The Fannish Life of a Podficer

[paraka]

So, last week I got metafandomed for that post I made on why people listen to podfic. A conversation in the comments however got into ownership of podfic (how much control does the author vs. podficer have) and, well, it got me thinking. So I want to talk a little bit about what I've experienced as a podficer and my thoughts on it, and invite any other podficers to chime in.

When it comes to ownership of podfic, I think it's a 75%/25% split.

Theoretically the podficer has 75% ownership. It's their work and they can do with it what they will once they have permission from the author. The author has some claims on it since it's their story but anything they want done to the podfic has to go through the podficer. But since the podficer has most of the ownership they can choose to not do what the author asks after permission has been given. This is very much supported by the podficmeta post "Author Control (After Initial Permission)".

Practically the author has 75% ownership. As a podficer I think of a podfic as my creation. However getting into a fight with an author is... not fun. And you don't want the author leaving hating you and spreading the word that you're a horrible fannish person. Author's carry a lot more weight in fandom than podficers do. One author can complain and then their flist goes and dogpiles the podficer (hey, when I sort of had that happen to me, the author didn't even mention my name and I had everything down in under 3 hours of her making the post and I still had someone find my journal and leave a comment). And hey, even if the podficer can handle it personally, there are now all these people in fandom who are distrustful of podfic and won't allow it for their works.

So, even though I feel like my podfics are my babies, I end up giving up my ownership over it to the author, if they ask, to avoid rocking the boat. And I'm not the only one, as this post by general_jinjur shows.

And, the thing is, that's a terrifying place to be as a creator, having someone else control my works. At this point in my fannish life, podfic is my biggest contribution to fandom. I have more podfic than I do vids and fic put together. I've run a couple comms/challenges but a decent number of those were podfic related. So. It's extra scary because podfic is obviously my passion but the author may not even care about it beyond how it's applied to their fic.

I've dealt with 21 authors when it comes to podfic and have gotten the whole range or responses. I had one author who didn't even acknowledge me (they had given blanket permission and so I dropped them a comment and they never responded), I've had another author who created a podfic page on their website and made a special stats page so I could see the hits she gets on it, I've had one author tell me to take my podfic down and I currently have one author actively involved with my podficing process. Most authors fall somewhere in the middle, where they'll be happy and flattered when you ask permission and will pimp it on their journals/fic post when it's done but others can be indifferent. Only a handful of those authors have shown actual interest in my podfic beyond it being their story.

And I'm ok with all of that. I don't actually make podfic for the author. I make it for myself, for the podfic community and anyone who might be willing to give podfic a listen. If that includes the author, awesome! But I don't podfic with them specifically in mind.

But there's always the fear that because the author's are only interested in my podfic as it applies to them that they aren't going to... I don't know. Take into consideration what the podfic means to me and others. In some ways, as horrible as it sounds, I almost welcome the indifference from authors because maybe then they'll forget about what I've done and just leave me with it.

And, obviously, I would never want what I made to hurt someone else. If the author was in some kind of RL trouble and my podfic could get her in more trouble, then I'd gladly take it down. But, there are a lot of people that create things and then later decide they want to take it down (for non-critical reasons, like maybe they just don't like it anymore). And the idea that they'd just tell me to take my stuff down because they no longer like it? It's not a fun one! The one author who asked me to take my podfic of her story down never gave me a reason for it (it was a messy situation and so I felt I couldn't ask) and it still bothers me.

Podfic is still a newly popular(ish) thing. A lot of us are still stumbling around trying to decide how this is going to work. The podfic community is talking it out and deciding how we want things but there certainly isn't universal agreement (is there ever? :P). And the problem is, that the podficers and listeners are only 2/3 of the interested parties. Right now a lot of author's don't even know to get involved. They aren't taking the time to define what they want out of podfic. It's hard for a standard to be set when only one group is negotiating as a whole and the other group only has random representatives. And, as I said above, author's really aren't consistent in their attitudes toward podfic.

In the end it makes me feel kind of powerless, because I see what rights I want to have as a podficer but I also realize that they're called into question every time someone challenges them. I don't know, maybe I think about this a lot more than the average podficer because I had that one situation where I had to take my podfic down but I am nervous about this.

I can't really think of any way to fix this other than to meta about it. So, watch me meta :)

Comments

[luzula]

I've dealt with 21 authors when it comes to podfic and have gotten the whole range or responses.

I've recorded over 100 podfics, so I've come across a lot of different responses, too. I've only had one outright "no", actually, but there have been a number who didn't reply at all. But I haven't come across anyone who wants me to take the podfic down.

[cantarina]

We had a podfic gathering on Wincon Sunday and while most of the attendees were readers, we had two writers sit in on at least a part of the discussion and recording. We talked a little bit around some of these issues, but what really struck me most about that conversation was when one of the writers chimed in and asked what she, as a writer, could do for us as podficcers. I think we were all really pleasantly surprised and touched, because it was putting the ownership back in our hands, or at the very least, making it a collaborative effort, rather than just a format shift.

I've also had mixed bag reactions to permission asking. I've had one or two authors reply cautiously or even suspiciously, but even when they're enthusiastic, I often get the sense that they feel like I'm doing it for them... which, yes, I'm thrilled that it makes writers happy and that they enjoy the work we do - I want my authors to enjoy the readings, of enthusiasm - but I wish there was a way to reconcile the conflict between "This is my fanwork" and "This is your version of my fanwork".

[afullmargin]

Hmm, from the perspective of an author (that being myself) I think podfic in general is a bit frightening. Ownership and fanworks has always been sort of a big deal, and now with the relative explosion in the popularity of audio-fanfiction (which I am well aware has been around... well, pretty much since the beginning well before my time) that fear has once more boiled to the surface.

I would be very uncomfortable putting my fanworks with a podficcer that would alter/sell/post/etc. the piece without my input. Personally, I love the idea of being recorded (I haven't been as yet, but have been considering doing one myself for the novelty and am open to the potential of others doing my work) but it would have to be with someone I either know well and trust or someone who would give me strong say in the matter - particularly when it comes to making alterations. I am very aware that you can find anything online, no matter how well you protect it. In essence, I would still very much want to have "ownership" of the piece.

I sort of see it more in the same light as someone doing a translation into another language. The piece should not be altered, and should maintain an approrpiate tone. The original author never loses any sense of ownership, the translator is simply putting it into another media. Perhaps this is an antiquated way of thinking?

Please don't think I'm bashing on podficcers, I find the concept quite fascinating, but as a writer am I missing the whole point? Is podfic (in your opinion, obviously opinions may vary) different from a voice recording or a piece? The essence I'm getting out of the OP is that podfic should be treated as a separate fanwork based on my fanwork?