Why I Love Audiobooks (a “series writer’s” point of view, by Aaron Lazar)

Hi, folks!

I love audiobooks as a reader and book lover. Since the day I discovered how easy it is to listen to a book in my car or on my phone, I have been hooked. I belong to Audible and my library is always loaded up with two to three audiobooks ready to go. If I don’t have a book to listen to—while driving to work, walking, doing laundry, weeding, or winding down at night—I panic. It’s really the only “reading” time I have left in my life, and I cherish it. No, I'm obsessed with it. (If you haven’t discovered this joy in your life yet, see this article to guide you through it.)

But why do I love audiobooks as an author?

Frankly, there are a million reasons why, and here are just some of them.

Fixing Typos and Other Embarrassing Errors

Normally, my Beta readers (God bless all fifteen of them!) find my typos and inconsistencies and just plain dumb mistakes. They're amazing! But even with all the times we go over my manuscripts, there are mistakes we collectively miss.

First of all, if your narrators are as good as mine, you'll “hear” your story in a whole new light as you go through the production phase together.

You’ll find “repeat” words that you can quickly and easily fix in the eBook version. (I hate when I use a word like "slip" or "tree" or "house" more than once in a paragraph or even on a page - except for the obvious little connecting words, etc.)

You’ll find missing spaces or extra punctuation marks. Again, easily fixed. Your narrator will comment on a sentence that might not feel natural, giving you a chance to tweak it on the spot. And you can also discover sneaky little inconsistencies that might have crept into the novel, such as one of your characters having brown eyes in the beginning and gray eyes in the middle of the book! Believe me, it happens. When I think about how many characters I’ve created over the years (primary and secondary), it's a little bit scary. (another article for another day…) Therefore, I use the creation of the audiobook to completely scour out any little niggling errors that might have escaped my notice in the eBook.

Assuring your Print Book is as Good as it Can Be

I usually wait to release the print book until I’ve approved the final audiobook. I hate the idea of print books being out there with even the tiniest error. So my usual release order is:

•         eBook 
•         audiobook
•         print book

Note: I use Create Space to get my print books out there. So, even if you post the print book file with errors, you can of course, fix them at any time. It’s just that if people have already ordered them and have them on their bookshelves, there isn’t an easy way to “correct” these already printed books.

Preparing to Write the Next Book in a Series

I have to keep a lot of series straight. So far, here they are:

·       LeGarde Mysteries (11)

·       Green Marble Mysteries (3)

·       Tall Pines Mysteries (4)

·       Paines Creek Beach Love Stories (3)

·       Bittersweet Hollow Romantic Suspense (3)

The funny thing is, most of these series just started out as standalone books, but my readers begged me for more, so I turned them into series. It’s pretty cool, but that is a LOT of characters and a gazillion plots to remember. It’s especially hard if you’ve been working on one series and then want to switch over to the next.

So, what I do to prepare is I listen to my series again. Sometimes I just listen to the last book to get me in the groove and to “remember” what the heck I wrote about! Sometimes I’ll go through the whole series to be fully grounded again. After all, it might have been two or three or more years since I “visited” with these characters. I’ve got a pretty good memory, but it sure isn’t perfect and I often forget what I’ve written about after a while. It’s funny – sometimes I’m horrified and sometimes I’m thrilled at what I “discover” I wrote, especially from years ago.

Reclaiming Older Titles

I loved my first publisher (Lida Quillen from Twilight Times Books) and I will always be grateful to her for supporting me throughout the early years. But as time went on, I decided to take more control over my books’ release dates, cover designs, and promotion. Little by little, I’ve been asking for rights back on my older titles. I polish them up to match my current skill level (after all, some were written over ten years ago!) and re-release them under my own name, usually through Kindle Select Publishing. This is more lucrative for me and I really like having the control over pricing, sales, cover art, etc. Also, as mentioned above, I can edit or make small changes on a whim without having to bother my publisher about it. I love that.

So, let’s take an example. I’m going to be redesigning covers for and taking back the rights on the last two books in the Green Marble Mysteries, Terror Comes Knocking and For Keeps. 

