Podcast Solutions: The Complete Guide to Audio and Video Podcasting, Second Edition (Paperback)

by Michael Geoghegan (Author), Dan Klass (Author)
Key Phrases: podcast solutions, audio podcasters, sample podcast, Grape Radio, Creative Commons, Liberated Syndication (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Written by two of the best and brightest podcasting pioneers, Podcast Solutions: The Complete Guide to Audio and Video Podcasting, Second Edition is a comprehensive and perceptive guide to all things podcasting. From downloading podcasts to producing your own for fun or profit, Podcast Solutions covers the entire world of podcasting with insight, humor, and the unmatched wisdom of experience.

Big-name companies and podcasters throughout the United States and thousands of faithful listeners around the world will tell you that Michael W. Geoghegan ("Reel Reviews-Films Worth Watching" and GigaVox Media) and Dan Klass ("The Bitterest Pill" and JacketMedia.com) know how to put together compelling and engaging shows that people come back to week after week. These two pros will guide you through everything including developing your raw podcast ideas to selecting equipment, creating your podcast (including incorporating music, professional production techniques, and audio- and video-editing secrets), and mobilizing and growing an audience.

Plenty has changed since the best-selling first edition of this book, and Michael and Dan bring you all the latest and greatest information on production, distribution, and marketing from the world of audio and video podcasting. Nearly 50 pages of new material and hundreds of updates make this the most complete and up-to-date book on podcasting imaginable.

Between Michael's uncanny business and marketing sense and Dan's nearly two decades in the entertainment industry, these authors have the experience to back up their advice on what it takes to elevate your podcast to a professional level. Podcast Solutions gives you not only what youll need to know about podcasting but also the insiders view on the business of new-media production and marketing.

Whether you want to use podcasting to inform, educate, entertain, or inspire, whether you are a complete novice or an experienced professional, Podcast Solutions is the guide you need.

In this book you'll learn:

• How to find and download audio and video podcasts to your computer or portable media player
• How to develop, format, produce, edit, encode, and upload your audio or video podcast, including in-depth information on using music legally
• How to set up an effective audio studio, including the complete and updated "The podcast studio buyers guide"
• How to create great video, including tricks of the trade such as the law of thirds, the line, and the three-point light technique, as well as tips on casting, locations, scheduling, and more
• How people are marketing and making money through podcasting in the era of Web 2.0

About the Author
Michael is a well know figure among podcasters and has been involved in podcasting since it earliest days. Because he started early, he has developed personal friendships with most of the key figures in podcasting. Michael is scheduled to speak and lead sessions at the upcoming Podcast and Portable Media Expo. He was also the first person to lead introductory podcasting classes entitled "Podcasting 101". Michael is frequently sought for comment on podcasting by media sources such as CNN, Wired magazine, The New York Times and USA Today among many others.

Michael currently produces his own show Reel Reviews &emdash; Film Worth Watching which has consistently scored in the top ten among podcast listeners. He recently syndicated Reel Reviews content to DVDtalk.com, the Internet's largest DVD movie review and discussion site. Reel Reviews also currently has paid sponsors. Michael's sponsorship deals represent some of the first for mainstream companies outside the podcasting industry.

In addition to Reel Reviews, Michael is executive producer of Grape Radio, a show about wine that in less than 8 weeks time places in the top ten out of over 4000 available podcast shows. Grape Radio has experienced phenomenal growth and features interviews with leading experts in the wine industry. Michael continues to develop and produce shows aimed at the lifestyle and technology markets. He also offers his services as a consultant to business developing podcasting and portable media strategies.

Michael is widely regarded as a leader in producing quality podcast audio. Many of his online articles on how-to podcast remain some of the most popular and widely linked to.

Michael lives in Newport Beach, CA with his wife and two young sons.

Klass has worked professionally as an actor and comedian for more than fifteen years, appearing in sitcoms, TV dramas and feature films while performing in venues throughout Los Angeles, including appearing regularly at the world famous The Comedy Store. Recently was the creator/writer/producer/star of NewsPop, an animated series for a joint internet venture between Steven Speilberg's DreamWorks SKG and Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment.

Throughout his career, Dan Klass has worked as an advertising copywriter, written magazine articles, and worked with developers of interactive video systems for the toy industry.

