Does Texags have many audiobook fans?

I've started narrating audiobooks and have 3 for sale on audible so far.

If you listen to audiobooks regularly, do you have any "pet peeves" or things that really bug you about narrators?

I listen to audiobooks all the time. What kind of books are you narrating?

bagger05 said:

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I listen to audiobooks all the time. What kind of books are you narrating?

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I've only done 4 so far. Two of them are sets of short essays or definitions followed by a series of quotations. "Positive Thoughts for Troubling Times" and "The Lighten Up Book" both by Allen Klein. A third is a translation from the 19th century of a book written by Saint Ambrose in the 4th century, "On Holy Virginity, with a Brief Account of the Life of St. Ambrose". There is a 4th book I've completed, but it is not at retail yet titled, "Abuse of Trust". It is about healing from clerical sexual abuse while not losing your faith. It includes recommendations to make clergy more accountable for their abuse and how to stop it.

I continue to audition and am looking for project #5 right now.

shaynew1 said:

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It throws me off when the narrator changes the voice/accent/etc of characters in sequels.

I understand continuity is tough over however many thousand words and years between volumes. But you asked.

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Is this with the same narrator, or different narrators?

For recurring characters, I would maintain a file with samples of each character's "voice" so I can try to keep it consistent.

Dad-O-Lot said:

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bagger05 said:

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I listen to audiobooks all the time. What kind of books are you narrating?

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I've only done 4 so far. Two of them are sets of short essays or definitions followed by a series of quotations. "Positive Thoughts for Troubling Times" and "The Lighten Up Book" both by Allen Klein. A third is a translation from the 19th century of a book written by Saint Ambrose in the 4th century, "On Holy Virginity, with a Brief Account of the Life of St. Ambrose". There is a 4th book I've completed, but it is not at retail yet titled, "Abuse of Trust". It is about healing from clerical sexual abuse while not losing your faith. It includes recommendations to make clergy more accountable for their abuse and how to stop it.

I continue to audition and am looking for project #5 right now.

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Congrats on your success and thx for sharing. I find this aspect interesting. Do you have a radio or podcast or other broadcast background? Did you need to invest in any fancy mics, software, etc? A radio guy/podcaster I follow dabbled in this for a bit and made it sound pretty tough work for extremely competitive gigs.

shaynew1 said:

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It throws me off when the narrator changes the voice/accent/etc of characters in sequels.

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I remember Roy Dotrice did this with the Game of Thrones novels.

Fairly new to Audiobooks. Currently on my third one. So, my critiques are limited.

The main issue I have (and this is purely personal) is that it takes me an adjustment period to understand the narrator if they are British. I had to replay 30 seconds quite a bit in the beginning of my current book before I got the hang of his accent.

expresswrittenconsent said:

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Dad-O-Lot said:

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bagger05 said:

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I listen to audiobooks all the time. What kind of books are you narrating?

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I've only done 4 so far. Two of them are sets of short essays or definitions followed by a series of quotations. "Positive Thoughts for Troubling Times" and "The Lighten Up Book" both by Allen Klein. A third is a translation from the 19th century of a book written by Saint Ambrose in the 4th century, "On Holy Virginity, with a Brief Account of the Life of St. Ambrose". There is a 4th book I've completed, but it is not at retail yet titled, "Abuse of Trust". It is about healing from clerical sexual abuse while not losing your faith. It includes recommendations to make clergy more accountable for their abuse and how to stop it.

I continue to audition and am looking for project #5 right now.

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Congrats on your success and thx for sharing. I find this aspect interesting. Do you have a radio or podcast or other broadcast background? Did you need to invest in any fancy mics, software, etc? A radio guy/podcaster I follow dabbled in this for a bit and made it sound pretty tough work for extremely competitive gigs.

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I don't consider myself a success at it yet. It does seem to be extremely competitive. I invested in a good mic and software and some soundproofing in a spare bedroom. Probably in the neighborhood of $2500 so far.

It is a lot of work. It takes 6 or more hours of work to produce 1 completed hour of finished recording.

I've never done radio or podcasting, but I have been doing a Facebook Live reading of Public Domain books about 5 days a week since March. I then put them up on a Youtube channel.

I've completed "Treasure Island", "Pinocchio", "Alice in Wonderland", "Heidi", several different Fairy Tales and some of Kiplings' "Just So Stories". I am currently reading "Swiss Family Robinson". These are all done live (and often cold) so they are not at the professional level needed for an audiobook, but they are entertaining.

Dad-O-Lot said:

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expresswrittenconsent said:

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Dad-O-Lot said:

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bagger05 said:

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I listen to audiobooks all the time. What kind of books are you narrating?

---

I've only done 4 so far. Two of them are sets of short essays or definitions followed by a series of quotations. "Positive Thoughts for Troubling Times" and "The Lighten Up Book" both by Allen Klein. A third is a translation from the 19th century of a book written by Saint Ambrose in the 4th century, "On Holy Virginity, with a Brief Account of the Life of St. Ambrose". There is a 4th book I've completed, but it is not at retail yet titled, "Abuse of Trust". It is about healing from clerical sexual abuse while not losing your faith. It includes recommendations to make clergy more accountable for their abuse and how to stop it.

I continue to audition and am looking for project #5 right now.

