A series on audiobook production via ACX by Cheri Schmidt.
Here is Jason Downs (aka Tristan Hunt) and Cheri Schmidt (aka that pale vampire) doing a Q & A for a writer’s conference. Second question: Can the author approve the voice of each character?
Jason brings up a good point. You've already been through the audition process, so there shouldn't be too many surprises. And you really should trust this person that you've hired to know what they're doing and allow them to do their job without you nitpicking over details that just don't matter. Let them have creative license with the story. This is a collaboration...
However, I feel it's important to note that you should take care in the audition sample you choose to post for the book. Make sure you have voices of the two main characters in there, along with some accents that might be necessary. I would also suggest choosing a scene with some tension and dialogue for both a male and female character.
Oh, and there's one more thing I forgot to mention. If you've described your characters well enough, the right voice for each one will be, or should be, pretty obvious to the professional you've hired. That's one thing that changed for me after I first heard my stories "performed." As I wrote, I could hear how it would sound as an audiobook. I couldn't do that before. I think it also improves your writing, because you know what will and won't work better than you did before
Thanks again for visiting my blog. Check back later for more... And please comment and share. ;)
Showing posts with label narrator. Show all posts
Showing posts with label narrator. Show all posts
Audiobook Production Via ACX Q&A ~Part 1
Saturday, August 8, 2015
A series on audiobook production via ACX by Cheri Schmidt.
Here is Jason Downs and an extremely pale vampire—I mean me
doing a Q & A for a writer’s conference. First question: How closely do
you work together?
(Note: I’ve never recorded Skype before and really had no
idea what I was doing. And I never really meant to post it to YouTube, but it
turned out to be too long for the conference. I was aware of the box in the top
corner, but was afraid of messing up the recording if I tried to get rid of it.
It finally went away on its own and I don’t know why. I also knew the mouse
arrow was on my shoulder, but was afraid I might accidentally minimize the
program if I tried to move that too.)
(Good grief! It was really hard for me to post that to
YouTube...)
Cheri’s additional thoughts on this question...
I think how closely you work together largely depends on the
author and how involved you want to be. But it is a creative collaboration, so
perhaps more authors should be more involved. That doesn’t mean that you need
to be nitpicky or annoying, though. That just means get to know each other a
little so you can make the best decisions for the story, and better market the
book after production is finished.
My guess is that producers and authors that have done a
royalty share deal are more likely to work together closely during and after
production, because they both benefit financially if sales are good.
Jason mentioned that he's had some authors who just approve
the audio without making any changes, and I wanted to comment on that. I don’t
know if all producers do it this way or not, but Jason would post chapters as
he finished them. Either one at a time, or a few at a time. I couldn’t resist
reviewing them right away, but I have heard of authors who don’t bother
listening to the chapters at all. And then when it’s finished they wonder if
they should listen to it or just approve it. I don’t think that is wise at all,
and I was surprised to hear from Jason that some authors actually do that. Yes,
producers edit their work, but things can still be missed by mistake. Just like
authors need more than one editor, so does a narrator. With ACX, I feel like
the rights holder is final QA, and if you don’t listen just to make sure there
aren’t any random repeats still in there, you’ll make your producer look bad
and that will affect his rating in the reviews. I have listened to audiobooks
with repeats in the finished product and it always surprises me, because it
wouldn’t have been all that hard to fix.
However, while reviewing the audio, remember that every
change you ask for could cause a change in sound. So be very selective. I’ve
heard of some authors who feel like that’s how they wrote it so the producer
had better not change a single word! Oh please, sometimes that just happens
when reading. But if it sounds natural and still makes sense, then leave it
like it is. That will be better for sound quality. And you'll likely have a
better working relationship with your producer if you're not a pain to work
with.
Thanks for dropping by, and check back for more videos of
this Q & A...
Audiobook Production & Marketing Via ACX
Monday, August 3, 2015
A series on audiobook production via ACX and marketing when the book is finished.
I recently presented at a writer’s conference about this, and I was the only author there presenting on ACX. I was limited on time for my class, and there just wasn’t enough time for me to cover everything. So I’m bringing that info to you via my blog and YouTube. I’ll cover everything thing I didn’t have time for and share the Skype interview with producer/narrator Jason Downs where he answers author’s questions.
