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| Reading Audio Books is Hot! Photo courtesy of freedigitalphotos.org by Viacheslav Blizniuk |
So glad you are here. Today I need you to help me make a decision on producing audio books or not.
I certainly enjoy listening to audio books, especially since I can easily download them from my library using Overdrive.com. But, I have to be patient because the waiting time is long due to the popularity of audio books and authors. It's crazy easy to order them from Amazon and read them just a minute after ordering.
Have you tried audio books? When I was a kid, I loved when the teacher read to the class after lunch. Audio books have taken that experience and enlarged it into an entertaining time. Audi books remind me of the plays that were performed on the radio way back when--I was a tiny child at the time. Plays like the Green Lantern and Orson Welles' War of the Worlds (known as radio drama) and of course soap operas.
The Wall Street Journal described audio books as “a rare bright spot in the publishing industry.” According to audio book expert, Robert Reiman, " E-book sales are waning, but, audio book listening on Audible grew 38 percent last year. Audio book sales growth is up 20 percent worldwide two years in a row."
So I am thinking about jumping in on this "rare bright spot". I have a novella I would like to make into an audio book. The whole process is daunting, but then again, I look back at my first experience formatting an e-book to upload to amazon. That was a challenge indeed, but I did it.
One of the many decision I would have to make is to find the narrator. I wouldn't consider narrating my own book, so I would like a voice actor who can use his/her voice to conjure up the many characters via voice inflections when a nasal quality. rich baritone or squeaky voice is needed to portray the character. The narrator has to pull the reader/listener into the story. Owen McCuen narrated my author friend, Miss Mae's, zany story, Ahoy Gum Drop. He certainly knows how to perform amazing characterizations to bring this fun story to life.
Here's a sample from the audio book
Here's a sample from the audio book
Video: Ahoy Gum Drop! Introducing I.B. Nosey
by Miss Mae
Owen and Miss Mae also created a promotional video for my romantic suspense novel, Coda to Murder. You can watch it here on You-tube
An I.B. Nosey Interview with J.Q. Rose
Produced and narrated by Owen McCuen
Written by Miss Mae
Produced and narrated by Owen McCuen
Written by Miss Mae
Owen was my guest on the J.Q. Rose blog. Find out more about this talented, and may I add, handsome, guy here. as well as more about audio book production.
This summer I plan to explore bringing Sunshine Boulevard to life via audio book.
What is your experience as a reader with audio books? If you are an author, have you published an audio book or considered creating an audio book? Please leave your comment below. I look forward to reading them. Thank you.
Read Robert Reiman's article on 5 Common Audio Book Production Misconceptions here on Sandra Beckwith's Build Book Buzz site.
