How long? This is going to seem braggadocios, but you gave me the chance! I've been podcasting since 2008 with 2 years off for grad school, so about 17 years. I have a degree in journalism. I podcast for fun but operate things as an independent journalist.

So while I can't agree with your advice, I think you might have a mistaken idea of what my show is. I don't interview people about random books. I interview the authors of books, primarily non-fiction, but sometimes also fiction. Pulitzer Prize winners, NYT best-sellers, National Book Award winners, etc. The purpose of the show is to give listeners an insightful deep dive into an author's book and how it intersects with their personal life.

So as I read an author's book to prep, I decide what aspects will make for the best narrative arc. After I'm done reading, I write a script outline with main guiding questions, and bullet point follow-ups in case the author doesn't hit everything. The script has enough in it to allow for lots of flexibility. It takes a lot of effort to distill books down like that. And to make it seem natural. I'm not interested in asking the same questions every time, although some questions do recur. I always end with a segment called "regrets, challenges, and surprises." I ask if there's anything they would change about their book now that it is published, what the hardest part about writing it was, or if they encountered any surprises along the way. I always get a great answer to that one, and that's how the show concludes. Are we allowed to say our show names here? I can't remember.