Showing posts with label Audio Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Audio Books. Show all posts
New Audio Book Graphic - Feedback Appreciated!
I've been playing around with my simply graphics program. I'd love some feedback on this audio book promo graphic I made. Thanks!
Authors! Are Your Books Available in Audio?
Please be warned: the production of audio books is time consuming, but it's well worth the effort. I checked my sales this morning, and I'm happy to report that I've sold over 500 audio books in two months. And the audio market is exploding! Here's news from the ACX blog:
ACX Produces 10x More Audiobooks in 2012
If you haven’t heard the good news, let us be the first to tell you. A whopping ten times as many titles were produced via ACX in 2012 as in 2011! Audiobooks of all kinds are getting made via ACX and are available for sale on Audible, Amazon and iTunes.If you were part of our great year, thanks! If you weren’t, now is the time to get in on the action. Are you an audiobook narrator/producer? Do you own the audio rights to a book (this could be you, authors, publishers, etc.)? Then check out our How It Works section, learn a bit more, and create an account!
Here’s to even MORE audiobooks in 2013!
~ ~ ~
So, authors, if you haven't ventured into the audio book market...what are you waiting for? Grab those coattails! You're in for a wild ride!
Voice Over Artist, Laura Jennings
Today, I welcome Laura Jennings to my blog. Laura has
narrated several of my romance novels, and she's done an exceptional job of interpreting
my stories. When I write a novel, the scenes unfold in my mind's eye; I actually hear and
see what's going on, all the while, tapping the keys on my laptop as quickly as
possible so I don't miss anything. Like great music, fictional stories have a
cadence, a rhythm, that hopefully wraps the reader in a soft embrace and carries her along for
a wonderful ride. Laura not only understood the rhythm of my books and my
characters, she truly got what my sweet romances are all
about. And she worked tirelessly to turn my books into wonderful audio
productions. I asked Laura to tell my readers and listeners a little about how
she does what she does.
 |
| Laura Jennings, Voice Over Artist |
In Laura's words:
I love books. I always have. As long as I can remember. I love the feel of them in my hand, the words
strung together to create another world that one can slip into and out of. But,
most of all, I love the telling of a story. The way the
words roll around in my mouth and come out in a way that creates
three-dimensionality. A listener can close their eyes and lean backwards, safely
falling into the story with the sound of my voice cradling them and rocking
them gently into another world. I am the bridge that connects the writer’s
imagination and the eager mind of the listener in an audio book. In short, I am
the narrator.
Every narrator has their own way of building this bridge.
For me, working closely with the author is the first and most crucial step. In
my humble opinion, if a narrator doesn’t believe the characters and the world
created by the author, how will they ever do the story justice? I just finished narrating a novel in which
there were no less than 15 separate characters. If I did not take the time to
get to know these characters, it would have been impossible for me to attempt
to make them separate entities in their own right for the listener. These
characters are purposefully and lovingly created by the author and should be
handled with care. ‘Nuff said.
Editing, editing, editing. Anyone can speak into a mic and
record the written word. But it is the editing that makes the audio a work of art
by the narrator. Pronouncing every word as intended, correcting mistakes and
fixing mouth noises is just the beginning. These corrections are made during
the first listen. The second listen is where you rerecord dialogue for special
effect, and add pauses and silences, those little things that create nuance and
ambiance for the listener, all the while staying true to the author’s intent.
For the tekkies…equipment.
Baseline speakers, good editing software, a computer with lots of memory
are a must. The real arguments break out over preamps and mics. Some purists
record straight into the digital interface and use a bit of gain control there.
Others want the warmth of tubes in a good tube preamp or the ability to
compress while recording so that there is less end processing. Every artist has
their favorite tools as every writer has their favorite pen or word processor.
A narrator should know their voice and which equipment enhances it. Then there
are condenser mics versus dynamic mics….don’t worry…I’ll stop here.
So this is what we do to make an audio book. With a little
luck and a lot of hard work we create something in which we are totally
transparent. If a listener’s heart
quickens when shots are fired on the battlefield or a long lost love is finally
found then the bridge to the listener’s imagination is passable. If the driver
goes once more around the block just to hear the end of a chapter all over
again, then we have done our job well.
~ ~ ~
Laura Jennings earned a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing
from Antioch University. She
is a happy newly-wed who enjoys the outdoors and has even competed in the odd
triathlon or two. She has been a voice over artist for a couple of years now
and she trained with the best voice over coach ever - Jim Conlan. To learn a bit more about Laura, visit her website where you can find contact information as well as audio and commercial samples
A few of Donna Fasano's sweet romances narrated by Laura Jennings:
Top 10 List of Female Erogenous Zones
Yeah, yeah, the old standbys are on the list: breasts, inner thighs, buttocks, nape of the neck. But did you know that the ears are on the Top 10 List of Female Erogenous Zones? If it's been too long since your man has whispered sweet nothings in your ear, or made your heart melt with romantic murmurings, then...please...let me help you!
I'm happy to announce that
two more of my romance novels are now available as audio books. You can find
them at Audible.com, Amazon, and on iTunes.
Do you realize what this means? You
can pop in your ear buds and listen to my stories while you drive or walk or laze on the beach! Okay, okay, so
maybe it's too cold to do much beach lazing in January. But you still have to
DRIVE, don't you? And walking is good for you! So download a book…and start getting your happily-ever-after fix!
Nanny and the Professor
Her Fake Romance
(with bonus recipes)
Romance Audio Books Anyone?
My goal for 2012 was to
edit/update/upload all of my backlist titles and sell them as e-books for Kindle, for
Nook, for Kobo, and as iBooks. I am happy to announce that I achieved that
goal! But on top of that, I started working with voice actors to have my
romance novels made available as audio books. Two of them are now available at
Audible.com, at Amazon Store, and in the iTunes Store. I feel as if I really
accomplished a lot this year. Thank you so much for all the support you've
given me!
Here are the two biggest
surprises for me:
An Accidental Family is narrated by the wonderful Laura Jennings. Laura is truly able to convey the sweet feel of this romantic and often heart-wrenching story about the blending of a brand new family. A sample of the book can be found by clicking here.
And The Merry-Go-Round is narrated by Margie Lenhart, who perfectly captures the upbeat, comedic feel of my contemporary women's fiction novel about a woman who is looking to unload "180 pounds of man meat" she's been lugging around for far too long. But wait...does she or doesn't she want a divorce? Listen to a sample of the book by clicking here.
Thank you for all the support you've given me
since I've become an Indie Author.
I would never have been able to do it without you!
Best wishes for a wonderful 2013!
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