Podfic

[ratherastory]

Dear flist,

I have been in fandom just long enough to have heard of podfic but never to have listened to any. I'm not sure why the prospect worries me, but there are also technical considerations (such as I don't actually have an MP3 player on which to listen to it, and I can't see myself just sitting in front of my computer listening to a podfic when I could just as easily read it myself).

So, what's the deal with podfic? Why is it a good thing? Why do you like it? (Alternately, if you're not a fan, why is that? What fails to turn your crank about podfic?) What do you look for in your podfic? What makes you run screaming for the hills?

Is there the equivalent of BNFs for podfic? What's the protocol with recording someone else's fiction? Do people record their own work, or is that considered super-extra tacky?

How does it work for longer fiction? I would imagine that reading for six hours straight is right out for the vast majority of people, so do they get recorded as multiple tracks? So how does that work?

Anyway, this post is a bit disjointed, but I hope you get the gist.

Inquiring minds want to know! :)

Comments

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Hi there. I've just started listening to podfics and I love 'em. Mainly because I can listen to them in the car or at the gym and they keep me entertained when doing rather mundane things.

Also, I just don't have enough time in the day to read everything I want, so it's a great way to catch up.

I've listened to both long and short fic. I've currently listening to When Heroes Go Down, They Go Down Fast and it's really long (about 6 hours I think). But it's very engaging so it's not been a problem. Only problem is when my Mp3 screws up it loses my spot... grrrr...

So yes. I would recommend them if you either travel to work or have to spend time waiting on stuff.

Oh and I just love hearing another fangirl read. I don't know why, but it's like a shared experience or something. And the readers are usually really good. I can link you some stuff if you think you might like to give it a go. There's some I've particularly loved..

:)

[ratherastory.livejournal.com]

I only have an iPod shuffle, so it's unlikely I'll be able to listen to it on public transit unless I want to hear all my chapters out of order. Also, it seems to "reset" to the first track when I recharge it, which means I'd end up listening to the beginning over and over.

If I find shorter things I like I may persuade myself to purchase a proper MP3 player to I can listen to the longer stuff. :)

Thanks for your input!

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I bought myself a cheap little mp3 player just for podfics. My other one is for music - I did this for exactly the reasons you stated here. :D