Looking back over the last three years, a lot of things have changed. In 2007 Apple announced that it had sold 100 million iPods. By 2008 they reported accumulated sales of over 200 million units. In from 2006 to 2009, the number of people aware of podcasting doubled from around 20% to around 40% of Americans. By some estimates Americans bought over 50million new mp3 players just last year.

Some things didn’t change. Book sales were flat at around 16billion. It’s a big pie, but it’s not growing.

What’s that all mean? The explosion of MP3 players and the awareness of audio downloads has created an opportunity for new modes of audience development, new ways to promote the work.

Many people only see mp3 players as radio surrogates, using them as portable jukeboxes and talk show archives. With the homogenization of broadcast media, podcasts are a way for people get content that hasn’t been passed thru Nanny Culture filters. They listen while commuting, while working out, while doing chores around the house. While some only see them as music boxes, others are beginning to realize that there are new opportunities for listening that go beyond naughty talk and music downloads.

Podiobooks.com melds an old technology — serialized fiction — with new — RSS delivery of audio. In the three years since I’ve started writing and producing my own works, Podiobooks has grown from fewer than 100 titles to almost 400. Their fan base has grown from around 10,000 to over 60,000. It provides an instant community for people who are interested in the media, whether as producer, writer, or listener. Podiobooks.com has also been the launch pad for authors who have made the transition from “Rejection letter collector” to “Published author.”

One of the precepts of promotion is getting your work noticed. A key element of that is figuring out where people are looking and providing what they’re looking for. There are a lot of empty mp3 players out there, and people are looking for content to put on them. Podcast production is cheap, relatively easy, and provides an author with a way to reach a niche audience almost instantly with numbers that can provide valuable feedback on the work.

So? What are you waiting for? What do you see as the obstacles to your participation in new media?

I think it applies equally well to paper. When we think of classic “self-pub,” we think of paying a press to ship us cases of books that mold in our garages. Today’s PoD gives a whole new meaning to the term.

There’s also the social media aspect of it all. Part of what makes it “new media” is that it’s not just a broadcast — not just putting your stuff out there and hoping somebody finds it. It’s creating a community around your work and engaging that community as you go. That isn’t limited to one particular medium, and many podcasters release in multiple formats.

As for spacing out, the key here – at least for me, and your mileage may vary – is to listen while working out, or commuting, or doing dishes, or yard work. I can’t sit and listen. I have to be doing something else. And sometimes I space out, too, but a carefully crafted podcast (and remember these are self contained units that are aimed at a 20-40 minute presentation) will suck you in and keep you engaged.