Choosing a producer/narrator:
In this emerging market of audiobooks, marketing is key, and I would say there is a learning curve, because it’s different from marketing books in general. I suspect that’s because this is a slightly different audience. Your first and perhaps your biggest, marketing choice for the audiobook is choosing the right voice. This is also a creative choice. The style of the narrator needs to fit the style of the story. Your choice will make a big difference in the finished product, good or bad.
“The right narrator can bring a story to life in a way that nothing else can, can fully immerse the audience into the story, can make them feel the emotion in the words, and can make the author shine." Cheri Schmidt
Things to consider:
What point of view did you write the book in? If it’s female first person, then it would be best if you chose a female narrator. Recently, my husband has listened to a few books, and not indie books, where the story is told from a first person male perspective but the narrator is female. It really drives him crazy. This seems like it should be an obvious thing, but apparently it isn’t.
If it’s written in third person, how many male and female characters are there in the story? Looking at these numbers will help you decided if it’s best to go with a male or female narrator. For example, my Fateful Series, which is Paranormal Romance, has a majority of male characters. It is very difficult for a female to perform male voices. Many times they sound like silly caricatures. Plus it’s easier for a male or female reader to add greater variety in voices for characters of the same gender. While the majority of my characters are male, there is one scene where there are 6 females all together. I could tell it was almost a stretch for him to do all of those female voices at once and make sure they don’t all sound alike. He managed it extremely well, but to do that with an entire novel would be a problem.
If you’ve written the book in third person and you have an even number of male or female characters, should you choose a male or female narrator? When in doubt, go with a male narrator, even for romance... Or especially for romance. For Fantasy, Horror, Middle Grade, or Mystery male is usually a better choice every time... This is not the trend. I’ve noticed that many more books are narrated by female readers, and many of them are absolutely amazing! But most male readers have a greater range in their voices and can perform better female characters than females can perform males. I realized this is personal preference, but it’s a major turnoff for me to listen to a woman perform a male character that is supposedly hot. It just does not work. Most women that I know would rather have a male whisper a romance into their ear over a female. And most men that I know wouldn’t want to listen to a woman read an action spy novel to them, or maybe they would... I’m sure there are exceptions, but I personally wouldn’t market a book to the exception.
A few more tips to choosing the right producer:
Should you narrate your own book? If your book is on writing, or a story about your own life, and you know how to produce a quality recording, then yes. Otherwise, I think it’s best to leave the acting and production to the pros.
Choose a soothing voice. This is another reason you should go with a male reader if you can. Female voices tend to grate on the ear. Even so, the male or female voice must be one that readers can listen to for long periods of time. Nothing too harsh, tinny, or high-pitched.
Get outside opinions from friends, family, and fans. In my experience, authors get desperate thinking they won’t find what they want, so they go with whoever auditions. And authors tend to have bad taste when choosing their own narrator. It’s just a fact you’re going to have to swallow.
Listen to other work done by the narrator you’re considering. And I don’t just mean the samples they have in their profile. Buy one of the audiobooks they’ve done and listen to it. This is the best way to hear what the quality of their work is like.
Google their name. They’ll Google you before auditioning as they consider whether to work with you or not. This a great of way of discovering a little bit about the person you’re thinking about trusting your book with.
Don’t forget how much time and effort the producer puts into your book. It takes 5-6 hours worth of hard work to produce 1 recorded hour of finished audio. It also takes a great deal of creative talent. This is not like hiring an editor. Anyone with the skill can edit a book, but not every narrator can bring life to your story in the same way. On ACX you can choose to list your book as either Royalty Share or Paid per Finished Hour. Most authors want to do the Royalty Share so they don’t have to pay the narrator for their work, thinking royalties will cover it later. Sadly, many narrators are getting burned on Royalty Shares. If you want a quality narrator, it would be wise to list the book as Royalty Share OR a Negotiated Hourly Rate. We know the benefits of paying a professional editor to polish off our writing, so why would we then complain about paying a professional artist to produce our audiobook? And even if you manage to get an Audible Stipend like I did for Fateful, pay the producer even more than the $100 dollars per finished hour Audible pays. Happy narrators make for well-produced audiobooks...
