Free your media!

From Podiobooker:

How free media brought in $4.2 million in sales

by Evo

It’s not a giant leap to draw parallels between indie musicians and authors. To wit; I’d like to introduce you to Corey Smith, a new personal hero of mine. He gives his music away for free on his site. And he sells that music — the very same music — on iTunes. When he takes his free music down, his sales on iTunes go down.

That bears repeating. When he takes his free music down, his sales on iTunes go down.

Cory is now making his living as a musician, resulting in gross receipts of $4.2 million last year. Most of that cash comes from concerts. Tickets to those shows go for $5. As in, five dollars.

So let’s go over this again:

• He gives his music away for free, or you can buy it

He uses no-brainer pricing to make his concerts accessible to just about everyone. And all of their friends

Phase Three: Profit.

Read the story on TechDirt. Then see if you can think of any ways YOU can work in this brave new world. I hope a few authors and publishing houses are paying attention.

---
Scott Sigler goes by this philosophy too, as well as the Monty Python gang. I know personally I find myself more inclined to purchase something even after listening to it for free, if for nothing else to support the artist.

It's TV Turnoff Week!

The perfect week to introduce your child to some great podcasts/audio dramas!

* Giddio Audio Adventures for Kids, featuring Billy Brown the Bear.
* Bedtime Stories My Kids Love Podcast, featuring the Adventures of The Man In The Can
* The Radio Adventures of Dr. Floyd, which most of the readers know is for the kid in ALL of us!

As for you big kids, you're not off the hook either. How are YOU spending TV Turnoff week? (Yes, you can record your favorite TV goodies like The Office- it will be there next week. Besides, that's Thursday so you don't have long to wait.)

I'm going to check out Chasing The Bard, and I've also been catching up on Metamor City too.

Put that remote DOWN!

State of the Podiobook

The latest episode of fellow-addict Chris Moody's PodioMedia Chat features Tee Morris- who is also the first to have a second appearance on the show!

Now, they could have chatted about Morevi: Remastered. They could have chatted about the Podcasting for Dummies Podcast and book. They even could have chatted about the Survival Guide To Writing Fantasy.
So many things to cover, and what do they talk about?

Scott Sigler.


(All right, they talk about the other things too!)

Lazy Sunday Fun!

It's a rare, rainy day here in the desert, so I'm killing some time and plugging different terms into this slogan generator.

How Many Licks Does it Take to Get to the Center of an Audio Drama?

Enter a word for your own slogan:

Generated by the Advertising Slogan Generator, for all your slogan needs. Get more Audio Drama slogans.

I've plugged in "podiobooks" and a few others. Have fun! :-D

Podiobook Double-Hitter

Two Podiobooks you should definitely add to your playlist! One all ready 13 chapters in (my favorite/lucky number!) and the other has just begun (Although Metamor has several fabulous short stories in its feed).

Murder At Avedon Hill by P.G Holyfield:

Lord Avedon has a problem. Generations of Avedons have watched over Avedon Hill and controlled the only pass through the Lantis Mountains. Traditions are important to the Avedon family, but one tradition has tragically come to an end. Gretta Platt, Housemistress of Avedon Manor, has been murdered. A member of the Platt family has always served the Avedons as Housemistress… until now.Only a handful of people live at Avedon Hill, and most are suspects. Arames Kragen, retired Aarronic Advisor and scholar of prophecy, arrives at the gates of Avedon Hill, hoping to gain access to the mountain pass. Lord Avedon is not in a giving mood, however…This is the story of Arames Kragen and his attempt not only to discover who killed Gretta Platt, but also to uncover the truth about a town that apparently has more secrets than inhabitants.


Metamor City: Making the Cut by Christopher Lester

The Metamor City Podcast features short stories and novels set in an
urban fantasy world where spells and cyberpunk collide. 1300 years have
passed since the Dark Wizard Nasoj placed a curse on the people of
Metamor Valley, twisting their bodies and minds in the hope of making them his servants. They didn't bow so easily. Now, Metamor governs a benevolent empire that spans half a continent. What was once a rural valley with one large castle has become a towering metropolis of fifteen million people, with four layers of magically-suspended roads and
buildings that rise hundreds of meters into the sky. The Curse is under control -- mostly -- but the people of Metamor are far from safe. In the shadows of Metamor's glittering spires, beneath the glamour and glory of the Jewel of the North, dark things are stirring. The battle for the future is beginning, and more and more people are learning the one eternal truth about Metamor City: No one who comes here ever leaves unchanged.
There are very detailed accounts of this amazing fantasy world right HERE.


