Issue 285 of The Fiction Podcast Weekly is brought to you by Podcast Statistics & Industry Trends 2025: Listens, Gear, & More

How many podcast episodes are there? What's the most popular genre? What day of the week do podcasts publish? Blow your friends' minds at Quizzo with our newly updated reference guide, Podcast Statistics & Industry Trends 2025: Listens, Gear, & More.

News, Roundups, and Announcements

• ​Equity launches campaign to Save Audio Drama at the BBC. The full text of the letter is inspiring. The Writers' Guild of Great Britain and the Society of Authors are also on board.
• ​The National Association of Voice Actors has a relief fund for VAs affected by the California wildfires. You can donate, request assistance, or get more information at NAVA's website.
• ​NAVA posted on Twitter or X: "Many NAVA members and members of the voice acting community have found their voices cloned without consent, control or compensation on 101soundboards. This egregious display underscores the need for basic AI protections at the federal level." For more info, see Creator Resources, below.
• Podnews reports that Shared Manifest Entertainment Relaunches with a Bold Vision for Fiction Podcasts, Theatre, and Film. They sent me a press release, but I'm linking to Podnews', because.... that's just the way it is. What, you want answers for everything? Some things need to remain mysterious. Otherwise, where's the joy in living?
• The End's curator, Evo Terra, has updated some of the site's roundups and recommendations. Times being what they are, I recommend Politics as (un)Usual.
• Congratulations to the 2025 Inductee Honorees in the Podcast Hall of Fame! Though none are (or appear to be) fiction* podcasters, many of them, such as Jess Kupferman and Tom Webster, have elevated the podcast zeitgeist for all of us.
• Jeff Van Dreason is crowdfunding for The Perfect Sentence: An Audio Drama Concept Album.
• ​Wil Williams' most recent Podcast Promise focuses on a stirring tribute to David Lynch and a heartwarming examination of What's The Frequency.

*If I'm wrong, let me know. I don't mind. It's a big zeitgeist out there.

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Creator Resources

• ​In The Dark: Funny Sounds with Talia Augustidis. January 20th is “Blue Monday”, supposedly the saddest day of the year. In preparation, Talia Augustidis has spent the past 12 months curating a collection of “funny sounds” – a joyful mix of audio documentaries, sketches and sound art that will chase the blues away. MOTH Club, Monday January 20, doors open at 7 and the show starts at 7:30.
• Did you know some people don't know the difference between stereo and mono? I'm not joking; I've had to explain this to grown adults in 2025. Bookmark this article for when you have to explain to someone what podcasters do. Painting With Sound: Crafting a Sonic Canvas
• If you suspect 101 Soundboards may have ripped off your voice, NAVA recommends that you visit the website, find out if your voice is listed, issue a takedown request and then fill out the form for affected voice artists at NAVA's website. That said, when you visit 101 Soundboards, use a browser with the ad blocker turned on.
• There may still be room in Tom Crowley's Happier Scriptwriting course, which starts on the 19th of January. You'd have to ask Tom.
• ​Best Lavalier Microphones for Podcasting & Audio Recording, newly freshened up for 2025
• If your show gets 28 or more downloads for a new episode in the first week after its release, that's good. Find out more with Average Podcast Downloads: Podcast Measurement and Growth.
• Voice Acting Club has updated their article, Cultivating a Professional Mindset for Auditions.
• ​Sound Storytelling: The Art of Making a Fiction Podcast is updated for 2025.
• ​The Sonic Legacy of David Lynch: The Sound of Twin Peaks & Beyond, also from A Sound Effect, is an invigorating tribute that will make you want to play with a DAW.

Opportunities

• ​Equinox Anthology is a collection of sci-fi audio short fiction with episodes being released every Equinox and Solstice. Audio fiction creators submit short (5-10 minutes) audio works around a simple theme which are collected into each episode. Alien Ghost Robot seeks pitch submissions for the Spring Equinox episode to be released on March 20, 2024. Deadline: January 19.
• ​Prince Claus Fund Seed Award - €5000 funding for emerging artists and cultural practitioners who work in contexts where cultural expression is under pressure. Deadline: January 21, 2025, at 17:00 Amsterdam time.
• Casting Call: Hunting Grounds, horror-slasher, seeks "Feminine voices for several secondary roles ranging from more youthful to more mature."
• ​Call for Pitches: DM’s Are Open is an English language radio sketch comedy show on BBC Radio 4 Extra which accepts submissions. It is non-topical (i.e. not reacting to that week’s news stories); instead submissions are expected to fit around a theme, posted weekly. They pay a flat fee for all material: £35 per half minute. This is nonexclusive, so you are free to use the material elsewhere. Deadline: Wednesday after the week’s theme is posted, midday GMT.
• ​Scriptwriters & Co Scratch Night Call for Submissions - an invitation for international writers to submit short plays, screenplays or audio plays in English to be performed at Scriptwriters & Co’s Winter Scratch Night on 27th January. Deadline: 23rd January.
• ​Sonic Arts Forum Call Out - an opportunity for international audio artists to introduce their work and receive feedback in a supportive environment. They seek artists, musicians, technologists, and noise-makers working with live electronics, field recordings, fixed media, audio vision, installation, algorithmic composition, and more. The Sonic Arts Forum 2025 will be held at Maynooth University in Dublin on 5th April. Deadline: 24 January.

Milestones & Debuts

• ​Submitted for the Approval of the Midnight Pals begins its second season on Friday, 17 January. Teen versions of classic horror/SFFH authors, including Poe, Shelley, and Lovecraft, tell their stories around the campfire, reminiscent of "Are You Afraid of the Dark."
• ​A Fragile Mind says, "This is high stakes drama at it's finest. Award winning writer, award winning cast, and was nominated for Best drama at LA WebFest and Best Concept at NZ WebFest. Authenticity in acting, cinematic ear candy, and a dystopian universe that is constantly expanding. Our final 6 episodes will be released this week for season 2."
• ​Greenvoe. The natural rhythms of Orkney life are shattered when a mysterious external company, Black Star, suddenly arrives to buy out the islanders and displace them from their homes.

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