sunkitten_shash

Written & recorded for the Voiceteam 2025 challenge SOAPBOX, to write podfic meta about anything.

Listen to this meta instead:

Download MP3 from archive.org | audiofic archive

I hate asking for podfic permission as much as the next person, but I feel like I’m getting a system down for how to approach it in a way that works for me.

Step 1: Look for permission

I always use Brickgrass’ Blanket Permission Highlighter when browsing so I usually have an initial idea of whether someone has BP. Regardless of whether or not they’re highlighted, I’m going to check their AO3 profile, to see if there’s any other sort of permission statement/unrecorded blanket permission/blanket permission caveats.

Step 2: Stalk

No permission in profile? Have no idea what this person thinks about podfic or how best to contact them? No problem. Time to do a lil Internet stalking/sleuthing.

Note that this step is optional; you can always just leave a comment on the fic asking for permission at this point, but I find this step helpful for getting a sense of how the author may feel about podfic (and whether they even know what podfic is), their general attitude/responsiveness, and best ways to contact them.

First I will look at their related works. I use GodOfLaundryBaskets’ related works button script so it’s easy to get to after clicking on an author. I check to see if there’s any podfics there, and I usually check to see if the podficcer had any notes about permission/getting permission and what the vibe of those are, and check to see if the author kudosed or left a comment. (It’s nothing against them if they didn’t; they’re free to interact or not interact with podfics however they want, but I like having the data point of knowing how friendly/responsive they are.) I will then check the original work to see if the podficcer left a comment asking for permission (and what and how quick the author’s response was), or if they presumably asked somewhere else.

Then I will look for their social media. Sometimes they will mention or link a site or two from their AO3 profile, sometimes not. If they don’t, I’ll go looking for them. I find this method usually works pretty well on Tumblr (my preferred site), Twitter, and Bluesky. I’ll search for their AO3 username (or other social media usernames they’ve mentioned if different), and if an account pops up with that username, I’ll check to see if it’s them. If not, I’ll go through the search results - sometimes there will be fic rec posts and someone will have tagged the author’s account, or the author will have interacted with the post and made their identity clear. If neither of these work, eh, I’ll give up on that site. Once I do find an account that may be the author, I’ll check the bio to see if they mention their AO3, and if they don’t, I’ll search their posts for “fic” or “archive” to see if they’ve made any promo posts for their fics or otherwise mentioned them in a way that confirms their identity. I will also search their posts for the word “podfic”, to see if they’ve perhaps made a post or something providing permission or otherwise expressing opinions about podfic.

After finding any social media, I will look for recent activity. This is one of my primary factors in determining where to ask for permission - I want to ask somewhere where they’re active and are likely to see the request. I will check both AO3 and social media. How recently have they posted? How frequently do they post on that social media account? On AO3, do they respond to comments? Have they responded to comments recently? (Note that I have definitely gotten answers from authors in AO3 comments who don’t otherwise respond to comments much - having a specific question/request may make them more likely to respond.) How recently have they been active on AO3? (A good place to check is their bookmarks - some authors haven’t posted for years but have been bookmarking things.)

Step 3: Determine where to ask permission and how generally

Sometimes I will ask for permission specifically only for one fic (or series), sometimes I’ll ask how they’d feel about podfic generally. This mostly depends on whether there are multiple things the author has written that I’d like to podfic, or if there’s just one specific thing that I want to make. Usually I’ll default to asking generally. However, I’ll usually stick to asking about just one fic if the author has other podfics of their work.

My first preference is often to send a Tumblr ask, since it’s a bit more personal and perhaps more likely to have notifications on than AO3 comments, without feeling as weirdly personal as sending someone a DM, and it’s easier to ask how they feel about podfic generally rather than just a specific story. After that, I will usually pick between an AO3 comment or a Twitter/Bluesky DM according to vibes. I know some podficcers will choose to tweet at an author to ask, but I’ve never done this personally.

I will usually make my final determination based on how active the author is on each platform, leaning towards the more active.

Step 4: Formulate message

This is the trickiest part. I have a pretty standard template I use (wording mostly stolen from bluedreaming), but I will alter it as needed.

My general structural outline is:

Greeting if a social media message (usually a simple “Hey!” or “Hi!”)
A compliment (if leaving a comment on AO3, I will just start with whatever comment I would already leave on the fic, or at least a simple “I loved this!”; on social media, I will mention loving their work/a specific work and try to include some specific characteristics)
Directly ask about podfic
- Include an explanation of what podfic is (I usually just call it an “audio narration”) if you’re not sure if the author knows about podfic
Mention that you didn’t see a permission statement, so you don’t know how they feel (I feel awkward directly being like “hey you should have a transformative works statement in your AO3 profile!” so I like to get a sideways mention in there)
Assurance that it’s okay to say no
A second thanks

For example:

This was so cute, I loved it!!

Would you be open to me making a podfic (audio narration of a fic, usually posted on AO3 using the “inspired by” feature) of this fic? I didn’t see a note about podfics either way in your profile, so I understand if that’s something you’re not comfortable with.

Regardless, thanks so much for sharing this!

I will definitely vary from this sometimes. I’ve sent Tumblr asks that are just “Hey! How would you feel about podfics being made of your work?” and comments that just mention “Would it be cool with you if I made a podfic of this?” (generally what I do if the author has an “ask first” policy).

As I often need to remind myself: don’t sweat it too much! It’s a reasonable thing to ask, and most authors are friendly and polite.

Step 5: Send message & keep track

I like to record the pertinent information somewhere (e.g., on a preexisting podfic tracking spreadsheet) when I’ve asked for permission, so I can keep track of what authors I’ve asked and how long it’s been. I like to track:

Author name
Where I asked
Link to request/response if possible
Notes - what fic I asked for or if I asked more generally, what the author writes or what the specific story is, vibe of the author, etc.
Request status (to ask/asked/permission/no/ghosted are what I generally use)
Date I asked
Date I received permission, if applicable (this is optional, but can be fun for stats)

I will usually wait at least a week before sending a follow-up message. Whether I do this at all or how quickly I do it depends on how much I care about being able to podfic that work, if I’m on a deadline, and honestly just if I remember. I like to send a follow-up message on a different platform if possible. Usually it’ll be pretty much the same text; it may or may not mention the other request along the lines of “I don’t know if you saw that I asked on [platform], but…”.

Once I do get permission (if I do), I like to save a link to and a screenshot of the permission for my records. I will also note down any stipulations the author gives (such as to send them a link, generally let them know what podfics you’re thinking of making, etc.). I will also usually try to respond to the author thanking them and assuring them that I’ll follow any stipulations they’ve given. Sometimes I will do this at the same time as leaving a comment with a link to the podfic, if I made the podfic really quickly.

Step 6: Make the podfic!

This is just a quick writeup of my current methodology, but I always love hearing about how other people do things! What’s your template? How have your experiences been asking for permission, and what helps for you?