Monday, July 1, 2019

Holiday in Havana - The Making of An Audiobook

As many of you know, I have been working on the process of bringing my novels in "The Martin Culver Series" to audiobook for some time now. This has been easier said than done.

Today I am happy to report that the final steps were completed to bring my first novel, "Holiday in Havana" to audiobook. I just approved the narrator's final reading. The only step now is a quality check by my partners in this effort, ACX and Audible. The novel will be available on Audible, Amazon and iTunes.

The process to publish as an audiobook is not easy, as I mentioned. First, there is the choice to record the book in one's own voice, or have a professional narrator read it. To accomplish the narration themselves, the author must invest in expensive sound equipment or rent production studio time, all factors that make the audio version more expensive. Then one must find quiet, uninterrupted time to read and record the novel. 
I have fellow-author friends who have invested money and time in this effort. I admire them for their resolve. I needed an answer that kept me writing instead of reading into a microphone for hours at a time.

On the other hand, to rely a narrator brings the question: Where do you to find a narrator that is just right for your book, one who does not read too fast or too slow, who can deal with a range of language accents, place names, and so forth? The settings in the novels of The Martin Culver Series move from the U.S. to South America, Central America, Britain and the Middle East. At an average of 20 characters per novel, all told, that's a lot of accents. Only the right person can do this.

I found my answer in ACX, the audiobook partner recommended by Amazon. Working with them has been great. ACX resolved every question, matching my novels with a great narrator. (Watch for an upcoming post on him.)They helped me complete my project in 30 days, and soon readers will be able to listen to Martin Culver and his team of archaeologists, astronomers and adventurers as they travel the world seeking to resolve archaeological looting and conflicts, wherever they may occur.

So watch for a notice about the availability of Holiday in Havana as an audiobook. With the notice I will provide special offers to sign up for Audible that will save you money. Who doesn't love that.