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Podcasters are amazing storytellers.
Whether your favorite podcast is a "chit chat" show, a news podcast, an audio drama, or it follows true crime, you probably love it because of how the host tells the story.
I'm always excited when I hear that a podcast host has published a book. Sometimes the book is based on the podcast. On the flip side, a lot of podcast hosts were already published authors before they started podcasting.
This can only mean one thing: there are a lot of cool books by podcasters out there, and I've complied a list of them! I've even compiled them into categories that match the categories right here on the blog!
Check out this list and support your favorite podcast host (and your podcast addiction)!
Books By Your Favorite Podcasters
Click a link to jump to a category:
Travel Books by Podcasters
Rick Steves Europe Through the Back Door: The Travel Skills Handbook by Rick Steves
Steves is the host of the Travel with Rick Steves radio show and podcast. This book is full of travel tips to help you "experience the culture like a local, spend less money, and have more fun."
* Rick Steves is the author of dozens of travel books. Click here to view more of his books.
The Aspiring Traveler's Handbook: A preparation guide to international travel by Jackie Nourse Laulainen
Jackie is the host of The Budget-Minded Traveler podcast. This book is "your A-Z guide" for planning your first international trip, and is especially great for female travelers.
Life & Love Books by Podcasters
Tropical Attire Encouraged (and Other Phrases That Scare Me) by Alison Rosen
Rosen is the host of the podcast Alison Rosen Is Your New Best Friend. Her book is a comedic take on every day life and societal pressures.
Unladylike: A Field Guide to Smashing the Patriarchy and Claiming Your Space by Cristen Conger & Caroline Ervin
Conger and Ervin are the hosts of the Unladylike podcast. This illustrated book is a "blend of wild histories, astounding stats, social justice principles, and self-help advice" to help you live a feminist life.
Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed
Strayed is the co-host of the Dear Sugars podcast. This book (one of my all-time favorites) is a compilation of Dear Sugar columns and some of Strayed's previously unpublished pieces.
The Happiness Project (Revised Edition): Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin
Rubin is the host of the Happier podcast. This book chronicles her year of trying to find true contentment through the latest scientific research and trends.
* Grechen Rubin is the author of a bunch of other best-selling books. Click here to find a list of all of her books.
Waiting for the Punch: Words to Live by from the WTF Podcast by Marc Maron
Maron is the host of the WTF podcast. This book is a compilation of stories from your favorite famous people, on topics including parenting, childhood, relationships, sexuality, success, failures, and more.
Bored and Brilliant: How Spacing Out Can Unlock Your Most Productive and Creative Self by Manoush Zamorodi
Zamorodi is the host of the Zigzag podcast (and former host of the Note to Self podcast). This book will help/teach you to live better and smarter by rethinking how you use devices and gadgets (like your smartphone & tablet).
On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope by Deray McKesson
McKesson is the host of the Pod Save the People podcast. This book is "is a visionary's call to take responsibility for imagining, and then building, the world we want to live in."
Unqualified by Anna Faris
Faris is an actor and the host of the Anna Faris is Unqualified podcast. This book is part memoir and includes "Anna's unique take on how to master the bizarre, chaotic, and ultimately rewarding world of love."
15 Minutes to Happiness: Easy, Everyday Exercises to Help You Be The Best You Can Be by Richard Nicholls
Nicholls is the creator of the Motivate Yourself podcast. This book gets right to the point and provides short, easy to implement exercises that are proven to help with happiness and well-being.
The Chapo Guide to Revolution: A Manifesto Against Logic, Facts, and Reason by Chapo Trap House
This book is by the creators of The Chapo Trap House podcast. It is a manifesto that offers "a fully ironic ideology for all who feel politically hopeless and prefer broadsides and tirades to reasoned debate."
A Tribe Called Bliss: Break Through Superficial Friendships, Create Real Connections, Reach Your Highest Potential by Lori Harder
Harder is the host of the Earn Your Happy podcast. In this book she "shares the exact structure she used to build her own tribe and grow from the anxiety-ridden, unhealthy, introverted underachiever she was to the confident woman who takes risks and leaps out of her comfort zone."
Elis and John Present the Holy Vible: The Book The Bible Could Have Been by Elis James & John Robins
James & Robins are comedians and hosts of the Radio X podcast. This book is a weird and wacky spin-off of their hilarious show.
Health & Fitness Books by Podcasters
The 4 Hour Body: An Uncommon Guide to Rapid Fat Loss, Incredible Sex and Becoming Superhuman by Tim Ferriss
Ferriss is the host of The Tim Ferriss Show podcast. This book is a compilation of Ferriss' experiments to determine what tiny physical changes you can make to get the biggest results.
Chris Beat Cancer: A Comprehensive Plan for Healing Naturally by Chris Wark
Wark is the host of the podcast Christ Beat Cancer. This book "describes his healing journey, exposes the corruption and ineffectiveness of the medical and cancer industries, and shares the strategies that he and many others have used to heal cancer."
Money & Career Books by Podcasters
Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss
Ferriss is the host of The Tim Ferriss Show podcast. This book is "...a compilation of tools, tactics, and habits from 130+ of the world's top performers."
Money Girl's Smart Moves to Grow Rich: A Proven Plan to Taking Change of Your Finances (Quick & Dirty Tips) by Laura D. Adams
Adams is the host of the Money Girl podcast. In this "practical, and fun guide to personal finance, Laura doesn't tell you what you can and can not buy with your own hard-earned money; instead, she gives you guidance, tips, and tricks you need to make the most of it.."
The Total Money Makeover: Classic Edition: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness by Dave Ramsey
Ramsey is the host of The Dave Ramsey Show podcast. This book is the guide to whipping your finances into shape.
Story / Drama / Novels by Podcasters
My Dad Wrote a Porno: The fully annotated edition of Rocky Flintstone's Belinda Blinked by Alice Levine, James Cooper, Jamie Morton
The book that inspired the wildly popular comedy podcast My Dad Wrote a Porno.
Startup: A Novel by Doree Shafrir
Shafrif is a veteran online journalist and co-host of podcasts forever35 and Matt & Doree's Eggcellent Adventure. Her "hilarious debut novel that proves there are some dilemmas that no app can solve."
The Adventure Zone: Here There Be Gerblins by the McElroys & Carey Pietsch
The McElroys are the creators of the podcast by the same name (The Adventure Zone). This graphic novel is based on the story created in the podcast, in which three dudes and their dad play a tabletop role playing game in real time.
Risk!: True Stories People Never Thought They’d Dare To Share by Kevin Allison
From the Risk! podcast, this collection features “jaw-dropping, uncensored true stories that will make you laugh, cry and feel more human.”
Welcome to Night Vale: A Novel by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor
Fink & Cranor are the creators of the Welcome to Night Vale podcast. This mystery novel includes appearances and disappearances in the town of Night Vale, where ghosts, angels, aliens, and government conspiracies are the norm.
The World of Lore: Wicked Mortals by Aaron Mahnke
Mahnke is the creator and host of the Lore podcast. This book is a "chilling, lavishly illustrated who’s who of the most despicable people ever to walk the earth."
*Mahnke is the author of several other books, including other Lore books. Click here for a list of his books.
Educational Books by Podcasters
The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids by Sarah Mackenzie
Mackenzie is the host of The Read-Aloud Revival podcast. This book will teach you how to connect deeply with your kids through reading aloud together.
Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing (Quick & Dirty Tips) by Mignon Fogarty
Fogarty is the host of the Grammar Girl podcast. This book "covers the grammar rules and word-choice guidelines that can confound even the best writers."
Books by the team at HowStuffWorks
The teat at HowStuffWorks have an array of podcasts and books on all kinds of interesting and educational topics. Here are just a few:
The United States of Absurdity: Untold Stories from American History by Dave Anthony & Gareth Reynolds
Gareth & Reynolds are the creators & hosts of The Dollop podcast. This book is a compilation of "illustrated profiles of the weird, outrageous, NSFW, and downright absurd tales from American history that you weren't taught in school."
Miscellaneous Books
Are You Sleeping: A Novel by Kathleen Barber
Barber isn’t a podcaster, but I just had to include this book. Loosely based on the Serial podcast, it is about a podcaster who re-opens a murder case...
Eat More Better: How to Make Every Bite More Delicious by Dan Pashman
Pashman is the host of The Sporkful podcast. This book is "a tongue-in-cheek textbook that teaches readers to eat for maximum pleasure."
I hope you enjoy this list of books by podcasters. I'll be updating the list with new books as often as possible, so bookmark this page (or pin it for later) to come back and check out new books! They make great gift ideas.
Speaking of gift ideas: have you visited the Podcast Fan Gift Guide yet? Beside including some book suggestions, it also includes cool audio accessories and other great gift ideas for podcast fans.
If there is a book by a podcaster that you think should be added to this list, email me at info@podcastmaniac.com.