FROM PAGE TO PERFORMANCE: The Making of an Audiobook

by Guest Blogger Joanne Bischof.

Hi everyone! Joanne Bischof here, and it’s my joy to give you a bit of a peek into the process of a print book being turned into an audiobook production. For my upcoming novella, This Quiet Sky, I’ve had the privilege of teaming up with narrator Gail Shalan and today, she’s giving us a peek behind the scenes...    

 J: Welcome Gail and thank you for giving us a look into your production process! When you’re considering a project, what factors are important to you in deciding?

G: I look at a few components when deciding on a project:

  1.What is the pay scale and length of the project? I’m a freelance actor as well, and really came about narration as a delightful engagement of my various skills and talents in financial support of my acting career. I tend to work on paid-per-finished-hour rates only, unless a book has exceptional sales and marketing prospects and/or the author has a strong following, in which case I might consider a royalty-share contract or work out a small stipend between the Right’s Holder and myself.

2. Who is the Right’s Holder and what kind of artistic relationship might I develop through producing their book? I prefer to work with an author who likes to collaborate, start a conversation, give good feedback, and one who has enthusiasm for the audio book medium and shows a drive to market not only their book in general, but specifically the audio book version.

3. What is my impression of the manuscript itself? When self-publishing is attainable to virtually anyone, the quality of work can vary strongly (as can the quality of work on the narrator front in an open forum like ACX…. It does work both ways!), so I look into the manuscript with a critical eye. I always read the full manuscript before accepting a contract to make sure that there are no drastic, potentially offensive, turns or surprises. Sometimes a sample text is not always representative of the full body of work. I am mindful of my audience and my own sensibility as an artist. While they are not my words, I do speak them and put my name on the project. For me, there is nothing more offensive than poor editing or a lack thereof.

4. How much do I already have on my plate? Can I feasibly turn this project around in the desired time requested by the Rights Holder at the tiptop level of performance and production value. This is a judgment call I am learning to make with each new project.

J: Wow… so many factors to consider. Now that I’ve listened to the work you do, and with all of our back-and-forth emails, I see now what an extensive undertaking each project and performance really is. Once you have a project on the table, what kind of prep work do you do before recording even begins?

 G: When I am offered a contract, I will read the manuscript head to toe. Here I start to make notes on characters, relationships, places, time period, dialects, pronunciation, etc. Then I will do research; brush up on specific dialects, create an image board of inspiration, listen to similar audio books or films in genre and mood. I’ll touch base with the author to get their notes and ideas. Then I begin highlighting each character’s dialogue in a color-coordinated system, consistent throughout the manuscript. I also make more detailed note of any clues in the text as to pitch, cadence, contrast and dialect for each character. I might make vocal samples of characters too, so I can keep track and make sure each one is distinct from the rest. I try to create a rough production timeline for myself as well. Then I dive into recording the first fifteen-minute sample for the author to listen to.  

J: I’ve been so blessed by Gail’s attention to detail with characters and her openness to my input and even inviting me to send examples, particularly for the hero of the story, Tucker. After we chatted about his different personality traits, Gail was able to hone in on just the kind of sound Tucker might have had which was really fun. Speaking of performances … in what ways does narrating a book differ from acting on stage?

G: In many ways it is a very different form of work, although it employs many of the skills I developed via my classical acting training. The primary similarity is that I am story telling in both situations. The primary difference is that theatre is always a collaborative, social art form and narration can be rather solitary. Even when an author is very involved in the process, communication is still all by email or phone at best; it’s usually just me and all the voices in my head in the studio. It’s just a much more distant connection to your collaborators and audience than theatre is, and even more than film as well. Don’t get me wrong: even though I’m an actor because I’m a social artist, I’ve always loved reading aloud with many funny voices, especially when someone will listen. As an awkward tween, I spent many a day staring up at the ceiling of my bedroom listening to Jim Dale read the Harry Potter series, or Laura Hamilton read Judy Blume, or any fantastical fantasy I could find on audio cassette tape (!!!) at the library that week, wishing I could grow up to do exactly what those people did. So really, I’m living the dream!

