Be prepared!

Sound editor Al talks about audio book preparation....

This time around, I thought I would touch on how important it is for audio narrators to have done their homework prior to arriving at the recording studio to record!

As I have mentioned many times before, audio recording is a team effort and in the normal course of events, the producer will have liaised extensively with the narrator and sent them a copy of the script well in advance and sorted out any queries on pronunciation - for example names and places - something particularly relevant to plots set in non-English speaking countries. Beware the narrator who has no questions on pronunciation/characterisation or even worse, no questions at all... (it does happen!). A smooth recording will make life a whole lot easier for the narrator, producer, engineer, editor and ultimately... the listener.

The best narrators will read through the script and will have worked out accents/voices for each character - then they'll have a clear idea of the plotlines - also any "oddities" (e.g. a character might have a "nasally" voice that is clearly stated in the text). The worst narrators don't bother to read the script in any great detail or at best skim-read it, hoping that their acting and reading skills will save them...unbelievably, they think they can just turn up on the day and breeze through the narration without any problems - unsurprisingly, this has a very low rate of success and inevitably causes frustration for all concerned.

I am currently working on a title which is (brilliantly) narrated by a female reader and which has several characters (male and female) and interestingly, is written in the first person, with the main character also having a specific accent..! There is no way in the world that this would have worked if the reader hadn't prepared meticulously. Another HUGE help is if the narrator loves the book they're reading - which was the case with this reader/title.

There is possibly one exception to the rule of uber-preparation that comes to mind and that's when narrating works of non-fiction where there are minimal (if any) characterisations to consider (although I recently worked on a non-fiction title that included several quotes from American icons - the narrator was well up to the task though and in this case had prepared very well).

So there really is nothing like being prepared - especially when narrating audio!- Al Muirden

I've always wondered...

In an occasional series of interviews between writers and the actors who record their books, crime writer Chris Nickson asks narrator Lorelei King what it’s like to record an audiobook...

Q. How do you get in the mindset of the character for an audiobook?

I rely on the writer! A good writer makes that part easy for the narrator. For example, in your book ‘Emerald City’, I knew right away what Laura was like – the clues were all there.

Q. What research is involved for the different voices and accents?

For the narrator’s voice (whether first person or third person) I stick pretty close to my natural accent, as working in another accent for an entire book can be tiring and difficult to sustain.

Some accents I’m familiar with – I was born in Pennsylvania and lived in the south when I was a child, and California when I was a teen, so those come pretty easily.

If it’s an accent I’m less familiar with, I’ll do research online. YouTube is a great resource for modern accents. I’ve also been known to phone up companies in the town I’m researching – memorably, an artist on Tangier Island, Virginia (when I was recording Isle of Dogs by Patricia Cornwell). He chatted to me quite happily while I made notes about his unusual accent – and he eventually told me he was actually in the middle of teaching an art class! He had very patient and well-behaved students... J

But having said all that, I rarely do very strong regional accents unless it’s called for in the text – I think it’s too distracting for the listener.

Q. What's the most satisfying thing about narrating audiobooks for you?

Hearing from the listeners! Audio book listeners are some of the most engaged, intelligent, aware consumers around. I love getting feedback and connecting.

Q. What's the most frustrating thing?

Very, very, very long sentences – authors sometimes don’t think of the poor narrators, who do have to breathe now and then! :D

 

Emerald City, first in the Laura Barton Mystery trilogy, is available in eBook and audio book formats.

Follow the yellow brick road...

In an occasional series of interviews between writers and the actors who record their books, narrator Lorelei King sits down with crime writer Chris Nickson to ask about his latest book – Emerald City – and what it was like hearing it in an audio version...

Q: Tell us a little bit about how Emerald City came about.

Write what you know is what people say, and for the first time in a novel, that's what I did. I lived in Seattle from 1986-2005, and I did work as a music journalist there - as well as running telemarketing operations, delivering newspapers and supervising newspaper carriers, which involved starting work at 2.30 am! But now, as a mystery writer, and someone who loves Seattle, even if I don't live there any more, it seemed time to take a look at the past, and also at the music. The style that became grunge developed in the Pacific Northwest; it was a groundswell that broke out, in large part, to some clever marketing from the Sub Pop label. But it coincided with Seattle being named American's most liveable city and so many people moving there. All of a sudden, after being depressed, Seattle was where everyone wanted to be. And a music journalist...not a professional investigator, but someone who can still ask questions and think.

Q: Was it strange writing from a woman’s point of view?

Until Creative Content suggested I rewrite the book with the main character as a woman, I'd never thought about it. But once I did, I liked the idea. It opened it up and moved beyond the stereotype, which I liked. It was definitely a challenge, and it involved changing every single interaction, because people will treat a woman differently, whether in what they say, body language, all sorts. It also affected the relationship Laura's involved in with Steve. In the end I'm happy it went this way. Someone who's reading the book said 'You write like a woman' (it was a woman who said it) and I take that as a great compliment.

Q: What is it like hearing your book in audio form?

It was a revelation, and opened it up in a way that had never happened on the page; it gave it an extra dimension. I enjoyed it far more than I'd expected, even though I knew what was going to happen. Hearing the voice I felt much more involved in it all. And the narration, the tone, the speed, was superb.

Q: What’s the best thing about hearing it in audio?

