Thoughts on podfic etiquette?
Mostly, should you ask the og writer before creating one?
Hi gentle anon, thanks for your message. Love a podfic! I enjoy listening to them, and I’ve made a few in the past of my own fics and other people’s fics.
Okay, so here are my thoughts (and anyone else reading this, please feel free to add your own!).
I think yes it’s generally good practice to ask the author first, for these reasons -
You’ll probably make their day
Like, seriously. Most authors are delighted that somebody loved their story enough to want to spend hours turning it into a podfic.
(Someone actually asked me a few years ago if they could make a podfic of one of my fics, but nothing ever materialised (I suspect they may not have realised quite how much work podficcing is!), but even the request itself and their intention to do it made me really happy).
Also in this day and age, with all the general lack of engagement, I think it’s really good to encourage authors and let them know when we like their stuff enough to rec it or podfic it etc.
2. The author might be able to help
If you let them know beforehand, they might have resources or information that would make your life easier.
I made a podfic years ago of a fic that involved songs (despite the fact I can’t sing… oh, the hubris of youth 😂). The author very kindly sent me the sheet music and audio files so I could attempt to learn the songs as well as reading the fic aloud. So having that conversation beforehand ended up being really helpful
3. It helps people find your podfic
If the author knows about it, they can link it through ao3 “other works inspired by this one” function that shows up on their fic and will direct people to your podfic.
In my experience, making podfics can be a bit of a thankless task. They often get even less engagement than fanfic despite taking hours and hours to create (although they are soooo much fun to make!, i think that’s the intrinsic reward). So any extra visibility is nice.
4. Check whether they’ve already stated a preference
Some authors have blanket podfic permissions posted on their profile. Some prefer to be asked, some just want you to let them know, and a few don’t want podfics made of their work at all. So before messaging somebody, it’s worth checking whether they’ve already said what they’re comfortable with.
5. Podficcing is creative work in its own right
I’m sure you know this already but doing a podfic isn’t just reading words off a page. You’re making decisions about pacing, emphasis, pronunciation, character voices, accents, music, sound effects, editing and presentation etc.
Because of that, I think it’s courteous to ask because it’s the author’s fic, and fandom generally works best when people communicate with each other. The author might have ideas already about how an OC sounds, like their accent, or things like that.
(When i was reading a chapter for a podfic, i wasn’t sure how to read a key line so i sent it to the author and they pointed out very kindly that i’d completely misunderstood the line and said the intonation wrong and changed the meaning - so at least you can ask the author if you get stuck on things like that, or pronunciation, and i’m sure they will be happy to help guide you. So open communication is good for that).
6. Following on from that, it’s worth discussing practicalities.
If you’re planning to use your own voice, AI voice software like eleven labs, music, Ko-fi links, or anything similar, i think you should mention that upfront.
Some authors won’t mind at all. Others may have strong preferences. So I think it’s important and respectful to check, so that it avoids potential awkwardness later.
But yeah, i think most authors would be super happy if you told them you wanted to make a podfic of their fic, and would want to help you in any way - and to listen and bask in the finished podfic too. ☺️
Hope this helps and thanks again for giving me this opportunity to enthuse about podfics. Good luck!
And if anyone has any other podfic etiquette or thoughts to add, please feel free.
