Blog to book stories are becoming more commonplace.  We have chronicled a number of such examples, and you can find a virtual library of blog to book stories on Blooking Central.  Some of these were serendipitous, but more and more writers, especially new authors, are being more intentional about converting their blogs into a printed title.   There is more than one way to execute a blog to book strategy.  Here is my attempt at a blook typology:

• indie blook - This is the type of blook where an author independently publishes and markets a title based on their blog.  Low cost self publishing and inexpensive Internet marketing techniques are making this an attractive option for new authors who are not shy about self promotion.
• traditional blook - This is the form of blook that you read about in the newspapers.  A publisher discovers a high traffic blog and offers the blog owner a book deal.  Tjhe rationale is that the blog has an established audience and a topic in line with the publisher’s market focus.
• podiobook - This is more of an audio blook.  Here the author serialize his or her book into podcasts and uses a blog for audience feedback and book marketing.  It is especially effective for fiction writers.  Two of the best know podiobook authors are Scott Sigler and JC Hutchins. 
• crowdsourced blook - This is a rare blook, but every author’s dream come true.  Here, the blog is so popular that a community emerges and contributes content which eventually winds up being part of the publishing or marketing strategy for a title.  In other words - build a community that helps you generates content and then publish it.  The best known example is Frank Warren’s Post Secret.
• reverse blook - In this scenario, an author blogs the content from an existing book to build an audience for the current or a new edition.  This may be a good way to revitalize a book whose sales are fading.

We believe that these - and other - blog to book strategies will replace the traditional (and mostly ineffective) approach to getting a book published which involves submitting a manuscript to agents or publishers in hopes of getting it read and eventually published.  Publishing is a risky business.  Of the many risks, the first and biggest is signing an unkown author who may or may not be able to attract an audience for their title.  An author who has a blog with an established audience is an attractive proposition.  Publishers can assess the quality and appeal of the writing.  The popularity of blog posts can be measured and ranked.  We can see how the audience reacts to the content long before it is edited into book form.   In the case of a popular blog, the audience can be larger than the circulation of many magazines or newspapers 

Blooks are not just a publishing sideshow - interesting examples of pluck and luck.  They represent the future of publishing in a world of consumer generated media.

Related Posts

• Belle de Jour - Sex, Lies and Book Deals
• Public Secrets and Publishing Magic 
• An Interview with Podcast Novel Superstar Scott Sigler
• The Case for the Inverted Blook
• The New Author Book Pitch
• Finding Book Gold in Blog Post Archives
• The Joy of Blogging - An Interview with Gluten Free Girl’s Shauna James-Ahern

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Humanity never tires of hearing a good story.  In ancient times, stories were told around a roaring campfire.  The oral tradition evolved and continues even after the written word had become the dominant way to retain cultural knowledge.   Radio and now podcasts are its modern incarnation. 

The  podcast novel is finding its place in the bibliosphere as a way for indie authors to build an audience when publishers won’t bite.  Some authors have achieved remarkable success telling their stories in the ”podiobooks” format.   JC Hutchins is one example.  He has built a highly active Internet community around his work without ever publishing in print form.  He has finally relented and decided to publish one of his novels, 7th Son: Descent, which goes to print iin 2009. 

So what is a podiobook?  A podiobook(or podcast novel) is a term coined by Evo Terra to describe serialized audio books which are made available in podcast format.   Innovative authors are evolving podcast novels by adding more production values.  In some sense, it may follow the creative arc of old time radio drama.  Some of these enhancements include:

• Guest voices on a podcast
• Sound effects
• Music to heighten the emotional impact
• Building community with the podcast audience by posting listener feedback on a blog associated with the podcast

All of these add emotional impact and help the reader better imagine the story.  Creating a podcast movel takes  work, however.  A lot more work than, say, creating and writing a blog.  Some of the considerations you will need to make include:

• Format - i.e. whether single or multiple voices, other production values, how long each episode should be, etc.
• Recording equipment and editing software - the tools you use will depend on the requirements of your podcast as well as your comfort level with technology; don’t underestimate the learning curve
• Time investment - episodes can easily take upwards of 8 hours to fully produce and distribute; longer if you’re adding voices, sound effects and music
• Costs for hosting, storage and throughput
• Tracking downloads and getting / responding to feedback from your audience

There are many good references to help you get started.  One of the best I’ve found is Podcasting Bible by Steve Mack and Mark Ratcliffe.  The authors provide a comprehensive overview of the subject and take you through the four stages of a podcast:

• Planning,
• Recording and editing
• Encoding
• Distribution

One of the things you’ll need to be especially aware of - success has its costs.  Generally, podcast distribution services charge for storage and throughput.  Throughput can be expensive if thousands of fans start downloading your serialized story podcasts.  Be sure to check the terms of your podcast hosting service or distribution network and calculate what a popular podcast might wind up costing you.

Even if you’re writing a work of non-fiction, you can use a podcast to promote your book.  Patrice Anne-Rutledge published an article in Writers Weekly on promoting books with podcasts.  The article is a comprehensive collection of tips and resources that budding podcast authors will find very useful. 

As a yonng child, one of my fondest memories was being in school and having the teacher read a story to me and my classmates at the end of the day.  Podcast stories, when done well, let me recaptre that experience.  Podcast novels and poidobooks are just the latest step in the great oral tradition of storytelling.

Related Posts

• An Interview with Podcast Novel Superstar Scott Sigler
• Author Exchanges - A Better Way to Discover Promising New Wrtiers?
• Author Podcast Marketing Samplers
• You’re on the Air . . . a Podcast of One’s Own
• Podiobook Communities
• Pod Trailers and Book Casts

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Blook Looks

by Cheryl Hagedorn

Cheryl Hagedorn authors Blooking Central, which examines
published books to discover what makes for a blookable blog.

I took 12 Florida college students to London for two weeks as part of a study abroad program, and then was privileged to teach for 65 days on Semester at Sea^™, operated by the Institute for Shipboard Education. 

As a volunteer for the WLRN-FM Radio Reading Service in Miami, available to the visually impaired in South Florida through a special receiver, I offered to do weekly reports chronicling our voyage at this interesting time in European history.

The scripts for the 14 tapes, including interviews with students and others on board, are presented here.

Up until now in looking at blooks, I’ve blown past the internet sites that mention podcasts. But Donnelly’s comment about the Radio Reading Service set me to wondering about the possibility of blooking recorded material.  Other than interviews or conversations, which may or may not be interesting to read on paper at a later date, I’m guessing that many podcasts are scripted.  Which means that there could be a file (some of us still write in longhand on paper … trust me on this!) which could be used to construct a dead tree version of a series of podcasts.  The same rules would apply when transforming blog content:

• Cluster posts/scripts by topic
• Write transitional material between them
• Provide a decent introduction and conclusion

In wandering around, I discovered that there are many sites stories that are delivered as podcasts (see Digital Podcast). Which only makes sense.  But what potential is there for non-fiction?   Who do you listen to whose opinion or perspective you would want captured in print so that you could return to it again and again?  Maybe even constructing rebuttals or making notes in the margin? It also occurs to me that taking the time to listen is somewhat limited whereas you can tuck a book into your pocket and read wherever, whenever.  Okay, so I’m technologically-challenged and maybe downloading and then listening whenever, wherever is also possible! But with reading you can really focus and reread — no rewind/replay

I’ve seen some audio transcripts that, frankly, weren’t worth the effort to transcribe. But it sure gives one pause to think that the same material worked up for a print presentation might actually fly!  Since I’m not a listener I wrote to GoingLikeSixty to see if he listened to anyone on a regular basis that I could cite as an example. He responded, “The only ‘podcast’ I don’t miss is actually a vlog — the best — Wallstrip.  I’ve tried to listen to podcasts but find them poorly produced, poorly written, and always way too long.”

