I spend a lot of time in my car, which means I spend a lot of time listening to things. Music, obviously, but increasingly podcasts. And because I work in publishing, my podcast queue has gradually shifted from general-interest shows to ones that focus on books, reading, writing, and the literary world. Some of them are fantastic. Some are fine. A few have become so essential to my week that I get genuinely annoyed when they skip an episode.

Here’s our team’s list of favorites, with honest assessments of what each show does well and where it falls short. These aren’t ranked in any particular order, and I’m sure I’m leaving out some good ones. If you’ve got recommendations we should know about, get in touch through our contact page.

The Ezra Klein Show

Okay, this isn’t technically a literary podcast. It’s a wide-ranging interview show that covers politics, technology, philosophy, and culture. But Ezra Klein reads more books than almost anyone in media, and his interviews with authors are consistently some of the best conversations about ideas I’ve encountered anywhere. When he talks to a nonfiction author, he’s clearly read the book closely and thought about it seriously. He asks the questions I would ask if I were smarter and better prepared.

What makes Klein’s show relevant for book people is that his interviews often reveal the thinking behind the book in ways that reviews don’t. You hear the author explain why they chose to frame an argument a particular way, what they left out and why, and how their thinking evolved during the writing process. It’s like getting a behind-the-scenes tour of the book’s construction. I’ve bought more books based on Klein’s interviews than on any other single recommendation source.

The downside is that Klein can be a bit long-winded in his questions, sometimes spending two minutes setting up a question that could be asked in ten seconds. And the show’s production style is very NPR: polished, deliberate, and occasionally a little too pleased with itself. But those are minor complaints about a consistently excellent show.

Backlisted

Backlisted is a British podcast dedicated to older books that deserve more attention. Each episode, the hosts (John Mitchinson and Andy Miller) pick a book that’s been somewhat forgotten or underappreciated and spend an hour discussing it with a guest who loves it. The books they cover range from mid-century literary fiction to forgotten memoirs to obscure genre classics. I’ve discovered more new (old) books through Backlisted than through any other single source.

What I love about this show is its genuine enthusiasm. Mitchinson and Miller clearly love reading and love talking about books, and their guests usually share that enthusiasm. There’s no pretension, no academic jargon, and no scoring of cultural points. It’s just three people sitting around talking about a book they admire, explaining why it matters, and reading passages aloud. The passage readings are a particular strength, because hearing a paragraph from a book is often more persuasive than any amount of description or analysis.

The show’s focus on backlist titles (books that are still in print but no longer new) aligns perfectly with something I care about in my professional life. In publishing, there’s an obsessive focus on new releases, on the next big thing. But most of the best books in the world are not new. They’re five or ten or fifty years old, still in print, still being read, but rarely discussed in media that’s oriented toward the new. Backlisted is a corrective to that bias, and the world of literary podcasts is better for it.

The Book Review Podcast (New York Times)

The New York Times Book Review has been the most influential book review publication in America for decades, and its podcast extends that influence into audio. Each episode features conversations with authors, critics, and editors about new books and literary trends. The production quality is high, the guests are usually interesting, and the show’s connection to the Times means it covers the books that are driving the cultural conversation.

My main criticism is that the show can feel like an extension of the Times’ brand rather than a genuinely independent voice. The books discussed tend to be the same books reviewed in the paper, which means they skew toward literary fiction, prestige nonfiction, and celebrity memoirs. Smaller publishers, genre fiction, and books from outside the New York publishing world get less attention. This isn’t surprising given the show’s institutional affiliation, but it limits its usefulness for someone looking for under-the-radar recommendations.

That said, the author interviews are usually well done. The hosts prepare thoroughly and ask substantive questions. And the show’s “What We’re Reading” segments, where critics share their personal recommendations, often surface books I wouldn’t have found otherwise. It’s a solid show, even if its focus is narrower than I’d like.

Print Run

Print Run is a podcast about the business side of publishing, hosted by Laura Zats and Erik Hane. If you want to understand how the publishing industry actually works, from advances and royalties to distribution and marketing, this is your show. Zats and Hane are both industry professionals (an agent and an editor, respectively) who are refreshingly frank about the realities of the business. They don’t sugarcoat the challenges facing authors or publishers, and they don’t pretend that the industry is a meritocracy where good books automatically find their audience.

