This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
The Written Word
Although most podcasts are original material of the podcaster, only a few hosts actually choose to read their own writing in podcast form. This is beyond just writing a script for the podcast; considerable work must go into the production, reading, and sometimes even sound effects. This area goes into reading your own essays, stories, or even novels (see Figure 3.9).
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Figure 3.9 Scott Sigler's website for Earthcore and Ancestor is much more than just a site dedicated to promoting his books.
We cover the detailed reasons for and history of podcasting one's writing later in the book in Chapter 9, "The Audible Written Word," but for now we'll just discuss those writing podcasts listed in Table 3.17.
Table 3.17. Popular Writing Podcasts
|
Host(s) |
Podcast |
Website URL |
|
Scott Sigler |
Earthcore, Ancestor and Infection |
|
|
Mur Lafferty |
Geek Fu Action Grip |
|
|
Paul S. Jenkins |
The Rev Up Review |
Earthcore, Ancestor, and Infection
Author Scott Sigler was the first person to podcast a story that had not seen publication elsewhere. His novel Earthcore rocked the podcast world, an adventure/sci-fi novel that held nearly 10,000 listeners entranced through the half-year production. He followed it up by reading Ancestor, his second podcasted novel, and then his third, Infection.
Geek Fu Action Grip
Mur Lafferty (co-author of this book) was a writer who was unable to find an outlet for her essays that focused mostly on her geeky lifestyle. Most essay outlets were not interested in her view of the world through Star Wars–colored glasses, so she decided to start podcasting her essays in December 2004.
The Rev-Up Review
Paul S. Jenkins has a well-thought-out podcast that features everything from his review of the latest sci-fi (either on page or screen) to pod-safe music. His views are polite, honest, and unapologetic of the things he sees and reads, from the newest Hollywood movie to the latest serialized fiction from other podcasters. Each podcast ends with a piece of his original fiction.
The Microphone Is Mightier Than the Sword
The number of people recording and releasing their writing via podcast has grown greatly (well, like podcasting has in general). Authors are getting more comfortable with releasing their work, in part due to the Creative Commons License (see Appendix B, "Creative Commons Explained"). Professional authors such as Cory Doctorow and James Patrick Kelly are also getting involved, paving the way for more professionals to give away their work via podcast for greater gain in the long run. We discuss this topic more in Chapter 9.