Podcasts are a fantastic (free!) way to gain new skills and perspectives for your writing. They can also help you to keep up with the latest industry news and trends. Here are 10 of the best.

The Guardian Books Podcast

Updated weekly, The Guardian Books Podcast is presented by literary editor Claire Armitstead. It incorporates author interviews, readings and discussions, plus a full recording of The Guardian’s monthly book club.

The Dead Robots’ Society

The Dead Robots’ Society was created by Justin Macumber in an effort to offer advice and support to other aspiring writers. The hosts are all writers and each week they share their stories and discuss topics important to the world of writing, all delivered in a fun and informal format.

The Naked Book

The Naked Book is one of a number of podcasts from the Litopia Writers’ Colony. It is hosted by London-based publishing guru Philip Jones and produced in partnership with The Bookseller. The Naked Book covers the latest news in the ever-changing publishing world, as well as interviews with industry experts. This podcast is currently on hiatus but the team are working on new episodes. In the meantime, check out the archive available on the site.

Aural Text

Aural Text is a weekly radio show that presented on cult Melbourne Community Radio station 3RRR. Aural Text covers everything words, text, books, writing and spoken word related, including a wide range of interviews with local and international writers. The show’s regular host is Alicia Sometimes, a writer, poet, broadcaster and musician. She was editor of the national literary journal Going Down Swinging for seven years and has appeared twice in Best Australian Poems. Check out her 2012 interview with Neil Gaiman.

Writing Excuses

Writing Excuses is a fast-paced (15 minutes per episode), weekly podcast presented by Brandon Sanderson, Dan Wells, Mary Robinette Kowal and Howard Tayler and covers topics related to writing genre fiction. In its most recent episode the hosts discuss the popular notion that writing short stories is a good way to practice for writing novels, and whether or not selling short stories is a good way to raise your profile to sell a novel. .

New Yorker: Fiction

The New Yorker Fiction Podcast is a monthly reading and conversation hosted by the magazine’s fiction editor Deborah Treisman. Each episode features a guest writer who is asked to choose a story from The New Yorker’s archives to read and discuss. Recent guests include Margaret Atwood, Dave Eggers, Sherman Alexie and Junot Diaz.

The Literary Salon

Presented by broadcaster and journalist Damian Barr in front of a live London audience, The Literary Salon features some of the world’s most acclaimed writers reading from their latest books. Guests have included American Psycho creator Bret Easton Ellis and Booker Prize-winning writer Howard Jacobson.

The Q&A with Jeff Goldsmith

This is a podcast that should not be missed by any aspiring film or television writer. In each episode Jeff Goldsmith interviews screenwriters and filmmakers about their creative process. A recent highlight was his interview with Joss Whedon about his action-adventure hit The Avengers. Goldsmith’s other projects include Backstory, an iPad magazine focused on the art and business of storytelling.

Nerdist Writer’s Panel

The Nerdist Writers Panel series is an informal chat moderated by Ben Blacker (co-creator of the Thrilling Adventure Hour; writer for Supernatural) with professional writers about the process and business of writing. Episodes cover television, film, comic books, music, and novels.

Pop Culture Happy Hour

Pop Culture Happy Hour is a labour of love for a group of writers and producers from America’s National Public Radio. The show’s regular panellists include Monkey See (NPR’s pop culture blog) editor Linda Holmes, and books and comic books writer Glen Weldon. Pop Culture Happy Hour provides great insight into the ways arts and culture professionals engage with books, film, television and more. Every episode ends on a high note with regular segment ‘Things That Are Making Us Happy’.

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