Sci-Fi

Science fiction podcasts are some of the most omnipresent podcasts. Most of the popular podcasts started early in the lifespan of podcasting and have a loyal following. The reasoning seems obvious: Early adopters of most technologies are the kinds of geeks who enjoy sci-fi in the first place. Thus, they flock to the discussions of their genre.

Science fiction is one of the most varied genres of podcasting. From discussions on movies and comic books to dramatic presentations of fiction to advice for hopeful movie producers and writers, those who are passionate about speculative fiction have a lot to say, with a lot of people listening.

Note

The popular Escape Pod podcast is covered in the "The Written Word" section, later in this chapter, but could have just as easily been included here instead.

You only have to attend a sci-fi convention to realize that there are countless podcasting opportunities for sci-fi podcasts. With all the movies, TV shows, books, games, and comics that exist, there is something for everyone. And, like all the topics covered in this book, if you find something missing, then perhaps that shows you what your podcast topic should be. Table 3.13 includes a small but diverse list of podcasts that are available, along with information on The Sci-Fi Podcast Network (see Figure 3.7).

Figure 3.7. A listing of shows on The Sci-Fi Podcast Network.

Table 3.13. Popular Sci-Fi Podcasts

Host(s)	Podcast	Website URL
Tee Morris	Morevi: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana	www.teemorris.com/podcast
Les, Kari, et al.	The Signal	signal.serenityfirefly.com
Michael and Evo	The Dragon Page	www.dragonpage.com
Multiple	Sci-Fi Podcast Network	www.tsfpn.com

Morevi: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana

Tee Morris hosts and narrates one of the first sci-fi novels to be offered as a podcast, the abridged version of the book he co-authored, Morevi: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana. This podcast is PG-rated.

"I think the podcast for authors is a wonderful way for promotion and a wonderful, wonderful way of distribution, and also a great way to promote yourself to other publishers in case they are looking for something new. The idea for this came from when I was listening to the Dragon Page and my publisher around the same time said, 'Tee I want you to start thinking about innovative ways of promoting Legacy of Morevi,' which is the sequel to Morevi. And at that time I was already toying around the idea in my head of doing a podcast of Morevi. And I said, 'Here is my idea, what do you think?' And she gave me full permission to do it."

Tee Morris, Morevi: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana

The Signal

This show is hosted by Les and Kari, with major help from a large team of guest contributors. The show's peak was just prior to and during the launch of the movie Serenity. They were able to show the power of a grassroots movement through podcasting. The show is released about once every 2 weeks and has an average length of about 1 hour per episode. The show is PG-rated.

"The Signal is a fan-driven podcast that specifically is working as hard as it can to drum up publicity for the movie Serenity. So basically all we talk about is anything that is related to the movie and the [TV] show Firefly. The idea for The Signal actually started on one of the Firefly guerilla marketing forums; that is where we got our genesis. And we all just really like exploring the Firefly universe and things about it. And really the motto of The Signal and our purpose of being out there is to do whatever we can to see that more new Firefly is created in any format."

Les and Kari, The Signal

The Dragon Page

Michael R. Mennenga and Evo Terra, hosts of The Dragon Page, had two radio shows from their Arizona studios: one local call-in show and one nationally syndicated show that covers interviews with sci-fi authors. They began podcasting both shows in early October of 2004, which were early hits. After their live show was cancelled by the local radio station, they launched two more podcasts: Dragon Page Wingin' It, a variety show where they drink beer and introduce essays, stories, drama, poetry, and so on, that their listeners submit, and Slice of Sci-Fi, which had the audience backing of the Star Trek fandom. Although Slice of Sci-Fi (covered in depth in Chapter 1, "A Brief History of Podcasting") has by far the largest audience, a good many of their listeners are subscribed to all three shows through one feed. They've done much for the community, bringing in other genre podcasters and helping to promote several more.

The Sci-Fi Podcast Network

The Sci-Fi Podcast Network (TSFPN) launched in June 2005 in an attempt to bring all the best sci-fi programming together. Michael A. Stackpole, popular sci-fi/fantasy author and host of the instructional writing podcast, The Secrets (www.stormwolf.com/thesecrets/podcasts/), and writer Kat Klayborne put the network together. They welcome movie discussion, fiction presentation, dramatic presentation, and anything that touches on the spirit of the network. If you create a sci-fi podcast, this network is an excellent place to affiliate yourself with.

"When I started registering my podcast, The Secrets, I realized that every directory had a different system for categorizing things. The Secrets would be under SF because I'm an SF author, or Education, or Arts & Entertainment, or Audiobooks. As I was looking around I saw content that would be of interest to SF fans likewise scattered around. I decided we needed one place that collected that content. Moreover, we needed a directory that filtered for content. This is why TSFPN and all of the networks under the Podcast Entertainment Network umbrella are elite directories. We don't take all comers. We have minimum standards that everyone has to hit before we take them on. This way, anyone who comes to one of our directories knows that they're getting a high-quality, entertaining podcast, not just something chucked together with a bargain-bin microphone, no editing, and crappy sound or content."

Michael A. Stackpole, The Sci-Fi Podcast Network

Making of a Sci-Fi Podcast

Sci-fi podcasts are usually longer in nature, spanning around 1 hour. Like sci-fi fans, they reflect strong opinions and encourage community building. Most sci-fi podcasts have forums associated with them, encouraging their listeners to continue the discussion online.

Sci-fi podcasts have been innovative in that they were the first type of podcast to present the reading of original fiction material. The first three books serialized through podcast were all sci-fi in nature.