Five Book Podcasts I Absolutely Love

Goddamn, but podcasts are a fucking blessing. It's a delight to be able to soundtrack an otherwise boring activity—dishes, a commute, or in my case, morning stretches—with something that makes you laugh, or entertains you, or informs you. And it's especially a delight not to have to rely on the colossal shitshow that is radio right now.

Since I'm an author, I have a weakness for book podcasts. I like hearing people talk about books, the publishing industry, the process of writing, new and exciting authors, and general nerd shit. Here are my top five, in no particular order (and one bonus show you should check out too).

Disclaimer: I've appeared on a couple of these myself, as an interview subject, but by no means all. I'd recommend them even if that weren't true. In many cases, I was listening to them long before they had me on to blather my unique brand of bullshit.

Fictional Hangover

Hosts: Amanda Garrison and Claire Eastaugh

Schedule: Weekly on Wednesdays

On the one hand, I'm a little biased here. Amanda and Claire have covered my books extensively, and have had me on the podcast multiple times. On the other, you'd have to be insane not to admire the effort that goes into producing Fictional Hangover.

Amanda and Claire's specialty is doing a deep—a very deep—dive into a book. A spoiler-filled, sometimes ranty, always-on-point look at a novel's successes, and occasionally, its failings. The two hosts are passionate about good books, and there are few shows that match the depth of their analysis—not to mention their often ridiculous humour.

Every so often, they'll drop a double episode—one analysing a book in detail, the other interviewing the author. Other podcasts may be more widely known, but there are very few that offer as much as FH.

Sword and Laser

Hosts: Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt

Schedule: Fortnightly

The thing I like about S&L is that you never quite know what you're going to get. You might get a deep, layered interview with a particular author, a commentary on the latest news in the scifi and fantasy world, or an in-depth breakdown of a particular issue in that world. What really sells is the light, easygoing banter between Veronica (the self-proclaimed sword) and Tom (the laser). Listening to this show feels like meeting up for drinks with a couple of old friends.

There are some episodes that tend to be a little inside baseball (which is a delightful phrase I recently learned that means 'esoteric or highly technical') but they are few and far between. Mostly, this is a killer show. It's been running for nearly 500 episodes now, too, although you don't need to listen to the back catalog to enjoy it.

Queries, Qualms, & Quirks

Host: Sarah Nicolas

Schedule: Weekly

Sarah Nicolas has a fascination with the process of going from unpublished to published author. Their podcast interviews a different published author each week, asking about the ups and downs of their publishing journey. They get them to read the successful query letter that got them an agent, and breaks down their process and their hangups.

You'd think this kind of thing would only be useful for authors trying to break into the industry. But thanks to great, thoughtful questions, QQQ is a blast even for casual fans of a particular writer. The episodes are slick, well-produced, short enough to be consumed in one sitting, and thoroughly engaging. What makes QQQ particularly noteworthy is that Nicolas is as interested in what went wrong for an author as they are in what went right.

Coode Street

Hosts: Gary K. Wolfe and Jonathan Strahan

Schedule: Sporadically - bank on at least two episodes a month

The OG. The Godfather. Coode Street is one of the longest-running scifi and fantasy podcasts around, broadcasting since 2010. This is a podcast for those who truly geek out on the details of the SFF world; Gary and Jonathan maintain a long-running, freewheeling conversation that can bounce around from interviews of authors like Zen Cho and Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki to coverage of book award nominees to rants and rambles on the state of genre books.

It works. It shouldn't—the sound quality can sometimes be iffy and the details sometimes perplexing—but it does. The show has scored multiple awards over its lifespan, and if you want to settle down with two undisputed masters of covering SFF, you need to be listening. Shows arrive on a semi-regular schedule, usually every two weeks on Sunday.

Page Break

Host: Brian McClellan

Schedule: Weekly

Page Break is making a name for itself as the go-to author interview show. While host and fantasy author Brian McClellan doesn't quite have the deep dives and raw enthusiasm of Fictional Hangover, or the nerdy details of Coode Street, he makes up for it with a deep contact book which produces some interview gems.

Past guests include Cherie Priest, Chuck Wendig, John Scalzi, Brandon Sanderson, Samantha Shannon and Evan Winter. Every so often, Brian will venture out beyond the circles of well-known authors, to talk to creatives (like famed Orbit cover designer Lauren Panepinto, and TV showrunner Joseph Mallozi). The interviews are accessible, thoughtful, and fun.

BONUS: Ask the Bards

Hosts: Kevin Hearne and Delilah S. Dawson

Schedule: N/A

This one is cheating, since it's no longer running. Which is a damn shame, because Hearne and Dawson pretty much made the ultimate podcast for writers. Here are two established authors, breaking down how the industry works and what goes into it, with a healthy dose of humour. Also, the worst rapped musical intro ever made, but that's neither here nor there.

Sadly, the show only lasted one season, and the hosts have said there are no plans for more. BUT! The old episodes remain up, and are well worth listening to.

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