SOUND JUDGMENT, THE PODCAST - EP07 PUBLISHED ON 12/1/2022

When Anne Bogel was offered the plum gig of moderating a panel discussion with four famous authors at the Bookmarks NC Festival of Books and Authors, she knew it would be fun. But she had no idea about the turn it would take when her guests — authors TJ Klune, Andrew Sean Greer, Brendan Slocumb, and Tia Williams — began one-upping each other with wild tales from book club experiences like no other I’ve ever heard.

Anne Bogel's been hosting her literary matchmaking show since 2016. As of this moment, it's at the top of the Apple charts, just below the New York Times Review of Books podcast and well above the New Yorker's fiction show.

There's a reason for that: Anne is purposeful about how she hosts, whether that's holding a deep conversation about a guest's reading life in the studio, or fielding unexpected stories and a ton of laughs on stage in front of hundreds.

This episode is full of actionable takeaways that will help you improve your hosting — and enable you to move back and forth between the studio and live events, using very different skills, with equal success.

Plus, holiday gift-giving! I had SO much fun getting Anne’s personal recommendations for three books for the host or producer in your life. Scroll down for her recommendations!

Great podcast hosting takeaways from Anne Bogel, host of What Should I Read Next?

1. We may not think of it this way, but the word “host” comes from the word “hospitality.” Anne takes that literally. She and her team practice hospitality consciously. They do everything they can to make their guests feel welcome and at ease. That hospitality starts with the way they invite guests, to how they prepare them, to the ways in which Anne calms their nerves at the start of an interview. The result of such care shows in the relationships she builds with her guests – and, as a consequence, with devoted listeners. 

2. Anne practices hospitality in the manner that Priya Parker describes in her book The Art of Gathering. That means understanding and explaining the purpose of that gathering or interview at the very beginning. “It can feel silly at first to name your purpose,” she says. But it helps you and your guests immensely to answer: "What is our purpose in being here today, in having this conversation? What do we hope you take away from this?" Don’t let these important guideposts remain unspoken. 

3. You’re not the same host in a quiet studio as you are in front of a live audience. Or at least you shouldn’t be. Before you host an episode — or a live event — visualize how you want the audience to feel. As Anne says, the visual for a conversation with a single guest might be two people at a table leaning over their lattes. But the visual for a panel discussion in a room of hundreds of readers is expansive! As she put it, “Come on in. The water is warm! Big Momma’s shepherding! There’s room here for all of us, and we’re gonna have a ball.” They’re both positive kinds of energy, but they differ dramatically. 

4. Hosting a great roundtable requires different skills than hosting a conversation with a single person. It requires deft moderation, an ability to think like an orchestra conductor (and sometimes a tightrope walker) along with the diplomacy to manage several egos. Anne plans ahead to give guests equal time and to ensure a lively flow of conversation. She also thinks about how to inspire guests to tell stories that they haven’t told before, by artfully asking for specifics…like a memorable experience at a book club. And remember — sometimes that first story sets the tone for all the rest. 

About Anne Bogel

Anne Bogel is an author, the creator of the blog Modern Mrs Darcy, and host of What Should I Read Next? podcast and Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club. Anne loves talking to readers about their favorite books, reading struggles, and of course what they should read next. Anne lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband, four children, and a yellow lab named Daisy. Follow Anne on Instagram.

A note about Sound Judgment: We believe that no host does good work alone. All hosts rely on their producers, the hidden hands that enable a host to shine. We strive to give credit to producers whenever it’s possible to do so.

What Should I Read Next? episodes discussed on today's show: 
Ep 350: “Book mail keeps us together”
Ep 351 “Book Club Favorites: LIVE from Bookmarks!”

Anne’s holiday gift book recommendations for your favorite hosts and producers: 

1. The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker (discussed at 38:54)

2. Out on a Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio by Jessica Abel with forward by Ira Glass (39:29)

3. I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai, due out in February 2023 (40:13)

Help us find and celebrate today’s best hosts!
Who’s your Sound Judgment dream guest? Share them with us! Write us: allies@podcastallies.com. Because of you, that host may appear on Sound Judgment.

Sound Judgment is a production of Podcast Allies, LLC. 

Host: Elaine Appleton Grant

Project Manager: Tina Bassir

Sound Designer: Andrew Parella

Illustrator: Sarah Edgell

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