Podster Gabrielle Guerra

RETURN OF PODSTER!

Shelf Media Group's digital magazine about podcasts and podcasters.

By The Book.

BY KRISTEN MEINZER & JOLENTA GREENBERG

About the Podcast

BY THE BOOK is half reality show, half self-help podcast, and one wild social experiment. In each episode we choose a different self help book to live by - following every rule, down to the letter - to find out which ones might actually be life changing.

Join comedian Jolenta Greenberg and culture critic Kristen Meinzer as they live by the rules of a different self-help book each episode to figure out which ones might actually be life changing.

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BY GABBY GUERRA

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BY THE BOOK.

BY KRISTEN MEINZER & JOLENTA GREENBERG

READ THE INTERVIEW ON THE NEXT PAGE.

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TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF/ SELVES.

BTB: I'm Kristen Meinzer, and along with Jolenta Greenberg, I host the podcast By The Book. On each episode of the show, we choose a different selfhelp book to live by, and follow it to the letter for two weeks straight while recording ourselves, so you can hear how each book enhances or destroys our lives (and marriages). Jolenta is a bit of a self-help enthusiast and a comedian by trade. I'm what you would call a selfhelp skeptic and I'm a culture critic by trade. Together, we offer a perspective on the self-help industry (and our broader cultural values and aspirations) that are personalized, road-tested, and oftentimes hilarious.

HOW DID YOU GET STARTED WITH BY THE BOOK?

BTB: Jolenta had the idea years ago, when we were both working at the same radio station. She was the department's part-time administrative assistant (on top of being a comedian), and part of her job was going through all the incoming mail, which always included stacks of self-help books from publicists who wanted press coverage. Meanwhile, I was the staff culture producer and on-air film and TV critic. Jolenta approached me and asked if I'd want to host a show together trying on self-help books, with her comedic approach and my critical approach. We realized while trying to make the pilot that it would just be too much work for two people. We'd need a producer for sure. So we tabled the idea. But then I started working at a different company - a podcasting company called Panoply that was a spinoff of Slate. They had an open call for podcast ideas. I pitched them Jolenta's idea, and entitled it "By The Book" in my presentation. They were intrigued. The rest is history.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PODCAST?

BTB: We refer to it as a reality show in audio form. And while we often tap into painful issues (abuse, sexism, classism, racism, mental health), we also make clear that it's a comedy podcast.

WHAT’S THE MOST CHALLENGING AND MOST SATISFYING PART OF RUNNING A PODCAST?

BTB: The most satisfying part of any show I've hosted (I've now hosted 10+) is the relationship with the listeners. We do our best in my shows to let them know we value them, and several of my shows (including By The Book), have

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episodes completely dedicated to their feedback. The most challenging part is probably the work that happens when the microphones are off: research, editing, promotion, etc. Before we even hit the record button, Jolenta and I have already put dozens of hours into each episode of By The Book.

HOW DID YOU START OUR AND GROW YOUR AUDIENCE?

BTB: Panoply's marketing and promotion team arranged for some press coverage and promo swaps with other shows early on (promo swaps are when a show will play our trailer on their show, and we'll play theirs). In addition to that, Jolenta and I made as many appearances on other podcasts as we could, starting with those at Slate and Panoply. We're now on season 9 of the show, and I still regularly pitch myself to other podcasts, radio shows, and TV shows as a guest. Last year (which was pretty typical for me in terms of promotion), I made nearly 100 appearances on other shows, in print, and at conferences.

WHAT’S ONE OF YOUR FAVORITE EPISODES?

BTB: I love the episodes when things go completely off the rails - not because we're living by the book wrong, but because we're doing everything EXACTLY as the book says. For insight into this, I recommend our episode on The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up!

WHAT IS YOUR UPLOADING SCHEDULE, AND WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM THE WORST BESTSELLERS IN THE UPCOMING MONTHS?

BTB: We usually have two seasons of By The Book per year. In each season we live by eight books (those are our "main" episodes). We also release an "epilogue" episode after each "main" episode (which consists of feedback from listeners who've also read the book, questions, criticisms, etc. as well as announcing the next book). Between seasons, we have bonus episodes, which include season wrap-ups, sit-downs with our husbands, interviews with authors, and lots of other fun topics related to the show.

WHERE CAN LISTENERS FIND BY THE BOOK?

BTB: We're on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and every other podcast platform in existence!