Both podiobooks are available through iTunes as well!

Fan Communities Part 3: Podiobooks!

It's like an invasion! Seems Podiobooks.com has a new fan site as well. (Ok, well it isn't BRAND new, but I finally have been catching up on all my audio feeds, and I found a post from Evo about it.)

This is a great place for authors, podcasters, and listeners to all gather and talk about everything from who's writing what, to how to begin your own podiobook. Also an interested discussion about where the limit is in social media networking.

Another good place!

So many fan communities, so little time

Was twittering away, and noticed JC Hutchins (author of the 7th Son Podcast Novel) getting all nutty. And, when JC gets nutty, it usually means that he's scheming.

Well, what do you know? He was scheming. Go and check out his new fan site! This Ning thing (hehe) is pretty cool. It was used for NaPodPoMo. Easy and very interactive.

Grey, A Podiobook worth a Listen.

Hi, fellow Audio Addicts, JT from The Gigcast here. I'm new to this here AA blog, so I thought I'd throw Caush into the wind (he likes that sort of thing) and jump right in with a recommendation/review.

Recently I was talking with Christiana Ellis of “Nina Kimberly” and “Space Casey” fame. (name drop #1) And mentioned to her I was looking for a new Podiobook to read. She recommended Grey, by Jon Armstrong. Not for a minute doubting Ms. Ellis’ judgment, I took a look.

From Podiobooks.com

“High fashion, corporate malfeasance, celebrity culture, and an obsessed media collide with exuberant violence and volatile intensity in Grey, the explosive debut novel by Jon Armstrong.”

The book takes place in a future where “Ultra” is king, and everything is on the net. Ratings are king and ratings drive business. The gulf between the haves and have-nots is huge, with the corporations being run by Pure blood ‘Families”. Yeah I know, sounds weird, but the future portrayed in the book works in a very Idiocratic way. The story resolves around the heir to a mega company and his arranged marriage/merger to and subsequent break up with the daughter of a competing company.

The reading is well done, and each character has his or her own voice (one reader, but nicely done). Apart from a few minutes of dead air at the end of the first few episodes, there are no major technical problems with the recordings.

This is not a book to listen to with the kids around. Adult language and situations abound, but fit well into the world built by Mr. Armstrong.

This book is recommended by me.

JT

Nocturnal and Playing for Keeps

Yesterday both Mur Lafferty and Scott Sigler released the first episodes of their new books.

Mur's book, Playing For Keeps is a "Super Hero's are Real" idea. This is the book she had been trying to get published via an old world publisher, its unfortunate that she wasn't able to find a publisher. However its great that its now being podcasted, with 3 different feeds.

Scott's book, Infection is an interesting twist on his normal works. This book's appears to be more in the line with his older works such as Earthcore, or Ancestor. In the first episode he has reference to his other books, and to books by other authors of podcast novels. He has also created a special Google Maps that will show where all the locations are for the damage takes place in the novel.

I'd recommend getting into both of these, they appear to both be very good works.

7/7/07 is Imminent(ly happening over and over)

UPDATE 8/6: (Is "imminently" even a word? LOL) JC has been working very hard on his 50/50/50 webpage, which is a directory of all the podcasts who interviewed JC during that crazy month of June! If you had a JC interview as part of the Book Three promotion, and you don't see your show on the page- let him know!