Much of what I said above. Really, it drew me in and made me aware that in many ways the book is a love letter to Seattle, which I hadn't realised before. I was actually sad when it ended. It gave me an entirely different perspective on the work, which is no bad thing for an author.

Q: What’s the worst thing?

Hearing little things I could have done better in the writing, a word repeated too soon, things like that. Just minor, thankfully.

Q: Is there anything you would change in the audio version of your book?

Honestly, no. It would have been nice to have some music in there, given the subject matter of the novel, but that was never likely to happen.

Q: What do you think of books in audio form generally?

Although one of my books has come out on audio before (The Broken Token), this is the first I've listened to all the way through. I've always been very much an advocate of the written word. This is going some way to changing my mind, however.

Emerald City, first in the Laura Barton Mystery trilogy, is available in eBook and audio book formats.

Emerald City

We're proud to publish "Emerald City" - first in crime writer Chris Nickson's Seattle trilogy. 

Seattle, 1988: On the verge of signing a huge record deal, why would musician Craig Adler OD? That was what music journalist Laura Benton wanted to know...

Available March 2013 in eBook and audiobook formats.

Emerald City

May 1988: Why would Craig Adler OD? That was what music journalist Laura Benton wanted to know. He’d been clean for months, everybody swore it. And with his band, he was about to sign a major label record deal, the first of the new Seattle wave to break out of the Northwest. But as she digs into the story the pieces don’t quite add up – and then the threats begin. Just a phone call at first, then a bullet and more until dreams turn to nightmares in the Emerald City and Laura finds herself desperately fighting for her reputation - and her life.

Coming end of March, 2013!

Both Sides Now - Frances Barber and Maureen Carter

In the first of an occasional series of interviews between writers and the actors who record their books, crime writer Maureen Carter sits down with Frances Barber (who recently recorded the first in her Bev Morriss series, “Working Girls”) to ask about the art of audiobook narration...

 

Frances Barber is an Olivier Award-nominated actress with a long and distinguished stage career. She is also a well-known face on British television, having been seen most recently in Dr Who, Silk, and Great Expectations.

Maureen Carter has worked extensively in both print and broadcast journalism. As well as being a reporter, Maureen co-presented BBC’s flagship Newsnight programme and went on to become one of the first women news producers outside London when she edited Midlands Today. She is now a freelance writer and narrator.

Maureen Carter: How much preparation do you do for an audio book, Frances?

Frances Barber: I always read the book at least twice. First time just to read it as a punter would getting lost in the story and I tend to read quite quickly, so it's usually a pleasure (with your books it's always a pleasure, Maureen).

For the second reading, I use different coloured pens to delineate the main characters and as I'm marking the script I also highlight any characteristics they might have - i.e. speech impediments, accents, tone of voice, what age they are, what sex they are. Are they angry, depressed, stupid, smart, slow, quick witted, etc.

MC: Do you visualise the characters?

FB: I totally visualise the characters. Hair colour, size, thin faced, fat faced, pinched, pretty, weather beaten... I try sometimes to imagine voices I know, people I have met whose voices are distinctive, that might work for the characters on the page.

MC:  How do you find the right ‘voice’ for the main players?

FB: With the above in mind, I then practice a few voices on my iPod for the main players so I can get a handle on them before recording and I attempt to make them sound different from one another.

When there is just one main accent (as in Working Girls) it's important to find the little differences in each character to help the listener know exactly who is talking to whom, particularly in long dialogue passages, and especially if there are more than 2 people involved in the conversation and the author doesn't necessarily say who it is talking each time.

MC: What do you think of lead detective, Bev?

FB: I love Bev. She's a great creation. Flawed, human, difficult, tetchy - but ultimately a heroine of sorts. A prosaic crusader for the rights of the underdog and in this story such a champion of women whose circumstances, but by grace of god and good luck, she could have ended up in herself. A great character.

MC: Do you have a favourite character in the book?

FB: I think Bev is my favourite character for the reasons I’ve just said, but I also had a soft spot for the older prostitute, who's been there, done it, seen it – and looks after the younger ones as best she can, but is ultimately powerless in that industry to have much sway. She is more than the tart with a heart, more complex, deeper, more rounded. She looks after number one herself, and despite her best intentions can only do so much out of fear.

MC: Do you warm to characters as you get to know them?

FB: Yes, I totally warm to them and begin to feel very protective. Each time one of the girls appears at risk, I want to whisk her away from danger, rather like wishing a lone woman would not walk down a dark corridor in a horror film !

MC: Do you ever want to change the words?

FB: I never want to change the words. One legacy of starting my career in new plays with the authors in the rehearsal room is utmost respect for the writer. I am a new writer’s dream, really, as I never even change a comma. I know how much thought and effort has been employed to get the rhythm of a sentence right and wouldn't dream of altering it without the writer’s permission.

MC: What’s the most challenging aspect of narrating a book?

FB: I guess the most challenging aspect of narrating is tiredness. I have done enough now to know that I always work best in the mornings. I like to get as much done as possible in the morning shift and have a shorter lunch, as by 3/4pm I start to see double on the page and begin tripping up over simple sentences. However, it's all worth it if you can bring something you have loved reading yourself to life for an audio audience...

Our thanks to Frances and Maureen for spending some time with us! “Working Girls” by Maureen Carter, narrated by Frances Barber, is available at Audible.com and Audible.co.uk.