I’ll Keep You Posted

I’m recording my book, Pondering Life’s Lessons. It will be available as an audiobook on Amazon around the first of the year. I decided to record the book because I knew I’d have a lot of down time following my shoulder surgery. Recording occupies part of my time each day.

I’m collaborating with an audiobook producer based in Massachusetts. I was given the option to either have someone else record the book or to do it myself. They offer around twenty different narrators from across the country, catering to a variety of projects. You have the freedom to select a reader from their roster of professionals.

The cost of producing the book remains unchanged whether they supply a reader, or I undertake the task myself. They acknowledge that I may require more retakes than a professional reader, which entails additional effort on their part. The producer has furnished the recording equipment and online support necessary for me to submit my work. Although I’ve had to enhance my computer skills, with several attempts and assistance from David and Elizabeth during their visits, I’ve managed to successfully record about half of the book.

Setting up a recording studio was the greatest challenge. I utilized a large walk-in closet for this purpose. The clothes hanging on three sides aid in acoustical treatment. It required nearly ten days to record samples, tweak equipment settings, and master the art of speaking into the microphone at the right distance before everything was ready.

The process is pretty straightforward. I’m recording a chapter at a time, taking a break, and then recording another. I’ve determined I can handle two forty-five-minute recording sessions each day. It’s taking about two hours to get forty-five minutes completed.

I have the opportunity to make corrections as I read. Sometimes I miss a word; sometimes I substitute one. If I catch my error, I click a hand-held clicker that my producer provided. That lets him know that I’ve made an error. He needs to drop the error and insert my correction. I’ve run into some combinations of words that I miss speak again and again. When I listen to some of my errors, I sound a bit like Carmen Miranda clicking her castanets. That’s not a good look.

After I submit my recording, they match what I’ve read with the printed word. If there’s a mismatch, and in ninety percent of the stories there is, I have to record a “voiceover”. I have some discretion during the voiceover process. If I’ve omitted a word that doesn’t alter the tale, I can just leave it. The same thing is true if I’ve added a word. I think this part of the process is called creative license.

I’m gaining a new appreciation for those who do this for a living. There’s a lot of work involved.

For me, it’s a labor of love. I enjoy providing the “voice” for my stories. I’ll keep you posted as the project unfolds.