Right now I’m listening to Terror Comes Knocking again, and finding out how much I’d forgotten from this story. I’m mentally noting where I wrote, “shrugged his shoulders,” instead of the much simpler “shrugged,” (what else is he going to shrug, anyway?). I’m also reliving some scenes from my own life that I incorporated into this story.

When Sam’s wife, Rachel, who has MS, falls and breaks both her shoulders, I am painfully reminded of when this happened to my wife, how she suffered, and how I took two weeks off work to care for her every need. So, I’ve decided to write an “afterword” for this book to explain some of these things. Honest to God, folks, I didn’t make it up, and you don’t have to employ the “suspension of disbelief” because some of these ridiculously improbable things really happened to us!

Redesigning Covers

When I reclaim a book from my original publisher, I also recover it. Let’s face it. Book cover design has improved a thousand fold since even five years ago, and the brighter, bolder, sassier covers stand out among the crowd. It’s more important than ever now to have a cover that is vibrant and also clearly visible in thumbnail format on websites or phones.

During the re-listen of Terror Comes Knocking, I decided on the new cover approach. I found a stock photography model who looks exactly as I pictured my character Zaffina Azziz, the sultry, saucy Egyptian “princess” who falls into Sam and Rachel’s life when their daughter disappears. Is she a sincere med student who just wants to help them? Or is there something much darker and more nefarious about her? The image displays all that I imagined, years ago. With my designer, we’ll decide what kind of a background to choose. It could be rolling hills and tree lines (just like where Sam lives), a small-town parade, or something to do with the President, since he is in grave danger in this book. (stay tuned for the new cover art!)

***

I hope this helps you series writers who might not have time to go back and re-read your older titles. Time is such a precious commodity these days, and this tactic can really help. 

Have fun, and if you need guidance on how to get started with producing audiobooks for NO cost or investment, check out these articles I wrote a long time ago to do just that!  ;o)

Part I

Part II

Remember to take pleasure in the little things and write like the wind!

Aaron Paul Lazar

www.lazarbooks.com

If you’d like to listen to any of my books, here’s a link to my Audible page:

Aaron's Audiobooks

FREE AUDIOBOOK LISTEN - The Disappearance of Billy Moore

Hi, folks! 

I have just received complimentary audiobook codes for the brand new audiobook production of my mystery, The Disappearance of Billy Moore. I'm happy to share while they last!

LISTEN TO A SAMPLE FROM CHAPTER ONE HERE 

 

The Disappearance of Billy Moore, book 1 in Green Marble Mysteries

(formely entitled Healey's Cave) 
FREE LISTEN: (retail value: $19.95)

Fifty years ago, Sam Moore’s little brother Billy vanished without a trace—leaving Sam with guilt that haunts him to this day.

Fifty years with no body, no leads, and no answers. Until now.

When Sam unearths a mysterious green marble buried in his garden, he’s shocked to find himself transported back in time—to Billy. Whisked between past and present with no warning, and receiving only glimpses of their childhood, he struggles to unlock the secret of his brother’s fate.

But the marble isn’t the only secret the ground holds. Further digging uncovers human remains—the legacy of a serial killer who’s been targeting one boy every five years since Billy vanished. The next five-year mark is coming up fast. And now, Sam’s grandson may be in the killer’s sights.

Can Sam tie the past with the present and unravel the mystery of his brother’s disappearance—before the killer strikes again?

Comment or message me and I'll get you all set. Even if you aren't a member of Audible and don't want to be, there are ways to listen for free. Really easy to listen from your phone, tablet, Kindle, or computer. ;o) I'll walk you through it!

