Hey there word nerds!

You might be doing a double-take right now because this episode is airing on a Thursday and not on Wednesday like our usual schedule. In fact, this is a bonus episode to celebrate the 5-year anniversary of DIY MFA.

That's right… exactly five years ago today, we announced this podcast to the world. Since then, we have released a new episode every single Wednesday like clockwork. It's been a wild and crazy ride and I am so happy and grateful that you're celebrating this podcast-iversary with me!

In the last five years, we've hit some major milestones. We are at 265 episodes (and counting!) and we hit the top of the iTunes New & Notable Arts section in our second week.

I've had the pleasure of interviewing over 200 authors, editors, agents and industry professionals. These interviews have run the gamut: from debuts to bestsellers and award-winners representing pretty much every major genre award, as well as Pulitzer Prize winner. Last year I even conducted my first official celebrity interview. (Insert fangirl squeal here.)

If you're a DIY MFA super-fan you'll probably notice something else if you look closely at our line-up. Very few of our interviews are repeats with the same guest. This is because we have such a long waiting list to get authors on the show that we had to start limiting the number of times an author could come back.

In fact, this is one of the reasons I created the Writer Igniter Summit Series, as a way to feature some of my favorite authors multiple times. In this half-decade of podcasting, I've had a chance to interview some of my personal literary heroes, and it has truly been a rewarding experience.

Which brings me to lessons learned.

In this episode I discuss

• Why it's so important to commit and be consistent
• How to lead with value to connect with listeners
• All about systems and why they are so vital for success
• Making podcasting easy--on your guests and yourself!

For more info and shownotes: DIYMFA.com/265