Knives Out! Podcast Fiction Vs The World

There’s a lot of drama in the podcast fiction world. And a lot of comedy. And while this genre of podcasting often times has the toughest time being accepted, it also enjoys perhaps the biggest collaborative spirit among creators and listeners alike.

March 3, 2020

Article

If you haven't listened to podcast fiction yet, you are really missing out. I am a huge fan of podcast fiction. Yes. I listen to news programs, sports programs, some comedy podcasts, interview shows, solo presenters, and in-depth investigative journalism. I sample the full buffet which podcasting provides.

But podcast fiction is probably my favorite genre.

If you're thinking today’s podcast fiction is simply a resurgence of audio drama 1930s radio, you have the wrong assumption. While podcast fiction certainly can replicate that style, today’s podcast fiction scene is much more broad and rich than that.

Amazing soundscapes transport you to a new world. Well-placed sound effects put you in the middle of the scene. Really talented voice actors make characters come alive. Solo storytellers show you their world as they intended you to hear it. Large-casts and small casts work together to weave incredibly complex and compelling tales.

Yes, the space is heavily dominated by science fiction and fantasy. But there's every kind of podcast fiction imaginable, from general-interest fiction to niche productions of interest to the LGBTQ community, and more!

No matter what kind of fiction you like, there’s probably a podcast fiction production out there for you. I encourage you to go find it and have a listen. It is wonderful entertainment. Even if you don’t read fiction, you probably watch fiction on TV or at the movies. If that’s you, try out some podcast fiction. You’ll love it.

But things aren’t perfect in the world of podcast fiction. The genre is oftentimes misunderstood (or underestimated) by other podcasters and those who cover podcasting alike. It’s that last group that’s been a constant problem: a journalist is assigned to write about podcast fiction because their editor tells them to. Neither of them really understand the space, but they’ve a deadline to meet. So they do a cursory glance, regurgitate incorrect assumptions made by others, and put a half-assed piece out to the world that perpetuates the problem. Boo.

Inside the larger podcasting community, producers of podcast fiction constantly struggle to have their voices heard and gain acceptance. Not out of malice, but usually out of ignorance. Podcast fiction is so different than the rest of podcasting, it’s easiest for many to focus in on what seems familiar and ignore what seems weird and alien. (Sometimes literally!)

That's why I'm taking a full episode of Podcast Pontifications to elevate the profile of podcast fiction to you, the working podcaster, who might not have been exposed to it yet. No, I’m not a producer of podcast fiction. I have, however, played a role in helping podcast fiction spread since… well, the beginning of my tenure in podcasting, which goes back nearly 16 years.

However, there are some problems and challenges in the world of podcast fiction. There are many issues that plague podcast fiction that contributes to its ongoing ostracization. Let me detail a few of them:

Some podcast fiction sucks

An oft-cited problem with podcast fiction has to do with issues of quality. If you randomly sample a piece of podcast fiction, there’s a non-zero chance that your encounter will be with something that’s decidedly not-great. While very good works of podcast fiction do exist, that can’t be said of all podcast fiction.

But why is that surprising to you? Examine any creative endeavor, and you’ll find the same thing. Sturgeon’s Law always applies to everything. Ask a friend who’s in a creative writing group and (if they’re honest) they’ll admit that some stories shared oftentimes aren't great. My wife won’t let me go to open mic nights where musicians hop up on stage and play for the crowd, because of the constant cringing I can’t keep off my face. Nor can I go to a local comedy club because I’m turned-off of the entire night if I don’t find a single act all that funny.

But that's just me and my asshole-like qualities that make me an impatient consumer of content. That writing group is packed with people -- often the same people -- every single week. People on stage at open mic night are met with encouraging crowds who sing along and clap at the end. And the local comedy club is packed with people laughing and having a lovely night out.

I may not find the content to my liking, but that doesn't invalidate the entire system. It just means I’m a picky bastard.

Podcast fiction is overlooked by advertisers

As ad revenue continues to pour into podcasting, producers of podcast fiction are often locked out. There are a number of reasons given for this behavior, but I think it all boils down to this: The people who sell advertising on podcasts don't know about podcast fiction. Or if they do, they don't understand the different listening behavior of fans of podcast fiction vs those who listen to “normal” podcasts.