JC Hutchins is one big tease. The entire month of June podcasters
all over the internet world played their interviews with the man (this podcaster included) to help promote the third book release. I listened to several of them, and it was tons of fun. I loved all the different perspectives all of the different shows came from, based on what their shows are about. I swear, if you want to become a total JC Hutchins expert (or perhaps a stalker), here is a list of just a few of the podcasts he's had interviews with:

- Barely Podcasting (in 4 parts, then will put up the entire interview)
- Strangely Literal
- Tag in the Seam
-Tvindy Time
-Love Long and Prosper
-The Sci Phi Show
Update: - Muse With Me
Update: - The Gigcast
Update: - Better Late Than Never
Update: - Murder at Avedon Hill
Update: - Sonic Society
Update: - Survival Guide to Writing Fantasy


This was just off the top of my head. If you did an interview and want it listed- let me know and I'd be more than happy to add it!

What's next on this big tease leading up to the premiere of Book Three? Well, today episode Zero was posted! What is Episode Zero? Why, The Story So Far!

Tomorrow (Thursday) JC is having a Clone Line Q&A chat, and rumor has it that anyone who joins in for the chat will get a very special bonus... Friday is the big launch party in Second Life, then holy MOLY Saturday is the day!

UPDATE: Chapters One and Two of Book Three are AWESOME- but since you all are fans and listen, you all ready know this. ;-) JC has definitely taken the top spot as this Audio Addict's favorite writer!

If you have not subscribed to the 7th Son Novel yet, all you have to do is paste this feed into your podcatcher:

http://www.jchutchins.net/7thSonPodcast.xml

You can also get Book 1:Descent and Book 2: Deceit separately through Podiobooks.com. It's also a perfect route to take if you just want straight story, with no extra-podcast frills and chat.

Thoughts on Billibub Baddings, from one of Billi's Babes

WARNING: Definite spoiler alert! (very minor in the first part- I'll warn you when they become major)

I just finished listening to the podiobook Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword, written by sci-fi/fantasy author Tee Morris. Billibub is a Dwarf from another world who was sucked through a time warp into 1920's Chicago. After settling in and making ends meet with odd jobs (I'll need to go watch "The Wizard of Oz" again now), Billi settles into his own business as a private detective. When the beautiful and very rich Julia Lessinger enters his office, what starts off as a simple case of "who killed my boyfriend", quickly turns into a search for something much deeper and definitely more valuable. An ancient and very powerful sword we find is the object of a lot of people's affections.

Billi is led into the dark world of prohibition and mobsters- including a meeting with Al Capone himself- and definitely gets more than he bargained for in this case. Was it worth the grundlemolking? Well, I guess you'll have to ask him...

Another big draw to this book is not only the entertaining story, but it's presentation. Although still a straight reading by the author, it has a definite audio cinema feeling to it. A full-cast, sound effects, and background music turn this book into an audiophile's true delight.

For me, it was the first time hearing a book done this way. However, I hear it has been done before, and by the same author. Another of Tee Morris' books, Morevi: The Chronicles of Rafe and Askana, was also done in this format. (I've not listened yet- but I hear a remastered version is in the works. Maybe I'll hold out!) What is exciting for me is seeing the bridge connect the podiobook and audio cinema worlds. There are so many things available to the podcaster now (voices, sounds, and the like), authors truly can let their creative juices flow, and bring something even more entertaining to the listeners' ear. I feel it also lets you see more into the mind of the author, and exactly what they were envisioning while writing, yet because it's entirely done through sounds, there is still enough room left for your own mind to envision on its own (unlike TV and movies).

I had the huge honor of being cast as a BB Player (No, this is not why I am speaking so highly of this book- I certainly could have simply recorded my lines and hated the story. After listening to only a bit of ONE of the three listener feedback shows, I know I'm not alone in my thoughts about how good it really is). As someone who is a definite newbie to the voice acting world, I found it fun to take on a character who I know looked great, but sounded awful. I was also very anxious to see exactly how the whole book would be put together. Really, I was thinking it would still be straight reading, with the actors lines thrown in, and no extra frills. I was certainly wrong about that!

(**Here's the MAJOR spoiler alert!)
I was most excited about Chapter 15. It was the climax of the whole story- all secrets revealed. The best part? I die! When I read the chapter before recording, I was like "Daaaamn, it all sure hits the fan here!" Daphne was maimed badly, so had to slowly deteriorate before the end came. I had a great time recording- and couldn't wait for the chapter to premiere.

