ThankBookFor Podcasts: All About the King

So, series 1 is done.

That's sixteen podcasts for your listening pleasure, with some really wonderful people, talking about some really amazing books. We've discussed everything from Stephen King to, well, Stephen King. There's been a lot of stuff in between but we really do love Stephen King.

We've interviewed all sorts of people who are involved in all sorts of things. People who have been writing for a while and are gearing up to start sending their work out there. People who write, or have written, things like comedy or travel guides or scripts. Then there's the people who have sent their work out and are waiting for a response, maybe from an agent, maybe from a publishing house. People who have a book coming out soon and those who already have books published. We've interviewed people involved on the publishing side of things, editors and publicity people. We've interviewed the pushers; librarians and bookshop owners. We've even interviewed each other!

And do you know which two things they all have common?

They're all lovely, and they all read.

ThankBookFor doesn't do scientific investigations or gambling, but if we did we'd wager that our study into the link between well rounded, empathetic people and reading is a strong one. Which isn't to say psycho killers can't be readers too, or that nice people have to be readers, this is humanity we're talking about, everything is possible. But our thesis, we'd be willing to bet, would stand. If you read, you're more likely to be a nice person.

But you guys already knew all that, or you wouldn't be engaged with TBF. Reading and stories are our bag, so if you're here, then chances are they're your bag too. And also, you're nice. Well done you.

Where were we? Ah yeah, end of series 1. So, where does TBF go from here?

Well we've got a full complement of people lined up for our second series, as well as several booked in for series 3, so podcast wise things are going great. Series 2 itself will start on Tuesday 21st June with the Sara Pascoe podcast, so if you're a regular listener you've got a few weeks* to relax. Catch up on some other podcasts, do some reading, hell, clean the house if you have to. Just make sure you're back here for the 21st, ready to go.People who are new to TBF, CONGRATULATIONS, you have a whole month* to catch up on our first series before we hit you with the second.

We've got some great people lined up and some exciting, interactive things planned. Also, there will be a special Halloween Podcast involving a visit to a haunted location. Because who hasn't been influenced by ghost stories?

Then there's the event we're putting on. It's at Tipton Library on Saturday 9th July and it's part of the Black Country Festival celebrations. We're also releasing a few podcasts in conjunction with this event, interviews with the people appearing on the day, so even if you can't get to Tipton, you can still get involved!

There you have it. The direction TBF will be taking over the next few months and some of the things we've got planned. And now, lastly, a confession/apology. Recently on Twitter we ran a poll to see whether people would prefer weekly or fortnightly podcasts. The result was close, but fortnightly won. However, we've got a full complement for series 2, so with each series being 16 episodes long that'd take 32 weeks to broadcast. That's roughly 8 months. IT'S JUST TOO LONG! It's your fault, we've become too successful. People are actually asking to record podcasts with us now, often to tie in with books they have coming out or shows that are starting. And we don't like turning people down.

So, series 2 will continue to be a weekly event. You don't have to listen straight away, you can space them out yourself if you want to, but we love doing the podcasts and now people are asking us about them we don't want to be putting them off. I'm sure you all understand...

In the meantime, take care, and we'll see you soon. Thanks for reading.

*With the exception of the Special, one off podcast that'll be out in a couple of weeks. Oh, didn't we mention that? ;-)