If you’re new to fiction podcasts it can be difficult to know where to look to find audio fiction beyond the same famous hits. Heck, even veteran audio drama listeners may eventually exhaust themselves looking for their next show.
Searching online for “best fiction podcasts,” one will eventually realize that the same few shows tend to be recommended over and over again despite there being thousands of quality shows to listen to and more released every week.
So how best to dig past the topsoil of podcast classics and strike the thick bedrock of excellent but rarely heard shows that only seasoned listeners know how to reach?
The following is a truly non-exhaustive list of free resources fiction that afficionados can use in combination with one another to find their next great marathon listen!
Reddit’s r/audiodrama
A forum with hundreds of thousands of audio drama fans
https://reddit.com/r/audiodrama
This is a community of 270,000+ audio fiction fans actively seeking recommendations, writing reviews, and sharing resources on all things audio drama. Averaging a few dozen posts a day, it’s worth checking frequently.
If you’re not used to Reddit’s structure, it can be a bit daunting to navigate. But just click on a top-level thread with a title that interests you and check out the comments, where you will often find the juiciest info.
Creators of audio fiction often reply to posts discussing their own shows, which can be super insightful and unlock a new level appreciation for the often-thankless work that goes into creating an audio drama.
Evo Terra’s TheEnd.fyi
A trove of curated audio fiction dedicated to completed shows
This invaluable resource focuses on shows that have released “either a season finale, a complete season, or is announcing a new season returning soon.” Anyone who has spent time listening to audio fiction knows that shows will often go years (or forever) without a conclusion, as the creator may have moved on or run out of resources to keep going.
But if you seek shows that definitely have some kind of an ending, be it a full series or a full season, The End is your go-to for this.
Evo Terra is a hardcore fiction fan and veritable podcast legend (he’s been curating fiction in one way or another since the inception of podcasting), and The End—alongside its companion newsletter—contains personal recommendations of Evo’s as well as other shows on his radar that he has not yet listened to. His favorites receive his seal of approval.
AudioFiction.Co.Uk & The Cambridge Geek Newsletter
A database of fiction and a weekly newsletter of shows
This may be the most exhaustive database of audio fiction in existence. Fiction podcasting’s Library of Alexandria, the site contains entries for 10,859 shows, tagged with various descriptors and searchable as well. This number is almost certainly outdated now as new shows are added every week.
His email newsletter “The Cambridge Geek,” which you can subscribe to for free via his Patreon, gets delivered to your mailbox weekly, with around 30 shows per week (which are either new releases or just shows new to him).
Like any good research library, it has everything: from the good to the very bad. If it’s fiction, it’ll be there. The librarian doesn’t curate based on quality (with some exceptions).
But handily, The Cambridge Geek now includes a section of the newsletter called Librarian’s Recommendations, which are, of course, his own personal recommendations.
Once you find a show that you’re interested in listening to within his email newsletter, they can easily enough be opened in a podcast app using the listed RSS feed link. Or you can search for the title.
It’s a mystery to even us how he manages to find so many shows so quickly, but we are thankful and have been financial supporters of his efforts for a few years now.
Fiction Podcast Weekly
An email newsletter focused on industry news, but that also includes podcast debut info
https://www.thepodcasthost.com/fictionpodcastweekly
If you work with audio dramas or are just keenly interested in keeping up with the latest industry news, this is the newsletter for you.
It’s not really made for introducing you to new audio dramas, however, there is a very helpful section towards the bottom of the newsletter called “Milestones & Debuts,” where one will find a list of newly released shows and their descriptions.
Often, newly released shows will sponsor the newsletter, and, on occasion, those shows turn out to be quite good.
Sky Full of Pods
An email newsletter focused on the author’s current listens
Described simply on its site as “A blog about fiction podcasts,” their “Audio Fiction Sunday” email newsletter consistently arrives every weekend packed with episode highlights from the author’s current listens.
The newsletter also contains general audio drama news, such as announcements of upcoming shows, casting calls (if you’re interested in lending your voice to a future series), recently debuted audio dramas, and trailers for upcoming shows.
Though the format of the newsletter focuses mostly on individual episode reviews—which may be less relevant to you than a full series review—one can still easily find new shows with this valuable, free resource.
The website contains a “Podcasts Mentioned” section, with shows sorted in alphabetical order. The podcast entries contain a short description of the podcast, the number of episodes available, the general duration of each episode, and a link to the podcast’s website.
Apollo Podcasts app
A free, fiction-only podcast app for discovery and listening, on iOS and Android
https://apollopods.com/download
Full disclosure that we are a bit partial to this option… as it’s our app…
Apollo is the only app to be designed exclusively for fiction podcasts. As a specialized platform with over 10,000 fiction shows, it offers an array of features tailored specifically to enhancing the discovery of audio dramas.
Rated by Evo Terra’s The End as one of top fiction-friendly podcast apps, Apollo respects the structure of fiction storytelling, with episodes sorted in the right listening order (not by date of release) and organized in tabs by season. This is unlike many other podcast apps, which treat narrative shows like any other podcast.
So whatever genre or style of audio fiction you’re into, Apollo makes it easy to find and listen to compelling stories with some specially designed features.
A Curated Experience for Fiction Lovers
Apollo’s highly curated nature is its principal strength. With every show one might click on, for every audio series that is displayed, listeners can be certain it’s fiction. No Joe Rogan or The Daily here.
Unlike general podcast platforms—where finding fiction is like picking through a bag of trail mix filled with stuff you just don’t want—Apollo focuses entirely on fiction. The app offers human-curated lists of shows from a wide variety of sub-genres, from hard-hitting dystopian adventures to lighthearted rom-coms.
A trending shows section displays what other fans of fiction are enjoying right now.
So, whether you’re a newcomer to fiction podcasts or a seasoned listener, you’ll find shows that match your tastes.
And Apollo’s content library is continuously expanding, featuring both well-known titles and hidden gems from indie creators. This balance allows listeners to enjoy popular, critically acclaimed shows while also exposing new voices in the fiction podcasting world. Apollo’s focus on promoting indie content provides exposure to talented creators who may not have the resources to stand out on larger platforms, which tend to recommend only the biggest hits.
User-Friendly Discovery Tools
Discovering new podcasts is a breeze with features like a robust search engine with powerful filter tools, allowing users to explore shows by genre, format, and even themes. If you’re in the mood for a high-stakes adventure or a cozy, character-driven drama, Apollo can help you find the perfect show using a tag-based system.
Found a show you’re interested in? Save it to your library with one tap. Easily collect your audio discoveries in a library, ensuring that they will be there for you to dive into whenever you’re ready.
Supporting the Ecosystem of Fiction Podcasting
Apollo Plus: ad-free listening, support for creators, turbocharged discovery and search
The app also offers an ad-free premium tier called Apollo Plus, which provides early access to new episodes and exclusive bonus content from some of the best audio fiction series out there.
Listeners can support many of their favorite creators with just one subscription. It’s the most equitable revenue sharing program in audio fiction, distributing quarterly payments to creators of 70% of the platform’s subscription revenue.
The search-by-tag options available to Apollo Plus members are extraordinarily powerful, unlocking the ability to search using multiple tags to find shows that match them al. This allows users to find the exact kind of show to fit their mood and fill their fiction collection.
For avid fans of fiction, this premium experience can be a game-changer, offering more in-depth engagement with your favorite shows without interruptions.