J: What a fun memory! That sounds like how my kids are now with their favorite audiobooks. And what a great testimony to growing up and doing something that you love. Now with your own recordings, can you share a little about your studio space?

G: Sure! I have a home studio in a corner of my little apartment in Somerville, MA. I designed and built it myself, and tweak it with every project as I learn more about the technical aspects of recording. Although I’ve done several books, I’ve only been at this for a little over a year, and I’ve moved three times, so every space has very different acoustics and white noise that I must take into account. But basically I have a corner of a room that is in the middle of the house without windows (away from traffic) that I’ve covered with sound absorbing foam. I speak into a portable box also padded with this foam and elevated at the level of my face when I’m sitting on a back free stool. Then I’ve hung a thick canvas to block out any extra noise. Inside the box is my microphone that attaches by USB cable to my Macbook strategically placed outside of my studio to minimize computer fan noise. I use a free recording and editing software called audacity and edit most of my work myself via that program.

 J: Now I’m terribly curious: When working on a project, what are three of your must-haves?

1. A tall glass of water.
2. A mug of Throat Coat tea.
3. A proper night’s sleep.

J: Does each project come together in pretty much the same way, or were there any challenges or unique factors that arose for This Quiet Sky?

 G: We are in the beginning of production with This Quiet Sky, but so far it’s been one of my best experiences yet. The author, Joanne Bischof, is so supportive and communicative. She responds almost immediately if I have a question or when I upload a chapter, with detailed positive and critical feedback. This is a very smooth process, thus far. Every collaborator is slightly different, as is the material we are working with, but This Quiet Sky has been a dream since Joanne contacted me about auditioning for her book. This is my first project where I’ve recorded a book before it’s release in print, so I’m really excited to see how listeners/readers receive the book. 

J: Why thanks! It’s been a fantastic experience for this author! And now out of curiosity, do you have any funny quirks that appear as you work? 

G: Sometimes when I work with dialects, they will pop up in my every day. I just wrapped a workshop of a play with a Midwestern accent and I’m now onto this subtle Southern collection for This Quiet Sky, so while I’ve lived most of my life in New England, friends and family are getting a lilt-y drawl every now and again. My daily vocabulary and syntax can sometimes also reflect the manuscript I spend all day reading and listening to. Again, it’s a very solitary process. And, a lot more knitting and laundry folding get done in my house during the editing process; mindless, noiseless activities that can be put down quickly to make a cut while I listen.

J: So fun! Gail… thank you for joining all of us and for answering my questions today. It’s been a pleasure! I am so blessed to have you narrating This Quiet Sky and I’m so excited for readers and listeners to be able to enjoy your performance. And a very special thank you to Seekerville for being our host!

AND NOW ... TAKE A LISTEN TO A BRIEF EXCERPT FROM JOANNE'S NEW BOOK!

GIVEAWAY!!

A question for you readers: What do you think about the process behind an audiobook? Do you have any book-on-tape memories from your own childhood?  Leave a comment and be entered for your choice of a paperback or audiobook copy of This Quiet Sky.

***

For more on This Quiet Sky you can visit
Joanne's Website

or find it on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

Audibook - coming this December to Amazon/Audible!

ABOUT THIS QUIET SKY:

There is nothing extraordinary about 

Tucker O’Shay’s dreams. 

Go to college. Become president. 
Fall in love. 

And pretend like he has 
enough time to get it all done. 

Sixteen-year-old Sarah Miller doesn’t expect anything out of the ordinary when she begins her first day at the one-room-school house in her new hometown of Rocky Knob. But when she meets seventeen-year-old Tucker O’Shay—the boy with the fatal illness who volunteers to tutor her in algebra—she finds herself swept up in a friendship that changes the way she sees the world and a love that changes her life. 

ABOUT JOANNE BISCHOF:

Christy Award-finalist, Joanne Bischof, has a deep passion for Appalachian culture and writing stories that shine light on God's grace and goodness. She lives in the mountains of Southern California with her husband and their three children. You can visit her website at www.joannebischof.com