Podcasting – Another Outlet

I believe that finding markets for my work is as hard as the actual writing is; maybe harder. I labor for hours or days on a short story and then I have to research the constantly changing markets to determine where it’s going to fit best.

Many authors have turned to podcasting as a market for what they write. To some authors, the term podcast is scary and mysterious. But it doesn’t have to be. Think of podcasting as nothing more than an audio book, because that’s really what it is. It’s a recording of you, or someone else, reading your story and that recording is available from computers over the Internet.

You don’t have to have an iPod to enjoy listening to podcasts. And you don’t need an elaborate recording studio to create a podcast. If you’re reading this article, then chances are you already have much of the equipment you would need to create a podcast already.

But before you go out and start recording your stories and posting them on your website, there are a few things to consider. First, do you want to start your own podcast, or do you want to submit your story to a market that is already in the business of creating podcasts? Either is okay. Authors like Scott Sigler, Mur Lafferty, J.C. Hutchins and many others have decided to create their own individual brands and market their own material. Sometimes their podcasts are standalone short stories or they could be serialized novels. But the key phase is “create their own individual brands.” Are you prepared to do the marketing necessary to drive traffic to your podcasts? If so, great! But it isn’t for the faint of heart.

Other markets like The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine, Pseudopod, and The Drabblecast accept submissions from authors and turn them into podcasts. These markets generally focus on short stories rather than serialized novels.

And there’s one other thing about podcasts – you can add some special effects to make the listening experience even richer and more entertaining. It reminds me of the old-time radio shows that I used to listen to on Sunday nights. I can remember radio episodes of Gunsmoke that were so good I could actually visualize what was happening.

So if you are unfamiliar with podcasts and podcasting, check out some of the links I’ll provide at the end of this article. If you like audio books, I think you’re going to like podcasts. And if you do have an iPod or another type of .mp3 player, you can download the podcasts and take them with you. I like to listen to them on my way to work the way that others listen to audio books on CD.

Stay tuned for additional articles on how to create a podcast.

~Doug McIntire
http://www.dougmcintire.com/

http://dunesteef.com/ - The Dunesteef Audio Fiction Magazine
http://pseudopod.org/ - Pseudopod
http://web.me.com/normsherman/Site/Podcast/Podcast.html - The Drabblecast
http://www.scottsigler.com/ - Scott Sigler’s Podcast
http://murverse.com/ - Mur Lafferty’s Podcast
http://jchutchins.net/ - J.C. Hutchins’ Podcast