![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/findaway-voices-ATsEkysmm0Y-unsplash.jpg?resize=300%2C197&ssl=1\")
for each of the three main characters, as well as all of the major side characters. This helps the narrator better portray your characters the way you want. We also included actors in specific roles for each character to help Stacey hear their portrayal in another context (she loved this!), and a pronunciation guide, since there were a number of medical terms and South Pacific names for which pronunciation isn\u2019t common knowledge.<\/p>\nIt took us a couple of days to complete this detailed questionnaire for all the major players in the story, but the process was fun, and gave *me* greater insight into the characters I\u2019d written. (I suggest doing this as soon as you know your book is ready to publish, so you\u2019re not holding up the production process by doing it at the last minute, like I did. I\u2019ll be doing it earlier in each project\u2019s process in the future.)<\/p>\n
As a side note, I don\u2019t know if other narrators would ask for this info; but I\u2019d recommend submitting one to your chosen narrator anyway, because that will help them more artfully and accurately design the voices that will personify the characters from your book.<\/p>\n
Once I submitted this, Stacey took a little over two weeks to produce what is called \u201cthe first fifteen\u201d \u2013 i.e. fifteen minutes of their narration, in segments from several different scenes so that B and I could get a variety of her sample interpretations of my notes and characters. This would be my last chance to make any major changes to Stacey\u2019s character portrayals before she dove in for the rest of the manuscript. B and I made careful notes of anything that needed revising, and I sent Stacey a list (in detail) of what we found. Once I\u2019d submitted my changes to Stacey, she gave me a projected time frame of when she expected to finish.<\/p>\n
I uploaded the cover for the audiobook right around this time. Audiobook covers have different dimensions than ebooks or paperbacks, so Duncan had to do a new version of the cover art. ACX\u2019s design specs are kind of specific, so we tweaked it a few times to get it right before I uploaded. (I made sure to name Stacey as the narrator on the cover!) She also advised me that once she began her work, I wouldn\u2019t hear from her much.<\/p>\n Once she finished, she uploaded the book to my ACX project page, with each chapter as a separate file\u2014easier to revise that way. B and I listened to each and every one while following along in the written text, making notes of anything that was wrong or misinterpreted, so we could ask for changes. (Writers, do note that if the narrator has to invest a lot of time changing things that should have been noted to them long before this point, there may be an extra fee.) Luckily, we found only a few small things \u2013 mostly glitches where a word got chopped too abruptly in the voice track editing, or some such thing. It was easy to \u201cRequest Changes\u201d through ACX. Stacey and her audio team were quick to fix and replace those few chapters where we found issues, and a second run-through proved they were indeed corrected.<\/p>\n Once we were happy with the audio files, I approved the project and paid Stacey\u2019s final invoice. The completed project automatically went to ACX\u2019s Quality Assurance team, where they reviewed the project to ensure everything was up to their standards. That part took about ten days.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Stacey provided me with a few audio samples to share on social media as part of my promotional efforts. This is a really cool little detail I don\u2019t think I was expecting! If you\u2019re auditioning narrators, ask if they offer this little perk. (Check out one of Stacey’s awesome samples at the end of this post.)<\/p>\n The ACX QA team found no errors or issues with Phagey\u2019s audiobook submission, and on October 9, 2023, the project went live. I even got my first audiobook review three days later\u2014five stars across the board! Wow! Also note that ACX offers two bennies you should be aware of: a list of \u201cpromotional\u201d links for giveaways (for reviewers and the like), and a \u201cbounty\u201d link to share in your promos. If a customer clicks on your bounty link, then joins Audible, and your book is the first one they buy, you get a nice bonus along with your royalty. (I\u2019m not sure, yet, if that is a benefit of being exclusive to ACX; still need to check that out.)<\/p>\n Now that I\u2019ve done one audiobook, the prospect of doing a second one isn\u2019t so scary. It\u2019s not cheap, but it\u2019s worth every penny. Stacey was a joy to work with, and I\u2019d do it again in a heartbeat.<\/p>\n **Please note that I am not a professional. Outside the writing part\u2014for which I have taken numerous classes and workshops, and for which I’ve seen enormous improvement over the years, but which I am still learning\u2014I mostly have no idea what I’m doing. I’m reading everything I can get my hands on, looking at how others who have been successful have done it, and learning this process as I go. I don’t want any reader of these posts to think I’m teaching THE way to self-publish; there are as many ways to do this as there are writers on the path. I am only sharing how I have done it. Your mileage may vary.<\/p>\n Image:![\"Image](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.dremadeoraich.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/StaceyInTheBooth.jpg?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1\")
\n“Audio Book,” Courtesy of Findaway Voices<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p>\n