Recording an Audiobook: What does it take?

In preparation for producing Death on the Aegean Queen as an audiobook, I first considered doing the narration myself. Thank God, the good people at ACX talked me out of it. It's harder than you think and VERY few writers can do it. Okay, let's get someone competent to do it. I listened to the audition tapes of a bunch of producers (that's what they call the person or group that can turn your book into audio) and chose the lovely Karen Krause because her voice sounded much like my viewpoint character, Dotsy Lamb, sounds in my head.

But narrating an audiobook is not just a matter of reading it. You mustn't cough. Your clothes mustn't rustle. Sit up straight. What if a plane or a garbage truck goes by? How do you eliminate everything but the words?


I asked Karen to tell us more about the process and I'm posting the first half of her answer today. Second half tomorrow.

WE’RE RECORDING AN AUDIOBOOK!?!

Books have always been a passion of mine.  My family moved a lot when I was young, so making friends was hard.  My books became my best friends.  In the summers, I would climb the nearest tree and sit for hours reading; imagining myself living the lives of the characters in my books.  As I grew older, and busier, I no longer had hours for reading, but had to steal the time from my grown-up responsibilities. 

Then I discovered audiobooks.  Wow!  I can read and clean the bathroom?  Or read while I drive to work?  Or read and weed the garden?  Heaven!

And then one day I realized, “I can read and share my passion with the world”.  I wanted to narrate those audiobooks I loved to “read”.  So, I started auditioning. 

Now, I’m no stranger to rejection.  I’ve been singing and acting on stage since I was seven years old, and I know how brutal the audition process can be.  So, I didn’t expect much to happen at first.  I was prepared for weeks, maybe months to go by before I was offered a book to narrate. 

After a long night of recording and editing, I sent off my first audition, tried to tell myself not to expect anything, and went to bed.  Six hours of fitful sleep later, I went downstairs to find a message waiting.  They loved my audition and would I accept a contract to narrate and produce the book?

“I’ve been offered a contract.  S**t!  What do we do now?” I practically screamed to my husband, who was to be my director and engineer. 

Excitement.  Terror.  Anticipation.  Trepidation.  Insecurity.  Emotions were flying around inside of me like dust in a Kansas windstorm.  I mean, I was as confident in my abilities as any actor (we can all be crushed for days, even weeks, at the whim of a scathing critic or director), but I’d never done anything quite like this before.  This was true storytelling, an art in and of itself.   What if I really suck at this?  I took a deep, calming breath and said to myself, “There’s only one way to find out.” 

And thus began our journey into the world of audiobook production.