Here are a few awards we won for this one:
 

• 2012 EPIC Book Awards WINNER Best Paranormal
• 2011 Eric Hoffer Book Award, WINNER Best Book in Commercial Fiction
• 2011 Finalist for Allbooks Review Editor's Choice
• 2011 Winner of Carolyn Howard Johnson's 9th Annual Noble (not Nobel!) Prize for Literature
• 2011 Finalists for Global EBook Awards

Green Marble Mysteries (featuring Sam Moore)

1) The Disappearance of Billy Moore (formerly Healey's Cave)
2) Terror Comes Knocking
3) For Keeps 

Contact me at author@lazarbooks dot com and we'll get your new listen to you ASAP!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Aaron Lazar

www.lazarbooks.com

Audiobook Advice for Writers from a Professional Narrator - Gwendolyn Druyor

Give Your Words a Voice

With the advent of easily downloadable digital audiobooks, a kind of revolution has taken place. More people than ever are listening for their literary fix. And with a service like ACX, the Audiobook Creation Exchange, it's easy for an indie author to expand into this market. Even if you don't have a lot of faith in the audiobook craze, "buy all the shelf space you can get" as my dad says.

Shortly after my epic fantasy novel, Hardt's Tale was published, a playwright friend of mine brought his copy into the lobby at the opening of his latest play. He gathered the waiting audience and announced that I was going to read a selection from my book. Surprise! I quickly decided to read a few paragraphs from the prologue which received generous applause. Over the course of the evening; while finding our seats, during intermission, and at the cocktail reception after the show, more than a few people approached to tell me how much they enjoyed my reading. A well-known actor in the Los Angeles theater community said (it wasn't really a question), "You are narrating your own audiobook, aren't you?"

Well I certainly was after that encouragement.

That's how my narration career began. Now, in late 2015, I've recorded ninety-two books and learned more about the process than I ever imagined there was to know.

Do your Research

If you want to jump on the audiobook bandwagon, start by listening. Listen to as many audiobooks in your genre as you can get your hands on. Heck, you might even find a narrator you adore.

Next, wander around on the ACX website. The site has lots of easy to understand FAQs about the process. Read it all. Know what you're getting into. And when you're ready, sign up as a Rights Holder (do be sure you hold the audiobook rights, btw) and set up your Title Profile. If you have any confusion, the folks at ACX are incredibly supportive and kind whether via email or their phone support line.

Make your Project Attractive

You want to set up your Title Profile (audition) with the same care you would use creating any sales listing. Narrators want to record books that are going to sell. It makes us look better. Plus, narrators are trying to gleam every smidge of information they can get from your listing that will help them make the best choices when interpreting your story. Give some evocative description of the characters in your audition selection; what have they just survived, what do they want from each other? Do you have a description of how they sound? Put that in your profile.

Keep it Simple but Specific

Your audition selection should include dialogue, preferably with your main characters. Dialogue is difficult. You want to be sure your narrator handles voices the way you'd prefer. If you write romance, include a love scene. You want to know up front how much heat your narrator is going to bring. Keep the selection short. Two pages at most.

Choosing your Narrator

When you listen to the submissions, listen first for the narrator's tone and interpretation. Do you enjoy their voice? Do they understand your style? But also listen for technical aspects of the recording. Are there a lot of hisses or pops? Background noise? Definitely listen with headphones, high quality ones if you've got them. If you like a voice and the production quality is high but they didn't quite get your tone or a character's voice, ask them to redo the audition (or an excerpt of the audition!) with your direction. A short exchange of messages can tell you more about how the narrator works and if your personalities will work well together.

Google the narrator. Listen to their samples on ACX. It's all very exciting, but take some time to make certain you've found a narrator you're going to love. Listeners want your series to be read by the same voice and you want someone who respects your direction and is easy to work with. For preference, you want someone who loves your writing!

Communication is Key

Writing is an art. Narration is a different art. Communicate often and positively and if your narrator doesn't understand your direction, reword your request. Find different ways of saying what you're going for. And remember how personal all this storytelling can be. Compliment your narrator. Let them know what you love about the work they are creating for you. As I often said when touring with Sex Signals, "If you tell me what you like, I can give you more of that."

