TheBookseller.com – 16th July, 2015

By Charlotte Eyre

Penguin Random House is today (16th July) re-launching The Penguin Podcast with a series of programmes about the objects that inspire authors, hosted by actor Richard E Grant.

In each 30-minute episode of “The Penguin Podcast: Author Notes”, Grant will talk to authors about five objects that shaped their writing. The first author, Kate Atkinson, will reveal the inspiration behind A God in Ruins, including an antique silver hare she has had since childhood, and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.

Atkinson said she was “delighted” to be the first author to take part in Author Notes. “It was a rich and enjoyable experience talking about the writing process with Richard. I’m a strong supporter of audio. My father was blind so I well recognise that reading books is not possible for everyone.”

Other authors taking part are Bridget Christie (5th August), Pat Barker (26th August), Meera Syal (16th September) and Paula Hawkins (7th October).

Penguin hopes the new podcast will recreate a “festival-like experience” for listeners.

“This launch marks an ambitious new era in podcasting for us at Penguin Random House UK,” said audio publisher Videl Bar-Kar. “More and more listeners are turning to audio because it’s convenient, it makes stories even more accessible, and it satisfies the time-poor consumer’s fear of missing out on the latest book.

“The Penguin Podcast: Author’s Notes reinvents the way listeners discover stories and it is the perfect companion listen to the audiobook.”

The podcast is produced by Somethin’ Else, a content business that specialises in creating long-term content strategies that build audiences of fans for brands and broadcasters.

The relaunch of Penguin’s podcast come soon after the publisher hired BBC Radio 4’s former commissioning editor Caroline Raphael.

Raphael is now editorial director of audio, reporting to Bar-Kar.