Episodes cover topics like how agents evaluate manuscripts, why certain books get big advances and others don’t, the economics of independent bookstores, and the impact of Amazon on publishing. The discussions are detailed enough to be useful for industry professionals but accessible enough for interested outsiders. I particularly appreciate their willingness to discuss money, which is something the literary world tends to be squeamish about. Understanding the financial mechanics of publishing helps authors make better decisions about their careers, and Print Run provides that understanding clearly.

The tone is conversational and sometimes blunt, which I prefer to the polished diplomacy of some other literary podcasts. When something in the industry doesn’t make sense, Zats and Hane say so. When they disagree with each other, they argue it out on air. It’s honest and educational, and I wish more industry podcasts had this level of transparency.

Literary Friction

Literary Friction is hosted by Octavia Bright and Carrie Plitt, and each episode is organized around a theme (desire, escape, power, home, etc.) with author interviews woven through the conversation. The thematic structure is what sets it apart from other interview shows. Instead of just asking an author about their latest book, the hosts explore how the book connects to a bigger idea, and how that idea plays out across different works of literature.

The show is smart without being intimidating. Bright and Plitt are well-read and articulate, and they have an easy chemistry that makes the conversation feel natural rather than performative. Their guests are a good mix of established names and newer voices, and the show has a knack for introducing me to authors I haven’t encountered before. Several of those introductions have led to books that I’ve loved and, in a couple of cases, to authors I’ve subsequently approached about publishing opportunities.

If I have a complaint, it’s that the episodes can sometimes feel a bit short for the amount of ground they cover. An hour isn’t always enough to explore both the theme and the author’s work in depth. But I’d rather a show leave me wanting more than one that overstays its welcome.

Shelf Awareness

Shelf Awareness is primarily a daily email newsletter rather than a podcast, but they’ve expanded into audio, and both formats are worth your time. The newsletter is aimed at booksellers, librarians, and publishing professionals, and it provides daily updates on industry news, new releases, and author interviews. It’s concise, well-curated, and consistently informative.

What I appreciate about Shelf Awareness is its focus on the book trade as a whole, not just the reading experience. They cover bookstore openings and closings, industry trends, publishing deals, and the practical concerns of people who work with books for a living. For someone in my position, this is valuable information. Knowing what booksellers are excited about, what categories are trending, and which debut authors are getting buzz helps me make better decisions about our own publishing program.

The audio content tends to be shorter than the other podcasts on this list, which makes it good for a quick listen during a coffee break. It won’t give you the deep dive you get from Print Run or Backlisted, but it will keep you informed about the daily pulse of the book world.

Otherppl with Brad Listi

Brad Listi’s podcast Otherppl has been running since 2011, which makes it one of the longest-running literary podcasts in existence. Listi, who is himself a novelist and the founder of The Nervous Breakdown literary community, interviews authors in long, unstructured conversations that wander freely between their work, their lives, their creative processes, and whatever else comes up. The vibe is more late-night conversation than formal interview, and I find that intimacy appealing.

The guest list over the years has been remarkable. Listi has talked to virtually every significant literary figure of the past decade, from established stars to debut authors who went on to win major prizes. The archive alone is worth exploring. If there’s an author whose process or perspective you’re curious about, there’s a decent chance Listi has interviewed them.

The loose, conversational format is both the show’s strength and its weakness. When the chemistry between Listi and his guest is good, the conversation flows naturally and reveals things that a more structured interview wouldn’t. When the chemistry is off, the conversation can meander without arriving anywhere particularly interesting. But the hit rate is high enough that I keep coming back, and the occasional misfire is the price of the format’s authenticity.

I Should Be Writing

Mur Lafferty’s long-running podcast I Should Be Writing is aimed at aspiring and working writers, and it covers the craft, business, and emotional challenges of writing. Lafferty is a science fiction and fantasy author, so the show has a slight genre lean, but the advice and discussions are applicable to writers in any genre. Topics range from the practical (how to find an agent, how to handle rejection) to the psychological (imposter syndrome, procrastination, maintaining motivation during a long project).

What I like about this show is its honesty about the difficulty of writing as a profession. Lafferty doesn’t pretend that following the right steps guarantees success, and she’s open about her own struggles and setbacks. This makes the show feel genuine in a way that some craft-focused podcasts don’t. Writing is hard, the publishing industry is unpredictable, and sometimes the best thing a writer can hear is that other writers are going through the same frustrations.

The show is particularly good for writers who are early in their careers and trying to figure out the basics: how the industry works, what a reasonable timeline looks like, and how to develop a sustainable writing practice. It’s less useful for experienced professionals, but it’s not aimed at them. If you’re just starting out or stuck in the middle of a project, Lafferty’s voice is a reassuring companion.