About the Author:

Gwendolyn Druyor is an actor, author, and audiobook narrator who has travelled the world telling stories. She danced the cancan in upstate New York, bruised herself with pratfalls in Wisconsin, improvised musicals with Seth Meyers in Amsterdam, butchered the bard all over North America. Throughout her travels, Gwendolyn has stolen the magic of train stations, airports, theaters, and yes, hotel lobbies for her stories. She writes quick-read thrillers in her Killer on Call series as well as epic and urban fantasy. Her audiobook narration covers a wide variety of genres so just look for your favorites on Audible.

Sign up at her website http://www.GwendolynDruyor.com to be in on all the excitement.

Follow Gwendolyn on Facebook, on Goodreads, and @gwendolyndruyor on Twitter

What Are the Qualities of a Great Book Narrator?

By

Dora Machado

&

Melissa Reizian-Frank



 
Melissa Reizian-Frank

Dora Machado

 

 

Hello MB4 readers! Let me ask you this: If you were an author looking to make your novel into an audiobook, what qualities would you look for in a voice actress or actor?

 On the eve of my fourth audio-book launch, I've learned what I want in a narrator, somebody who can act the voices in my head and tell a story the way it should be told. I also want a narrator with a strong work ethic and a commitment to quality, who can produce not just a good product, but a great audio-book. I can't wait to listen to the final production of The Curse Giver's audible edition, narrated by Melissa Reizian-Frank.

 

 

Melissa was an easy choice for me. Her voice has a distinct quality, a throaty, silky rustle that enhances any story. She graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she also minored in Theatre, a skill she puts to good use in her narrations.After spending a decade as an award-winning and twice Emmy-nominated broadcast journalist, Melissa started in the business fourteen years ago and has voiced thousands of TV and radio commercials, countless e-learning training narrations and more than a dozen audiobooks, including Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone, Stonewiser: The Call of the Stone and Stonewiser The Lament of the Stone. 

 

  

 

 

I asked her the same question I asked you: If you were an author looking to make your novel into an audiobook, what qualities would you look for in a voice actress or actor?

Here's Melissa's answer:

Well, if I had to make my novel into an audiobook, I would look for this voice chick named Melissa Reizian Frank…I hear she’s good. Kidding! (well, unless you’re an author reading this J) But seriously, I would look for someone who is a good actress, not just someone who has that “typical reader voice” that so many audiobooks employ.

There are many MANY schools of thought out there as to how to narrate an audiobook. Some prefer scarcely any differentiation between characters…maybe raising or lowering the voice only slightly to indicate gender, whereas a full-production best-seller may have a full cast of name Hollywood actors, plus sound effects.

I do like to “Act” in my productions. I like to treat it like a radio drama. That style isn’t for everyone, and I am capable of toning it down to the “teacher read” voice, but I do cry when authors want that. Most of mine don’t, I think because the folks who choose me do so because of what I do.

A quality narrator MUST have a quality studio and know how to use it. I don’t care how good you are reading; if there’s static and noise in the background and dogs barking, it’s not going to be a pleasant listen.

A quality narrator also must know what they’re getting into. It’s not enough to say, “My friend says I have good voice and I like reading to my son, so I’m going to become an audiobook narrator!” This is a LOOOOONG process.

 
Reading the book, with re-reading the parts where you stumble, or a plane goes overhead, takes about 1 ½ hours per hour of finished audio. Then the initial edit takes about 2 hours per finished hour of audio. My husband, John, has become my editor so that I can keep voicing, and he does a great job! After that, I do a quality check that is basically in real time. So add that up. That’s about 4 ½ hours for every hour of finished audio. Curse Giver is just over 20 hours long…that’s two 40-hour work weeks for just one book!

So there you have it, folks. Straight from the narrator's mouth. From voice to studio, quality is fundamental all around.

Have a wonderful week and thanks for reading!

 

*****

 

 

After spending a decade as an award-winning and twice Emmy-nominated broadcast journalist, Melissa Reizian Frank entered the world of full-time voiceover 14 years ago with the aim of having more time to spend with her family. Since then, Melissa has voiced thousands of TV and radio commercials, more than a dozen audiobooks, countless e-learning training narrations (Need to know anything from minute details about cerebral palsy? How to be a good bowling center employee? How to spot a money-laundering scheme? She’s your gal!)