As all "the snitches" know, it was completely worth the wait. Even knowing what was going to happen, I was still sucked into the entire chapter, so when that final shot went off- yeah, I jumped. I died brilliantly! Though I find thinking back that I can't take as much credit as the one who put the chapter together. Podcasting really brings forth talent that would otherwise be hidden, not only in acting, but in editing and producing as well. Tee Morris is well-rounded in all three.

Don't believe me? Well, then you will just have to hear it for yourself. The link below will take you to the podcast site. Each chapter is set up in "show form", so you get "Billi Banter" from Tee at the beginning and end of each one. If you'd like to only hear the book, you can do so from Podiobooks, right here at this link.

Another Podiobook To Be Made Into Movie

Recently I cross-posted awesome news about a podiobook author getting a shot at the silver screen. Well now we have two. Matt Wallace's Failed Cities Monologues was just acquired by Australia's Precision Pictures Pty Ltd., along with another short story written by Wallace.

From Podiobooker:

“It ain’t Rogue Pictures,” Matt says, referring to fellow Podiobooks author Scott Sigler, whose novel Infested was recently optioned by the Universal Studios subsidiary, “but I’m definitely excited. Mostly because it excuses me from getting that job at Kinko’s for another couple of months, at least.”

Congratulations, Matt!

JC Hutchins is in every podcast you listen to

I try not to bring up my own podcast too often, but this time I have good reason to mention it. JC Hutchins, the author of the insanely crazy-popular podcast novel 7th Son has been out there interviewing for the highly anticipated release of the final book of the trilogy.

His goal? An interview in every state. Did he do it? Somehow I think he did, most likely covering a few states twice. I'm also very sure he crossed a border too! I definitely jumped on that bandwagon, but I wanted to take a little different view of the book. I added a political spin on top of your usual interviewing fodder. ;-)

So check your podcatchers, and head over to the link and learn a little about the politics of this amazing book. If you still haven't begun listening to 7th Son, well, shame on you! Go over now and catch up on the first two books! There is still plenty of time before Book Three debuts.

Podiobook to be made into movie

From Chris Miller's blog:

Scott Sigler’s book, Infested, previously released at the podiobook Infection, is going to be made into a movie by RH Films…

The deal was arranged by RH Films president Peter Gethers and the co-presidents of Rogue, Andrew Karpen and Andrew Rona. Random House Films will also get filmmaking rights to the unpublished second novel in Sigler’s series, which Crown has already signed. Infested, which Crown senior v-p and publisher >Steve Ross said is expected to be one of the imprint’s biggest books for next spring, follows a CIA specialist and Centers for Disease Control scientist >trying to contain a bioterror threat in the form of a fast-spreading parasite that turns its victims into serial killers.

Well holy CRAP! Congrats to Scott, for this great news, and for bringing new hope to authors podcasting their books everywhere!

Podcast Pickle Upgrades Good For Audio Cinema

On April 6, the newest upgrade of the Podcast Pickle directory, Pickle 5, was launched, sporting a new look and several new features. The features are designed to make the Podcast Pickle experience even more user-friendly, and a one-stop resource for both the podcaster and the listener alike. The upgrades include:

* A newly-designed podcast player, with the look of an mp3 player, designed to fit in any blog margin. It streams through your podcast feed, so your listeners can listen to any episode directly off of your podcast site, or any website you wish.

* A “tip jar”, in which listeners can opt to leave a few dollars for their favorite shows. (This option can also be removed by the podcaster.)

* A direct link to your Amazon or Ebay store.

* Rss for any blog you wish to feed into your Pickle page.

* For the listener, especially those who listen through their computer, all of your favorite shows can now be played on the “My Pickle” player. This feature is located directly on the Podcast Pickle homepage. It opens up a player containing every one of your chosen favorites.

Pickle 5 is still beta, with many threads and discussions in the Pickle Forums for feedback on glitches that still may be in the system. Site owner Gary Leland and team appreciate and ask for all feedback regarding any portion of the website.

I've tried most of these things out, and have found no kinks thus far.

Now I know, I'm a total cheerleader for this website. However, when you look at these features, and how inclusive and supportive they are to the podcasting community, how can I not be?

