Plenty of people listen to podcasts on their commute and during work, but iHeartMedia is hoping they can squeeze even more podcast consumption into their days -- possibly before they nod off. The company partnered with Flatiron Books to create a series of titles based on popular podcasts. The first iHeart podcast to get a book adaptation will be the long-running Stuff You Should Know. Subtitled An Incomplete Compendium of Mostly Interesting Things, the book will be written by the show's co-hosts, Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant, and will "answer all the questions readers didn't know they wanted to ask" about everyday objects.
It does feel odd that podcasts -- which are typically consumed while the listener is doing something else, like driving or working out -- are being turned into books. Then again, it shouldn't be that surprising. Podcasting has turned into a cultural phenomenon, to the point where retail stores are renting out sound-proofed rooms for amateurs to record their own shows. The real question is how many people will choose the audiobook over the printed version.