Lit journals fold if no one subscribes, and in the digital age, the same goes for podcasts. For the Washington Post‘s Book World series, it’s get subscribers, or get the ax. Ron Charles, deputy editor of the section, explained the dire situation in an interview with Washington City Paper:
[T]he paper’s top brass have threatened to kill the section’s podcast if it can’t rally more iTunes subscribers.
There’s no concrete deadline for adding more subscribers, Charles says, or even a goal for how many it needs, just “a general mandate to make sure we’re concentrating our efforts on projects that are actually attracting an audience.”
The free podcast provides 10-minute interviews with contemporary authors. Past episodes have featured Francine Prose, James Ellroy, Anita Diamant, Margaret Atwood, Toni Morrison, and the late, great John Updike. FREE podcast interviews with writers? Downloaded right to my laptop? Sign me up.
Individual episodes are available through the Book World iTunes store page. Even better, subscribe, and you’ll get them automatically–and maybe help keep this great resource around.