Well, that gives one pause, doesn’t it?  Production isn’t a concern with blogs unless you’re talking about presentation.  But the criticism about being poorly written applies to both blogs and podcasts. And many blog posts are often too short, rather than too long, to make for blookability.

So where are we on this? Are there websites/blogs with podcasts that you know have been blooked or could/should be blooked?

Related Posts

• An Interview with Podcast Novel Superstar Scott Sigler
• Author Podcast Marketing Samplers
• Podiobook Communities
• Grammar Groove - An Interview with Grammar Girl Mignon Fogarty
• You’re on the Air . . . a Podcast of One’s Own
• Pod Trailers and Book Casts

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New authors have always faced the challenge of getting past the book publishing gatekeepers - agents and acquistion editors.  Scott Sigler found a new way into the castle.  Scott’s work revolves around modern science’s dichotomy of simultaneously producing good and evil.  It has been described as a ”steel-tipped boot on your throat, speed-metal fiction.”

Snubbed by publishers for years, Scott turned the traditional book publishing model on its head when he released EarthCore as the world’s first “podcast-only” novel.  Scott recorded EarthCore in 2005 in 22 episodes (roughly 45 minutes each) that subscribers downloaded.  He picked up 10,000 subscribers along the way.  His next podcast novel, Ancestor, drew 30,000 listeners and saw 700,000 episodes downloaded by fans. In combination with Scott’s other two podcast novels, Infection and The Rookie, his fans have downloaded over 3 million episodes of his fiction.

Scott’s innovative use of technology puts him at the forefront of modern-day publishing.  He has been covered in the Washington Post, BusinessWeek, CNet, The Book Standard and the nationally syndicated radio show The Dragon Page.  He is a Michigan native, and lives in San Francisco with his wife Jody and their two dogs, Mookie and Emma.

We recently asked Scott about his experience with the podcast novel and the world of traditional book publishing.

FPP:  What gave you the idea to do EarthCore as a podcast novel initially?

Scott:  I discovered podcasting in February 2005. I immediately started looking for podcast novels, because the technology reminded me of radio plays of the 40s and 50s - serialized audio fiction. When I couldn’t find any novels, I realized it was because no one had done it yet. EARTHCORE was set to be published in 2002 by AOL/TimeWarner, but they scrapped the imprint a month or so before my book was printed. So I had a finished novel, edited by a major publishing house, just sitting there - I learned how to podcast and got the thing up as fast as I could, knowing there would be benefit to first-mover status.

FPP:  What were some of the logistical difficulties you had to overcome in recording and distributing the episodes?

Scott:  I knew nothing about recording, blogging, RSS, XML, etc. I had to figure it all out and figure it out fast.

FPP:  What is the process you go through in creating each episode?

Scott:  The novels are finished before I begin. I create a new episode from a template that already includes intros and outros. I record, stopping and going back when I screw something up. That way when I record the final word, I’m done with the spoken part. I then add sound effects and make sure I didn’t miss anything. Each character gets his or her own recording track, so I can run EQ separately for each. Then I rip down the MP3, post it with Podshow’s system, get the link, then post it into my WordPress blog.

Podshow’s system doesn’t do all the unique things I need for a podcast novel, so I use a WordPress blog and link to the Podshow files.

FPP:  Are there any limitations that podcasting a novel forces on you as an author?  Is there any challenge switching between writing mode and podcasting mode?

Scott:  It’s the same thing, and two completely different things. The story is where it’s at. The story doesn’t change. If you don’t have a great story, don’t even bother. The podcasting challenges are acting it out, and making sure it’s riveting to the audience. Don’t phone in the performance, strong acting with passion and energy is key - if you don’t care about the audio, why would your fans?

FPP:  How would you characterize your listening audience? Are there any differences between those who listen vs. those who read the book?

