We have talked about it forever, but hosting an Agatha Annotated podcast was way down on the To-Do List. Now that we’ve checked off a few tasks, however, it may be time.

It’s astonishing, really, that we haven’t yet done a podcast. When I first met my husband, he was a radio disc jockey. Since then, he has given many business presentations, acted on stage, television, and film, managed a community theatre, and just started a local radio theatre troupe. He also does voice-overs. Podcasting would be a natural for him.

But it’s not so natural for me! The few interviews I have done on other people’s shows were nerve-wracking, so hosting my own was not appealing. Still, since it’s another way to reach Agatha Christie fans and Don is itching to try, we will be launching a podcast.

I’m not much of a podcast consumer because I can’t figure out where to fit it into my day. There’s no commute to fill, and I have an exercise buddy for conversation. I do listen to podcasts when I wake up in the middle of the night, but I choose uninteresting ones because the whole point is to go back to sleep. I know what makes a bad podcast. Now we need to learn how to make a good one!

Because of Don’s voice-over work, we already have equipment such as a microphone with stand, pop screen, editing software, and so on. We have a theme, too:  Fun facts about the words in Christie’s early novels.

Since Don is more comfortable behind the mic, we are still working out what the format will be. We’re thinking maybe he could read a passage from one of the books, and then ask me to explain the unfamiliar terms in it, a kind of interview. I love talking about what certain phrases mean and their history, and I have some interesting stories to tell about my research.

Each episode will probably be on the short side, but with 1800 terms in Agatha Annotated, we have plenty of content to work with. I’m currently choosing words for the first batch and outlining each episode. We’re also picking music for our intro and outro and working on the marketing. To stand out on the crowded podcast platforms, we need to create a catchy graphic and a keyword-optimized description.

Also, we need to practice! Researching and taking notes is one thing, but talking into a microphone without sounding like an idiot is quite another.

For many miles during several road trips, we discussed podcasting. Now, we’re finally going to do it. I’ll keep you posted on how it’s going. And if you are a podcaster and have some tips, please share!

Photo by Seej Nguyen