She’s a talking detergent dispenser (in English AND Spanish) at many Laundromats across the country, and will even tell you which cash register to go to at many national department stores! Melissa has been involved in theatre her entire life, and has done some community theatre recently as well. Melissa graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she also minored in Theatre.

Melissa@YourChoiceVoice.com

www.YourChoiceVoice.com
www.VoicerKid.com

*****

Dora Machado is the award-winning author of the epic fantasy Stonewiser series and her newest novel, The Curse Giver, available from Twilight Times Books. She is one only a few Hispanic women writing fantasy in the United States today. She grew up in the Dominican Republic, where she developed a fascination for writing and a taste for Merengue. After a lifetime of straddling such compelling but different worlds, fantasy is a natural fit to her stories. When she is not writing fiction, Dora also writes features for the award-winning blog Murder By Four and Savvy Authors, where writers help writers. She lives in Florida with her indulgent husband and two very opinionated cats.

 

To learn more about Dora Machado and her award winning novels, visit her at www.doramachado.com , email her at Dora@doramachado.com, find her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.

 

A Reviewer's Mind

Plus Great Suggestions for Your Audiobook Collection

By

Dora Machado

I love to listen to a good story. I find it comforting, relaxing and fun to hide in a quiet corner, plug in my headset, and bask in the wonders of a great tale. My love affair with audiobooks probably began early on as a child, when my parents shared their love for books by reading aloud to me. I remember thinking that it was such a treat! I then read to my own children and relished our time together. Reading aloud to our children is not just fun; it’s also a loving gift and a lasting legacy. Look at me. I’m still craving the story that the voice tells. Or is it the voice that tells the story?

I am pleased to bring you today my interview with the founder of Audibookjungle.com, Mihail Abadzhiev, Mike, as his online friends like to call him. Audiobookjungle.com is one of only a handful of sites dedicated exclusively to audiobooks. I discovered this new site by accident, when my publicist submitted Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone Audible edition for review. It's packed with helpful reviews, discussions, articles and tips for audiobook addicts. So if, like me, you love to listen to your books as you commute to work, wash the dishes or before you turn in for the night, don’t miss http://audiobookjungle.com.

Hi Mike, welcome to MB4! Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you become a reviewer, when did you start audibookjungle.com and why audiobooks?

I started my blog just a few months ago and it has been quite fun so far. I just wanted to create a place where I can talk about all the audiobooks I'm listening to and inspire others to read more or find their next favorite book. There's just so much awesomeness in audiobooks. They make reading a different experience and put it in entirely different context. That makes them not only very enjoyable but also useful.

What advantages/disadvantages do audiobooks have over print or e-books?

Reading in general comes down to personal preference, but one undeniable advantage of audiobooks over print or e-books is convenience. I could be listening to a book as I'm typing this answer right now. Well, maybe not, but in situations where my hands are occupied and my mind is free, audiobooks are perfect. Walking in the park, driving, cleaning the house – why not immerse yourself in a good story while getting things done? Can't do that with your Kindle!

Also, the books I've read in audiobook form somehow feel more real. It's like your favorite childhood stories your parents read to you in bed – you still remember them and they feel special and dear to you. There's just something almost tribal and primal about one human telling a story to another and it feels great.

Now, there are some disadvantages to this type of reading. You lose the opportunity to imagine how the characters sound like, is their voice deep or not, etc. Another thing which I discovered when I started writing reviews was, I didn't know how to spell characters' names or places (that's really awkward with fantasy novels) because I only heard the narrator's pronunciation, which results in me having to constantly look up things online to make sure I'm spelling them correctly.

Wow. You are absolutely right! I never thought about that before, but it would take some research to find out the spelling for the characters' names and such. What's the difference between reviewing an audiobook and reviewing a print book?

Reviewing an audiobook is, in my opinion, reviewing an entirely different work of art from the original. I could read a book in print and rate it as mediocre then listen to it on audio and rave about how awesome it is. They're different reading experiences and as such they have different properties I expect to find. For audiobooks, the narrator in most cases makes or breaks the final result. That's why I make sure to mention how the narrator's performance affected me while listening.

