The Listening Days

Judy Blue, who reads Retta

I received the files for PERIL, PLOTS, and PUPPIES from Audible on Friday. Since I had an event on Saturday, I couldn't start listening until Sunday morning. I plan to do about 2 hours/day until it's done, so I'm currently on Chapter 30. I thought I'd tell you how it goes.

Once a book is released in e-book and/or print, the author or publisher can contract for audio. Generally you can pay up front or share revenue, and costs for narrators run a large gamut. You submit the book for auditions and choose from those you receive. You make an offer, and if you're lucky, the narrator accepts.

The studio in Chicago that does the Sleuth Sisters books hires three actors to read the three parts: Barb, Faye, and Retta. They've been the same for the first five books, but on this one they replaced Faye. I listened to the audition and agreed they'd found a good voice for her. Once that was done they went ahead and read, each woman reading her chapters as she finds time to come in to the studio. When they're done, the tech has to put the chapters in order and make sure the book flows smoothly together. When the studio says it's ready, they submit to Audible, who lets me know it's time for me to okay the book.

Anne Jacques, who reads Barb

                                                                                           

My job at this point is to check everything. I have to listen attentively for mistakes in line-reading, pronunciation, or what I'd call "emotion," the actor's interpretation of the situation and character. Usually it's little things I find, but in one instance (with a different book/narrator) I found that the narrator had inadvertently skipped a chapter...now that would have been weird!

It's important to get it right the first time with audio books, because they're harder to fix than e-books or even printed work. I try to carve out a chunk of time where I won't be interrupted, and I have to concentrate. That means 9 hours in my office with no other activity that might distract me. The result is that my office gets really clean and neat on those days, because cleaning isn't mentally distracting. I guess that's a good thing...

Once I'm done, hopefully tomorrow, I okay the audio book to Audible. It takes them a week or two to check the files for technical problems and release the book, first to Audible and soon afterward to Amazon.

Liz Cloud, the new Faye