But those ad salespeople need to get over that, as they're missing a golden opportunity. What makes podcast advertising a better buy than other forms of media? The live host read. And who better to do a live host read than people who make fiction come to life! When actors and writers incorporate the ad into the story, it ceases to become an ad and just becomes content.

Podcast fiction is hard to make

Like, really hard. And it starts with the writing stage. Writing content that is to be consumed via ears-only is very different than writing content that will be consumed either on-screen or on the page. Those giant paragraphs that make an author sound really smart in a book or article don't work as well in the audio-only world. The clever dialog that a screenwriter knows will work on-screen thanks to a talented director of photography isn’t really an option when the audience isn’t using their eyes to assist with the audio.

Then there's the process of actually making those words come alive in audio. Finding talented actors. Working with sound engineers. Applying the right scoring. It's a giant amount of work at every step of the process of making great podcast fiction. I’m amazed people even try.

So what can podcasters who do not do podcast fiction learn from the podcast fiction community? I think there's a lot we can learn about the process of and work behind making great audio, sure. But I think our biggest takeaway should be comradery.

If you spend any time with the people who make podcast fiction, at a podcast conference, in a local group, or even online, you’ll realize that these people genuinely love each other. They are incredibly supportive, lifting each other up when they deserve (and need) to be lifted. They are as tight-knit of a community as I have seen in podcasting. If fact, I’d say they are the most tight-knit community in all genres of podcasting.

So even if you are not making podcast fiction, I highly recommend trying to spend some time with makers of podcast fiction. Go to their meetups. Sit in the audience of their panels and talks at podcast conferences. And pay close attention to the community around them to see that comradery in action.

And no, I’m not ending on a “What can the podcast fiction community learn from us?” note. Because I'm pretty sure that one less old white man telling the podcast fiction creator community what they should be doing would be a good thing.

Instead, I’ll ask you and your own circle of podcasting friends to check out some great podcast fiction. I maintain a list of podcast fiction productions that I really enjoy on Podchaser called Evo-licious Podcast Fiction. Rest assured that the quality of each show on my list is top-notch. And yes, you can send me your recommendations of other podcast fiction shows I should try out and consider adding to my shared list.

I shall be back tomorrow with yet another Podcast Pontifications.

Cheers!

Transcript

There's a lot of drama in the podcast fiction world and a lot of comedy. Now, while this genre of podcasting oftentimes has the toughest time being excepted, it also enjoys perhaps the biggest collaborative spirit among all creators and listeners alike.

Hello and welcome to another podcast. Pontifications with me. Evo Terra. If you haven't listened to podcast fiction yet, you are really missing out. I am a huge fan of podcast fiction. Yes. I listened to the news stories and I've even listened to a sports program and some comedies and lots of talky talk back and forth and in depth investigative journalism.

But I'm telling you, this podcast fiction thing is really kind of cool. Now, if you're thinking that it's, Oh, it's just audio drama, it's just repurposed from the 1930s radio. No, actually that's not, that's not what it is at all. It certainly can be if that's what someone is trying to replicate, but it's a much.

Wider playing field than that with full cast audio dramas that are being produced on a regular basis with amazing soundscaping sound effects. Really talented voice actors. There are solo efforts where one person narrates and reads a piece of fiction oftentimes that they have written small cast.

Everything in between. Whatever the podcast fiction is, science fiction. Sure. Lots of scifi and fantasy, but there's every kind of fiction, just regular fiction for regular people. There's a lot of fiction out there that's good for the LGBTQ community. There's fiction for everyone out there on podcasting, and I encourage you to go find it and have a listen because it is wonderful entertainment.

Listen, if you'd like to read and you like to watch TV, and I'm talking specifically about fiction. Fiction television series, fictional books that you read, go to the movies that are fiction. Check out podcast fiction. You will be blown away by what is out there in the marketplace. I promise you. Now, title of the show says podcasts fiction versus the world because podcast fiction oftentimes gets skewered.

It oftentimes is misunderstood. And there is seems to me that there is a constant bubbling of, I don't understand this thing, but I've been assigned to write about this thing. So here goes approach for many of the journalists that are either in the space or getting into this space right now. And it's, it's kind of a, a big challenge.

And that's why it's versus the world, because podcast fiction people. Constantly struggle to have their voice heard by the larger podcasting community and just generally gain acceptance overall. And that's a problem. And that's why I'm pointing out to you that you should go try to listen to some podcast fiction so you can have a better understanding of what it's about.

