From Book to Podcast: Creative Story-Sharing Strategies

FIND YOUR WAY: CREATIVE STORY-SHARING STRATEGIES CAN LEAD TO PUBLICATION

My novel, Messenger, was making the rounds at traditional publishing houses in late 2019, getting reads but no takers, and then covid hit. I knew as a debut novelist with no established audience I had to find another way.

Messenger tells the story of a mysterious woman who delivers life-changing messages to seemingly random people all over New York City and Alana, the young journalist who seeks to tell her story. One morning the next spring, 2020, I awoke to my own dramatic message, a strong urging. Get this story out. 

Since my goal for the book was to comfort, inspire, motivate, and demonstrate how mysteriously interconnected we all are—if Messenger had anything to offer the common good, now was the time. I wanted to make it free and available to all. But how?

Let Go of Your Dreams

What? you might ask. Shouldn’t we follow our dreams? Not necessarily. I dreamed of the traditional path writers I admired had taken: write a novel, get an agent, find an editor and publisher who fall in love with your work.  Voila! Done. Problem was—for me, I had to find a new, creative way to share my story and build an audience. You can, too. Be open to new trends and innovative ways to get your story into the world. Don’t be afraid to step outside your dreams to something even better.

Ask For Help

When the traditional route has failed and you’re looking for new, fresh ideas, ask for help. Find a creative circle or even one trusted friend—not necessarily writers. All creative pursuits develop skills for great idea-making. 

After opening to new strategies, my first thought was to create a blog or website and release Messenger there—a few chapters each week. But when I ran that idea by some creative friends, especially Rachel Pater (pater.rachel@gmail.com), I got a totally different message: make it a podcast. By then, covid was here to stay and everyone’s eyes were fried from 24/7 screen-time. Podcasts, already growing in popularity, were fresh and new. I loved the idea!

Take Risks; Ask: Will it Work?

Great ideas are exhilarating, but, beware! Step back and carefully evaluate your plan. 

I was willing to commit the time, effort, and money this project demanded. But was the timing right? Was Messenger well-suited to become a narrated audiobook podcast? Told using multiple narrative forms, short chapters, many voices and POV’s, Messenger is not too dense and is chockfull of dialogue. Its pacing and arc naturally divided into 16 episodes.  The answer to all my questions was: yes!

Whom Do You Know? 

A theme of Messenger is the power and importance of community and finding a family of friends. When I committed to exploring the podcast idea, this theme played out in real time.

I wanted to move forward, but was still held back by my worn-out, preconceived book-publishing notions. Plus, I literally knew nothing about how to create a podcast. 

But I knew people who did—right in my own backyard. My friend, Rachel Pater, had written, voiced, and produced several podcasts before. She’d also worked with Wells Hanley (wellshanley@gmail.com), a local musician and sound editor.  Wells’s evocative original music signaled different narrative forms and distinguished between characters’ internal voices, helping to keep podcast listeners on track. 

Wells worked with Lance Koehler (minimumwagerecording@yahoo.com) at Minimum Wage Recording. I knew designer Brandon O’Neill (oneillcreativeco.com), who is also a musician and had created podcasts on Simplecast platform, so was already an expert. Joy Whitehurst’s ( joy@riverfoxrealty.com)  photographs of Messenger’s New York were perfect for Brandon’s social media posts announcing new episodes and incorporating intriguing quotes from the novel.

 To find your team, think beyond your creative circles to the past. Brandon was a middle school friend of my daughter’s. Friends of friends are also great resources!

While I was able to pay each of these creatives for their work, you can also build a team by bartering your skills, talents, and experience. You could offer copy-editing for vocal art, design work, or social media posts. Through collaboration, everyone’s creative project benefits.

Everything was coming together. I knew I could trust this marvelous team and I chose to go for it. Thanks to all our efforts, the first episode of MESSENGER: A Podcast in 16 Episodes aired in July 2020 and we dropped the final episode in October. 

Find Your Niche—Build Your Audience

Once you devise a creative strategy and form a team you can trust, it’s time to find ways to build an audience and draw them in. Since Messenger delivers life-changing messages, it made sense to ask listeners, Have you ever received a message from an unexpected source? We received enough real-life stories to create two bonus episodes. They soon became listener favorites and encouraged our audience to pay attention to their own lives, to find ways to give and receive messages—one of Messenger’s important teachings.

Book clubs offered another natural niche. Our Questions to Ponder for each episode, included in the liner notes, encouraged book club facilitators to use them as a springboard for meetings. Virtual meetings, due to the pandemic, made it easy to offer book clubs a free author visit. 

Happy Endings

MESSENGER: A Podcast in 16 Episodes introduced Messenger to the world and built a global audience of listeners and fans. After the final episode dropped, we kept the whole podcast up, easily available and free, but many listeners longed for a print version.

My wonderful agent, April Eberhardt agreed to try again, since our successfully created podcast and an established and growing audience now set my novel apart. In February 2021, I had a publishing contract. Messenger, the print version, debuted in October 2021. 

Sometimes your dream does come true, just not in the way you always thought it would. 

More about Liz Keller Whitehurst

Liz Keller Whitehurst is the author of her debut novel, Messenger, and author/creator of the serial podcast MESSENGER: A NOVEL IN 16 EPISODES, which she launched in 2020. Her short stories have appeared in many literary magazines and journals, including Gargoyle, The Portland Review, Five Fingers Review and Nimrod International Journal. She was a finalist in Nimrod International Journal’s Short Story Competition. She earned an MA in English from The University of Virginia. In addition to fiction writing, Liz has spent her professional life writing and teaching. She’s done corporate, non-profit and freelance writing and has taught English and writing at Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Richmond and J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. Her last teaching post was co-leading a memoir writing class at the city jail. Though born in Ohio, Liz grew up in Winchester, Virginia and has lived her adult life in Richmond, Virginia. She shares her current 1891 home, located in one of Richmond’s oldest neighborhoods, with her husband. Her second-floor writing desk overlooks the James River.

Follow Liz around:

Instagram: @lizkellerwhitehurst

Facebook: @lizkellerwhitehurst

Website: lizkellerwhitehurst.com

 

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: How To and Tips