Audiobooks

[Cianz]

What are people's thoughts on audiobooks? It seems to be another facet of self-publishing and growing more and more. Has any Litopian out there done this with any of their work? I know a lot of purists would balk at the suggestion, so don't shoot me..!!

 

[Paul Whybrow]

I'm contemplating how best to make audio versions of my crime novel series, seeing as how I have no funds and no audio equipment, apart from the miniature microphone on my aged laptop.

Audiobooks continue to surge in popularity, so it makes sense to join in:

New chapter? UK print book sales fall while audiobooks surge 43%

Our esteemed member @Robinne Weiss has experience of taping her stories, having a problem with background noise, as I remember. I may have similar issues, as I live next to a busy road and near the flight path of an airport. I'm accustomed to tuning out the sounds of road vehicles, planes and helicopters, but they might get picked up on a recording. Strangely, all turns quiet after 8.00 p.m. so I may become a nocturnal storyteller.

I've only listened to a few audiobooks, but have no snobbery about them, for, after all, listening to a story is one of our earliest pleasures. We listen to stories all of the time when a comedian tells jokes or a song is played, let alone while watching television or films.

Affording the fee of a well-known narrator would be a problem. From listening to @Rich. I think that he should read audiobooks professionally, as his voice is listenable and well attuned to the mood of the story.

 

[Jackson Banks]

My friends self publishes and does audiobooks through Amazon. From what I understand (and remember) the narrator and her split the profits 50/50 after Amazons cut. There is no upfront expense on her side. I can ask her for more details if you want more information.

 

[Eva Ulian]

If it were possible, I would only "read" audiobooks.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

My friends self publishes and does audiobooks through Amazon. From what I understand (and remember) the narrator and her split the profits 50/50 after Amazons cut. There is no upfront expense on her side. I can ask her for more details if you want more information.

I'd love to know more. I'm investigating KDP's POD operation and their audiobook arm at the moment, finding that it really pays to click on the highlighted links to their Terms & Conditions, which are strangely complicated and illogical sometimes.

For example, their attitude to bundling a series of books is bewildering. It's something I'm interested in doing, for my Cornish Detective series is five stories, and I have a dozen volumes of love poetry, several novellas about ghosts and two novellas set in post-Civil War America already online. To my mind, it makes sense to bundle such series together at a discount, in the way supermarkets sell multiple packs to increase sales. KDP allows an author to describe their book as part of such-and-such a series, but insists that no price reduction be offered for purchasing them all in one go. That's daft!

 

[Rich.]

From listening to @Rich. I think that he should read audiobooks professionally, as his voice is listenable and well attuned to the mood of the story.

Thank you, Paul, that's very kind of you. You've just brightened my day immeasurably.

 

[Steve C]

Paul Whybrow said:
From listening to @Rich. I think that he should read audiobooks professionally, as his voice is listenable and well attuned to the mood of the story.

Thank you, Paul, that's very kind of you. You've just brightened my day immeasurably.

I'd like to second that. You seem to be able to sit in the author's chair as you read. It is immediately noticeable and adds to the enjoyment. If I ever get round to doing a Pop Up Sub I will most certainly request you read for me.

 

[Eva Ulian]

I wanted Rich as well but got a lady instead, which did a good job too. Out of curiosity, what do you sound like @Paul Whybrow? Do you have any videos or "tapes" as they used to call them in the old days... I don't know what they are called now?

 

[Rich.]

@Steve C, @Eva Ulian, thank you both for your kind words! We're lucky to have a great team of readers here. I'm just one cog in the machine. And Steve, when you get round to submitting, it would be a pleasure to read for you.

 

[Nikky Lee]

I'm a massive audiobook fan, it's how I do the majority of my reading. They are an excellent filler for mundane tasks, e.g. sitting in traffic, cleaning, cooking. I love them because I don't get much time to physically sit down and read and I'd rather use that limited time to write, so audiobooks are the perfect solution.

 

[RK Wallis]

I love them, I'm a convert, but I have discovered if I bundle buy the Kindle version of the book together with the Audible version. Then the Audible version is $AUD3.49 compared to $AUD14.95. The Kindle version of a book is usually around $AUD10.00, so most of the time I'm saving and getting both.

I know a few self-publishing authors who do Audible but I haven't asked how they split things, I just know they're happy with their narrators and in our group, others have listened to their book and complemented their choice of narrator. All that business stuff hurts my brain (did enough of it in law, had enough of it), so that's one reason I'll shoot for traditional publishing, that's my mindset.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

I wanted Rich as well but got a lady instead, which did a good job too. Out of curiosity, what do you sound like @Paul Whybrow? Do you have any videos or "tapes" as they used to call them in the old days... I don't know what they are called now?

