Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amy & Sarah. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Amy & Sarah, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.
In 2021, we set out on a journey to read books together and start discussing them–a two-person book club. Over the course of that year, we built a strong foundation for our love of reading romance novels. In the early part of 2022, it was recommended to us that we start a book discussion podcast. At the time, taking a risk that high, requiring us to put ourselves out into the podcast industry without any prior knowledge or fan base, seemed daunting. What if we failed? What if no one listened? We quickly realized that we would need to take a leap of faith, recognizing that this opportunity would open doors for us to connect with other readers and discuss books we were passionate about. We launched our podcast, Post Book Depression, in June of 2022 and slowly built a fan base through organic social media connections and in-person community engagement. It has been rewarding to experience this natural growth over the last year and build our podcast community through these outlets.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
You know that feeling you get when you finish a good book that you didn’t want to end? Have you finished a book and just weren’t ready to move on from the story and its beloved characters? You find yourself needing just a little more? That feeling is defined as post-book depression. As avid romance book readers, we understood this overwhelming feeling each time we closed a book after reading “The End.” As two book-loving friends, we wanted to step out into the reading community on a deeper level. By starting a romance book discussion podcast, we hoped to give fellow romance readers the opportunity to dig deeper with us into books we love as we discuss all the reasons we can’t move on from these stories.
We wanted our podcast to be set apart by more than just a book rehash of plot points. Our expectation is to discuss how we connect with the characters of the stories we read, how we can grow and learn from details that take place in the stories, and how we experience different emotions throughout the book. One of the more important talking points that we try to focus on is how we can learn to appreciate different perspectives and viewpoints from characters who may be unlike us.
One of the highlights of our podcast is that we focus on an optimistic environment, choosing to feature books and authors that we love and enjoy reading, including new authors. Authors put a lot of heart and soul into writing a story. We select books to discuss that we connect with, enjoy, and make a strong impact on us, keeping our conversation focused on positivity.
Our friendship is a strong component of our podcast, and our conversations pull from real-life experiences. Listeners share an important part in the camaraderie of the book community, and there’s always room for one more. On our podcast, we laugh, we cry (well, Sarah cries), we swoon, we gush, and we chatter about this and that. Our multi-trope romance podcast gives you a space to bond over the characters you love before moving on to your next great read.
What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?
The book community relies heavily on trusted reviews and recommendations for making their next reading decision. Being a part of that trusted community is an opportunity that has been extremely rewarding for us. We have enjoyed discovering new-to-us authors, our favorite books, and sharing these amazing stories with a passionate book community. Building these connections has opened up conversations with authors and fellow readers.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Word of mouth is one of the most effective ways to show support. Telling other people about creative outlets or small businesses can bring exponential amounts of support. If the business doesn’t interest you, chances are you have someone in your circle of connections who would share an interest. Using social media is another avenue to help spread the word. It takes a lot of courage to be vulnerable and share creative sides through passion-filled projects, so extending kindness or words of encouragement can also be well received.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://postbookdepression.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/postbookdepressionpodcast/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083534554141
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@postbookdepressionpodcast
Image Credits
Mike Watson