If you're finding it tough to get an audience to read your books, why not podcast them in installments?Andrew Adam Newman in the New York Times, tells how science-fiction horror writer Scott Siegler (left) was snubbed by publishers for years before he began to record his work and offer it via podcasts in installments for subscribers to download for free.
Before long, he had 5,000 subscribers. And now he has 30,000.
And of course, with a substantial fan-base, he's managed to attract a publisher.
Other authors (and it seems sci-fi writers are the most tech savvy!) are turning to website Podiobooks.com (founded by Evo Terrato, co-author of Podcasting for Dummies) to get their words heard. The site has about 100 titles, mainly science fiction and fantasy. There's a great deal of help and advice at the site about making a podcast of your book.
In case you feel a bit sniffy about it all, consider the case of Mark Jeffrey, one of the first writers to put his work on Podiobooks. The Pocket and the Pendant, a "Harry Potter-esque fantasy" novel drew about 20,000 listeners. The book was then self-published with Lulu.com and now the author is evaluating three Hollywood offers to put the novel onto the big screen and accompanying publishing deals.
So it seems that with a fan-base behind them, authors can expect publishers to start knocking at their doors!
