Plumbing the tumblr hivemind for some advice/opinions tonight regarding Podfics.
This is a question for both Podfic Makers and Podfic Listeners.
What are your thoughts/feelings/opinions on the text of a fic being included with the podfic?
I plan to record a fic I wrote 10+ years ago. In my recording preparations I've also found myself making mostly minor edits to the written story - restructuring sentences, clarifying details, that sort of thing. I'm not unhappy with the original text as it was written back then. This isn't a question of me wanting to erase it and make it better. This is more just the artifacts of my development as a writer over the past 10 years. Going back with fresh eyes and saying "I could phrase that better."
(As this is My Fic. Permissions aren't an issue. So no need to worry about those)
Currently I'm caught between figuring out how I want to update the text of the fic while also posting the podfic using the revised text. The options I can see are:
Post the podfic and the revised text as the same story. Embedding the audio player for each chapter into the chapter with the text following. Pros: Best/Most convenient accessibility. People can read only if they want, people can listen only if they want, people can listen and read along. Including both text and podfic in a single story makes for easy bookmarking/organization/updating. the Original fic is preserved as-is. Cons: This is a 100k+ fic, listing it as podfic with the word count may cause confusion. Readers only may not look at the story because of the word "Podfic" in the title/tags. Podfic listeners may be put off from checking it out because there's clearly a written word count beyond chapter notes and such.
Post the podfic and the revised text as separate new works. Pros: the separation keeps things clearer for readers/listeners. People who want the podfic only don't have to scroll through the text to get to the next chapter. People who want to read don't have to navigate around the podfic player. The option to read along while listening is still available, just requiring the audio to play in the background on another tab. The revised text can be updated faster and easier than the podfic. The original fic remains as-is. Cons: Multiple tabs can be easily lost/confused. Possible problems with getting the player to continue in the background when on another tab/window. The difference in update times (if I don't keep them updated at the same pace) could frustrate listeners who would be receiving the revised story on a delay.
Post the podfic as a new work and replace the chapters on the Original Work with the Revised Chapters. Pros: remain the same as posting two new works. Cons: The Original work is NOT preserved. If I do not alter the posting dates, it will not show up in searches when sorting by recency. Subscribers will not get new chapter updates. Most people won't even be aware that the story Has been updated unless they come back for a reread or click through from the podfic. (Honestly, I'm least inclined towards this option, but it is an option to consider)
Do not post the revised text at all. Simply record it for the podfic and only post that. Pros: I don't have to figure out how I want to handle updating/posting the revised text. I just have to record it. Someone can go on a fun scavenger hunt through old text and new podfic and spot the differences. Cons: Listeners might want to do a read along with the original text, notice the difference, and be so put off by it they stop listening/reading. (I don't like it when subtitles don't match the dialogue. A whole story like that would be super frustrating)
Don't revise the text at all. Record the original text as-is and post that as the podfic. Pros: Saves me a whole lot of time editing/revising the 100k+ words of fic. The Original remains preserved as it was posted. Cons: It's gonna drive me bananas not changing what I want to.
All this being a long list to get back to my actual questions: Is there any significant turn on/turn off for podfic listeners when the player and the story text are included in the same work? I'm still new to podficcing, is there like a community taboo about including the text in with the podfic because it's an audio medium. (Again, it's my own work, permissions aren't an issue. I'd never dream of editing and posting someone else's words if I was recording a podfic for them.)
Or is this a full, everyone's mileage will vary and it's either a nothingburger of a conundrum and nobody cares, or there's no way to please every potential listener/reader, so I should just do what works best for me.
Skimming through AO3 gave me mixed results, though the majority of podfics do not include the story text. But one must consider that many podficcers are not recording their own works, and again, you would not edit and post text you did not write.
Any helpful thoughts/opinions/feelings on the matter would be greatly appreciated!
