What is an Audio Drama?

I saw this question asked on Reddit some time ago, and the answers were predictably passionate. For some people an audio drama is specifically a dramatic presentation in audio that includes sound effects and dialogue, nothing else. No narrator. No descriptive elements. Just the audio doing all the work. For others, as long as a story was being told in audio format, it is an audio drama. This includes things like audiobooks. I have to admit that I embrace this broader definition.

If an audio drama is simply a narrative told in audio, then we are embracing a heritage that goes back to the oral tradition and ancient tales like Beowulf or The Odyssey, which were originally told around campfires by a single performer, who included copious narration. But it also includes thirties era audio dramas like The Shadow.

In this way, I think there is one broad genre that is audio drama, and within that there are various versions of audio drama. This can include audiobooks (and even audiobooks have different versions, from full cast to duet to single narrator), “traditional” audiodramas that are nothing but sound effects and dialogue, and more narrative “oral tradition” audio dramas. This isn’t even a complete list, but you get the idea.

In short, in my opinion, if a story is told only using audio, then it is an audio drama.

The Thieves Guild Shenanigans!

I’m very excited to have The Thieves Guild now on sale in all major bookstores in both print and ebook. This is the first book in an ongoing series. Book two, The Burning City, will be available in December, and book three will be available in the first half of next year.

My publisher, Broadsword Books, and I are actually doing something quite cool. Rather than release the audiobook immediately, we are going to release a free full cast audiobook podcast over the next half a year, with the audiobook available next Summer. But no need to wait for the audiobook! Just subscribe to The Thieves Guild podcast and listen to the book just like a serial from the thirties or via a magazine in the 19th century… one cliffhanger chapter at a time! The good news is that you won’t have long to wait for each chapter, as they are released twice a week. In fact, you can listen to them right here: