I’ve seen a few “Here’s how to support writers” posts, so here’s one for your friendly neighbourhood podfic people!
Podfic is more well-known these days, but in case you haven’t come across it: think of it as fan-made audiobooks for fic.
If you like podfic and would like to help the people who make it make more of it, here are a few easy tips and tricks:
How to support podficcers as a writer:
Post a permission statement somewhere public! That can be your AO3 profile, your tumblr bio, the tags of your works… Preferably all of the above! You don’t have to give “Blanket Permission,” it can be an “ask first but I’ll probably say yes” or an “leave a comment and I will decide on a case-by-case basis” statement. Or even a “Blanket no” statement, which will spare the podficcers the time and energy to track you down and ask you, only to be told no thank you. If you want to be asked, though, make sure you specify an up-to-date way to contact you.
Share the podfic! If someone makes podfic of your work, the most helpful thing you can do as a writer is share it: accept the related work notification and
add the “podfic & podficced works” tag
on AO3, but especially
share the link on Twitter,
reblog the podficcer’s post, etc. You don’t have to rec the podfic or even listen if you don’t want to-it’s not expected of you! You don’t have to say anything but “Look, this exists!” Your audience as a writer is almost always much bigger than the podficcer’s own audience, so by sharing the post with your followers, you will help increase the podfic’s visibility and chances of getting feedback, which in turn will probably motivate the podficcer or inspire other podficcers to record more of your stories/your fandom.
How to support podficcers as a listener:
Give feedback! If you think writers get little reward for their efforts, oh boy do I have news for you about podficcers. There’s a bunch of reasons why it’s logistically harder to leave feedback on podfic (we’ve all downloaded and listened to something & then… forgot to come back….), and readers sometimes don’t know what to say. If you’re looking for inspiration or a place to start, here are some ideas for leaving podfic feedback: Podfic Feedback Toolbox by KLB, and some useful vocabulary to comment on podfic by yue_ix. Feedback on podfic is so rare that I guarantee you that every single kudos notification, comment, tweet, squeeing tags on a reblog, ask or
nice AO3 bookmark
is cherished forever.
Share the podfic and/or rec it! Maybe new people will be intrigued and give it a try, which will increase the demand, which will motivate your current podficcers and attract new ones, you know the drill.
In general, the more podfic-positive and responsive a fandom, the more podficcers will be attracted to it. So if you love podfic and would like there to be more… You know what you have to do :p
And if you’re new to the idea of podfic and don’t know where to start: There are more than 22,000 on AO3 right now, in a multitude of fandoms, ratings, lengths, voices and styles. You can usually stream them right on the page, and you can always download them to listen to later. It’s never been easier to have a fluffy ficlet keep you company while you do the dishes or to have someone tell you your favourite AU as a bedtime story.
And that’s it for me! Please share this post and feel free to add your own tips or ask questions if you have any. :D Thank you for reading!
I am a man on a mission, and that mission is reintroducing podficcing into the fanfiction community. Tell your friends.
(I spent 30 minutes typing out a text transcription and then Tumblr completely ate it and I saw white for a second so I’ll add an image description once I’ve calmed down)
I don’t have the energy for a really good transcript of all the adorable drawings but I can give you the words. <3 Sorry for not better accessibility but my energy is really low this morning.
I like podfics.
Cute image of someone listening to headphones happily.
Lemme talk about them for a second.
What is a podfic?
Podfic is an audio recording of fanfic, read aloud by a fan (or several). The term is also used as a verb; someone may ask to podfic
someone else’s story, or spend an afternon podficcing. A podfic of a slash story may be called podslash. Podfic is also known as audiofic.
Cute image of someone reading at a microphone. Speech bubble reads
“It’s like a bedtime story, feachuring Sasuke Uchiha!.”
Text continues: what’s so great about podfics?
Fanfics are great!!
Hours and hours of free entertainment & community connections!
But reading just isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
Audio formats let you enjoy your favorite stories in the car, doing chores, or just relaxing!
More content = more exposure for authors
ACCESSABILITY
For - Visually impared fans, fans with dyslexia, fans with no time to read, fans who just don’t enjoy reading, AND MUCH MORE!
MY DREAM
More podfics!!
I am looking into recording opportunities for myself and orgamizing projects dedicated to the art of podficcing! stay tuned! and make more podfics pwease.
Is there an AO3 tag for “yes yes podfic my stuff”?
Good news, friends! There isn’t a specific tag on ao3*, but you CAN add a permission statement to your profile! (and/or add your name to the Blanket Permission List. You can read more about this here*, here, and here.) Adding a permission statement is the best way to indicate that you’re podfic-friendly!
If you’re interested in making podfic, please, do! I used this tutorial when I was getting started, and found it useful as a jumping off point. I would recommend starting with something 2k or less for your first project (and from an author with blanket permission, if asking permission is what is holding you back). If you get stuck or have questions, consider checking out the podficcer discord. The podfic community is small, but very helpful and encouraging.
And to all those who enjoy podfic, please show your podficcers some love! (Kudos and kind comments are always, always appreciated.)
busy for the day, but you hit me with a “i love you, but i need to do some work today, so I wont reply for a while” message? mmmm sext!!
gonna be distant for a while because of something personal, but took the time to send me a “dont worry it’s not about you but i need some personal time rn” text? ill be looking at wedding rings, while you get yourself where you need to be!!
basically, you don’t need grand gestures or to be present and available 24/7 to relay to someone that they are wildly important to you… you just need considerate fractions of moments and communication.
a gentle reminder that you did well this year. you met new people, learned new things and felt new feelings. you did so many things that made you scared. you picked yourself up off the floor after feeling completely defeated or heartbroken. there were some really tough nights but you survived them all. you made people happy just by existing. you accepted many goodbyes but the serendipitous meetings made up for them. it was your own hard work that paid off but you always downplay it or compare yourself to others. that’s not fair on yourself. you’ve come so far from the first day of this year. you have more wisdom and strength now. yes, other people seem more “successful” but does that even matter? please don’t think so lowly of yourself to only think about your failures. 2018 was your year of growth. I hope you take a moment to be kind to yourself, and believe that 2019 will be even better.
There’s a reason why Moana was neck-to-neck with Frozen’s record at the box office, Hidden Figures made more at the box office than Rogue One, and Ms. Marvel, Monstress and the upcoming America are bringing more fans to comics.
There’s incredible power in not only seeing yourself reflected in media, but seeing that representation done right as well. It reminds you that your experiences are worth being treated with respect, that there are more choices open to you than you might think, and that you can be seen as a whole person, not just through the flattened lens of white supremacy. Luke Cage broke Netflix because so many people were watching the series, after all (and yet frustratingly, predictably, Marvel decided to ignore every lesson from Luke Cage’s success in making Iron Fist but that’s a rant for another day).
Escapism isn’t truly escapism when you keep finding the same microaggressions, erasure, and stereotypes in the stories you love and are trying to escape into, and we ignore this truth at our peril because it’s never “just a story.
