This is a creative, compelling idea and I hope Scott gets what he’s ultimately hoping for: 5,000 subscribers and publisher interest. It’s tough getting publishers interested in fiction these days unless one is a proven commodity or celebrity. EarthCore: A Podcast Novel:

EarthCore is the world’s first podcast-only novel: you can’t find it in stores, you can’t download the full audio, and the only way to find out what happens is to subscribe to the podcast. My goal is to generate 5,000 subscribers to this book, which will demonstrate the power of Podcasting and generate attention from publishers.

According to Feedburner he has 349 subscribers already and he’s already received media coverage from MacWorld/Playlist, CNET, iPod Lounge and the San Jose Business Journal.

This idea would merely be a fancy publishing gimmick if the story sucked, but after listening to the prologue it is certainly off to a promising start; that is, if you like classic sci-fi movies like Predator, Starship Troopers and TV action thrillers like 24. The music by The Transfer totally rocks!

Oh, and Scott is showing some teeth mixed with humor:

Let this tale of madness, murder and blistering geothermal heat grace your computer of MP3 player. Some people might not listen, but you and I both know they are a bunch of pussies.

Make that 350, I just subscribed. 4,650 to go, Scott, you can do it!

Update: A post on the Yahoo podcasters group by Evo Terra sets the record straight as to the “first podcast-ONLY novel” instead of “the first podcast novel.” I’ve adjusted the title of this piece to say that. Thank you for the clarification Evo.

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