Scott:  My Junkies are the best audience on the planet, for any kind of entertainment, anywhere. They are rabid fans. They are my friends. My reading audience also likes my stuff, likes it a lot, but there is a significant connection between me and the listening audience. To my print readers, there is the story. To my podcast listeners, there is the story, then there is the author, and they get to know both very well.

FPP:  Were print publishers tracking your podcast downloads before you contacted them or was that something you had to make them aware of as you marketed your work?

Scott:  Print publishers don’t get this at all. I mean, AT ALL. This is all a mystery to them. Dragon Moon Press is a small publisher that completely understands. Crown Publishing is a major publisher, and what they understand is that I have rabid fans and I can hit Top-10 on Amazon selling an indie book with zero advertising, zero promotional support and zero media support.

Crown is smart enough to know they don’t need to understand every last nuance, they just need to know something works.

FPP:  Do you think the availability of podcasts has a positive, negative or neutral impact on sales of the print version of your books? Why?

Scott:  Positive, positive, positive. It’s free exposure and advertsing. Some people listen and still buy print. Some people listen and buy the book for people they know who like print. Some people listen and don’t buy, but they send a link to dozens of friends, and the process repeats itself. If you can try my fiction for free, wherever you like, whenever you like, and you’re deciding between my book and one that makes you go to the bookstore and shell out $24.95 just to give it a shot, which are you going to choose? I’m grabbing mental marketshare like there is no tomorrow. The podcast exposes me to thousands of people, where if I’m just on a bookshelf between KING and KOONTZ, I can’t possibly compete.

FPP:  Is there anything you would change about the way you did your earlier podcasts?

Scott:  Not really. Everything I do now I learned from those endeavors.

FPP:  Will you continue using podcasts as a way to connect with your audience for your future titles?

Scott:  I will always podcast. Crown is behind this 100%. I wouldn’t be anywhere without the Junkies, and I will continue to provide them high-grade stories as long as I live. Even after that, because I want to have a story “in the can” that people can listen to after I die. Just to fuck with their heads a little bit more.

FPP:  Do you see more authors using podcasts as a way to get the attention of publishers?

Scott:  I would say wait to see how INFECTED sells on April 1, 2008 If it’s a hit, if it charts in the New York Times Bestseller list, then the model is forever proven.

FPP:   Looking back  on your own experience, what advice would you give them?

Scott:  Use examples of people who have used podcasting to sell books. At the end of the day, publishers spend a load of money to produce, distribute and market books. If you can prove to them that you have an existing audience, they are more likely to take a chance on you.

For many authors who are trying to promote their book, budget and time are always pressing issues.  Especially when it comes to book tours.  The traditional book tour is time consuming and expensive.  The author wants to tour, meet fans and sign books., but the cosst and logistics are prohibitive.  The compromise: a press release, maybe a book review or two, some catalog listings, a few radio phone interviews and passive distribution.  Book signings and author readings are usually limited to the author’s locale.

Skype and other voice over IP phone services could lift the financial obstacle to book tours.  Skype, for instance, has introduced its Skypecast service.  Up to 100 people can join a Skypecast.  The online meeting can be a free form discussion or a presentation with Q&A following.  The best news is, it’s free to Skype users.  Authors can share various types of web content with listeners, including video - e.g. their book video posted on YouTube.  There is a technical hurdle, though it is relatively small.  Each Skypecast participant needs to download, install and configure Skype on theier PC or laptop.   This can take 10-15 minutes depending on the user’s Internet connection speed. 

Authors can promote their event in the Skypecast directory or their website with a link to the Skypecast.  Third party software providers have tools available that will let you record your Skypecast.  This allows it to be turned into a podcast that you can then post on your author site or blog. 

This type of “authorcast” would add the dimension of immediate interactivity which virtual blog tours currently lack.  Hearing the author read an excerpt can be a powerful motivation for listeners to purchase the book.  There is still that pesky issue of the book signing.   Maybe that problem will be solved when we books are made out of e-paper and authors can do personalized signings remotely (see “The Conversation in the Book“). 

