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).

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

www.scottsigler.net

Mur Lafferty

Geek Fu Action Grip

www.geekfuactiongrip.com

Paul S. Jenkins

The Rev Up Review

www.rev-up-review.co.uk


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 Warscolored glasses, so she decided to start podcasting her essays in December 2004.

"Geek Fu is part audioblog and part game or comic review podcast, with an essay thrown in at the end. It's usually covering something geeky like how it is extremely odd to be pregnant when you're a sci-fi fan and all you can think about is Alien and the radiation-inspired sci-fi of the '40s, but I've branched the essays into whatever is on my mind, including how it was surprising that liberals lashed out against each other after the 2004 elections. I have even branched out into podcasting my own fiction. My listeners are very involved with the podcast, and lately I've been featuring guest essays."

Mur Lafferty, Geek Fu Action Grip


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.

"I read speculative fiction, and I also write it. I continue to include my own fiction in The Rev-Up Review because I feel it adds value and variety to the show, and it gives listeners some insight into my preferences as a reviewer. It also reminds them that I'm a writer, which is one of the essential purposes behind the show. It may sometimes be blatant, and sometimes subtle, but The Rev-Up Review is a vehicle for promoting myself as a writer, while at the same time providing useful, engaging content. The fiction installments create continuity from one show to the next, encouraging listeners to stay subscribed."

Paul S. Jenkins, The Rev-Up Review


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.




Tricks of the Podcasting Masters
Tricks of the Podcasting Masters
ISBN: 0789735741
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2006
Pages: 162

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