With so many audio cinema groups now podcasting, along with collectives like the Sonic Society and the endless array of pod-books out there, the pickle player would be an asset to their websites. It not only has the look of an mp3 player, but also works in the same fashion. People who hit your site do not have to search the archives for your content- it's all right there in the player. An example? Well, none better than mine, since I haven't searched around to see who else is using it yet (yes, you can customize the color).

Take some time to play around with all these features, you will definitely find they will work for you, whether a listener or a podcaster. :-)

Three neat-o podcast hits

Tee Morris's new pod-book, "Billibub Baddings and the Case of the Singing Sword", takes the podiobook to the next level. Sure, you get straight narration of the story. The twist is in the added sound effects, music, and even a cast! It's a great fantasy twist on the old private-dick theme. The 9th chapter just went up, so you can start listening and don't even have to have lag time in-between chapters!

Why have I waited so long to bring this up? Why, because I was waiting for my debut, that's why! LOL!

What's funny is, I had several audio things that I did at different times, and it's all coming out at the same time. It's quite hilarious to me, but the little stroke of the ego is kinda nice too... heheheh. I've been a long-time listener to the Variant Frequencies podcast. So when Rick asked if I'd like to read a flash fiction piece, I was like uh, hell yeah!

And I got to be creepy... me likey. I hope you do too! Though I couldn't do it without an awesome story to begin with, written by Anne Stringer. (See? Matt Wallace doesn't take up the WHOLE podcast... ;-) )


And finally... me thinks I should finally watch Buffy and see what the hub-bub is all about.

Podcasting from Mars

Shamelessly copied from- well, my own blog actually:

I have a friend. His name is Rick. Rick hosts an awesome podcast called "Variant Frequencies". They began a message board.

I have another friend. His name is Matt. Matt writes a series for Variant Frequencies called, "The Failed City Monologues". He wanted to help give the message board some attention. So he made a proposition.

Matt is cool. Here is the last line of the first fiction ever with my name in it:

"And that's how Dani Cutler, the audio addict with the coolest name in the 'sphere, became the first woman to podcast from Mars."

Wanna see the rest? Of course you DO.

Now, I just need it read by the author....

Make sure you check out, and join the VF message board!

NYT goes Podiobook CRAZY

Holy shit. Sorry, but when I got the email from the all-knowing, all-mighty, all-awesome (too much? Nahhhh.) JC Hutchins about the article in the Times, I totally was not expecting to see a picture of Scott Sigler. (Perhaps JC wasn't, either? ;-) )

At any rate- check out this AWESOME article that features all your fave podiobookers- JC, Sigler, Mark Jeffrey, and the Sarge himself, Tee Morris.

Yeah, they talk about Evo too, but hey- that's a given. ;-)

You know, I never even thought about podcasting in the closet- I've got a nice-sized one too, just like Siglers. If I could just get all my equipment up there- what a GREAT flipping idea!

Check out the article- I'm so excited by all this media exposure of podcasting, and dammit, you should be too!

Podiobook to check out: Discovered Country

This podiobook by Nora Fleischer was completed back in November. I just checked out the first chapter, and squealed in glee at recognizing the music intro to the book! Yes folks- I would know Ms. T.Nile's banjo anywhere!

The book is about Rosemary Halpern, a mild-mannered librarian from Boston, found herself trapped hundreds of years in the future. A future that faced a new Ice Age. A future where ghouls walked the Earth, ravenous for human flesh.
A world where she was drawn to a man who was already dead...

Ooohhhh... Nora has a pleasant voice to listen to as well, so I can definitely see myself getting sucked into this book. Take a listen for yourself, and get stuck in the future along with Rosemary and join her on her adventures!

Podiobooks named Best of the Web

A little something I wrote for the Podcast Pickle News:

Podcasting continues to gain validity. Reader’s Digest Canada has listed Podiobooks.com in it’s Best of the Web for January.

Podiobooks was founded by Evo Terra, Tee Morris, and Chris Miller. Over the summer it reached one million episode downloads of over 80 book titles. They have also recently decided to do away with the subscription and membership-only portions of their website, thereby making it easier to listen to podiobooks.

Visit their site at http://www.podiobooks.com/.