Does a great book always make for a great audiobook?

Well, nobody would want to listen to the Encyclopedia Britannica, right? I think that all fiction and a big portion of the non-fiction books are well suited to be read on audio. Then there are the instances where a great book gets done perfectly as an audiobook and it's just magical. No better word for it.

How do you decide which audiobooks to review?

Well, I review the ones I find interesting. I don't get them just so I can review them – reading comes first, reviewing is second. I usually read the blurb and if it sounds intriguing I'll pick it up. If I'm on the fence I'll look for reviews online and see what others thought of it so I can get a better idea if it's something I'd be into.

In your opinion, what makes for a great audiobook?

Hmm... You can't have a great audiobook without a great story, so that's first and most important. Second is the narrator, of course – his/her tone of voice, ability to convey emotions, genders, accents. As I mentioned, a narrator can make or break a good audiobook experience but ultimately it's a totally subjective thing. This is something I think isn't mentioned enough but all of this falls as a responsibility on the audiobook producer. He has to point the narrator in the right direction, make them pronounce things certain ways and in general help them do their best. So, yeah, the producer is another vital element.

What makes for a not-so-enjoyable audiobook?

Again, this comes down to personal preference but for me the narration could stop me from enjoying an audiobook. The narrator could be reading too fast or too slow, his accent may be too thick and hard to understand. I've given up on audiobooks before just because the narration is annoying me and it feels like I'm wasting my time.

Technical issues like missing chapters or parts of the story are really annoying as well, but that happens very rarely anymore.

Here come the holidays, and people are going crazy thinking about gifts. Do you have some great audiobook recommendations for us?

I like to read various types of books but my absolute favorite is the sci-fi genre and I feel that's where I can give the best recommendation. For younger people or any sci-fi fan really, I recommend the Ender's Game: Special 20th Anniversary Edition. I've not listened to it yet but everybody says it's amazing. One of my favorite audiobooks ever is Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi and narrated by Wil Wheaton. It has greedy corporations, lawyers, humor and cute fluffy aliens. Just go check it out, it's awesome! Going for a more cinematic feel or, as their tagline is “A movie in your mind,” try GraphicAudio's Vatta's War series. It's a very high quality production and really entertaining. That's three solid gift ideas for you right there!

I'm not sure if this is a fair question, but I'll ask anyway: What's your favorite audiobook of all time?

Oh, man... That's like asking a mother to pick a favorite child! Well, if I had to choose just one, it would be The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfus. In my mind it's one of the best fantasy stories ever written and the narration is flawless.

Thank you so much for chatting with us and thank you also for giving us writers an insight into the mind of an audiobook reviewer. We wish you much success with audiobookjungle.com. 

To contact Mike:

Website: audiobookjungle.com

E-mail: audiobookjungle@gmail.com

Facebook: fb.com/audiobookjungle

Twitter: @audiobookjungle

To Read Mike's Reviews, including his review of Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone: http://audiobookjungle.com/stonewiser-the-heart-of-the-stone-audiobook-review/

****

Dora Machado is the award-winning author of the epic fantasy Stonewiser series and her newest novel, The Curse Giver, available from Twilight Times Books. She grew up in the Dominican Republic, where she developed a fascination for writing and a taste for Merengue. After a lifetime of straddling such compelling but different worlds, fantasy is a natural fit to her stories. She lives in Florida with her husband and three very opinionated cats.

To learn more about Dora Machado and her novels, visit her website at www.doramachado.com or contact her at:

E-mail:Dora@doramachado.com

Website: www.doramachado.com

Blog: http://www.doramachado.com/blog/

Newsletter: http://doramachado.com/newsletter.php

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoraMachado101

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoraMachado

For a free excerpt of The Curse Giver, visit:  http://twilighttimesbooks.comthingsTheCurseGiver_ch1.html.

http://amzn.to/13oVu2P

For a free sample of Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone, Audible edition, visit: http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Stonewiser-Audiobook/B00F52CJIY/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1379186069&sr=1-1