amplificathon

Hi, guys!

I've never really posted anything about how/why/when I create podbooks, but with the volume of great podfics coming out now, I thought it was time to clarify things a bit and ask for your input/help.

First, I compile 'books out of love--love of fandom, love of podfics, love of readers and authors and artists and listeners. It is not a trial for me, or a burden, though it is often tiring, a bit overwhelming, and quite time consuming. There's no chance these days of coming anywhere near keeping up with podfic posts, even with more and more people creating podbooks of their own/other's work (and thank God for that!).

Over the years I've had to stop compiling shorter podfics for the most part, though I make occasional exceptions as the mood strikes and time permits. These days I try to get to most podfics of around 45 minutes or longer, and this cutoff keeps slowly creeping up. Like any human, I have my favorite readers and authors and fandoms, and those may get precedence at times. Total impartiality is impossible, but I do try to be diverse and inclusive as possible.

I am not an organized person, though, and I have a short attention span and a lousy memory, so if I don't keep up with posts, older ones are likely to drop by the wayside. This does not mean I'm deliberately not podbooking a particular fandom or story or author or reader! It just means I'm busy and a bit of a ditz! If I miss something you particularly want a podbook of, let me know, and I'll do my best to get one done.

I almost never have advance notice that a podfic is about to be posted. This means, among other things, that I usually have very little time to throw together a cover if a podbook needs one. If cover art already exists, like for BigBang stories, I have to search it out before using it.

I post most of my podbooks to the lists because they are made after the podfics are posted. I discovered early on that not every reader will go back to add another link to their posts, so people might not be aware that a 'book is available if it doesn't have a post of its own. Plus, I must admit, I enjoy posting my cover art. :-)

What is the point of all this verbosity? Just that readers may not be aware there are ways they can help ensure I am able to compile the maximum number of 'books possible. These are only suggestions! They are in no way required for me to continue to podbook as I always have.

1) If you let me know in advance you're about to finish a longer podfic and want a podbook, I will have that much more time to prepare a cover. Let me know if artwork already exists for the story and link to it if possible.

2) If you want to post podfic and m4b links together in your post, I can compile the 'book and send you the link (and cover if you'd like); this also means I don't have to prepare a separate post myself.

3) If you have any thoughts on the matter, let me know if there is some picture or screencap or concept in the story that would make a good cover. This is not essential, but it would be helpful as most of my covers have to be done well before I get a chance to listen to the podfic; it's likely I haven't read the story (no time to read these days!); and authors' summaries often give no real clue as to what the story is about.

4) If your podfic is Supernatural or Supernatural RPF and you want your permanent links, both mp3 and m4b, before posting, let me know. I am in charge of archiving all things Supernatural.

5) If you podfic a story from a 'verse and plan to continue with other stories from that series, please make that clear. Same with a WIP. There is no sense in my creating a podbook of a single story if you know you'll be adding more to it later. It is also incredibly helpful if the placement of the story in the series is clear.

6) Basically, just communicate, either in your list post or off list. The more information you give, the faster and easier making you a podbook will be.

You can reach me for anything concerning podbooks at either amplificathon, or at cybelh at gmail dot com.

Finally, feel free to ignore any/all of the above if you want to or must, and I'll just continue to do my thing as I always have. :-)

I've uploaded an updated listing of the podbooks I've compiled as of today. The folder contains an Excel file, a Numbers file, a tab delineated text file, and a pdf arranged by title and another by fandom.

As of the January 1st, I'd compiled 900 'books. There are now 1,064. :-)

The folder can be downloaded here

This is an update of a post I originally made in April '08.

1) Because podbooks are my fannish thing and curiosity is a fault of mine, I'd like to ask that if you, too, love the m4b format, please add 'podbooks' as an interest on your journal profile page.

2) What exactly is a podbook? A podbook (fannish terminology for audiobook or m4b) is a sound file that adds more features to a basic mp3. It usually includes cover art, makes the mp3 automatically bookmarkable, and, for those with iTunes, moves it out of the Music folder and into a separate Books (previously Audiobooks) folder where it won't be seen or heard when browsing or shuffling songs. It also then automatically shows up in a Books playlist on an iPod. My newest podbooks, compiled with the latest AudioBook Builder (for Mac only), also offer Enhanced Chapter Stops: every mp3 file compiled into a 'book becomes its own "chapter". When you play the final output in iTunes or on your iPod, you'll notice special controls for quickly moving between these chapters instead of having to fast-forward or rewind.

3) Some mp3 players are not able to play m4b files; others can. To get the added benefits of podbooks on your PC, even if you don't own an iPod or other m4b capable player, you can download Apple's free iTunes, here. If you have a Mac, iTunes is already part of your system.

4) Not all podbooks that have been compiled by myself and others have been posted to the various LJ podficcing communities. If you wonder if a podbook version of your favorite podfic exists, check general_jinjur's Audiofic Archive under the reader or author tabs. A category for m4b files also exists and can be found here. If you don't find what you're looking for in the Archive, you can check with me; I've personally compiled over 1,000 podbooks since 2007 and am always working on more.

5) Podficcers and authors: don't be shy. If you have a podfic you'd like me to 'book and you haven't heard from me, feel free to drop me a note. I may not be able to 'book/provide cover art for/post every podfic in every fandom requested (especially those under 1/2 hour or so), but I will do my best. If your story already has a cover (with artist approval to use) or if you have a photo, cap, etc. that you can provide, the process is easier, especially for fandoms with which I'm unfamiliar.

6) Podbooks are not necessarily larger than and may actually be much smaller files than the original mp3s. The format is extremely compact, and I normally compile at 64 kbps while most mp3s are recorded at 128 kbps (the human voice needs less than half of the storage music requires). Of course, if the 'book combines several parts into a single file, it will necessarily be larger than the original mp3 files downloaded separately.

7) As I mentioned above, I compile 'books using a Mac only software called Audiobook Builder. I know PC software exists, but I don't know anything about it or its features.

ETA per a very good question asked by glittertine:

The trouble with the m4a format, which is also an audio container format like m4b, is that it doesn't have the extra features of an m4b: no auto bookmarking, no auto filing in Books inside of iTunes/iPods (they file under music).

On the up side, you can release these extra features just by manually changing the file extension from .m4a to .m4b. Doing this, however, removes the ability for the files to be used on players that can use m4a files, so there is no benefit for users of those players.

Also, many mp3 players still can't use m4a OR m4b files, which is why all podfics added to the Archive must have an mp3 version.

Please note that now that I'm uploading exclusively to the Audiofic Archive, I will no longer be keeping my SendSpace account.

As a result, all of my previous sendspace links will soon be dead.

Not to worry, though. Everything should readily be available via the Archive links. If you have any problems accessing what you need, please let me know.

I've updated the database of the podbooks I've compiled and zipped together both a PDF and Excel version which you can download here.

Astonishingly, the total number of 'books now stands at 704!