Should You Turn Your Novel Into an Audio Book?
As the owner of an “indie” recording studio
called Straight to Audio Productions, I'm often approached by writers who want
to know if they should turn their novels into audio books. The popularity of audio books is on the rise
so there is definitely an audience for this form of media. However, there are a couple of things I would
encourage writers to consider before heading down this path.
Authors who are working with an agent or
publisher should consult with their representatives before making any plans to
produce an audio book. For
self-published writers or those who don't have a broker, there are a few key
matters to deliberate. First, decide who
your audience is. This might sound like
a silly issue, but the answer will give you a better understanding of how to
best proceed. For example, if you have
written a short story which may only be of interest to a small group of
listeners, you might want to record it yourself. If you believe your story has mass appeal and
you're willing to invest some money, you could hire a professional to produce
it for you. Chances are, there is a
studio in your home town which can help you accomplish this, or you can utilize
some of the services available on line.
The good news for do-it-yourselfers is that
the cost of producing audio books has dropped dramatically. Like many studios, I use ProTools to edit my productions.
ProTools is remarkably
user-friendly and offers lots of features to help editors achieve broadcast
quality audio. Want to try before you
buy? Check out the free editing programs
offered by Audacity www.audacity.com or Cool Edit Pro www.softpedia.com.
If you're not oriented towards audio
editing, there are lots of great companies to do it for you. I highly recommend ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) www.acx.com. ACX connects writers with narrators and studios. This is a great place to listen to potential
narrators and shop around for the best studio to produce your audio book. Better yet, if your product meets the
standards of ACX, you can apply to
sell you work as an mp3 download on
Audible.com www.audible.com.
Once you have hired the talent to voice
your project and a studio to produce it, the next thing is to figure out is how
to deliver your audio book to listeners.
With Jitters-A Quirky Little Audio
Book, I produced it in “wave” format which any cd player will
recognize. Jitters was 6.5 hours long which meant it required six cds to
accommodate the wave format. The discs
were professionally replicated and professionally packaged. The product looked fantastic, but this was an
expensive route to take.
When I produced Yikes! Another Quirky Audio Book, I tried a different
approach. Once again, I had my product
professionally manufactured, but this time I did it in mp3 format which greatly
reduced my cost. Yikes! is10.5 hours long which would have required at least ten
discs to be available in wave format. I
believe many audio book fans are listening on devices like iPods so making Yikes! available as an mp3 seemed to
make more sense anyway.
There's never been a better time than the
present to turn a novel into an audio book.
The cost of producing audio books
had gone down while the quality of sound has improved. Through programs like Audible.com and Amazon.com
it's easy to make the finished product available to the public. Better still, both Audible.com and Amazon.com offer
lots of free tutorials to help you increase the size of your audience. The only other piece of advice I can offer is
this: enjoy the journey!
Written by:
Adele Park
Website:
www.yikesaudiobook.com
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPotQyyPsuo&feature=g-uplAdele's Work
WHEN MARIJUANA AND REALITY TV COLLIDE . . . Yikes! Another Quirky Audio Book by Adele Park
Yikes! Another Quirky Audio Book is the story about a marijuana enthusiast named Blue McKenna who
gets involved with a reality TV show as a means of curing an apocalyptic case
of writer's block. A conglomerate of
kooky contestants invades the polygamist community of Navel, Utah, to compete
in a reality show called Yikes! Participants include Steven Finch, a loveable
stoner who developes a conspiracy theory involving a rock band called the
Rectal Surgeons, and Randall Smoot, a member of the Gay Mafia.
The New Wave of American Audio Books
Yikes! Another Quirky Audio
Book is 10.5 hours long and available in mp3 format
on Amazon.com and Audible.com. Yikes! is very unconventional, not just
because of the sticky topics it tackles, but also because of the unique way in
which it was produced. Mainstream audio
books usually have one narrator who does the voices for all the
characters. Yikes! features a cast of 11 actors who portray each individual
character in funny, engaging narratives.
Yikes!
is the second production in the Quirky Audio Book
Series. WHEN RADIO AND POLYGAMY COLLIDE
. . . Jitters-A Quirky Little Audio Book
won a 2011 Audie for Multi-Voiced Performance from the Audio Publishers
Association. Finalists in this category
included The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, The Shadow Effect by Deepak Chopra and Room by Emma Donoghue. Jitters
was also honored with a spot on funnyman
Jimmy Fallon's Do Not Read List.
About Adele
Adele
Park worked as a TV and radio reporter, news anchor and on-air personality for
more than 15 years. During that time,
Park earned several top journalism awards from The Associated Press, Colorado
Broadcasters Association and Utah Broadcasters Association. Park also worked in the print media. Her articles and photos have been published
in a variety of magazines.
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