Take care in your choice. You'll be working with this stranger to create a new product...a collaboration of talents.
Up next...my producer and I will answer a question turned in from other authors about how closely we work together during production and marketing via a Skype interview.
(I'll try to post a new article each week, or perhaps a bit more often so stay tuned!)
I recently presented at a writer’s conference about this, and I was the only author there presenting on ACX. I was limited on time for my class, and there just wasn’t enough time for me to cover everything. So I’m bringing that info to you via my blog and YouTube. I’ll cover everything thing I didn’t have time for and share the Skype interview with producer/narrator Jason Downs where he answers author’s questions.
Choosing a producer/narrator:
In this emerging market of audiobooks, marketing is key, and I would say there is a learning curve, because it’s different from marketing books in general. I suspect that’s because this is a slightly different audience. Your first and perhaps your biggest, marketing choice for the audiobook is choosing the right voice. This is also a creative choice. The style of the narrator needs to fit the style of the story. Your choice will make a big difference in the finished product, good or bad.
“The right narrator can bring a story to life in a way that nothing else can, can fully immerse the audience into the story, can make them feel the emotion in the words, and can make the author shine." Cheri Schmidt
Things to consider:
What point of view did you write the book in? If it’s female first person, then it would be best if you chose a female narrator. Recently, my husband has listened to a few books, and not indie books, where the story is told from a first person male perspective but the narrator is female. It really drives him crazy. This seems like it should be an obvious thing, but apparently it isn’t.
If it’s written in third person, how many male and female characters are there in the story? Looking at these numbers will help you decided if it’s best to go with a male or female narrator. For example, my Fateful Series, which is Paranormal Romance, has a majority of male characters. It is very difficult for a female to perform male voices. Many times they sound like silly caricatures. Plus it’s easier for a male or female reader to add greater variety in voices for characters of the same gender. While the majority of my characters are male, there is one scene where there are 6 females all together. I could tell it was almost a stretch for him to do all of those female voices at once and make sure they don’t all sound alike. He managed it extremely well, but to do that with an entire novel would be a problem.
If you’ve written the book in third person and you have an even number of male or female characters, should you choose a male or female narrator? When in doubt, go with a male narrator, even for romance... Or especially for romance. For Fantasy, Horror, Middle Grade, or Mystery male is usually a better choice every time... This is not the trend. I’ve noticed that many more books are narrated by female readers, and many of them are absolutely amazing! But most male readers have a greater range in their voices and can perform better female characters than females can perform males. I realized this is personal preference, but it’s a major turnoff for me to listen to a woman perform a male character that is supposedly hot. It just does not work. Most women that I know would rather have a male whisper a romance into their ear over a female. And most men that I know wouldn’t want to listen to a woman read an action spy novel to them, or maybe they would... I’m sure there are exceptions, but I personally wouldn’t market a book to the exception.
A few more tips to choosing the right producer:
Should you narrate your own book? If your book is on writing, or a story about your own life, and you know how to produce a quality recording, then yes. Otherwise, I think it’s best to leave the acting and production to the pros.
Choose a soothing voice. This is another reason you should go with a male reader if you can. Female voices tend to grate on the ear. Even so, the male or female voice must be one that readers can listen to for long periods of time. Nothing too harsh, tinny, or high-pitched.
Get outside opinions from friends, family, and fans. In my experience, authors get desperate thinking they won’t find what they want, so they go with whoever auditions. And authors tend to have bad taste when choosing their own narrator. It’s just a fact you’re going to have to swallow.
Listen to other work done by the narrator you’re considering. And I don’t just mean the samples they have in their profile. Buy one of the audiobooks they’ve done and listen to it. This is the best way to hear what the quality of their work is like.
Google their name. They’ll Google you before auditioning as they consider whether to work with you or not. This a great of way of discovering a little bit about the person you’re thinking about trusting your book with.