Klass is currently devoting most of his time to his podcasts, the weekly Old Wave Radio, a retro-80's music show, and the much acclaimed twice-weekly The Bitterest Pill, a comedy/talk show that revolves around his musings as a stay-at-home dad on the outskirts of the entertainment industry. The Bitterest Pill has been featured on NBC, NPR and in USAToday.com and the Christian Science Monitor.

Klass lives in Los Angeles with his wife, two kids and two Macs.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: friends of ED; 2 edition (November 19, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590599055
• ISBN-13: 978-1590599051
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #136,294 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect book for all podcasters., February 15, 2008

By	Geoffrey L. Tozer "Sly Crooner" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Yes that's right, this is the perfect book for any and all podcasters. If you are a podcaster, or want to be one or just want to find out what it's all about buy this book.

The title says it all; Podcast Solutions. Chock full of info, written concisely, humorously, intelligently, informatively and in language that anyone can understand (even me) this is the one book to buy on the subject. It takes you step by step down the road to conceiving, creating, recording, producing and profiting from your show idea. This book covers every nook and cranny of the considerable field of information on both podcasts and vodcasts.

I personally have used both editions of this book to help me get my podcast going as well as optimizing it once it was up and running. What I really enjoyed about this book is how the authors explain things so that not only do you know what to do next but also why it works. Not only that there are many highlighted sections where the authors share a personal experience that really drives a point home. This brings the whole process into very sharp focus.

And their personal experience goes way beyond the technical aspects of podcasting and vodcasting. On page 85, for example, they share a tip that is critical to anyone who really wants to make effective communication with their material. And that is this; "speak as if you are speaking to one person". That one piece of advice can turn a blah and lifeless presentation into one with depth and impact. This book is loaded with tips like that.

I can't say enough good about this book. Without it I may not have gotten my podcast going. The two guys who wrote it have been doing this since it began and they know all the tricks. Don't think about, just buy the book. You'll thank me and more importantly you'll thank the authors Dan Klass and Michael W. Geoghegan.

Geoffrey Leigh Tozer
Producer - Sly Crooner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Works Flawlessly, January 15, 2009

By	Drew Ross "Christian With A Brain" (Sharpsburg, GA) - See all my reviews

The true test of a how-to book is whether or not you get the desired results. Well I can say that I wanted to create my own podcast and after reading this book, I did.

I am not the most computer savvy, but I'm also not an idiot (at least if you ask the right folks). Like many, I use the computer extensively all day and know the majority of popular programs. But when it comes to HTML, websites, and behind the curtain stuff, forget it. So, when I set out to create my own podcast, I was a bit intimidated. This book put me at ease.

One thing I will say is this: READ IT! Don't be one of those that just flips to the parts you think you need. This book is better if you really read it cover to cover. The only section I didn't read was the part on video podcasts because I wasn't doing one. But read everything else.

It takes you through step by step and outlines most of the options for podcasters. How to record, edit, post and maintain your cast. It has great recommendations on which services to use (I have been extremely pleased with Liberated Syndication as my host). The authors are funny, knowledgable and had tons of inside information on podcasting. They even included case studies from famous podcasters and the trouble they went through to make podcasting what it is today.

The only thing that I would say you need to avoid in this book is the section on cleaning up your files. I started out following their advice to the letter. But, with each episode I did more and more experimentation with my sound. Here is the startling truth about what I discovered: you don't need to do most of what they tell you to do. If you get a decent recording set-up, you don't have to do all that editing. I bought the Behringer Podcast Studio, one of the cheapest kits out there, and I eventually just posted my show after only taking out some of the long pauses, rustling of notes and the occassional dog scratching on the front door. I now just pull out the annoying stuff, insert the bumper music and voila! All the other stuff they tell you to do is really unnecessary unless you have a crummy mic or lots of noise while you're recording. They make it sound like if you do all that it will sound more professional. But, I actually felt that it made my voice sound like I was speaking through a tin can. So, give yourself some time to test out all the bells and whistles on the Audacity program and find the fit for you. And don't be afraid to be a little less polished for the sake of time and convenience.

If you are seriously considering becoming a podcaster, this is where you start. It is the only book I used and I now have 15 episodes posted in less than 5 months. You can check out the results by searching for my podcast, Christian With A Brain, in iTunes or on Google. Happy Podcasting!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars <em>the</em> podcasting how-to book, February 8, 2009

By	William Selak (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book was recommended to me by a friend who is the podcasting community. If you are currently, or will be, podcasting, this is a must-have. Any how-to podcasting question is answered in this book. Easy to read, nicely laid out.