This is what I mean when I ask if I can make a podfic

[sophinisba]

(Okay I'm still not really here but)

Today I read some pieces of a recent discussion over at podficmeta and was impressed by how articulate and levelheaded most people were. Nice job hosting and moderating, klb! Nice job respecting differences of opinion, podfic community! ♥ ♥

It got me thinking that, as much as I've advocated for authors being explicit about their desires and expectations in their blanket permission statements or transformative works policies, I've never written the kind of "Dear Author" letter that paraka and others have been advocating for years. I've always kind of thought, "Well, most people in fandom have some idea of what podfic is, and if they have questions they can ask!" But that's silly! That's like not having a transformative works policy because, "Well, I doubt anyone would want to record anything of mine, and if they do they can ask!" Why make each individual person ask when I could go ahead and put it out there? So here's an attempt to do that.

Hey, can I make a podfic of this?

I like making recordings of things I read! Other people like listening to them! Usually these are fics and sometimes they're meta or other kinds of posts that I like. If I comment on your fic or post to say, "Hey, can I make a podfic of this?", here's what you can expect me to do if you say yes (or if you have been lovely enough to give blanket permission):

Things I pretty much always do

• Record an intro (title, author's name, my name, and maybe other info) and the text as written, expressing how I feel about the text through my voice, edit out the zillion mistakes and choose the line readings I like best


• Make an mp3 (and often an m4b), add metadata (including my name, the author's name, and a link to the text), and upload to a file sharing service so that other people can download it


• Link to the file from my journal, with a header that includes the author's name and a link to the text


• Link to my journal post at the amplificathon comm, so that an archivist can add the recording to the Audiofic Archive, where it's searchable by author, reader, fandom, ship, and other criteria, with links going back to my post and to the author's.


• Post a comment to the story with a link to my journal post (I sometimes forget to do this though /o\)

Other things I often do

• Add warnings, content notes, and/or my own commentary, in the recording and/or in my journal post


• Correct simple grammar mistakes


• Add music and/or sound effects to the recording


• Make a cover with an image I find on the Internet somewhere


• Post to other comms and archives, such as pairing comms and the AO3


• Make the podfic part of a collection (such as as an anthology of Gwen/Merlin podfics read by me, or an anthology of lady-centric podfics read by lots of different people) so listeners can download the set as one file


• Collaborate with others who contribute their own voices, sound effects, cover art, or something else

I think all of the above are pretty common in Podficland, and I wouldn't usually consult with the author before doing them. So if any of them make you uncomfortable, let's talk about it and we'll work something out. You might also think about addressing them in your transformative works policy.

Things I have occasionally done or would do, in consultation with the author

• Post without the author's name or a link to the text, if they prefer not to have the podfic connected to them


• Remove the author's name from journal posts and have it removed from the Audiofic Archive after it's been posted (this is easy)


• Remove the author's name from the recording after it's been posted (this takes a little effort, and there will be copies around that still have the name, but it's not that big a deal).


• Make edits to the text beyond simple grammar and typos (such as cutting out a scene or offensive language)

Things I have not done and don't plan to do

• Record or post without permission (either given individually or in a transformative works policy)


• Resent or complain about an author who doesn't comment on or acknowledge the podfic


• Take down a podfic I made because the author tells me to (after they gave permission)

Taking down podfics is a complicated thing and I don't mean to say I'd never do it, but it would probably make me SUPER SAD. If you think there's a good chance that in the future you'll want all versions of your work taken off the Internet, that it wouldn't be good enough to have your name and the links removed, you might not want to give people permission to make podfics.

Anyway, other podficcers have different ideas about some of these last few items and that's okay. If you as an author have strong feelings about any of them, again, that's something you might want to address in a transformative works policy. For example, you could say that you don't want people to make podfics; or that people can make podfics if they want but that you won't listen to or comment on them. That kind of information is super helpful to potential podficcers.

Thank you for listening and have a nice day!

Comments

[msilverstar]

I have learned so much from the conversations about podficcing, and this is a fabulous post!

[sophinisba]

Thanks! I worry that it is not practical because I would find it awkward to throw in a link when asking about podfic. I mean, I'm already asking them for something, I don't want it to seem like I'm giving them homework!