A novel podcast

Science fiction author Scott Sigler is pursuing my favorite idea yet for the pseudo-genre of podcasting ?? a serialized novel. Sigler is posting chapters of his new book EarthCore periodically to his blog, all for free. It's the only way you can get the book, at least for now.

I think this idea has real potential for other authors. Why not do early releases on audio, as a subscription service, before the print version comes out? Great promo, great way to get fans excited about a title, and wouldn't really interfere with print sales.

Funny how we're reliving history. In the early days of the Web, serialized text novels had a brief comeback, on sites like Wired and Salon. Now we're seeing the return of the radio drama.