Hi Friends,

This post is going to address the question as to whether I should podcast chapters of my book Leaving Cleveland or not. Eventually, I want to create an audiobook of Leaving Cleveland, and I am looking into my options. This crazy idea was sparked by my friend Peter Rafelson who started up a new company ElectraCast in Los Angeles. Click on his name above and check out the podcast about AI; it is a great listen.

This crazy idea was hatched when I was at Barnes and Noble, and the audience suggested I read a chapter of my book. I was hesitant at first and not really prepared. When your audience decides to take a couple of hours out of their Saturday to come and support you at your book signing, it is time to give back. So I read chapter 22, the trip to Springfield, Illinois, with Sam and Izzy to document the ERA protests. I looked up from the book about halfway through, thinking the audience would be running out of patience, but to my surprise, they were looking at me, waiting to see what would happen next. I even asked them if they wanted me to read on…” please do.”

That terrifying experience was a game changer and built my confidence about reading my book out loud. As a writer, when you write, the characters’ voice is in your head. To have the opportunity to share that voice out loud was empowering and a chance to bring my character to life. The event at B&N was successful on many levels, and I was even asked to come back by the store manager. We set a date in December this year.

Back to Podcasting:

Today, with the help of my daughter, Tika, I attempted my first audio recording of the first chapter of my book, Leaving Cleveland. Take a listen and let me know what you think. I know it needs some work, but like everything, the more I record, the better the results.

On another note, if you have read my book, PLEASE write a review or rate it on Amazon. I just discovered that if I have 25 reviews with 4 plus stars, I can enroll in a program where I can sell E-Books for $2.99 and eventually give them away for FREE. Which for me would be great since I want as many people to read Leaving Cleveland as possible. I am up to 16 4-star plus reviews; an anonymous person gave it 1 star, most likely that someone did not read the book.

I am burnt out, so that is all for this post. I want to thank you for sharing, subscribing, and for your suggestions. Have a great weekend and I look forward to your feedback.

Steven