by Dave Giorgio
I plan on spending a lot of time in this audio book publishing blog writing about all of the many components that go into a great audio book. But today, one element will stand alone.
Just as with any other book publishing medium or genre, be it ebook, hard back, fiction, poetry, non-fiction, children's, etc. it always starts with one essential element: The quality of the writing.
Believe it or not, the quality of writing, within the context of an audio book, might even be more important than with other kinds of books.
Imagine two professional narrators: each with a book; one well-written and fun to read, the other with a poorly written book. Picture these two professionals as they read aloud from their books. Word by word, every single line is read aloud. They are each doing everything they can to bring the book to life and to capture every nuance on the page.
With the first reader, you can literally hear them becoming one with the script. The whole experience becomes complete through his or her bonding with the text. By the time it gets to the listener, who will also bond with the program, the program really works. It's a real hit and that listener is going to love it.
That is the magic of good writing. It’s a force that can’t help but be enjoyed; it can’t help but be great. This will translate to sales, too, as people talk about it and spread the word.
Of course, there are a lot of other elements that can sabotage an audio book if not attended to correctly such as: the recording environment, the microphone, signal chain, audio editing, final production, etc. But these shall be a topic for another day.
And perhaps, during your process, it will not only be fun, but productive to imagine your book being read out loud- one word at a time. It will not only give you some perspective regarding what it would be like when your book is published in audio format, but also give you a chance to test your words in a new medium; one that is off the page and in the air.
If it works there, then chances are you are on the right track.
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Photo courtesy of Acuzio.