Don’t forget how much time and effort the producer puts into your book. It takes 5-6 hours worth of hard work to produce 1 recorded hour of finished audio. It also takes a great deal of creative talent. This is not like hiring an editor. Anyone with the skill can edit a book, but not every narrator can bring life to your story in the same way. On ACX you can choose to list your book as either Royalty Share or Paid per Finished Hour. Most authors want to do the Royalty Share so they don’t have to pay the narrator for their work, thinking royalties will cover it later. Sadly, many narrators are getting burned on Royalty Shares. If you want a quality narrator, it would be wise to list the book as Royalty Share OR a Negotiated Hourly Rate. We know the benefits of paying a professional editor to polish off our writing, so why would we then complain about paying a professional artist to produce our audiobook? And even if you manage to get an Audible Stipend like I did for Fateful, pay the producer even more than the $100 dollars per finished hour Audible pays. Happy narrators make for well-produced audiobooks...Take care in your choice. You'll be working with this stranger to create a new product...a collaboration of talents.
Up next...my producer and I will answer a question turned in from other authors about how closely we work together during production and marketing via a Skype interview.
(I'll try to post a new article each week, or perhaps a bit more often so stay tuned!)
An interview with Tristan Hunt, the narrator of Fateful.
Friday, April 17, 2015
An interview with Tristan Hunt, the narrator of Fateful.
 |
| Portrait of Tristan was taken by Leslie Hassler. |
If you're interested in enjoying his production of The Fateful Series, get a great deal on Fateful when you download the Kindle copy for FREE, and then get the audiobook to go with it for only 2.99!
(Update! That price has dropped to 1.99 for the audiobook!!!)
(Update! That price has dropped to 1.99 for the audiobook!!!)
Note: If you've already downloaded Fateful, check for the available update under Manage Your Content and Devices on Amazon.
(Click on the picture below to get Fateful now.)
And now on to the interview...
How do you decide what voice to do for each character?
The accent is usually obvious based on where the character is from but I really let the writing dictate how the voice develops... I let the writing inform me. Sometimes the characters' voice will come to me right away... other times I'll spend a few minutes feeling my way until I hit upon a certain timbre that feels right.
Do you ever find yourself feeling the emotion you're portraying? So if you’re reading an emotional part do you end up crying? Sometimes? Almost? Never? Too manly for that? Be honest. :) Absolutely! I love those moments and I try to leave them in the final edit if possible. Often, when I get emotional there are slurps or pops which prevent me from using it but I'll continue saying the line until I get a clean take.
How do you prepare for emotional or tense scenes?
Again, I let the writing inform me. Simply taking the journey along with the characters is enough to put you in the emotional state they find themselves in at any given moment... emotional or otherwise.
How do you manage to swap between different voices and keep them all straight?
Once I land upon who each character is and where their voice lies in me, it’s not too difficult to shift back and forth... especially when you have multiple personality syndrome, like me... myself... and I. :) Also, keep in mind that I have the luxury of editing. When Ethan has a line right after Danielle and then Max interjects, I can take a beat and breath to turn the switch in the mind and then go back and edit out the pauses.
How on earth did you get into narrating audiobooks?
I wanted to do something creative that I was in control of. I love storytelling and performing but the entertainment business, acting and auditioning etc, is mostly based on circumstances outside of an actor’s control. Yes, you can make sure your body and your instrument are it top shape at any given moment by consistently working out and taking classes and honing your skills... but as far as actually getting a job its completely out of your control beyond showing up to smile for the camera and do your bit. Producing audiobooks allows me complete autonomy and a creative outlet.
What is your favorite food?
I love a great meal but it's hard to beat Mother Nature's simplest, sweetest treats... like watermelon. For me, it doesn't get much better than a perfectly ripe and slightly chilled slice of watermelon.
What do you do when you’re not producing audiobooks?
I audition for film, TV and commercials... and sometimes book them... I work in production when a good job comes along... I'm a dad, which is a job I take seriously... I'm a husband, which is a job I should probably take more seriously... and I'm currently in a Pinter play, The Homecoming, at an Equity theater in Los Angeles.
How would you describe your narration style and voice?
