Galaxy!

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► Tell us about you and your podcast

Hi, I'm Jason Stark, and I am the host of Galaxy!, along with my friends Jacob and Stephanie Junker. Galaxy! is a podcast about the sci-fi literary universe of Isaac Asimov, one of the greatest sci-fi authors of all time. We look at his novels and short stories, and dig into the themes and meanings behind them, as well as analyze the larger narrative universe that his works collectively form.

Our show is for long time lovers of Asimov's work, but it is also for sci-fi fans generally, who may be less familiar with the author but want to understand how his work has influenced other sci-fi authors and concepts.

► Why & how did you start this podcast? 

I have listened to podcasts for years, and started podcasting with a neighbor in 2019. I've since moved on from that podcast, but a while ago, the idea for an Asimov podcast occurred to me as I was rereading the authors many books.

I wanted to provide something that would be entertaining, and also would do justice to the legacy that Asimov has left and that would be appreciated by fans. I also knew that Jacob and Stephanie, who love the power of story and are very analytical with movies and tv shows, would be awesome partners for the project.

We launched in July 2020 and as of writing this we have released 12 episodes. From the time it took us to record our first full episode, it probably took about three weeks to fully process it and ready it for release.

► How'd you find the time and funding to do this podcast?

We release an episode every two weeks (although we have occasionally needed to delay by a few days or a week), and producing an episode might take a week or so. Strictly speaking, the total time spent on an episode may be five or six hours, but that is spread over the course of a week.

We have day jobs and we are also students, and so it is difficult to find the time to work on production. One helpful strategy has been to produce two episodes per session. This helps us consolidate our time, and leaves us with more raw audio in the can that we can work with. And it really has to be worked on a little at a time; I don't have a time where I can just sit down and do the entirety of an episode in one sitting.

Galaxy! is largely self-funded. We covered our hosting costs for the first year, although we have been raising some of next year's costs through the Audible Trial Program. All of our promotion has been through free avenues, such as social media (without purchased ads as of yet), and free networking services for cross promotion. All of the editing is done by myself, and I also created all of the music.

► What do you gain from podcasting?        

We currently have no sponsorships or revenue. At this point I don't know if that will ever happen; it will be enough for now if the podcast can become self-sustainable.

Podcasting benefits me in many ways. It constitutes my one hobby, and I find it relaxing, despite the demands of the release schedule. I get to share my thoughts and similar interests with people all around the world (we've been streamed in over 50 countries at this point). And I get to do all of that with two friends who I deeply appreciate. So, the benefits are largely personal. Perhaps some day that could be professional/financial.

► How does your podcasting process look like? 

I record and edit the podcast from my laptop. When we were recording in person we would all plug into an interface and record in that way, but with Covid-19 we have had to switch to Zoom. Because of that we record natively onto our own computers with Audacity, and I then splice the files together.

I edit and mix the podcast with Reaper, which is a DAW that I have come to absolutely love. It has so many features, and is very competitively priced. Reaper is also where I create all the music for the podcast (it has a very sci-fi sound, and so all the music has been electronic).

We haven't had any guests yet, but if we do, it will be through the connections we've made as people have contacted us through our email. We also use a networking site called Audry, through which we arrange cross promotion and potentially collaboration.

We also use Audible's Trial Program to generate modest support (audibletrial.com/galaxypodcast).

► How do you market your show?

Our strategy so far has been to direct people to our website, galaxypodcast.com. When the site is visited, one is met with several subscribe badges so that they can listen wherever they like. This really helps the listener, especially when the podcast is small still, and may not easily show up in a search on a podcast app. This way, we can take them right where they want to go. We also have a very active Facebook page, from which we also attempt to steer people to the website.

Our hosting is through Podbean, which gives us a break down of what platforms our downloads are coming from. We also access the advanced stats that individual platforms such as Apple, Spotify and Google offer.

Social media has been our most successful (i.e. only) marketing channel so far. I do envision an email list at some point in the future, but without a particular "brand" that we are marketing or products that we seek to sell, an email list has not seemed as necessary (yet).

► What advice would you share with aspiring (new) podcasters?

Podcasting is kind of a double edged sword, where you need to be brave with it but also realistic. One the one hand, if you have a great idea for a podcast, don't sit on it. Several someone's out there will be interested in what you have to say, if you know how to refine your idea for that audience. So be brave.

But podcasting is also quite challenging. It takes (or ought to take, anyway) a lot of planning, preparation, investment of both money and time, and it takes both discipline and perseverance. So, while it is important to be brave, it is also important to count the cost, and be sure that you can take on the challenge in a healthy way.

I truly had NO idea in the beginning just how many steps there are to creating a podcast that is of a professional caliber. At it was overwhelming at times. But I took it slowly, learned one thing at a time, and I now have gained so much knowledge on the process that it is becoming second nature to me. I've also gained new skills, like audio editing and music production, that I never would have otherwise. Podcasting has been life changing for me.

► Where can we learn more about you & your podcasts?

If you would like to know more about Galaxy!, head to our website, galaxypodcast.com. We are also on Facebook, at Galaxy Podcast. And our email is contact@galaxypodcast.com.