A reader emailed me the other day wanting to know about episode “popularity.” Could I provide a Top 10 list or some such thing.
As the program is now careening toward 400 episodes, it seems like a reasonable enough request.
And here I should add that my faith in podcast analytics is limited. (How does the software track everything? For real?) And obviously older episodes have something of a built-in advantage—or so I imagine—as they’ve been around for longer, and listeners have had more time to find them. Other episodes might have gotten linked online by a high-traffic site. Others still might have been particularly sticky on social media….There’s no real rhyme or reason to it. Luck plays a significant role, as does a writer’s Twitter following, et al.
And to be sure, this is not my list of personal favorites, or anything like that. (People often ask me if I have a favorite episode. It’s impossible to choose. And to be honest, having interviewed nearly 400 people, it can sometimes be difficult to remember who said what.)
What’s most interesting (and heartening) to me is how the list represents a wide swath of literary culture, a fascinating combination that ranges from award-winning, bestselling authors from big houses to young upstart debut writers from indie world.
Anyway, here’s a list of 50.
Please note that the most recent 50 episodes of the podcast are always available free of charge. Older episodes existing deeper in the archive are available for a pittance via Otherppl Premium. Please sign up for that. It’s a great way to support the show, and you get access to everything, all 361+ episodes—and counting. (For a fuller explanation of how Premium works, click on “Premium Access” up above in the menu bar.)
And so, without any further ado…
Top 50 Most Popular Episodes of Otherppl
1.) Episode 238 — Jennifer Michael Hecht
3.) Episode 253 — Spencer Madsen
5.) Episode 100 — George Saunders
7.) Episodes 180 & 181 — Tao Lin
8.) Episode 46 — Cheryl Strayed
9.) Episode 226 — Daniel Alarcón
11.) Episode 304 — Austin Kleon
13.) Episode 250 — Chris Parris-Lamb
15.) Episode 133 — Mira Gonzalez
17.) Episode 317 — Sheila Heti, Heidi Julavits, and Leanne Shapton
18.) Episode 212 — Jonathan Lethem
19.) Episode 141 — Kate Zambreno
20.) Episode 211 — Edwidge Danticat
20.) Episode 87 — Scott McClanahan
21.) Episode 188 — Lee Boudreaux
22.) Episode 96 — Steve Roggenbuck
24.) Episode 210 — Curtis Sittenfeld
25.) Episode 62 — Heidi Julavits
26.) Episode 195 — Adelle Waldman
27.) Episode 95 — Maria Semple
28.) Episode 340 — Chelsea Hodson
29.) Episode 220 — Chelsea Martin
30.) Episode 224 — Laura van den Berg
31.) Episode 51 — Lauren Groff
33.) Episode 191 — Elliott Holt
34.) Episode 112 — Lorin Stein
35.) Episode 228 — Claire Vaye Watkins
36.) Episode 1 — Jonathan Evison
37.) Episode 72 — Edgar Oliver
39.) Episode 160 — Giancarlo DiTrapano
40.) Episode 273 — Juliet Escoria
41.) Episode 99 — Elizabeth Ellen
44.) Episode 241 — Emily Gould
45.) Episode 209 — Tom Perrotta
46.) Episode 71 — Ben Fountain
48.) Episode 326 — Elizabeth McCracken