Authors are discovering that podcasts can be used for serializing their work, and also as a marketing tool - e.g. to record and distribute interviews and readings.  Over the last several years, many podcast services have sprung up to make it easier to sample some of the delights of the writer “podspace.”  I’ve been exploring some of the podcasting resources lately to see what is on offer.  Here are a few sites I’ve found for your consideration.  Each represents a different use for an author podcast.

Authors on Tour - This site has been podcasting author readings from Denver’s fabled Tattered Cover Book Store locations for the pst couple of years. The topics and authors featured cover a wide range.  The site is a blog operated by Tattered Cover, but the podcasts are produced by BurstMarketing.  The structure of the site makes finding and listening to podcasts easy and enjoyable.  Each podcast entry features 

• Brief bio and picture of the author
• Cover, price and ISBN of the book
• Links to the publisher’s website and author site (if available)
• Link to buy the book

The listener has the choice of using an embedded MP3 player, an MP3 player in a popup, or downloading the file for later playback.  Because the podcasts are recordings of live readings, you get a strong sense of the author’s personality, as well as the audience’s reaction to him orher.

Written Voices Podcasts - This is a site run by Allan Hunkin, a self publishing consultant whose services include helping authors with podcast marketing.  The site features podcasts from authors in such categories as relationship, diet and nutrition, personal growth and fiction.  Hunkin conducts the interview in a relaxed, but professional style.  Each podcast is accompanied by an author bio, description of the book, reviews, prices and ISBN.  The playback is a little awkward.  Clicking the “Play” link brought up a picture of an iPod and required you to click it’s Play button.  This in turn lauched my Windows Media Player. 

Podiobooks.com - This site contains audio versions of books in development, generally read by their authors.  This is a place where authors can showcase their work and build an audience.  The entries generally feature a synopsis of the story, the book cover, whether the title is complete or in progress, and there is a an area to make donations if you choose via PayPal.  If you register with Podiobooks, you can arrange to have a customized feed for each title you’re following so that you start “reading” the book from the very first page.  When you subscribe to a book, chapters (or episodes containing multiple chapters) are delivered to you one at a time at the interval of your choosing. By default, your feed is updated once a week. You can change that to once a month, or once a day if you need to.  Registration also allows you to rate the book.  The site uses an embedded player which gives you one click listening. 

As more authors become familiar with the podcast medium and its ability to extend their readership, it will know doubt take its place as a standard tool in their marketing toolkit. 

While podcasting is still a relatively young medium, podcast listenership is growing steadily.  According to a recent forecast from e-Marketer, advertisers  will spend $240 million on embedded podcast advertising in 2008 and $400 million by 2011.  One of the hottest podcasts today is Grammar Girl, produced by Mignon Fogarty.

Mignon Fogarty is the founder of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network and the host of the award-winning Grammar Girl podcast.  Mignon earned a B.A. in English from the University of Washington and an M.S. in biology from Stanford University. She was the top editor at multiple websites in the late ’90s, and worked as a science and technical writer before becoming Grammar Girl in 2006.

Mignon took time out for an interview with Future Perfect Publishing recently to discuss what makes Grammar Girl such a strong franchise, how she produces and manages episdoes, and what’s ahead for her popular show. 

FPP:  Were you always interested in grammar?

Mignon:  I bought all the popular grammar books as they came out over the years, but I can’t say I was always a grammar fanatic. I do love working on it now though; it’s fascinating.

FPP:  What inspired you to start the Grammar Girl podcast?

Mignon:  I was working as a science and technical writer back in 2005 and ended up starting a weekly podcast about science. That show did well - it won the Best Science Show category of the Podcast Peer Awards - but it became a huge drain on my time.  Each show took at least 10 hours to produce, and although the traffic probably put the show in the top 20% of all podcasts, it clearly wasn’t ever going to become my main source of income.

