I consume six or seven audio books a month, while I exercise, drive, clean or do yard work. I hadn’t given much thought to the creation of an audio book, until it was time to produce Moral Code’s. This process was fascinating and anxiety inducing.
Due to the many book publishing paths, other authors may experience a different journey. Mine started with a questionnaire regarding the voice style I imagined. The talented team at Books Fluent managed those ideals into a dozen short audition recordings.
I clicked the first audition mp3. The tone of voice was okay, but the cadence was off. The next four recordings were nicer, but would have lost my attention quickly.
I paced my office, fiddling with books on my shelves. Was my expectation set too high by listening to so many incredible books? Would I have to settle on a mediocre narration? I wasn’t publishing through a big New York firm, but still…
I remained standing, staring out at our pond. I listened to the next two readers. One was really nice. I blasted through the subsequent recordings, scratching notes about each.
Three narrators shined after several listens. I had compliments and issues with each. One exaggerated the child’s dialog, another made Elly, my artificial intelligence character, overly mechanical. My initial instructions described Elly’s voice with clear enunciation, but not robotic.
My most direct friends, Vanessa Ogle and Karie Johnson, plus Ross Melbourne, my husband and collaborator, gave me feedback on the finalist. I’ll just say the four of us had subjective, valid, yet conflicting opinions. I gave my list of directions and pronunciations for names and tech terms to Heather, at Books Fluent.
Each finalist produced a fantastic second round. After their previous recording had them tied for the job, this round it was easy to pick. Veronica Pace read Moral Code for the final production.
Veronica provided a fifteen minute sample, eliciting only a couple suggestions from me. The next time I received files, it was the complete manuscript for my review.
I was scared to start listening. I’d poured my heart into creating this story. I was terrified I’d hear all my mistakes and the shine would be rubbed off my precious baby. Reviews were good for the ebook and paperback, but my nerves gave me jitters.
I listened with my eyes closed. Veronica unwound the story, eliciting movie-like images in my mind. It was an incredible feeling. I’d never liked Moral Code better than when I finished its audio version.
The sound engineer and Veronica seamlessly wove my final notes into indiscernible edits. People asked me if I would narrate my own audio. As much as I enjoy audio recording, it takes a real talent like Ms. Pace’s to record fiction.
I thank everyone that helped with this memorable process. You can purchase the audio of Moral Code through any of the links below. Proceeds from all versions of Moral Code, go to fighting child abuse and child trafficking through www.preventchildabuse.org and www.thorn.org
Amazon: https://tinyurl.com/434pztch
NOOK Audiobooks: https://tinyurl.com/5n8s3pj4
Google Play: https://tinyurl.com/hhnx5psw
Scribd: https://tinyurl.com/ynzk2zzt
Libro.FM: https://tinyurl.com/2s35kehw
Chirp: https://tinyurl.com/4adk9p8k
BingeBooks: https://tinyurl.com/2p8j6stw
Kobo, Walmart: https://tinyurl.com/4m2jvufj