The Penguin Podcast

The Penguin Podcast is produced by Penguin Books UK, and before you dismiss it as corporate content marketing, give it a listen. The production quality is excellent, the interviews are substantive, and the hosts (who have varied over the years) bring genuine curiosity and literary knowledge to the conversations. Yes, the show naturally features Penguin authors, but Penguin’s list is so large and varied that this isn’t as limiting as it might sound.

The show’s best episodes are the ones where an author gets the time and space to talk about their work in depth, explaining their choices, their influences, and their creative process. Some of these conversations have been among the best author interviews I’ve heard in any medium. The show also occasionally does themed episodes or series, exploring a topic like translation, memoir, or the relationship between literature and politics across multiple episodes and guests.

My main reservation is the same one I’d have about any publisher-produced podcast: you’re not going to hear criticism of Penguin’s books or honest discussion of the company’s business practices. The show is, at the end of the day, a marketing tool for Penguin, even if it’s an unusually good one. But as long as you’re aware of that framing, there’s a lot of value here.

The Bibliofile

The Bibliofile, hosted by Jenn, focuses on book reviews, reading recommendations, and book-adjacent topics. It’s aimed squarely at avid readers rather than industry professionals, and its tone is warm, enthusiastic, and accessible. Episodes typically cover a mix of new releases and older titles, with honest assessments of what works and what doesn’t.

What I appreciate about this show is that it’s unabashedly for readers, not for the industry. There’s no insider jargon, no name-dropping, and no assumption that the listener knows who won the Booker Prize last year. It’s a show about the pleasure of reading, and it communicates that pleasure effectively. I sometimes find industry-focused podcasts exhausting (too much shop talk, too much anxiety about the state of the business), and The Bibliofile is a refreshing change of pace.

The recommendations are eclectic, covering literary fiction, genre fiction, nonfiction, and young adult, which means you’re likely to discover something new regardless of your usual reading diet. I’ve picked up several unexpected recommendations from this show, including a couple of books I probably wouldn’t have looked at twice in a bookstore but ended up thoroughly enjoying.

A Few More Worth Mentioning

I can’t give full write-ups to every podcast that deserves one, but here are a few more that our team listens to regularly. Between the Covers, hosted by David Naimon, features unusually in-depth interviews with literary authors. The conversations are long and detailed, and Naimon is one of the most thoughtful interviewers in the literary podcast space. It’s not a quick listen, but it’s rewarding if you’re willing to invest the time.

The Honest Authors Podcast deals with the indie and self-publishing side of the business, and while that’s not our world at ScrollWorks, understanding how indie authors think about marketing, pricing, and reader engagement is useful for any publisher. The indie world has figured out some things about direct-to-reader sales that traditional publishing is only starting to learn.

And for something completely different, LeVar Burton Reads features the beloved actor reading short fiction aloud. It’s not a discussion show or an interview show. It’s just one person reading excellent short stories with warmth and skill. It’s perfect for when you want the experience of being read to, which, as it turns out, doesn’t lose its appeal when you grow up.

Why Podcasts Matter for Publishing

I’ll close with a thought about why literary podcasts matter from a publisher’s perspective. The traditional channels for discovering books (newspaper reviews, bookstore browsing, word of mouth) are still important, but they’re shrinking or changing. Newspaper book sections have been cut back. Bookstore visits are less frequent for many people. And word of mouth, while still the most powerful driver of book sales, is increasingly happening online rather than in person.

Podcasts have emerged as a significant new channel for book discovery, and I think their influence will continue to grow. A thoughtful podcast interview can reach tens of thousands of listeners, many of whom are exactly the kind of engaged, curious, book-buying readers that publishers want to reach. When one of our authors gets booked on a well-known podcast, the sales impact is often immediate and measurable.

For readers, podcasts offer something that reviews and bestseller lists don’t: the sound of genuine enthusiasm. When a podcast host gets excited about a book, you can hear it in their voice. When an author explains what they were trying to accomplish and how they went about it, you get a dimension of understanding that no printed review can provide. It’s an intimate medium, and intimacy is exactly what books need.

Browse our catalog to see the titles we’ve been talking about on podcasts and in literary conversations. From fiction like The Last Archive and Still Waters to nonfiction like Bitcoin for Absolute Beginners, we’re always happy to talk about the books we’ve put into the world.