More on Making Audio Books

     Six months ago, I embarked on getting four of my books out on audio.  It's a long process. I put four of my titles out there: Goals for a Sinner, Queen of the Mardi Gras Ball, Mardi Gras Madness, and Trashy Affair. As I mentioned before, the narrators get to decide what books they will do.  I quickly discovered, they don't like to do long books. Evidently, it takes three or four months to record a short one, say 65,000 words or less, and up to nine to do a 100,000 word book. That eliminated Queen at 112,000 words, no takers there. I did have one try out for Trashy at nearly 100,000 words, but found the voice to be too serious and mature for this humorous novel and turned it down. No others have applied. Now, I had been warned not to be too picky as these are readers and not actors. They literally read the story to the listener rather than create voices for each character, but still you want to get the right person.
     Two people auditioned for Goals for a Sinner. I turned down the first voice as being too young and giggly for twenty-nine year old, jaded with men, Stevie Dodd, but accepted the second, getting a little scared I wouldn't have any more. Hey, she did a nice job recording it over four months. As I listened to every word of the proof, I found only a few errors and in one chapter with some missed paragraphs. I noted this and hope they were put back in as the story makes an abrupt move forward at that point. So, six months from start to finish and Goals for a Sinner is now available on audio easily ordered from Amazon!
     One person offered to do Mardi Gras Madness. At 87,000 words, I was nervous it also would not be chosen. But, I liked her sample reading well enough and went for it. The project was thirty days late in arriving for me to proof, not a good sign. It also showed up just after Thanksgiving when the holidays take over my life, but gamely, I sat down and started to listened to ten hours of tape. The first three chapters were good with only a minor error or two.  Then, chaos entered the process. Every chapter after that had numerous repetitions, some coughs and sneezes and throat clearing, over twenty such incidents in each chapter. Finally, when I got to six errors in the opening minutes of a chapter, I skipped to the next. Thirty chapters later, I found that the final chapter and epilogue were free of errors--but no way could I accept this book! I returned it with the note that it was unacceptable and had to be redone. My publisher took a brief look lest I was being picky--and agreed. She offered to pull the contract.
     The narrator's excuse was that she had changed editing software in the midst of doing the recording. However, it also appears she didn't check her work before sending it on to me. I believe we are giving her a second chance, but no telling if the audio of Mardi Gras Madness will be out for Mardi Gras, which I had hoped, or if it will be good enough to accept. Hoping for the best.
     Publishing is fraught with disasters like Ashy Affair being issued on e-book with only one third of its pages. Audio books are no different, I've learned. In the meantime, enjoy the audio of Goals for a Sinner and the whole New Year ahead of us.

My Favorite Reviews

      Though bad reviews still hurt me, I've had far more good ones and want to celebrate a few of them in this post. I didn't use any written by relatives, friends, fellow authors, or wonderful bloggers, which are greatly appreciated by the way. No, these were all posted on Amazon or Goodreads by total strangers which makes them extra special.
      By far my bestseller is A Trashy Affair with its just trashy enough hero on the cover. It garnered lots of wonderful reviews, but I selected just a few. One I've seen but couldn't put my finger on said the book wasn't nearly trashy enough, but she enjoyed it anyhow. The theme of the book is really recycling, both trash and people. Here are some I got a kick out of: "The story is a big ass good time. There's heat and politics along with small town flavor, bien sur"-Reader5309. Here's another:"I laughed out loud many times while reading and read some of Jane's battle with Nadia to my husband who worked in state and local government many years"--J.M.Struwe. Just one more for Trashy. "This is a great book mostly because anyone who has dealt with a small municipal government knows the politics involved. Add in some local flavor and this is truly entertaining"-Amanda Altenhofen. There are over forty more for this book which you can read yourself if you want. And yes, a few folks didn't like it.
     My very first published book,Goals for a Sinner, garnered these two. "I am a sports photographer and though I have not been sacked by a play, I have been tackled by a sideline player! It does hurt! The way Stevie protected her camera...I am right on with that too!"-Tracy. "I really got into it on a snow day and couldn't put it down until I finished."-James Corsones. I truly love when men read my books, and many have taken to the Sinners football series.
     Another in that series, She's a Sinner, about the first female NFL player, a punter, earned these remarks. "Such a fun and flirty read. It was also a fun look at what it would entail privately and publicly to be a female in a male dominated sport."-Janet. "I liked this book. I loved Tom and Alix together. They complimented each other,"-andrewsheath, who might be another male reader or not.
     Never a Sinner, the latest Sinners book, about the handicapped son of the Billodeaux family is getting some great ones. "This story was a welcome change from books featuring 'alpha-holes' and shows a hero who is manly, caring, and protective of those he loves."-lilymay. Lilymay often drops a review for me. Maybe I know her. Maybe I don't.
     Sometimes, I just love a quirky review. The Convent Rose was trolled badly the day it was published, but in time, other readers came to its rescue, and it ended with a number of good reviews. This one tried to encompass all the characters. "This was a romantic story about arts; nuns; cow bull riders;ranchers;the way nuns can make people think about themselves."-Amazon Reader. Or to put it more exactly, two nuns facilitate the romance between an ethereal, religious artist and a professional bull rider.
     While my Sinners books by far get the most reads, locally here in Acadiana the Cajuns prefer my Mardi Gras series.  Here's one regarding Mardi Gras Madness. "A romance with a bit of mystery and mayhem. Cajun lifestyle 101 at its best. While the heroine learns of Cajun life, so does the reader. I actually gave up precious sleep to finish this book."-pingmckay. I do like to think that when a person reads any of my books, they will learn something as well as enjoy a good story.
     I can also tell you that the one thing every author wants for Christmas is a good and thoughtful review. Don't be daunted. These need not be book reports like the ones assigned in school. Just a few sentences saying what you liked about our story warms our hearts and fends off the trolls--and I don't grade for punctuation or spelling. It's the sincerity that counts with me. Whether a new release or a book you've just recently discovered, go on--post a review.