SPACE IN 60

Podcast: SPACEIN60 Episode: ROD PYLE | NewSpace Media Coverage with Ad Astra Welcome to the SPACEIN60 podcast, where Clint Graumann, Andrew Pylypchuk bring you into the world of the new space industry! Today, Clint and Andrew are joined by author, journalist, and podcast host (and more!) Rod Pyle. To kick off the conversation, Rod shares about his fascinating recent trip to northern Canada. As he has so many books published, it is difficult for him to choose just one as his favorite. However, he had the most fun writing and researching for Amazing Stories of the Space Age. Much to our hosts’ excitement, Rod then shares his experience working on the TV series Star Trek: Deep Space 9. He has been working on TV commercials since the 80s. After a few years doing this, he grew tired of commercials and began making educational films with Disney instead. He took an entry-level position for Deep Space 9 after expressing interest in Star Trek. At the time, the company was still working with miniatures and Rod loved it, eventually leading him to work on sets. Rod also worked on the Battlestar Galactica Reboot in pre-visualization and reveals that working in TV has far better compensation than writing books. However, writing books is a much more relaxing process and is the domain Rod felt he was always called to. Next, Rob gives us a look into what listeners can expect next from him. In 2017, he took over as editor for Ad Astra Magazine and was suddenly getting his writing high through a totally different venue. Part of the reason he took a trip to Canada earlier this year was because he has been working on an idea for another Mars book, and wanted to work an analog experience into it. He is also currently toying with a book about planetary evolution. Since 2019, however, the environment for authors has gotten even worse. In 2009, the average full-time nonfiction multi-published author was making around $39,000 per year. In 2019, this number dropped to $9,900. Living in Southern California, one of the most expensive markets in the country has slowed down Rob’s writing process a bit. He has observed that young people and retirement-age people are actually starting to write more, while those in the middle stages of their life are not able to financially. As the conversation draws to a close, Rod urges listeners to find his books on Amazon. Also, don’t forget to check out his own podcast This Week In Space. Finally, Clint and Andrew share their own closing thoughts from the conversation today. Links: Learn more about Rod Pyle and purchase his books here. Connect with Clint Graumann on LinkedIn and Twitter. Connect with Andrew Pylypchuk on LinkedIn and Twitter. Learn more about SPACE IN 60 and connect on Twitter.