Speaking as a person for whom podfic and audiobooks don't really work well (I've listened to a few, may listen to a few in the future, and I am wildly flattered that I have had a few of my own fics podficced, but A/V will never be my preferred format for this kind of thing) I have no problem at all with this! Yes, if this was done in my fandom, it is very likely that I would wait for the text version, because podbooks/audiobooks do not suit my particular needs as a fan. But as far as I'm concerned, it's the author who gets to choose how to present their story, and if the author feels that their work is better presented in audio format, why shouldn't they? I don't feel like anyone is "forcing" me to do anything, any more than I feel like someone is "forcing" me to read a fic in French by not making an English version available. If you don't make it available in text format at all, then yes, of course you are in some sense "keeping" it from people who find text more accessible, but I don't find that any more manipulative or bothersome than a fic being available in text-only format.
It makes me think in some ways of fandom's perennial argument over posting a completed fic as a WIP vs. posting it all in one go. Some people argue that the author is "withholding" the finished story by doling it out in chunks. I really don't see it that way. As a reader, I often prefer to read in small installments anyway (it works better with my schedule) but there are also times when I would rather read the whole thing in one go, or would like it all on one page for downloading purposes, and then all I have to do is exert a bit of patience and wait 'til the author gets to that point. And ultimately I think it is the author's choice anyway.
As far as doing outreach to people who are indifferent or hostile to the idea of podfic-first fanfic ... I'm not sure if you can, really, other than by presenting it with fun and squee, and trying not to tear down the other side. I mean, it just will not be for some people, and these people already know who they are. Me, for one. Having people proselytize at me about podfic doesn't help, because I already know why it doesn't work for me. But seeing people playing happily in the podfic playground, obviously having fun, was what got me to check out a little bit of it and may get me to check out more in the future. I'm not saying it's entirely a matter of "build it and they will come!" because obviously there is more to it than that, but it seems to me like it's more important to build such a thing for fans who are already interested, than to try to cater to the uninterested and indifferent.
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Speaking as a person for whom podfic and audiobooks don't really work well (I've listened to a few, may listen to a few in the future, and I am wildly flattered that I have had a few of my own fics podficced, but A/V will never be my preferred format for this kind of thing) I have no problem at all with this! Yes, if this was done in my fandom, it is very likely that I would wait for the text version, because podbooks/audiobooks do not suit my particular needs as a fan. But as far as I'm concerned, it's the author who gets to choose how to present their story, and if the author feels that their work is better presented in audio format, why shouldn't they? I don't feel like anyone is "forcing" me to do anything, any more than I feel like someone is "forcing" me to read a fic in French by not making an English version available. If you don't make it available in text format at all, then yes, of course you are in some sense "keeping" it from people who find text more accessible, but I don't find that any more manipulative or bothersome than a fic being available in text-only format.
It makes me think in some ways of fandom's perennial argument over posting a completed fic as a WIP vs. posting it all in one go. Some people argue that the author is "withholding" the finished story by doling it out in chunks. I really don't see it that way. As a reader, I often prefer to read in small installments anyway (it works better with my schedule) but there are also times when I would rather read the whole thing in one go, or would like it all on one page for downloading purposes, and then all I have to do is exert a bit of patience and wait 'til the author gets to that point. And ultimately I think it is the author's choice anyway.
As far as doing outreach to people who are indifferent or hostile to the idea of podfic-first fanfic ... I'm not sure if you can, really, other than by presenting it with fun and squee, and trying not to tear down the other side. I mean, it just will not be for some people, and these people already know who they are. Me, for one. Having people proselytize at me about podfic doesn't help, because I already know why it doesn't work for me. But seeing people playing happily in the podfic playground, obviously having fun, was what got me to check out a little bit of it and may get me to check out more in the future. I'm not saying it's entirely a matter of "build it and they will come!" because obviously there is more to it than that, but it seems to me like it's more important to build such a thing for fans who are already interested, than to try to cater to the uninterested and indifferent.