My approach is akin to a movie in which I play all the parts... as well as narrate. :)
What is one thing most people don’t know about you? (That you’re willing to share.)
Besides my affinity for watermelon... one of my guilty pleasures is watching episodes of GLEE. Shhhh.
Is there anything specific you do before you start recording? A process? Or a routine? A good luck dance? Stretch? Crack you knuckles? Eat a cupcake?
My morning routine is the same everyday... up at 6:15 and head to the gym, take the kids to school at 7:30, cook two eggs and make some green tea by about 8 and then warm up my voice and start recording by 9.
Have you thought about starting a YouTube channel so we can watch you do the chubby bunny challenge? Or what about doing a daily vlog?
I can honestly say that the thought has never crossed my mind. In fact, I had to look up what a chubby bunny challenge was and it was quite funny... but not very enticing to me. :) A daily vlog is an interesting idea, but would people reeeeeaaaally be interested? Self-promotion has never been my strong suit but I know it’s becoming more and more necessary. I suppose I'd better get with the program!
What is the best way to contact you so we can tell you how awesome you are? (Facebook, website, blog, Twitter?)
Most kind. :) Yes, you can visit Tristan Hunt on Facebook! (I just opened the account... late to the game, I suppose.)
What types of characters have you done so far? Was there one that was particularly fun for you to perform?
I played a character in a book called the Gorgon... all about knights and ladies... who had a stutter and I quite enjoyed it for some reason. I enjoy most of the characters I play... especially if they're saucy or evil.
Do you have children? Do you have pets?
Yes, two... a boy and girl... and a fish named Turquoise.
What is your favorite genre to narrate and why?
Romance is what I'm hired to do the most... and what I'm well suited for. And I especially like period pieces.
Do you have a favorite accent to perform?
A snotty elderly British woman.
Is there an accent you can’t do?
Many. Although 'can't' is not the word I would choose... I would say that there are many I simply haven't had the time to study and perfect as of yet.
What is the funniest thing that happened while recording?
Usually when my son sneaks in and starts listening and then wants to record something as well... he's quite a character himself so we get a kick out of listening back to what he's done.
Do you have a favorite narrator? Who inspires you?
Mm, there are so many great ones. I'm a Harry Potter fan and Jim Dale did an amazing job with those books. Simon Vance is also one of the best out there. Sissy Spacek did a version of To Kill A Mockingbird which is SO beautiful. And my daughter is listening to Kate Winslet doing Matilda which is absolutely stellar.
Thank you, Tristan, for taking the time to answer these questions and let us get to know a bit more about you!
Reviews:
Which character – as performed by Tristan Hunt – was your favourite? Danielle's uncle Nick, there was a part where he was telling a story and Tristan spoke in such a perfect tone that even I felt shivers. If you could sum up Fateful in three words, what would they be? Emotional, beautiful and soulful. If you prefer audio books then get the first book right now, narrated perfectly by Tristan Hunt. Definitely a 5 star rating from me. ~Beks
What does Tristan Hunt bring to the story that you wouldn't experience if you had only read the book? I loved the way Tristan brought Max's character to life in exactly the way I imagined it. Tristan told the story in a wonderful hybrid of watching a movie and listening to a friend that was easy and comfortable with the perfect amount of expression and performance... So beautifully written and performed that I shed a tear or two. ~Leanne
Impatient? Listen right now:
Reviews:
Which character – as performed by Tristan Hunt – was your favourite? Danielle's uncle Nick, there was a part where he was telling a story and Tristan spoke in such a perfect tone that even I felt shivers. If you could sum up Fateful in three words, what would they be? Emotional, beautiful and soulful. If you prefer audio books then get the first book right now, narrated perfectly by Tristan Hunt. Definitely a 5 star rating from me. ~Beks
What does Tristan Hunt bring to the story that you wouldn't experience if you had only read the book? I loved the way Tristan brought Max's character to life in exactly the way I imagined it. Tristan told the story in a wonderful hybrid of watching a movie and listening to a friend that was easy and comfortable with the perfect amount of expression and performance... So beautifully written and performed that I shed a tear or two. ~Leanne
Impatient? Listen right now: