Apple's new chapters and links, YouTube's AI disruption, Holmwood, Phantom Pulse and Partial Veil, and Scorpio season debuts

Issue 323 of The Fiction Podcast Weekly is brought to you by The Young.
The Young is a coming-of-age actual play in which a strange sickness spreads through Nokomis County, Michigan, in the summer of '95 - the year Camp Whippoorwill closed for good. This is a horror story.

News, Roundups, and Announcements

• The Fiction Podcast Weekly is now a wholly independent publication! Thank you for coming along on this journey. I’ll continue to bring you the best updates for the audio drama and/or fiction podcasting world, as long as you keep reading, send me your news, and support the newsletter. Read on to find out how!

• Apple announced, “With iOS 26.2, we’re excited to introduce even more ways for your audience to interact with your show with the new chapters and timed links features.” I’ll be very interested to see how this works with shows where the text isn’t meant to be taken literally. Podnews shared a video showing how Apple’s timed links can be a great cross-promotion tool.

• YouTube to Offer Voluntary Buyouts to Employees Amid AI Disruption, by Alex Weprin for the Hollywood Reporter. YouTube is offering employees voluntary buyouts, which Weprin says, “can sometimes serve as a prelude to cuts later on.” What? Video and AI aren’t necessarily a path to riches for all?

• The Holmwood Foundation, Season Two of the horror-fiction audio drama about possession, queer identity, and Dracula's severed head, is crowdfunding, with less than a week to go.

• Phantom Pulse, the latest project from Atypical Artists, is crowdfunding now. It’s 1998, and Phantom Pulse is setting out on their first real tour. They’ll have a chance to perform on real stages and perform their real (secret) job: using their music to exorcise ghosts.

• Partial Veil Season 2’s award-winning audio drama just ended with a BANG (literally). Help them retroactively pay the incredible cast and crew!

• TAFCON has placed a deposit on the conference venue. It’s happening, Reg! It’s actually happening!

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Creator Resources

• Headliner shares Back From the Dead: How Your Podcast’s Back Catalog Can Spark New Growth 

• Show Notes Generators Tested: Which AI Tools Actually Save You Time? by The Podcast Tech Stack. Have you tried any of these with audio drama episodes? Were they effective?

• 8 Tips for your Audio Drama Demo Reel, by J.D. Sutter

• 9 Common Podcasting Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them) by me, Lindsay

• Trick or Treat! Headlines from Podcast Dystopia is a Halloween treat from your friends at Tink Media that will never get stale.

• Got kids? This may be a good option for their holiday gift list: Seedpace Interactive Player: Screen-Free Audio For Kids, by Matthew McLean

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Opportunities

• Casting Call: Anticrastination (a comedy) seeks voice actors. Deadline: 7th November.

• OnAirFest’s Open Call for Pitches is live. They’re looking for workshops, presentations, live podcasts, and “deep listenings.” They review proposals on a rolling basis until December 2.

• Casting call: The North American Pantheon, a horror podcast. Listing expires 15 November.

• Casting Call: Neurobridge, a sci-fi audiodrama. Listing expires 1st January, 2026.

• Dlf Audio Storytelling Academy is a 1-year mentorship program to develop an audio story for people with little experience or under-represented perspectives. Deadline: 1st December.

• Charlene Victor and Ella J. Weiss Cultural Entrepreneur Fund - financial support for the professional development of Brooklyn’s emerging and mid-career women artists and arts administrators. Deadline: 7th of November, 11:59 ET.

Launches of the Week and Milestones of the Year

• Deepfake. A young woman becomes the target of an AI-run justice system after she begins to look into the mysterious death of her younger sister.

• Tom’s Beef Pie is Served, in which Tom Crowley tells us everything he wants us to know about this year’s Beef and Dairy Network Podcast Halloween Special. Heavens, it’s tasty!

• Hindsight- The Fracture launched and concluded on November 5. In the small town of Fairview, the annual Cull is a weapon. Every year, 10% of the least productive citizens disappear—a brutal ritual the powerful Mayor uses to maintain absolute control.

• The annual 11th Hour Audio Challenge returned for 2025, with new chilling tales to celebrate World Audio Drama Day.

• In a shocking turn of events, A Scottish Podcast published Hadrian’s Ward, just in time for Samhain. You won’t regret it.

Keep sharing good stories.

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