---

Congrats on your success and thx for sharing. I find this aspect interesting. Do you have a radio or podcast or other broadcast background? Did you need to invest in any fancy mics, software, etc? A radio guy/podcaster I follow dabbled in this for a bit and made it sound pretty tough work for extremely competitive gigs.

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I don't consider myself a success at it yet. It does seem to be extremely competitive. I invested in a good mic and software and some soundproofing in a spare bedroom. Probably in the neighborhood of $2500 so far.

It is a lot of work. It takes 6 or more hours of work to produce 1 completed hour of finished recording.

I've never done radio or podcasting, but I have been doing a Facebook Live reading of Public Domain books about 5 days a week since March. I then put them up on a Youtube channel.

I've completed "Treasure Island", "Pinocchio", "Alice in Wonderland", "Heidi", several different Fairy Tales and some of Kiplings' "Just So Stories". I am currently reading "Swiss Family Robinson". These are all done live (and often cold) so they are not at the professional level needed for an audiobook, but they are entertaining.

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Interesting. Always wondered what this was like.

Smacking of lips or when I can hear the reader is dehydrated. It is very distracting. Stay extremely hydrated; start the day before.

I've listened to the entire Ramona Quimby collection on Audible with my kids with Stockard Channing from Grease doing the narration. That'll grate on the old ears over the span of a 500-mile road trip.

yeah, that's an issue.

I am constantly drinking water now.

Lots of time in the bathroom as a result.

I have learned that I stink at paying attention to audio books. I usually try to listen while doing something which means my mind is not completely focused so I miss details.

Thus I cancelled audible

I also have trouble focusing on the book when I listen to audiobooks. I'll be OK for up to 30 minutes, then I need to do something else for a few minutes to let my mind wander.

It does help if the narrator is entertaining and enthusiastic.

i listen to alot via overdrive. a monotonous narrator has ruined and made me give up more than one book

Bad Dude said:

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shaynew1 said:

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It throws me off when the narrator changes the voice/accent/etc of characters in sequels.

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I remember Roy Dotrice did this with the Game of Thrones novels.

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He's the worst, I gave up on those books because he was so bad. A lot depends on the material and whether they were the right narrator, Dotrice made GOT unenjoyable. The opposite would be Jim Dale narrating Harry Potter, he's great, perfect guy for the job.

Dad-O-Lot said:

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Does Texags have many audiobook fans?

I've started narrating audiobooks and have 3 for sale on audible so far.

If you listen to audiobooks regularly, do you have any "pet peeves" or things that really bug you about narrators?

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How many minutes can you read without making a mistake or need to stop? Do you have a home studio or do you have to go to a professional studio? Do you get paid by the hour or Just for the finished product?

I like a soothing voice...it's almost ASMRish for me...but not to fall asleep to...the guy who narrates 11-22-63 comes to mind as a good one.

That's so cool you're doing audiobooks

You can be enthusiastic, and that can make listening more enjoyable. But if you are still reading every line in the same enthusiastic voice, it can still come off as monotone.

My top three:

Lack of variation in voice
Very slow narration
Poorly attempted or over the top accents

rynning said:

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Dad-O-Lot said:

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Does Texags have many audiobook fans?

I've started narrating audiobooks and have 3 for sale on audible so far.

If you listen to audiobooks regularly, do you have any "pet peeves" or things that really bug you about narrators?

---

How many minutes can you read without making a mistake or need to stop? Do you have a home studio or do you have to go to a professional studio? Do you get paid by the hour or Just for the finished product?

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I've never really tracked how far I can go without making a mistake.

At first, I used a "dog clicker", and whenever I made a mistake, I would click, then redo what I made the mistake on. Then when I finished that chapter or section, I would go through and delete all the mistakes.

Now I use "punch & roll" where if I make a mistake, or want to redo a line, I'll stop, set a restart location, and then record over the error and keep going. It saves a huge amount of time in editing.

Sometimes I feel like I'm repeating something every few seconds, and other times I can go several minutes without making a mistake; but will have to stop to take a drink.

I have a "home studio". It's just a sound-treated and sound-blocked room. I can only record when the kids are asleep or out of the house.

Pay is either per finished hour of book, or a share of the royalties when sold, or a combination of both.

I have started recording a new book today.

Path to Truth: the Ray Stanton Story

Not your typical Christian Pastor memoir.

I'm looking forward to this one.

The first book I narrated is now up for sale on audible.

Abuse of Trust

It was the first book I narrated, but the 4th to make it to retail.

Throws me off when the narrator uses the same voice/accent on 3 or more characters.

Be like Bronson Pinchot. Loved him in my Korea deli and bought Matterhorn, a book about Vietnam, just because he was the narrator

Matterhorn is very solid

Would you be willing to do me a favor?

I have an assignment from my narration coach that I need help with.

I am looking for adjectives that describe the "Attitude", "Energy", and "Personality" of my voice.

If you are willing to help, you can hear samples of my reading Here

There are additional samples here

Do you return/exchange audiobooks on audible after you have finished listening to them?

Audible's "generous" exchange program is costing authors and narrators a lot of money in royalties.

When a book is returned/exchanged, the royalties that were paid to the author and narrator are taken back by Audible.

It appears that some people are using audible as a lending library.