Now. Let's get some some realities of things. There are some problems in the world of podcast fiction. There certainly are there. I would, I would be lying if I said that everything was perfect and fine and the biggest issue that plagues podcast fiction, in my opinion, as a person who is not a podcast fiction producer.

However. I have had some influence on podcast fiction in the early days. I, we're not going to go into that, but the biggest problem that I see with podcasts fiction today revolves around issues of quality. Yeah. Just because a podcast fiction series is out there doesn't mean that it's great. And in fact, if you randomly sample various pieces of podcast fiction, you will likely find some, not great content, but.

That's the same way any creative endeavor works out, right? I mean, when's the last time you went to a writing group? A creative writing group where people, usually small groups of people, sometimes large, either in person or online, get together and share their work. Those stories oftentimes aren't great and mine, my opinion, right?

They're not. Have you been doing open mic night. We're musicians, hop up on stage and play. All right? If I go to one of those things, I'm usually cringing when I hear the voice or I see this person playing the guitar. I can't even go to a local comedy club because you know, I'm looking for some comedy and the ostensibly, that's what's up there, but I didn't find that all that funny.

Okay. I said all that, but that's just me. The people at that writing group, they go every single week. The people who sit in that open mic night are clapping and singing along and encouraging people. Same thing for the comedy club. People are laughing, they're having a great time, but just because I personally am not, doesn't invalidate the entire system, and in fact, it just means maybe that's not for me.

And that's, Oh, another problem with podcast fiction is they're often locked out from the advertising boon that many podcasts are seeing these days. That's for a number of reasons. Primarily because the people who sell the advertising on podcasts don't really know about podcast fiction and don't understand the very different nature of listening to a piece of fiction on podcasts as opposed to a news or interview type show.

But at the same time, I think they're missing the boat because what's the one type of advertising that podcasts. Went out over radio and other areas. That's the live host read. Who better to do a live host read than people who were making fiction than the act doors who are behind the microphones. That's great stuff.

You can incorporate that live read into the story. It's wonderful. Another problem with podcast fiction is that it's a lot of hard, hard work. Listen, just from the writing stage. Writing content that is to be consumed via the ears only is very different than writing content that will be consumed either with eyes on screen or eyes on page.

Giant paragraphs that make you sound really smart and print. Don't work in the audio world. The things that you think might make a lot of sense on screen don't work when we don't have our eyes to work with it. It's just our ears. That's just the writing. Then there's the process of actually making it, finding talented actors to do it, finding someone to sound, it's a giant, giant amount of work.

So what can we learn? Those of us that do not do podcast fiction, what can we learn from the podcast fiction community? I think there's a lot we can learn, but are Allston the biggest thing to me, centers around comradery. If you spend any time at a podcast conference or in a, the local groups where the podcast fiction people hang out.

These people genuinely love each other. They are supportive. They've lift each other up when it needs to be lifted. They are happy to sing the praises. They are as tight knit of the community as I have seen in podcasting. Way more in my opinion, than the other genres of podcasters. So even if you are not making podcast fiction, if there's a podcast fiction group in your area, I highly recommend trying to find them, spend some time with them at the next conference you go to where there will be podcast fiction tracks.

Go sit. Listen, don't cringe. Just sit and listen and watch the community around them. And I guess I'm tempted to leave with this. What can they learn from us? Yeah, right. I'm not about to go there. Right. Cause I'm pretty sure that one less old white man telling these people who create podcast fiction what they should be doing would be a good thing.

So no, I will not do that. I will ask you however, to let me and your fellow podcasters know what your favorite podcast fiction. Is I maintain a list of shows that I really enjoy on pod chaser. I will include a link to my pod chaser list. It's called evil licious podcast fiction. Very good quality podcast fiction.

That'll be in the episode details here in the app. What you're listening to right now, as well as on the webpage, share that idea with your friends. Have your other fellow podcasters. Think about, well, I think about, actually listen to some podcast fiction. Share some ideas with them, so send them a link to this episode and say, Hey, Eva says we should be listening to podcasts fiction.

I think it should be this one. Let's see if we can get some more understanding of the podcast fiction out amongst us and help knock down some of these problems. That's it. I shall be back tomorrow with yet another podcast on suffocation. Cheers.

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