny and poignant take on midlife with a pinch of spice, a touch of magic and a relatable older heroine you can root for.

Buying link https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mid-Witch-Paranormal-Womens-Fiction-ebook/dp/B0CG4RV954/

I love the sound of this book and isn’t that cover gorgeous? Many thanks to DJ for coming onto the blog and explaining the intricacies of podcasting. And don’t forget to check out Words & Pictures – DJ features some great authors, including me!

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