# Bestseller: A Self-Publishing Podcast

> Reedsy's podcast follows real authors through the full publishing journey — documentary-style narrative seasons plus weekly expert interviews on writing and indie publishing.

Source: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/podcasts/bestseller-a-self-publishing-podcast
Website: https://reedsy.com/podcast/
Category: Podcasts (https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/podcasts)
Pricing: free — $0
AI-powered: no
Tags: reedsy, beginner, publishing-journey, narrative, writing-craft, editing, cover-design, marketing, interview
Last verified: 2026-05-14
Best For: New authors who want to follow real publishing journeys from draft to launch — documentary-style narrative plus expert interviews
Episode Count: 100
Frequency: weekly
Host: Casimir M. Stone
Topic: publishing-industry, writing-craft

Reedsy's podcast launched in 2018 with an unusual format: rather than assembling tips-and-tricks interviews, it followed a single author through every stage of writing, editing, formatting, and launching a self-published book. Season 1 tracked debut novelist Shaz Kahng; Season 2 followed Bella Falls, bestselling author of the Southern Charms cozy mystery series. These documentary-style seasons remain among the most-cited audio resources for authors wanting to understand what the journey actually looks and feels like.

The show has since expanded into a weekly interview format — rebranded as "Reedsy Live: The Podcast" on major platforms — covering craft, career, and business topics with published authors and industry professionals. Both phases share the same RSS feed and Apple Podcasts page (rated 4.8/5 with 85+ ratings; episodes continue weekly into 2026).

## What You Get

- **Documentary seasons:** Seasons 1 and 2 each follow one real author from manuscript to launch — sequential, honest, and grounded in a single person's actual decisions and trade-offs
- **Weekly interviews:** Guest conversations with authors, editors, and publishing professionals on topics from story structure and memoir craft to Amazon strategy and platform-building
- **Full publishing coverage:** Back catalog spans writing craft, editing, cover design, formatting, distribution, and marketing — unusual breadth for a single podcast
- **Production quality:** Reedsy's team production elevates this above most independently produced author podcasts

## Who It's For

- **Complete beginners:** The narrative seasons are ideal for authors who want to understand the entire publishing journey before starting their own — abstract decisions become concrete when you watch someone else make them
- **Craft-focused writers:** Newer interview episodes cover story structure, genre conventions, character work, and writing technique
- **Indie business builders:** Episodes on Amazon optimization, keyword research, and platform-building address the commercial side of self-publishing

**Pricing:** Free. Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Reedsy's own podcast page.

## Strengths

- **Unique narrative format:** No other self-publishing podcast follows one author's complete real journey end-to-end — the format makes publishing decisions relatable rather than theoretical
- **Reedsy credibility:** Produced by a platform serving over 1,000,000 authors; guest access and production standards are consistently high
- **4.8/5 Apple Podcasts rating:** Strong listener scores (85+ ratings) across both the narrative and interview phases

## Limitations

- **Format pivot:** Listeners drawn by the documentary appeal of Seasons 1 and 2 may find the weekly interview format less distinctive — it's high quality, but that format is well-covered by competing podcasts
- **Indie-adjacent, not indie-only:** Post-rebrand episodes cover traditional publishing topics alongside self-publishing — authors wanting exclusively indie content may find the scope broader than needed

## Alternatives

Novel Marketing and Self-Publishing Formula cover similar interview-format territory with more consistent indie-first focus. For the narrative experience, Reedsy's original seasons remain singular — nothing comparable exists elsewhere in the self-publishing podcast space.