Let's Talk Podcasts with Liz Alterman!

The author of THE HOUSE ON COLD CREEK LANE on podcasts for readers and writers of suspense fiction and memoir

I just tore through Liz Alterman’s newest book, The House on Cold Creek Lane (Severn House, August 2024) which reminded me in the best possible way of one of my favorite novels, House of Sand and Fog—and not because they both have “house” in the title! I was reminded of the pleasure that comes from watching deeply flawed, sympathetic characters set on a heartbreaking collision course. It’s a poignant and entertaining read, perfect for your final weeks of summer reading.

Liz Alterman is also the author of the memoir Sad Sacked, the young adult thriller, He’ll Be Waiting, a finalist for the Dante Rossetti Young Adult Fiction award, and the domestic suspense novel The Perfect Neighborhood. Her work has been published by The New York Times, The Washington Post, McSweeney's Internet Tendency, and numerous other outlets. She lives in New Jersey where she recently started hosting The Book House podcast. For more, visit lizalterman.com.

ANDROMEDA: Thanks for making time for us during your busy book launch! Podcasts have been on my mind lately, and when I recently spotted several podcast-related items in your social media and Substack newsletter, I knew you’d be the person to talk to. You recently started a podcast, The Book House, in collaboration with an independent bookstore of that name, in New Jersey. Can you tell us about that project and why you got involved?

LIZ: I’ve always been a huge fan of independent bookstores and The Book House does so much to champion local authors. They’ve carried my books, hosted my events, and publicized my work in their newsletter, and I’m so grateful for their support.

When I was asked to be a guest on A Mighty Blaze’s Authors Love Bookstores podcast (which, as the name suggests, features authors and their favorite bookstores) I invited The Book House’s manager to join me. Meanwhile, The Book House owners have a podcast (Book and Film Globe Podcast) focused on films. In the spring, they mentioned starting one that highlighted New Jersey-based authors and asked if I’d be interested in hosting it. I jumped at the opportunity. I could talk to authors all day long so this gave me the perfect excuse to not only share some of my local favorites but also reach out and get to know some other writers as well.

ANDROMEDA: What a great idea. We need more indie bookstore-podcast pairings! Liz, to launch that podcast, what have you had to learn, in terms of tech or anything else applicable, and what are you beginning to learn about what makes for a good podcast conversation about bookish topics? 

LIZ: That’s such a good question! I feel like I’m still learning. Before the opportunity to host this podcast came about, I was listening to Michelle Glogovac’s wonderful How to Get on Podcasts: Cultivate Your Following, Strengthen Your Message, and Grow as a Thought Leader Through Podcast Guesting, which is an amazing resource for anyone who wants to promote their product or brand by appearing on podcasts. 

Michelle’s book was really eye-opening for me in terms of all the things I did wrong as a guest in my early days. I joined PodMatch.com when my thriller, The Perfect Neighborhood, came out and I was so excited any time I matched with a host. That said, I didn’t necessarily do my homework and I can share a few occasions where this backfired. Once, I hurried down to my basement in search of a quiet spot. I was wearing sweats, no makeup, my hair was a mess, and behind me was my kids’ artwork that had been up for a decade and was literally hanging by an old piece of putty. After greeting me, my host asked that I turn on the camera — our interview was also going out on his YouTube channel. (Cue my panic!)

Another time, before she started recording, the host asked if I had three selections ready to read. (Reader, I did not!) I didn’t even have a book nearby, so I had to hurriedly pull up the book on my laptop and wing it—not a good feeling.

So in addition to learning how to be a much better guest, Michelle’s book offered great insight into what it takes to be an excellent host. For example, she shared that prior to each episode, she reads guests’ books and their previous interviews. She visits their websites and learns as much as she can to have an interesting conversation that feels authentic and unique.

In terms of tech, I’ve used Zoom and Zencastr and the learning curve hasn’t been too steep. I definitely need more practice with editing though and have been grateful for our producer’s help and support.

