How Jon Small Turned His Podcast into a Book (& You Can Too!)
Plus, indie publishing insights
Hey Bleeders!
I recently had the pleasure of chatting with my friend
, host of the Write About Now podcast, about how he took his show’s best interviews and turned them into a book. If you've ever thought about pursuing the podcast-to-book path to publishing, there’s so much to learn from Jon’s experience. In this episode of The Bleeders, Jon shared how he found inspiration in the origin stories of his favorite writers, why he chose to go with indie publishing, and his book launch game plan.Leveraging your podcast into a book
Jon took content he had already created—years of insightful interviews with incredible authors—and transformed it into a fresh project. This approach provides inspiration for anyone yearning to explore the possibilities of their ideas more fully. I love iterating between mediums.
If you’re a podcaster (or thinking about becoming one), consider how your episodes could serve as the foundation for a book. Podcasting is a fantastic way to gather material, build community around your work, and grow a platform to promote your future book.
Origin stories: the hero’s journey of every successful author
Jon was inspired by All I Did Was Ask by NPR legend Terry Gross, where she curated Fresh Air interviews into a book format. For his book, Jon took a similar approach. Jon was drawn to his guests' stories of how they got started in writing. He noticed that these origin stories resonated deeply with listeners. As an up-and-coming writer, it’s always comforting to know that successful authors have faced the same doubts and insecurities.
He realized that to truly connect, he needed to share his own origin story. In today’s world of oversaturation and AI, the beauty of an origin story is that “Nobody can ever fabricate or copy your origin story; it’s yours.”
Risk-taking & self-doubt
Despite a successful career in media, Jon admits he still felt imposter syndrome and feared his book would flop. For him, writing a book was “all about taking a risk and jumping into the unknown,” a feeling many writers can relate to. Even with years of experience, he emphasized that self-doubt doesn’t just disappear—it’s natural, even for seasoned writers. The key is to push through and do it anyway.
The indie publishing path
Jon was initially hesitant about indie publishing, worrying it lacked legitimacy. However, pursuing traditional publishing proved slow and cumbersome. His agent encouraged him to explore indie publishing, and Jon realized it offered the creative control he wanted—without the year-long pitch process.
Indie publishing also meant that Jon was responsible for everything from collecting permissions to making final edits. Reaching out to past guests for permissions involved navigating some tricky legal territory and awkward conversations. “Most people were thrilled to be in the book... but one person wanted to be paid.”
But despite the challenges, he appreciated the freedom. I definitely see the upsides: you can put whatever you want in your book; it seems like a more strategic business decision in many cases. With indie publishing, he could even add QR codes linking to his podcast episodes, something a traditional publisher might have nixed.
Indie publishing success stories
If you still think self-publishing is a dirty word, Jon shared some success stories that might make you rethink that.
For example, The Martian author Andy Weir started by posting his story online for free, later self-publishing on Kindle, where it took off, leading to best-seller status and a movie adaptation starring Matt Damon—a true testament to the potential of authors to succeed sans gatekeepers with indie publishing.
The Nightingale author Kristin Hannah’s journey from frustrated lawyer to bestselling author is another inspiring success story that shows the power of persistence and pursuing what lights you up, even when it feels like a huge leap of faith.
DIY ≠ skimp on professional support
Jon emphasized how crucial it is to get your book professionally edited, even if you’re an experienced writer and editor yourself. “You shouldn’t edit yourself,” he said, stressing the value of fresh eyes on your work. He also highlighted the importance of a strong book cover. After he was unhappy with the initial designs, he collaborated with a friend at Scholastic for a cover that felt right to him.
Embracing the suck of book launch
For Jon, book promotion was his “Achilles’ heel.” Writing articles tied to his book’s themes felt daunting, but he saw it as a valuable way to reach new audiences. He’s also been appearing on podcasts (like this one) and hosting speaking engagements. One fun strategy I suggested was hosting a free workshop for anyone who buys the book, where the receipt acts as a ticket to join—I’ve participated in a few of those workshops myself.
Embracing the discomfort of promoting himself proved worthwhile. After our interview, Jon hit #1 on Amazon’s Hot New Releases chart in the Pop Culture Encyclopedias category. I’ll have him back to explain how he did it, but I have a sneaking suspicion it involved some priceless mentorship from
and hustling a lot of early reviews.If you’d like to dive deeper into Jon's insights and learn more about how to pivot your podcast into a book, listen to the full episode. And, of course, order your own copy of Write About Now (the book!) and subscribe to Jon’s Substack
.If you’re interested in starting a podcast or taking your existing show to the next level, join me for my Podcasting for Writers class TOMORROW, Sunday, November 3rd! Learn the ins and outs of podcasting, from idea generation to audience growth, and discover how it can be a powerful tool in building your writing platform with the potential to grow into whatever you envision—maybe even a book!
So… ROLL CALL! 🗣️
I’d love to learn about more examples of podcast-to-book (or vice versa) iteration and indie publishing. Let me know in the comments if you have either experience or know someone who does.
Let’s connect on social media! I’m @courtneykocak on Twitter/X and Instagram. For more, check out my website courtneykocak.com.
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