Just thought I’d toss this one out to all the Metaxuers (MCers? Metaxuites? Cafezens?):

I’ve written a memoir that’s been in limbo for about a year. Generally when people have read it, they’ve liked it, but when I’ve done readings, they’ve LOVED it.

It’s made me wonder if the ideal medium for this book might be a podcast. I could do, say, a chapter a week, and just see what kind of interest it draws.

What I’m wondering out loud about is, who would be interested in listening to such a thing? I got into podcasts for just a bit once Apple integrated them into the iPod, but I’m not really a headphones kind of guy, and I feel stupid just sitting there listening to something—you can’t really do anything else while you’re listening to a podcast. I think if I had a regular commute, a podcast might be perfect.

So what do you all think (he says, carefully avoiding a taxing vocabulary issue)—would podcasting a memoir be worth the effort? I’m not expecting to make any money off it—just get my name out there a bit more so that pitching other projects will be a little easier. What do you say?

Hmm.  I don’t really know because I don’t use the form, but it would probably be worth a try.  It is interesting to note that when I read and interacted with a friend’s online flashmedia fiction, I loved it, but when he made a special presentation and personally read aloud the text on the screen while the graphics and format were up there, his reading made it much more dramatic. 

Isn’t there some form of audio blogging plugin that you can test us out on this?  We’d be happy to run over to your site and maybe hearing a sample could give you a better answer.

It looks like I’m following Susan around the forums.

Definitely in the serial form, Dave. I think that would be interesting.

A trial run is a good idea, Susan. I can’t do one right away because I need to do a little revision first. Basically I just need to change all the names to protect the guilty innocent. But I could probably have a chapter ready within a couple days.

Of course you should give it a go.

But I’d suggest listening to some podcasts first. Decide what you like and hear other people’s mistakes. Some places you can go to look for podcasts are in the iTunes store, Odeo.com, and the atrociously designed PodcastPickle.com.

I live in LA and have plenty of time in the car, but I also love taking walks with my iPod stacked full of podcasts. I have mopped the kitchen floor to podcasts, too.

Let us know how it goes.

re: listening to podcasts.

I guess I was thinking of this more like a serial audiobook than a podcast. I mean, I’m just going to be reading my book out loud. Do you think I should also add additional features? A conversation about the book? My current reflections about the events I discuss in the book (which happened over 25 years ago)?

You betcha--include the discussion; it’ll be like the extra bonus thingies you get on a CD.  One thing I might say on the audio, keep on open mind to critique on “voice.” In the friend’s presentation I mentioned, I really didn’t know how to tell him I was worried about it because his voice (in the classroom setting) was a bit monotonal, but it turned out to be perfect for the particular piece.  As to myself, I sound like a Munchkin from Oz on any recording device, yet normally have a deeper tone that’s well received in person.  Inflection, tone, etc., all this is vital to the project and enhances or detracts from the narrative.  Think flashfiction, where the visual and audio effects are a large part of the picture.

As long as the memoir is an interesting story, of course you should try podcasting it. Weekly installments would seem to be the best frequency. More often, and listeners might fall behind and not bother catching up, and less often, listeners might forget what they heard previously and lose interest. I really enjoyed Cory Doctorow’s serial podcasts of his novelette, “After the Siege”:

http://craphound.com/podcast.php

Sonic perfection is by no means necessary--in fact, technical glitches are part of the charm.

As long as it’s interesting? Oh, no—now you’ve got me worried. I thought it was interesting, but maybe it’s not....

Seriously, though, I probably will do a couple chapters, see what people think, whether there are any suggestions, etc., before deciding if I’ll do the whole thing.

Another question. My chapters vary in length. The shortest is about 8 pages, which is roughly 14 spoken minutes. The longest is 25, I think, so about 45 minutes. Most chapters, I suspect, will be in the 20-30 minute range. Any problem with that? Or should I consider breaking up longer chapters?

Geezus, I got bored after five minutes.  No, really, I think that the breakup in lengths is good, adds to the overall anticipation that story suggests.  Fifteen minutes is fine, as is thirty.  Longer I wouldn’t go because if someone is settled in and ready for more, they can listen through a few segments. How long do we sit and read for a spell?  It is determined by time and place.  How far is the drive to work?  How long does it take to make dinner?  Figure out when people will be listening and that should give you a better idea of how much time you can spend enthralling them.

BTW, I did post a link on Spinning and commented on your post regarding this, and will provide more feedback when I have the good sense to sit still and listen longer.

Thanks Susan.

Just in case anyone is following this forum but hasn’t noticed my post on the main page, here’s a link to the first installment of the podcast.

Hey Dave - I really enjoyed the first installment! Excellent reading. I think the pacing was good, the music transitions were well done. I would only say work on the OPVs. (er, that is other people’s voices).

You may want to submit something over to Verb http://www.verb.org/index.html that I just read about.

BudParr | MetaxuCafe - 21 December 2005 02:52 PM

Hey Dave - I really enjoyed the first installment! Excellent reading. I think the pacing was good, the music transitions were well done.

Thanks! That’s great to hear!

I would only say work on the OPVs. (er, that is other people’s voices).

Yeah. Definitely an Achilles heel for me. Do you think I need to ham it up more, or just do more to differentiate the voices?

You may want to submit something over to Verb http://www.verb.org/index.html that I just read about.

Thanks for the tip--I’ll check it out.

Differentiate, I think. I would just listen to some audio books (particularly by a good actor), or perhaps tune into Selected Shorts on NPR for examples.

Okay, I’m a bit late, but I just found this thread.  Actually, last summer I serially podcast the frist twenty-something chapters/episodes of my novel, Eden’s Gate.  I suck at self-promotion, so I don’t think anybody listened to it.  At least no one complained when I stopped recording the installments.  I really believe its a good way to get the book to an audience that might not otherwise sit down and read your book.  And it just might lead to a book contract.  Some genre authors have turned podcast novels into successes, but I don’t think the lit fic crowd has been as open.