So I began to think about other ways I could stay in podcasting without it being such a time sink.  I came up with six or seven ideas for short tip-based shows, and as I was editing technical documents one day at the coffee shop, looking at grammar error after grammar error, I was finally inspired to choose grammar as the theme.  I scribbled down about four possible episode topics, threw up a website, and recorded the first Grammar Girl podcast..

FPP:  Grammar Girl is one of the most popular podcasts now.  Grammar seems like an unlikely topic to have such wide appeal. To what do you attribute its popularity?

Mignon:  I know what you mean; I was surprised by the popularity too.

The messages I receive from listeners and the interactions I have with people in general have led me to a few conclusions. First, there is a bigger population of language lovers than you might imagine.

Second, everyone seems to have a language question they’ve always wondered about but never bothered to investigate. I get a lot of e-mail messages that start out “I’ve always wondered . . .”

Third, because of e-mail and instant messaging, I believe people are writing more now than in previous years.  Whereas 20 years ago people would pick up a phone and call a business contact, today it’s more common to write an e-mail message. Schools don’t spend a lot of time on language rules, so people feel insecure about their writing.  When they see that there is an easy, fun way to learn the practical little rules, they get excited.

FPP:  What’s the makeup of your audience and why are they so interested in grammar?

Mignon:  Based on surveys I’ve done, my audience is about half male and half female. Listeners tend to be highly educated, have good incomes, and range in age from 25 to 45.

In general, the people I hear from say the show helps them do better at work or at school.

FPP:  Before you began podcasting, you were a writer.  What things did you have to learn when you made the transition to audio and first began podcasting?

Mignon:  I didn’t know anything about audio production or writing for audio when I first started, so I had a lot of learning to do. I had to learn what kind of equipment and software to use and then how to use it. I picked up everything I know from reading websites and forums and from experimenting. That’s probably why it took me so long to produce the science podcast!

FPP:  What made you choose audio vs. print as your format to teach people about grammar?

Mignon:  I was already committed to doing an audio show, so it was really more a matter of choosing grammar as a topic than choosing a format for teaching grammar.

FPP:  You’ve created a new audiobook “Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips.” Are you considering a print version as well?

Mignon:  I’m working on a print book that should come out in time for the back-to-school season next year.

FPP:  What is involved in putting an episode together and what is your time commitment on a weekly basis to the show?

Mignon:  First I choose a topic. The topics almost always come from listener questions, and when it’s possible I like to tie the show to a current event.  For example, when Hillary Clinton picked “You and I” for her campaign song, I used that as a jumping off point to talk about the phrase “between you and I,” which a lot of listeners had asked about.

Once I have the topic I do a lot of research. I have about 20 reference books and I also do Internet searches. Even if I think I know the answer, I check as many references as I can to make sure I’m not missing something.  Depending on how complicated the topic is, research can go quickly or it can take many hours. More than once I’ve abandoned a topic after hours of research because it ends up feeling too complicated to cover in a five-minute podcast.

Once I’m comfortable with what I want to say, I write my script and then send it to a copy editor for review. Sometimes when I get the script back there is some back-and-forth with the copy editor about minor points of grammar. And when the script is done I record the show.

I’d like to get ahead, but I’m not; so right now I tend to work right up to the Thursday night deadline. So depending on how late it is, I either send my audio file to my sound guy for editing or (if it is too late) I edit it and post it myself.

I’d say the whole process takes 8 hours for a very easy show and 20 hours for a very complicated show or when I have to abandon a topic and start over.

FPP:  What has worked well and what things have you had to change during the life of Grammar Girl?

Mignon:  When I was just starting out I didn’t always put references on the website. I put up references now because I found that doing so heads off criticism from people who think they know the rules but are misinformed.  I found that if I didn’t post my references, I would often end up going back and citing them anyway to defend my position.

