In the past few years, podcast producers have discovered that many of their listeners also like to read. The result is a new publishing niche: books tied to podcasts.
Since 2012, radio host Cecil Baldwin has kept listeners informed of the happenings in his fictional community. The podcast “Welcome to Night Vale” addresses current events: “City-wide utility failures continue to haunt us, but not as much as the strangers who do not appear to move.” It plumbs the depths of existence: “When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true, but because of distance, not for millions of years.” And in a brand new book, writers Joseph Fink and Jeffery Cranor reveal the truth about “The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home,” a familiar yet mysterious character in Night Vale.
In the podcast, “My Favorite Murder,” Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark 
mix friendship, self-help and discussions of true crime. Last year, they published “Stay Sexy & Don’t Get Murdered: the Definitive How-To Guide.” The book includes smatterings of memoir and focuses a lot more on self help than on the crimes they discuss on the podcast, though they incorporate what they’ve learned from their research. Among other sound advice, they let women know it’s okay to be impolite in order to avoid danger.
“The Adventure Zone 2, the Rockport Limited,” is the most recent graphic novel from the McElroys, a family that’s built a virtual podcasting empire. “The Adventure Zone” podcast is a collaboration of brothers Griffin, Justin and Travis McElroy, along with their father Clint, who create fantabulous story lines based on their play of adventure games, such as Dungeons and Dragons. Griffin also co-hosts one of my favorite feel-good podcasts, “Wonderful,” in which he and his wife, Rachel McElroy, (a Mizzou graduate) discuss all the cool little things that make them happy in life.
Gaby Dunn talks about finance from a social justice point
of view in her podcast and book, both titled “Bad With Money.” She believes we should remove the stigma from discussing our personal finances. Her book hits repeatedly on the point that it’s time-consuming to be poor. She examines how our attitudes and spending habits are formed, and has a long section on the challenges mental illness poses to money management.
In his book “Catch and Kill,” released last October, journalist Ronan Farrow relates the behind the scenes action involved in his investigation into Harvey Weinstein, one of the most powerful people in Hollywood. As Farrow pursued leads and accumulated evidence for his news pieces, he found himself threatened, followed by spies, and thwarted by his own employer. “Catch and Kill,” the podcast, aired its first episode six weeks after the book publication, featuring interviews with the women who trusted Farrow to tell their stories.
If none of these titles catches your fancy, there are plenty of others. See DBRL’s catalog list for more titles.