When talking with authors, I’m trying to remember to not interrupt or interject but really let them go and see where the conversation flows naturally. I don’t want to miss the opportunity to ask follow-up questions by being too rigid or locked into questions I pre-planned.

ANDROMEDA: Such a good point! I feel like you can always tell the difference between pro interviewers versus amateurs in terms of not interrupting, in particular. Let that author talk—and maybe surprise us by leading the conversation unexpected places! Anything else?

LIZ: I try to vary it by guest but I include the same final three questions: “What are you currently working on?” “What are you reading now that you’d recommend?” and "Where can our listeners find you?”

I will sometimes ask if they’d like to read a bit of their work but I give them that option ahead of our call.

ANDROMEDA: There’s a common idea out there that we already have too many podcasts—for example, there are slightly more podcasts than new book titles released annually. At the same time, many podcasts release only one or two episodes before disappearing. On top of that, the percentage of the US public that listens to podcasts has grown year after year, with listening more than doubling in the last decade. Do you have thoughts about the market or a different perspective as a writer looking for new ways to connect with an audience? 

LIZ: Those are such interesting stats! I know what you mean. When I was looking to pitch myself to some podcasts, I’d find that some stopped abruptly after just a few episodes. Or others hadn’t recorded in several years. I can see where podcasters drop off because, as Michelle notes in her book, hours and hours go into each episode—especially if you’re reading or listening to a novel as just one part of the prep. I’ve been contracted to do 10 episodes and I hope, if we get enough listeners, I can do a second season!

I think there are certainly tons of podcasts out there but I’m always discovering new ones that approach books and author interviews from unique angles. One I loved that I was fortunate enough to appear on is The Acknowledgements, which highlights a book’s acknowledgements section. The author shares the backstory behind all those who got a special “thank you!” Such a fun concept.

ANDROMEDA: What a fresh idea. Do you have other favorite suspense or booklovers’ podcasts that you have appeared on, or would like to recommend? I stumble across true crime podcasts all the time, but suspense, general fiction, or memoir-specific podcasts seem less common or simply trickier to locate. Please guide us with specific recs or your own best strategy for finding podcasts you enjoy!

LIZ: First, I should say that this is like being asked to choose your favorite child. (Ha!) I love David Gwyn’s Thriller 101 podcast. His episodes are succinct and he hones in on a few key questions about that author’s book (things like dialogue, backstory, creating complex characters, etc.) rather than a sweeping or general overview.

For writers, my absolute favorite in terms of staying motivated, inspired, and level-headed is You Should Write a Book with Camille Pagan. For general fiction, I also love A Bookish Home with librarian and host Laura Szaro Kopinski. Laura has great guests and asks wonderful questions. For memoir writers, I suggest Marion Roach Smith’s Qwerty podcast and Let’s Talk Memoir with Ronit Plank. I attended the Erma Bombeck Writers’ Workshop this past spring and several people recommended Publishing Rodeo, which has a really interesting premise: “two authors debuted in the same genre, with the same publisher, in the same year. Yet each of their books, and subsequently each of their careers, went in very different directions.” I’ve also been a longtime listener of The Shit No One Tells You About Writing and #AmWriting.

ANDROMEDA: I imagine you have been a guest on creative writing podcasts as well as podcasts meant for readers. I’d love to hear whether you have a strategy for getting onto either or both categories. Do you pitch yourself or does someone else pitch you? Other thoughts on how this factors into your overall promotion strategy, i.e. is there something you’re doing less of now that you’re spending time working on podcast appearances? Do you see a connection between guest appearances and sales, or are there other long-term benefits that may not be as measurable?

