Audio Files from an Audiophile & the Tucson Festival of Books

Audio book process

Illustration of the book-to-audio process from the ACX site. It is not nearly as confusing as this would suggest.

Last week was very audio oriented. Not only did an interview I taped for an NPR affiliate air on the radio, but I started listening to audition tapes for the audiobook version of Getting Naked for Money. And tomorrow I’m hoping that this aforementioned radio show will lead folks to my Tent Talk at the Tucson Festival of Books.

Radio Heads

I taped my segment of  Arizona Public Media’s Spotlight show with Mark Mclemore a week before it ran and didn’t hear the edited version in advance so I was almost as surprised as the NPR audience to listen to it. I was, naturally, very critical of how I sounded but I was told by people who had no reason to lie to me that I did a good job. So I’ll accept that.

I come in at 9:50 if you want to listen for yourself and cut to the chase.

Being self critical about the way you sound can be a problem, however, when you’d like the public to be able to buy an audio book of your work.

Audio love

Hi, I’m Edie, and I am a talking book addict.

Anyone who knows my reading habits knows that I almost exclusively read that way. I read magazines when I am eating — the joys of being single; no one’s there to judge — and at the end of a long day of writing and staring at a computer screen, I watch TV/Netflix. But when I’m ready to go to bed, I listen to an audiobook. If it puts me to sleep, great. I’ll catch up on what I missed the next day — or if I wake up in the middle of the night.

I listen when I’m driving or at the gym, less so, since I stopped using the treadmill in favor of zumba. I used to listen when I walked Frankie, who was a very placid pup. Madeleine — not so much. If I got lost in a story and stopped paying attention, she would be hoovering up street food.

But I digress.

My point is that I’m far more likely to read a book when it’s available in an audio version. And I know I’m not alone: Talking books are the largest growing segment of the market. But after taping the AZPM radio show, I realized how difficult it was for me to read even a segment of my memoir. The idea of trying to get the entire book to sound professional was daunting.

So… I put a short audition script from Getting Naked for Money on the ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) site in order to tempt a producer/reader. I chose the “share royalties” option–which means that the reader and I will split the take after Audible.com gets a piece of the pie without laying out any cash.

My Tent Talk at the Tucson Festival of Books

It was odd to hear people attempting to be me but I was thrilled to get four very professional-sounding audition tapes. There was only one problem. Three out of the four readers pronounced a common word in a way I’d never heard before. A way that sounded substandard to me.

I’m not going to reveal what that word is here. This will be my teaser for my short talk at the Tucson Festival of Books. I’ll be at the Author Pavilion from 10:20 to 10:30 giving the aforementioned talk and then from 12:15 to 2:15 selling books. Come on by.

Even Dogs Like Audiobooks

The following article is only tangentially related to the subject at hand, but never let it be said that I let a cute dog picture go to waste.

Study: Audiobooks outperform music at reducing stress in shelter dogs

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About the Author

Edie Jarolim is a writer and editor living in Tucson, Arizona. Sign up on this blog to get updates about her humorous tell-all/memoir, GETTING NAKED FOR MONEY: An Accidental Travel Writer Reveals All.

1 Enlightened Reply

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  1. Kate says:

    Great interview, Edie! You sounded very comfortable and told an entertaining tale.

    Hope you can find the right voice for your audiobook. Now I’m wondering about that differently pronounced word. Guess I’ll have to attend your talk to find out 🙂

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