This is not reasonable...

[luzula]

So I was idly looking at Space Swap, yet another multi-fannish exchange (there are so many of them these days!). And it was open to fic/art/podfic/vids, so I thought there would be more fandoms I could offer, since I can podfic in many more fandoms than I can write. But it turns out that if you sign up as a podficcer, you also have to write the story you're going to podfic! Which means that they assume a podficcer is also automatically a writer, too.

This is not reasonable, is it? I mean, I've definitely participated in gift exchanges where you would sign up as a podficcer and record an already-existing story. The contribution of the podficcer is the performance, not the writing.

Comments

[petra]

That's not at all the definition of podficcer I'm familiar with. How odd!

[luzula]

Yeah. I've dropped them a comment to ask why, we'll see what they say.

[mergatrude]

That's twice the amount of work! Podficcing is not simply talking at your computer.

[luzula]

Well, they do halve the length of story required. But it's the principle of the thing--all podficcers aren't writers, at all. I've dropped them a comment to ask...

[glitteryv]

I know you've reached out to the mods for that exchange, but this whole thing is so wackadoodle that I just had to throw in my $0.02.

At best, it can be seen as cluelessness. After all, there are many fics that would fit the criteria for this exchange.

At worst, it's presumptive in how it demeans the amount of work that entails podficcing from start to finish.

BTW, I did a look-see over there and the mod's reasoning behind it was tacky AF. :|

[luzula]

I dunno, I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt and assuming cluelessness. And it does seem like they're willing to discuss changing the rules for next year. But yeah, their reasoning is definitely off!

[feroxargentea]

I saw that and thought it was bizarre. Podficcing is a skill in itself, not just "additional work" for a writer. It would be like asking an artist to write a short story before they were allowed to illustrate it.

[luzula]

Yeah. I discussed a bit with a mod, and they seem open to changing it next year. They portrayed it as concern for the podficcer, that they might not be able to find a story to record, but that's really up to the podficcer IMO. Like, I wouldn't sign up for podficcing a fandom/pairing/character where I didn't know there were plenty of stories to choose from.

[toft]

WTF? That's really weird and definitely seems not reasonable to me. Most of the podficcers I know do not also write.

[luzula]

I know! They were like "well, maybe they can team up with a writer?" but I think they should just change their rules...and it seems like they might be open to it.

[toft]

It's bizarre - I guess they just didn't know anything about podficcing or its community, but had just heard it was a thing?

[ride_4ever]

I have never before seen that a podficcer be required to write a story in order to podfic a story. Two separate skills which sometimes occur in the same person and sometimes not.

[luzula]

Yeah. And even if you're both a writer and a podficcer, it doesn't mean you can do both those things in all fandoms. Like, I podfic in a lot more fandoms than I can write in.