LIZ: I try to cast a wide net when pitching myself to podcasts. Because I’ve written fiction and nonfiction, I feel like I have a bit of flexibility. Also, I got a late start, with my first novel, He’ll Be Waiting, coming out in print days before my 50th birthday, so I pitched myself to Julia Brewer’s Authors Over 50. And, because I had an earlier career as a journalist, I’ve appeared on Second Act Success and The Breakout which focus on personal growth and reinventing yourself.  So I try to think beyond simply writing-centric shows.

I’d say when I’m pitching podcasts, I take a break from writing essays or companion pieces. Personally, I’ve had a tough time quantifying if these appearances move the needle in terms of sales, but I have picked up new followers on social media as a result and made great connections and friends.

In Michelle’s book, she offers solid advice on how to create links that help you measure who is coming to your website or purchasing your product following an appearance.

Overall, I think it’s important to think about what unique topics you can speak on, find podcasts that are a great match, and then create an interesting pitch that tells hosts why listeners will care.

ANDROMEDA: Let’s talk about the art of being a good guest. I know you’ve done humor writing (McSweeney’s for example), plus you’ve woven humor and satire into your suspense. And haven’t you also gone on stage to read or perform? I’d love to hear if this comes naturally to you or if you’ve cultivated your humorous or performing side intentionally. Has this side of your writing life helped you hone any skills that make you a better podcast guest? (Asking for a friend!)

LIZ: Oh, I wish I could say it came naturally! When I first started as a podcast guest, I felt very nervous and had this constant fear that I was babbling and making very little sense, but it’s definitely lessened over time.

This past winter and spring I took some stand-up comedy classes to pull myself out of a writing rut and that helped enormously in terms of getting past that usual anxiety. After you’ve tried to make a room full of strangers laugh, answering a few questions on a podcast is a breeze!

I think if you’re prone to being nervous, ask the host to send questions in advance and then draft some answers and practice them until you feel a bit more confident.

ANDROMEDA: I don’t want to miss mentioning your memoir, Sad Sacked, and its connection to your podcasting life. I feel like there’s such a natural fit between memoir or first-person experiences and public speaking or guest appearances. It adds value when someone speaks about the experiences that led to their memoir. In my mind, it’s a little trickier talking about fiction. We are not our characters, and we don’t always want to give away too much of the plot. Do you find a difference between speaking about different genres, whether in real life or on a podcast or other interview format?

LIZ: Yes, you’re so right! There’s a big difference and talking about memoir and nonfiction seems a lot easier and like a much more natural fit—because it’s your life and you’ve experienced it once as you lived it and again when you wrote about it. If you’ve written a memoir, chances are you’ve overcome an obstacle and have hard-won wisdom to share. That almost always makes for an interesting conversation.

Talking about fiction on the other hand is interesting too, but I’d argue it’s a bit more challenging. When chatting about thrillers in particular, I feel like you need a few different ways to say, "Not to spoil anything … “ or “Without giving away the ending…” It gets tricky because you don’t want listeners to feel like you’re being vague or you’re holding out on them but you also don’t want to ruin an ending.

Additionally, when you’re talking about fictional characters, listeners, unless they’ve read the novel, don’t really have a sense of who these people are, whereas with memoir, you’re talking about yourself and your life, so there’s an immediate connection there.

Whether you’ve written memoir or essays, you’re an open book to a certain extent. With fiction, you’re trying to pique readers’ interest and make characters sound interesting so that listeners want to learn more about them without giving too much away. You’re walking a finer line. I find that talking about themes (whether you’re highlighting fiction or non-fiction) is a little easier because helps listeners get a sense of your work as a whole.

ANDROMEDA: Thank you so much, Liz. We’ll let you get back to your book launch—congrats again!—and meanwhile you’ve loaded us up with lots of great listening recommendations.

Readers, please share with us! Do you listen to reading or writing-related podcasts, or more general podcasts that have some book or author coverage? Tell us your favorites! Writers: do you make an effort to get onto podcasts? Which ones do you recommend? Any tips on successfully pitching them? Podcasters: if you’re here, tell us about your show and drop your links!