Good news, everyone! My podcastβs test season earlier this year was received with such enthusiasm, we immediately got to work on building the machinery that would power a full series. It took all summer, as I and my team applied what we learned we could do differently or better going forward. I only wanted to do all that work once, because I want to do this podcast for years to come. I think we nailed it, and I think I get to hand off everything but the narration to the rest of the team.
So I can so happily shout from the top of a mountain that Itβs Storytime With Wil Wheaton Returns October 29th with a spooky story for the spooky season! And that will kick off at least FORTY new episodes.
FORTY!
I am so excited, I made a video about it!
Iβve been reading submissions from Michael, our content editor, and reaching out to authors for permission to narrate their stories. Can I tell you how warm it makes me feel when they tell me they enjoy my work? How happy and grateful I feel when an author tells me they already listen to my audiobooks?
Every single story I have read has been incredible for a different reason. I canβt hardly wait, as the Replacements said, to narrate them. Iβm so grateful that I am getting to do what I love for my job. If youβre already subscribed to the podcast, please accept my warmest thanks; I wouldnβt get to do this without you.
One of the unexpected delights has been the Patreon. I did a couple of live AMA things there that were surprisingly fun, so weβre going to do that again, and more often. Iβm hopeful that I can even do some author chats, where we can get to know the people who created these stories Iβm reading to you. Last time I looked, there were 485 paid subscribers, and like 300 others who are checking us out. That blows me away and Iβm so grateful for the support, Iβm going to do a special, live, narration of a spooky story, chosen by Patreon, next week. If youβre interested in seeing that, thereβs plenty of time to sign up.
A statistically significant number of people asked me if I would ever be on YouTube, but I never wanted this to be a video thing. For me as a performer, I canβt serve the words on the page and play to the audience on the other side of the camera. Imagine going to see someone do a reading in a theater, and they never once look up from the page. Itβs weird, right?
But so many people wanted us to be on YouTube, we figured out a way that I think will solve that problem. Iβll introduce the episode on camera, and then the story will be an audiogram. Done and done. Thereβs no content at the channel right now, but as soon as there is, Iβll share the link.
Okay, one last thing: Yesterday, I remembered that I had done a narration of Ur Fascism for Radio Free Burrito about five years ago. I felt like it was a good time to resurface it, so I did. And if you want to listen to my favorite episode I have done of RFB so far, with a full production and music and the whole thing that I did entirely by myself, Iβm so proud of The Cecil Hotel.
Iβm supposed to say that you can subscribe to Itβs Storytime With Wil Wheaton wherever you get your podcasts, even if that particular link goes to Apple for stupid SEO reasons.
Thatβs all for now. Thanks for listening. Take care of yourselves, and take care of each other.
