Fiction Podcast Weekly 289: Happy Birthday Earbuds! Dirt cheap SFX & music, cross-promo tactics, casting calls, grants and more.

Issue 289 of The Fiction Podcast Weekly is brought to you by 4 Radio Broadcasts That Changed History.

To celebrate World Radio Day, Katie Paterson brings you a roundup of Four Radio Broadcasts That Changed History, so you can get inspired to make podcasts that change the future.

News, Roundups, and Announcements

• We’ve moved! So far, so good. Notice anything different? Did we lose the mixing bowl again? Glaring errors and mistakes can, as always, be sent to [email protected]. Do you have suggestions for improvement? Share your thoughts in this brief survey.

• Happy 8th Birthday to Earbuds Podcast Collective!

• Does your favorite podcast platform make you happy? Do some podcast platforms make you so mad you could eat nails and spit rust? The Podnews Report Card allows you to tell Apple, Spotify, Amazon Music, and many others what they’re doing well and how they can improve. Deadline: 9 March 2025. #overcastforlife

• The Ambies 2025 Nominees include some indie audio drama surprises. Congratulations to Undertow, Wolf at the Door Studios, and Gideon Media!

Do you have feedback or suggestions for improving the Fiction Podcast Weekly?

Share your thoughts in this brief survey. Thanks!

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What are some great podcast cross-promotion tactics you’ve seen, heard, or experienced?

Other than crossover episodes (AD & Fiction shows have so many good examples of those!), what are some examples of inventive, unique, or especially memorable podcast cross-promotion strategies you’ve experienced? Tell us about Great Innovations in Podcast Cross-Marketing, in the IndiePod Community.

Creator Resources

• Spotify has a setting you can tweak in your Spotify for Creators account, which enables you to recommend two other podcasts. It’s a straightforward way to work with other podcasters to help each other’s shows grow. Watch the details here: Grow Your Podcast on Spotify in the ‘More Like This’ Tab.

• ICYMI: Fool and Scholar was kind enough to show me their Audio Drama Round-Table Playlist on YouTube. Funding, logistics, sound design, and more are all there for you.

• Humble Bundle has a huge sale of sound effects, music and more from Ovani Sound. Pay what you can and support the support the Children's Miracle Network with your purchase.

• Find out how professional audio producers sustain their careers in this interview, My Comedy Career: Andrew McGibbon. His production company, Curtains For Radio, has won awards, including a Special Mention at the Prix Europa.

• Tickets are still available for OnAir Fest, 19-21 February.

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Opportunities

• The Golden Lobes is a brand-new awards night celebrating the funniest podcasts, people, and moments in audio. Categories include Scripted Audio, and “a one-time entry fee of £25 allows you to enter as many categories as you like.” Deadline: 15 March.

• The Sound of the Year Awards are free-to-enter international awards for sounds. They have nine categories, including Best Natural Sound, Most Unpleasant Sound, and Best Imagined Sound. They also have a Children's Category. All sounds must have been recorded/made/heard within a year of submission. Deadline: 28 February.

• Casting Call: Necessary Evil. Deadline: 1 March.

• Casting Call: Twigs and Hearts. Deadline: Feb 29.

• Casting Call: Become. Deadline: 28 Feb.

• The Spotify x JED Impact Award will provide $10,000 grants to five authors of unpublished manuscripts that feature "exceptional depictions" of mental health in fiction, to diversify mental health narratives. As part of the initiative, Spotify will cover fee waivers to allow up to 140 writers to receive a free month of hosting and a free evaluation on The Black List platform. Submissions are open beginning Feb. 12 on The Black List's website (available for English-language manuscripts globally) and will close July 8, 2025.

Milestones & Debuts

• NIGHTLIGHT, a multi-award-winning podcast featuring stories written by Black writers, returns for its 8th season on February 18 with a story from acclaimed writer Eden Royce. Supporters get access on February 11.

• Season 2 of Muein Mystery Adventures is here! A storm is rising in 1366… The Muein way of life—rooted in higher consciousness—is on the brink of extinction from a shadow threat. If it falls, so do the freedoms of every European. Will wisdom prevail, or will darkness consume all?

• Season 3 of Forties AF: Black Women Living, Loving, and Leading Fearlessly, the “sassy and empowering dramedy,” launches Feb 21.

• M.U.S.E. What happens when classic stories go wrong? Our heroes go in and fix them, of course! Journey into beloved classics alongside our storyverse adventurers Cassidy and CRONICL.

• Violet's Shadow The day before Valentine’s Day, eight digital nomads arrive to stay at a luxurious Victorian manor house on a remote island off the coast of Ireland. When one of them is murdered, it looks like a bitter love triangle could be the motive.

Keep sharing good stories.

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