I think that my voice is deeper than it really is, but we all do, as the brilliant video in this article shows:

Why does your voice sound different on a recording?

I have a wide octave range of more than 2, something a voice coach tested, after noticing that I could squeak as high as a bat and lower my voice to a deep bass. This ability is all I have left of being a school choirboy! I can modulate my voice well, varying the pitch, strength and tone, which has come in useful when acting on the stage. Having lived in lots of different places in the UK, Europe and the USA, I've picked up various burrs and twangs when pronouncing expressions local to that area. Cornish people have a way of saying things that I can mimic to fit in, but not stay in character for very long.

A simple technique of showing what you sound like to others is demonstrated in this video, which, oddly enough, is in mono!

 

[Paul Whybrow]

@Steve C, @Eva Ulian, thank you both for your kind words! We're lucky to have a great team of readers here. I'm just one cog in the machine. And Steve, when you get round to submitting, it would be a pleasure to read for you.

Your voice is good enough to earn you money, Rich. It's worth checking out, you silver-tongued devil!

https://www.sapling.com/8093755/salary-audio-book-narrator

ACX

 

[Emily]

From listening to @Rich. I think that he should read audiobooks professionally, as his voice is listenable and well attuned to the mood of the story.

100% ^^^^^^^ I love listening to your readings, @Rich. and I agree, you have an untapped fortune-potential in there

 

[Robinne Weiss]

My goal was to record the entirety of one of my books this week (because I'm off work due to school holidays), but then my husband decided to build a shed instead (and that's not a one-person job)...But in my playing around with the process, and in listening to audiobooks, I found that if I recorded a couple chapters, then didn't come back to the project until the following week, my voice audibly changed in the recording--I'd get a cold, or get over a cold, or something. I also found just how sensitive my recording equipment is! The neighbour's dogs, the neighbour's tractor, trucks on the road, the ticking clock in the office, my creaking chair (which I hadn't even noticed was creaky), even the brush of my clothing against itself when I moved...it took a while to weed out all those sounds and create a quiet enough space, even in my extremely rural location.

I haven't yet worked on the uploading or working with Audible or others...still wrapping my head around my options.

 

[RK Wallis]

my voice audibly changed in the recording

fascinating!

 

[Rich.]

Your voice is good enough to earn you money, Rich. It's worth checking out, you silver-tongued devil!

100% ^^^^^^^ I love listening to your readings, @Rich. and I agree, you have an untapped fortune-potential in there

Thanks again... and well, well, well, now you've got me thinking...

What are people's thoughts on audiobooks? It seems to be another facet of self-publishing and growing more and more. Has any Litopian out there done this with any of their work? I know a lot of purists would balk at the suggestion, so don't shoot me..!!

I would respectfully invite the purists to shut the f-f-f-front door. Audiobooks win Grammys.

 

[Eva Ulian]

Go for it Rich, I'd recognize your voice aywhere.

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Audiobooks are appealing to those who want to tackle weighty classic novels without the bother of turning lots of pages. If a ten-hour production of War and Peace broadcast by the BBC on New Year's Day ends up trending on Twitter, then they must be doing something right.

Reader, I downloaded him: boom times for the literary long listen

Not only can you have books read to you, but a Chinese search engine Sogou is creating author avatars to do the job:

Today in “AI will replace us all.” Author avatars can now read their books to you.

They've already created Artificial Intelligence news anchors:

Meet the world’s first female AI news anchor

How much fake news will these false people read?

And, how long before AI avatars read books written by computers?

When an AI Goes Full Jack Kerouac

Do you remember when things were real? Do you remember when children developed a passion for reading by being read to by their parents in a bonding experience?

 

[Paul Whybrow]

Audiobooks continue to expand, with celebrities queuing up to narrate bestsellers.

Audible Teams Up With Big Names as Audio-Only Storytelling Expands

It's not easy work, as this article describes:

Why narrating an audiobook is a LOT harder than you think

And, our brains react the same way to audiobooks as reading them ourselves:

Audiobooks or Reading? To Our Brains, It Doesn't Matter - D-brief

So, why not build your own home studio? @Rich.

How To Build Your Own Home Sound Booth For Audiobooks And Podcasting

​

 

[Patricia D]

I've hired readers for two of my three books and will probably do the third, but I've been putting it off because it is time-consuming. You have to find a reader who seems right and then listen to each chapter to be sure it meets your expectations. The latter is optional but highly recommended. An audiobook is an investment in money as well as time. Hiring a reader is not inexpensive. Unless, your book is selling well enough in other formats to be highly visible, you should market the audiobook - this is a unique market segment.

That said, audiobooks are a big and growing market, at least in the US.