What I Learned from Creating My First Audiobook

Here is an article I wrote for BookWorks about creating my first audiobook. I hope you enjoy it. And don’t forget to look for a special offer.

Last year, I decided to take the plunge and create an audiobook of my romantic comedy, Chainsaw Honeymoon. Like many of you reading this article, I was new to this market and quickly realized I had a lot to learn. In thinking about the novel, I felt there were two main challenges. First, the story is told mostly by a precocious thirteen-year-old named Ruby. From a narration perspective, this creates a problem because, as far as I know, there are not a lot of teenage narrators out there. Secondly, the tone of the book is satirical. That meant the narrator had to be very good at smart comedy. Fortunately, I found someone who fit the bill nicely—Valerie Mirarchi (www.valerievoiceover.com).

You’re probably wondering why I chose a romantic comedy, considering I’ve published a horror trilogy. Simple. It was because the idea of jumping into the production of a trilogy seemed daunting for two reasons. First, I had never done this before. Second, if I were to do it, I would have to ensure the same narrator was available for all three books since I wrote them in the first person. What I needed was a one-off novel, and Chainsaw Honeymoon seemed like a good choice.

Here are some things I learned along the way. If you’ve decided you want to create an audiobook, feel free to use these notes as research. There are many ways to get the job done, and you might very well discover a better way. Also, keep in mind that I chose to go with ACX and cannot speak to other audiobook marketplaces.

To read the rest of this article, please visit BookWorks.