Summary: Today we had a really awesome guest who is pretty much to thank (or to blame) for this podcast existing: Cliff Ravenscraft, the Podcast Answer Man. It was Cliff's 100% free podcasting setup tutorial website at LearnHowToPodcast.com that I used to learn how to build SPP and make it the show that you love and loathe today. But before we started talking to Cliff about why and how writers can start podcasting, we answered a few… Voicemail questions! 1. Can you use using images in a Kindle file? After saying how awesome and buy-worthy he thought my book The Bialy Pimps was, Garrett asked about using small images as his chapter headings in Kindle docs. The short answer is that he can totally do it with no problem. And of course, knowing Garrett, he already had weeks before we answered this question. 2. Do writers really need websites? This question came as a result of some confusion. Sean once said that Amazon could distribute your work to WAY more people than most websites, but we clarify here that this does NOT mean that writers should not have websites. Writers need a home base, if for no other reason than to build an email list. If you'd like to know how to set up your own website, here's a tutorial showing you how to do it. Also, here's a tutorial on how to set up and use an email list. Podcasting for writers with Cliff Ravenscraft There's a ton of detail when we got Cliff on the line, but a few of the basic reasons writers might consider podcasting are because it allows you to form tighter relationships with readers and to share more of yourself with them, which will allow them to love you more. It can also act as your writer's platform. We run through all of the nitty gritty in this one about what kind of equipment you'll need, how much you can expect to spend, how involved it is to set up a podcast, and how to set expectations. And I'll also add this: The three of us here LOVE the podcast. I (Johnny) would go so far as to say that without the podcast, I wouldn't be producing 20% of the work I'm producing today, which leads to another reason podcasting can be valuable, and that's for the masterminding aspect of talking to other writers. If you want to know more, absolutely check out Cliff's Learn How to Podcast tutorial series and subscribe to his Podcast Answer Man podcast. To view the video version of this episode, go to: Self Publishing Podcast #44 - Podcasting for Writers with Podcast Answer Man Cliff Ravenscraft
