I’ve been a devotee of Escape Pod, the weekly science-fiction short-story podcast, for 2.5 years now. Its audience has grown and grown and grown until Escape Pod is now the world’s second-largest paying market for sf short fiction regardless of medium. It’s second only to Analog! Steve Eley, who runs the thing, is a fixture in my life, the way Oprah wouldn’t be even if I watched TV. Now, in a blog entry, Steve’s giving the world a look behind the scenes at Escape Artists, Inc. Though you’d never guess it from Escape Pod‘s solid record of weekly publication, things have been rough for the guy lately, personal crisis sort of thing, and he’s come out of it determined to build a podcasting business. Yes, he’s putting even more effort into Escape Pod!

Dear Reader, Escape Pod is a Creative Commons free download, and it’s going to remain so. Donations are voluntary: I’ve been sending them a few bucks now and then, not really keeping tabs on how much it’s worked out to per month. Now I’ve shot them an extra one-time donation and signed up for the suggested monthly: $5. If you’re into science fiction and like to listen to podcasts, or if you think you might want to try a first, check out the site and consider signing up, you too!

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