How are you paying your authors off the bat if you don't mind my asking? Do launching story podcasts typically pay out of pocket until they have a listener base that can support them?
#1: I pay my authors 25$ for every episode that their story is in. since the stories are quite long (between 6k and 20k words), they will always be broadcast in at least 2 episodes. The longest I go is 4. so, to answer, between $50 and $100.
#2: Yes, all the money right now is coming out of my own pocket. In the future, if I get a big enough fanbase I would like to set up a donation bin, but for now it's all out of my own pocket and so far it's just going to be a labor or love. (for me, not the authors. They get paid, remember?)
