Choosing your Audiobook Voice

Nicholas C. Rossis

Image: Pixabay

As audiobooks are the fastest-growing segment in publishing, I have been researching that market. One thing I realized is that choosing a narrator is probably the most important decision you make when you turn your book into an Audiobook. People who love audiobooks may buy your audiobook because they like your work, your genre, your cover, or your price. When they actually start listening to your audiobook however, one of the most important factors to decide whether they’ll continue listening to the end, is the quality of the reading.

So, how do you choose the right voice? Leaving out the financial aspects (if you can afford to pay the narrator the fee he is asking for or if you choose a royalty scheme), there are a few issues to take into consideration, from “demographics” to acting performance. Here are a few tips.

Demographics

So. Man or Woman? Younger…

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Friday Writing Question: Cast the Movie

Story Empire

Hi, gang. Craig here again, and this Friday assignment is a writing question. It’s kind of an audience participation thing, so I hope we can engage in the comments.

This is a favorite game of authors everywhere. Let’s cast the movie to go along with our novels. I used to get more performers a few years ago. I still get them, but maybe experience has dampened some of this mental activity when I write.

The first time it happened to me, Linda Hunt insisted on taking over the character of Aunt Natalie in Panama. She was the keeper of all the secret agent type weapons, and provided the train the Marshals used once they got to Panama.

I’ll play honestly with one I’ve never given much thought to. The Hat is a being from another dimension. He’s been magically bound to help a specific family for thousands of years…

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Writers, are you using Twitter hashtags for engagement?

Story Empire

When it comes to social media, we all have platforms we like and others we tolerate—the latter because we feel a need to be there. Several months ago I abandoned Facebook,  a platform I only tolerated. Since then, I’ve been trying to be more selective where I spend my time, and also, to use that time more wisely.

I’ve always loved Twitter. One check-in and I immediately know what’s newsworthy and what’s trending. Lately, I’ve been using the platform to connect more openly with other writers—thanks mainly to Judi Lynn, who nudged me to participate in #1LineWed.

If you’re not already familiar with #1LineWed, it’s loads of fun and great for connecting with other authors. How does it work?

Each Wednesday, Kiss of Death (@RWAKissofDeath) a twitter feed devoted to romantic mysteries and thrillers, posts a theme/topic. Your work doesn’t have to be romantic in nature to participate. Just…

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In Summary… The Synopsis

Story Empire

Ciao! Staci here again. I’m wrapping up my WIP and about to start another. That — plus the fact that more than one person has asked me about this lately — made me think it might be the perfect time to discuss the synopsis.

Why is this the perfect time? (I mean, other than people asking.) Well, a synopsis is a useful tool in planning a new story, so I could write one for book two. And, now that book one is done, I might want to revise an existing synopsis to give to the publisher (for accurate blurb writing and marketing materials).

What is a Synopsis?

A synopsis is a brief retelling of the narrative arc of your novel, including the ending.

Note: I said including the ending. That’s not a mistake. This document should not be confused with the book blurb on your back cover or with any…

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Don’t Let Reviewers Hold You Hostage

A Writer's Path

by Lev Raphael

Unpublished authors imagine that once they are published, life will be glorious. That’s because they haven’t thought much about bad reviews. Every author gets them, and sometimes they’re agonizing.

As a published, working author, you learn to live with the reality of bad reviews in different ways. You can stop reading them. You can have someone you trust vet them for you and warn you so that nasty splinters of prose don’t lodge in your brain. You can leave town or stay off the grid when your book comes out.

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The Kindle Unlimited per-page rate for February, 2019

Originally posted on chrismcmullen:
FEBRUARY, 2019: HOW MUCH DID KINDLE UNLIMITED PAY FOR PAGES READ? The per-page rate climbed up to $0.00478 for February, 2019, compared to $0.00442 for January, 2019. This is a nice rebound. As usual, there was…

The Importance of a Great Literary First Impression

A Writer's Path

by Danielle LeBouthillier

In essay writing, they call it the Hook. In fiction, we’ll call it the First Line.

Different names, but they serve the same purpose. This is the first piece of your story that the audience is going to read. Whether that audience is someone from a publishing house considering your work or a potential fan, it’s important to draw them in right away.

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Crutch Words – the Word Police

Myths of the Mirror

wikimedia commons: keystone cops

The Word Police are back at it, rapping on my door and handing out citations. I plea-bargained my way out of jail by agreeing to publically share some of my past transgressions. The hope is that other wayward writers will take heed and avoid my mistakes. Crutch Words is the first in a series of writing tips from the coppers.

What are Crutch words?

Crutch words are words that add nothing to the meaning of a sentence. They’re hollow words that we automatically insert and frequently don’t notice. We want our writing to be tight and sharp. Too many crutch words will slow down the pace and dull the impact.

An interesting thing about crutch words is that we often have favorites. You may never use some words from the list below and use others more than you want to admit!

As a condition of my…

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9 Audiobooks That will Sharpen Your Kids Brain

Nicholas C. Rossis

This is a guest post by Nishil Prasad, a passionate writer, hungry for innovation and new trends and with tons of enthusiasm for uncovering hidden topics. Nishil writes because he loves it.

This post contains a list of some great audibles to help your children enhance their listening powers as well as be a great tool for passing a boring weekend afternoon. These audibles can also be useful in improving the storytelling skills of a child. If you are interested in a wide range of titles, you may wish to consider Amazon Audible, which provides a 30-day free trial.

In this technological era when every child is a technocrat, the internet brings numerous audiobook sources at your fingertips. However, this also means that you have to screen and select quality audiobooks for them. Audiobooks help make lives easier. They also help…

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Stuck With Your Story? Why You Keep Hitting Walls and Dead Ends in Your Writing.

A Writer's Path

by Lauren Sapala

For the longest time I had major problems doing revisions on my writing. It seemed so easy for everyone else. Why was it so hard for me? Of course, I also had trouble writing. I hardly ever experienced that state of “effortless flow” everyone talked about, in which the words just magically spewed out of me down onto the page. For years—a lot  of years—I felt like something was wrong with me. I felt like I was a failure as a writer.

Then, I discovered something.

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