FPP:  How do you measure the success of your podcast?

Mignon:  I track audio file downloads, web page views, rankings, and listener questions, and all of those metrics would support the idea that the podcast is successful, but for me personally it’s the listener feedback that makes me feel as if the show is successful.  For example, Grammar Girl is one of the most reviewed podcasts at iTunes; people seem to like the show so much that they spontaneously take the time to write reviews, and I’m very moved by that.

FPP:  How does Grammar Girl earn money?  Has it become easier to attract advertisers?

Mignon:  I make money primarily by having advertising in the podcast, and it has definitely been easier over time to attract advertisers. Not only has Grammar Girl become more well known over the last year, but advertisers are also becoming more comfortable with podcasting.

I also released an audiobook in March that’s done very well. It was originally available as a download from iTunes and Audible, and it came out on CD in July. The title is Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips to Clean Up Your Writing.

FPP:  Has the rapid growth in your listening population changed the way you do your podcast and handle your interactions with your audience?

Mignon:  The rapid growth was overwhelming at first because I was still working as a technical writer.  At first I tried to personally answer every listener question, but I get a lot of long, complicated grammar questions and answering them all quickly became impossible.

I started keeping a handwritten list of questions, which became a Word document with questions, which finally became a spreadsheet that I use to organize questions in a way that makes it easy to find topics I want to use for the show.

I was able to quit working as a technical writer in January to focus on podcasting full time, and it became more manageable after that. I still can’t answer every question personally, but I do try to answer as many as I can.

FPP:  What’s in store for the future of Grammar Girl?

Mignon:  My top priority is still putting out a new Grammar Girl episode every week. I’m just plugging through listener questions.

You might recall that I said I just threw up the original Grammar Girl website, so it’s not a surprise that it isn’t very pretty or user-friendly.  So I’m working on redesigning the website to make it easier to use and search. That should be done in September.  As I said, there is the print book that will come out next year, and of course, I’m always working on growing the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network.

Using podcasting as part of a blog to book network seems like a natural these days.  Why? 

Podcasts have reach - PodNova is currently tracking over 70,000 podcasts and the number is growing steadily.  From a report by The Diffusion Group entitled “Podcast Usage Profiles & Demand Forecasts thru 2012” released February, 2007 found the following: 

• Among US broadband users, 16% have listened to a podcast at some point, saying that they either have listened to a podcast but no longer do or that they currently use podcasting;
• 10.5% say that they currently use it.
• 54% of podcasts are consumed on a portable device rather than a PC.

Podcasts can generate ad revenue - As reported in Digital Podcast, eMarketer, a firm specializing in market research on e-business and online marketing, projected that U.S. ad spending on podcasts will grow from $80 million in 2006 to $300 million in 2010.  They also project that the podcast audience could grow to 25 million in 2008 and 50 million by 2010.  To become a viable audience for advertisers, the one time listeners need to become podcast regulars.  eMarketer calls this the “active” audience and forecast it to grow from 3.5 million in 2006, to 7.5 million in 2008 and 15 million in 2010.  Most podcast audiences are still small - 50,000 or less, but the medium is still young and evolving.

Podcasts can enhance an author’s profile - Authors can either be the focus of the show, as in Grammar Girl, or they can play the role of host and interview other experts or celebrities.  Either way, it helps to give authors in the network more status. 

Podcasts can help build audiences faster and make them more durable - A weekly show can continually renew the relationship with the author and help turn an audience into a community.  In this case, celebrity, at whatever level,  is the first step to creating community.

Podcasts last - Unlike tradtional broadcast radio, each show or episode is archivable, searchable and portable.  Since podcasts can reference the author’s blog and specific posts, they can reinforce going to the blog for more resources or information.

Podcasts are economical - Podcasts are relatively inexpensive to produce and show formats can (and probably should) be templatized. 

All of these factors make podcasts a potentially powerful marketing tool for individual bloggers and especially blog to book networks.  If you think podcasting has promise but don’t know how to go about it, check out Astral Voices which has a nice overview of the entire podcast process.

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A few years ago, I read a fascinating book about the golden era of radio (early 1920’s to early 1950’s) by Leonard Maltin entitled, “The Great American Broadcast.”  It chronicled the evolution of radio entertainment - soap operas, comedy series, suspense thrillers - prior to  the emergence of television. 

The podcast novel or “podiobook,” like early radio, is steadily coming into its own as both an art form and promotional device.  While exploring some of the podiobook blogs, I came across 7th Son, J.C. Hutchins’ blog / podiobook center.  7th Son is a trilogy of 3 books - Descent, Deceit, and a third book (not yet named) to debut on July 7, 2007.  Seventh Son has become as much a community as a podiobook.   

Here are just some of the interesting features you can find on his site:

• An active blog attached to the podcast, featuring interviews with other authors or news about the progress of the story itself
• Access to prior episodes
• Links to prior stories in his trilogy
• Media coverage
• Appearances on other podcasts
• An area called 7th Son Download Center featuring content created by listeners - e.g. screensavers, graphics, videos, essays, banners, avatars, widgets and so on
• Communities on MySpace and other social networking sites where fans can talk about the latest episodes

Hutchins, an accomplished journalist, hasn’t chosen to publish his novels in book form yet.  He has, however, hooked up with many established writers who are often guest posters on his blog.  In fact, he and Scott Sigler, featured in an earlier post, are collaborating on contests where selected pairs of their novels share dialog which listeners identify to qualify for prizes.  This is a great way to cross promote and reinforce each author’s audience.  7th Son clearly shows the power of podiobooks to help authors build a following.  But it goes beyond, in that it has turned that audience into a community that both consumes the content and contributes to it at the same time.  The producers of the great American radio shows would be envious.

Just as book trailers are gaining popularity as book marketing tools, so too are their audio siblings - podcasts.  The Wikipedia defines a podcast as a digital audio file that is distributed over the Internet using RSS syndication feeds for playback on portable media players and personal computers.  

The time and cost required to produce a podcast falls somewhere between writing a blog and producing a video.  But the effort can be worth it.  Why should authors who are blogging consider producing podcasts? 

Podcasts provide a voice to the author.  This can help personalize the author for audience members, especially when the author has published a book. 

Podcasts travel.  They can be listened to on a PC of course.  But more importantly they can be downloaded to MP3 players and cell phones equipped with MP3 playback capability.  With over 100 million iPods sold in the last 5 and half years, this proides a large potential reach and makes it convenient for listeners on the go.  The author can provide the blog address as part of the podcast and do a little audience building to individuals who might not have discovered it.

Podcasts can help you secure radio time.  Podcasts are a great way to showcase your radio appeal if you are trying to line up interview slots on radio talk shows. 

Podcasts can become part of your press kit.  A sample podcast adds a more personal and compelling piece to all the usual components of your book’s press kit - bio, book description, press releases, etc. - and may convince a member of the media to do a story on you and your book.

Podcasts open up a low cost way to keep you in front of your audience.   If you produce a regular podcast (say weekly), it gives you another opportunity to build your profile with audience members.  Over time that profile can translate into higher book sales. 

Multiple distribution venues.  You can distribute your podcast on your site, or on any of the many podcast portal sites that are springing up. 

Amazon recently announced its new podcast programs.  Depending on the success of this experiment, podcast may become an important tool for online booksellers to hawk new titles on their sites. 

Podcasts may also emerge as the new audiobook.  The New York Times featured a story recently about Scott Sigler, a horror science fiction writer who offers podcasts of his stories for free from his website.  He was initially snubbed by print publishers.  But after building a podcast audience of over 30,000 listeners for his second “podcast novel,” Mr. Sigler has been able to attract mainstream publishers.  Podcasting may turn out to be an effective way for new authors to build an online audience for fiction.