Fiction Podcast Weekly 292: Conference season prep, video schmideo, budgets and pay rates and DASH, oh my

Issue 292 of The Fiction Podcast Weekly is brought to you by our guide to Podcast Cross-Promotion.

Podcast Cross-Promotion: 5 Must-Try Methods for Smart Growth has been updated, with insights from Flloyd Kennedy of Am I Old Yet? and Kyle Decker of Quest Friends!  

News, Roundups, and Announcements

• The AIR 2025 Rate Guide is ready for your perusal. While most of the data is relevant to audio drama and/or fiction podcasts, it isn't specific to them.

• Going to South by Southwest? Podnews shared a spreadsheet of SXSW events for Podcasters: Business of Podcasting @SXSW.

• Sean Howard is yelling excitedly about Evolutions! Any other audio drama and/or fiction podcast intel about Evolutions? Let us know!

• Nick Quah interviewed Tim Katz of YouTube and asked how he defines a podcast (if that article is paywalled for you and you desperately want to read it, email me at [email protected], and I’ll see what I can do). Apparently, Kat’s team said, “Generally speaking, we follow the lead of the individual creators who tell us in the upload process if their content is a ‘podcast.’” Therefore, I am Queen of the Bolshoi.

• Amanda McLoughlin shared her client’s experience with Spotify’s pivot to video podcasting. After Spotify protested, Podnews reported McLoughlin’s clarification: “Spotify is asking creators to try an unproven program with undisclosed revenue splits. Our experience is: my client opted into video on Spotify and lost a pretty significant chunk of money during their first month in the program. Because of that, we made the best decision for us with the data we received, and opted out.” Thank you, Amanda McLoughlin, for setting a good example and sticking to your principles.

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

Share your thoughts in this brief survey. Thanks!

Promote Your Podcast, Business, or Service to Audio Fiction Enthusiasts

With over 1700 subscribers and an average open rate of 47%, the Fiction Podcast Weekly is a brilliant place to advertise. We have options to fit every need, want, and budget.

• The Top: Be the main sponsor of an issue for $99 per week or $340 for four weeks.

• The Middle: Purchase a Classified Ad for $28. These sit in the middle of the email and have no accompanying graphics.

• The Bottom: Get your link and logo in our Supporter gallery for $4.99 a month or $50 a year.​

​Do you have audio drama or fiction podcast news to share with us? Let us know!

Creator Resources

• Podnews reports that RSS.com has added Apple Podcasts (globally!) reviews to the user dashboard.

• Arielle Nissenblatt wants to make a podcast trailer for a special someone. Could it be you?

• Travis Vengroff shares Fool & Scholar’s budget breakdown for 2024 and what they learned.

• Best Podcast Call Recording App? 8 Tools Tested and Compared!

• How Much Does Podcast Equipment Cost in 2025? 

• Need a nudge? Austin Kleon’s What Seems Pointless is good medicine.

Classified Ads

Get your brand, product, podcast, or service in front of over 1700 fiction podcast enthusiasts. Place a classified ad of up to 30 words in an upcoming Fiction Podcast Weekly email newsletter issue for just $28.

​Fiction Podcast Weekly Classified Ad Form​

Do you know someone who'd enjoy this newsletter? Forward it to a friend and share the Fiction Podcast Weekly love. Or, share it on social media and tag us with #FictionPodcastWeekly.

Opportunities

• Casting Call: Re: Frankenstein. Deadline: 1st May.

• Casting Call: Telephone Tales.

• The Golden Lobes Awards, “the awards night that celebrates the funniest podcasts, people, and moments in the audio industry,” are still accepting applications. Deadline: 15 March.

• The Alfred Bradley Bursary Award is an opportunity for writers based in the North of England who are new to writing for audio. It offers a £5,000 bursary to the winner as well as the chance of a Radio 4 Drama commission. Deadline: 12 noon on Monday 21 April 2025.

Milestones & Debuts

• Lightbooth Blackout is excited to premiere the second season of their fiction podcast DASH. This season serves as the perfect jumping-on point as actor Jared Calhoun steps into the role of DASH.

• The Bookmarks Although Mark eats off silver spoons and Marquelle is more used to plastic, the two are best friends. This improvised comedy series explores the bond of two friends who start a book podcast on their way to their shared goal of writing TheNextGreatAmericanNovel(TM).

• The Frankenstein Files Trapped in an old and unfamiliar house by a snowstorm, college student Beau Walton discovers amongst the belongings of his deceased relative a collection of mysterious tape recordings, which slowly drag him deeper into a web of tragedy and conspiracy decades old.

• The Concierge Murder, Mayhem, and Maple Syrup: An Untrue Crime Podcast.

• THE TAMING OF THE SHREW to Be Reimagined in New Audio Drama Series, by Josh Sharpe

• CBC Podcasts introduces the latest season of PlayME

Keep sharing good stories. 

The Fiction Podcast Weekly is supported by: