Friday, August 11, 2017

The daunting world of audiobooks

So apparently, audiobooks are a thing.



If you're not sure what I'm talking about, audiobooks are audio recordings of entire books that can be purchased and downloaded online. Typically the books are read by professional voice actors or the authors themselves. About a decade ago, I downloaded a few audiobooks to try it out myself, but didn't get very far before giving up. I chalk this up to the fact that I'm a very visual person. It's the sense I'm most in tune with. It's the way I write (I blogged about this very topic here) and it's the way I read. If the words aren't in front of my eyes, my mind is apt to drift to other matters. So I prefer reading over listening.

For a long time, I suspected I had this in common with most people, but it turns out that I am wrong. A LOT of people love listening to books read aloud. I guess part of this is the hectic pace of people's lives these days. It's rare for readers to have the luxury of a few spare hours to sit around thumbing through a book, so instead, they listen to bite-sized portions of a book while driving, jogging, or running errands. It's not the way I like to enjoy literature, but I get it.

Anyhow, for years now I've been getting emails asking if I've considered doing audiobook versions of my novels. I dismissed the notion outright at first, because recording my own book (obviously I'm not going to hire a non-Witness reader, and I would hardly be able to afford one anyway!) would be a tremendous investment in time and resources. Of course, in the digital age it's much easier for people to record audiobooks at home. Gone are the days where only expensive, state-of-the-art studios could produce quality recordings. Believe it or not, more than a few professional authors use a room in their house, set up a mic and a laptop with some recording software, and throw blankets over everything to absorb the sound and get right to it.

So for me the real cost is in time. It's no small task to record and edit a reading of a 100,000 word novel. Also, there's quite a bit of skill involved, as I've learned while doing research on the topic. A lot of this is encompassed in our Benefit book, but with a reading as dramatic as that of a paperback, there area also other skills that need to be refined, like being able to quickly switch between voices so that the listener can easily tell when the speaker changes (I tried, it's hard!) and conveying the right kind of emotions in dialogue so that the result isn't A) too lackluster or B) too overboard. So really, it's a mix between reading and acting. And I'm not sure my acting chops are up to the task!

But never say never, right? Anyway, I'm looking into it. It's actually kind of an intriguing idea, and if I get enough requests, it'll probably happen. I've set up a little poll to the right of this blog where you can give me some feedback regarding the possibility of audiobooks. (Please keep in mind that due to file management issues, I would need to host them on an external platform like Amazon, so they wouldn't be free of charge.)

So, do you like audiobooks? Feel free to let me know in the comments!

11 comments:

  1. I don't really listen to audio books but I do listen to the bible and other publications that the society records. I voted "nope" in regard to my interest in purchasing audio book versions of your novels. I voted this way for two reasons. The first is that I am not someone that enjoys listening to "recreational" reading material. I would rather read through it slowly and be able to slow down in certain parts that I find interesting. The second reason is that I feel your time spent producing audio books of your novels would take away from the time you already use use to write your ideas.

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  2. I say do it. There's a market for it so why not. Don't have the technical skills for the recording but I would volunteer to be a reader. Would be super fun.

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    1. Yeah, from the few things I've done, it is fun!

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  3. I would not want anything to take away from your time writing the book so if you can have someone else read it and it doesn't take too much time away, I vote Yes! Go for it. I actually have some family members that are not much for reading but I think would enjoy the content. SO I would gladly purchase a book on Amazon as a gift for a friend who's not much of a reader. I hope this helps.

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    1. Thanks Judith, I think that many that have asked about audiobooks fall into the following three categories: 1) don't have the time to sit and read, but would like to listen as they do other things. 2) aren't readers, but like to listen. 3) are blind, and don't like automated readers for books.

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  4. Time is a valuable commodity to many with full-time responsibilities. I'm a retiree so I have more time than most and I LOVE to get comfortable in my chair/sofa and read a good novel. (Voted "no" in your poll.) I'm probably those in the few percentile who still read the NWT "hard copy" for personal study. (Can't get use to e-reading.) So, I'll just look forward to ordering your next novel and sit on down in my easy chair! :D

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    1. Have you tried reading on a Kindle or other e-ink reader? I'm like you–I still prefer paper, but I find that my Kindle is a great substitute when you don't have the real thing. Never thought I'd use it as much as I do!

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  5. I appreciate that you are even considering the idea. I would definitely purchase and listen to it. However, I would also continue to read your books even if you did not do the audiobooks (I read your previous 3). My husband (James) and daughter both started but haven't finished one �� I believe they would benefit from the audiobook. But with as valuable as your time is I would totally respect if you decided to exclusively write..Sincerely, Jenny

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  6. I am truly enjoying Critical Times and am looking forward to reading the entire series. As an audiobook narrator I am thrilled that you that you are considering audiobook versions.

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  7. I didn't get to read all the comments but want to say that my husband and I love to listen to audio books because we can do it together! On the road or before falling asleep...also...don't do it yourself...get a brother or sister who is good at it...we know a few:)

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