Question about audiobooks vs pseudo dramatic readings

[Bryan Lincoln]

Hi there. I'm intrigued by the idea of audiobooks. I've enjoyed several already, and as a scientist I find they're great for a distraction from some of the more mundane tasks that I encounter each week in the lab. I've written as a hobby for a while, and I'm finally putting down to paper a novel I've had dancing in my head for years. For me, I think producing a good audio-representation of the story is more important that trying to publish.

Now, while I'm months away from starting an audio production (must finish the story first!), I want to think about the writing style so it can be tailored for the right kind of audio. The format I envision involves me narrating and possibly voicing a single character while having a cast of volunteer voice "actors". Is this format condusive to podiobooks at all? All the forum chatter I've read so far seems to discuss stories read by a single person. Is this the only format on podiobooks? One podcast I listen to somewhat is Chris Lester's "Metamor City". I've only listen to a few of his earliest and latest, but I get the sense that he evolved from reading by himself to a full cast. Is that kind of production represented here? Or is that kind of thing out of the scope of this community?

I realize that I'm asking a lot of questions!

Bryan
http://twitter.com/Wolfshade

[P.G. Holyfield]

I utilize an extensive voice cast for Murder at Avedon Hill (32 voice actors at last count), while I narrate and do five voices myself.

There are other examples of this as well (billi baddings comes to mind) on podiobooks. There are pros and cons to using voice actors. If you look at my page here I did a good post detailing what it takes me to produce a single episode.

Please feel free to ask any questions here and I'll help where I can. The production styles here run the gamut. My nemesis Lester isn't here yet... but I'm sure he will be... Anything he can do to ruin my day. :-)

[Bryan Lincoln]

Thanks for the time breakdown in your Blog, P.G. It makes sense from my own podcast producing experience. Another question:

Any advice for deciding on and coaching your voice talent? I imagine you have to set an audio quality standard if they record their parts on their own. Do you keep having them re-record until it sounds just right, or is there something of a tradeoff in this area? Is it all volunteer based for you?

I'll definitely be checking out your story soon!

[P.G. Holyfield]

1. Deciding on: I put the word out on twitter and got a lot of help from other podcasters. For the next one, because it will be a smaller cast (less than 10), I will be holding auditions when the time comes (except for those I know can pull off a certain character).

2. Coaching: I do pronunciation guides and notes on how the notes should be delivered. I will be utilizing skype more for the next one (for run-throughs of important scenes - one of the audio dramas I do voices for does that and it works well for the most part).

3. I have asked for re-records for certain things. I have had to turn down someone's audio due to audio quality. I've recorded the lines myself for some actors, so they can hear what I'm looking for. Sometimes I just run with what I have, even if it isn't exactly what I hoped for. But, as has been said, this is a volunteer operation, so you have to remember the time commitment of those that are helping you.

[Rick Stringer]

Both styles are certainly welcome here. A good example of a full cast is Murder at Avedon Hill by P.G. Holyfield. The Podiobook that I produced for here is actually a series of monologues done by different characters. That one is The Failed Cities Monologues by Matt Wallace.

I think the important thing is to decide what you think will best represent your work.

Rick

[Joe Cottonwood]

Good question, Bryan. I've produced two podcasts, one with two voices, the other with multiple voices. You've put your finger on the crucial point: Are they audiobooks or dramatic readings? (I don't know why you say "pseudo" - there's nothing fake about them.) Nathan Lowell uses only one voice and it works wonderfully well. In the podcast where I use multiple voices, I'm of mixed feelings about it - it clarifies who is speaking and it probably amplifies the drama, but the resulting product doesn't feel as "bookish" to the listener. Some people want the "sound" of a book, others don't.

Rick is right that you must decide which mode is best suited for the style of your writing and your abilities as a reader and producer. Another consideration is who you want to attract as an audience - a more bookish crowd, or a more, uh, pop crowd - and I mean pop in the best way.

I'm struggling with this same question right now in planning my next podcast, so I'll be interested in what other people have to say.

As for coaching your volunteers - and you'd better stick to volunteers, as you will earn no money from podcasting - it's up to you. You have to set a standard for them. It's your name on the podcast, not theirs, so you'll be judged on the result, for better or worse. Don't settle for mediocre.

And yes, it's a lot of work. More work than you could imagine.

[Bryan Lincoln]

I guess I use "pseudo" because I imagine a dramatic reading to derive from a screenplay as opposed to a novel, but upon further thought, I'm not so sure that's true. I certainly don't mean to imply "fake"!

I think that what I'll do will be influenced by the voice work. I plan to do the following:
1) Finish the 1st draft
2) Edit it until at least the dialogue is as close to perfect as I can make it
3) Get all the voicework done by my volunteers (will take some coaching with the less experienced folk)
4) Do a final edit of the story around the lines (also removing those voiced lines that just didn't work)
5) Record the narration of the final draft
6) Produce it.
7) Share it.

This is really a hobby for me, and a lot of fun so far, so for me the process itself is the reward. But I do hope that in the end it will be fun for people to listen to.

[Joe Cottonwood]

Good plan. Good goals.

[P.G. Holyfield]

One thing I've found that might help you... move #5 up the list. As you record your narration you'll make lots of changes... things that are fine on the page that sound like crap when read out loud...

And those changes will affect #3 more than you realize. :-)

[Bryan Lincoln]

So, I took this advice and it was very true! I did a practice run of chapter 1 with voice help from the three very patient co-hosts of my podcast (the source of all of my audio experience to date), despite being at about 18k words. I wanted to get a feel for possible pitfalls that might affect my writing.

These are the things I discovered:
1) He said/she said can almost all be cut when using various voices.
2) Music choices are a big deal.
3) Narration of different scenes on different days can lead to variety in voice level if you aren't VERY careful.
4) A high standard for microphone quality is a must. It's probably better to ask for voice help from equipped people you don't know than unequipped people you do know.
5) Adding sound effects is an art form.
6) There's a fine balance between too little and too much description.
7) This kind of work takes time. I would estimate 20+ hours for a 25-30 min episode. Luckily, it can be a lot of fun.

All that said, I think it went very well. I was able to narrate clearly and create a distict character voice myself with some very simple audacity effects.

[Gail]

When you are ready to podcast, do it whatever way you think is the most fun, because your enjoyment is what you are getting out of this deal. Nothing else is guaranteed.

[Mark Butler]

Thats really a good point. Striving for perfection is of course worthy, you want to produce something you can be proud of, but also this is supposed to be (at least I think it should be) enjoyable.

p.s. may I request you start a blog here about how its going, especially item #3, I would love to hear some do's and don'ts (how is that spelled? don't's or don'ts) and stories of getting volunteers to read their parts!

Mark

[Bryan Lincoln]

I can do that. I'm very curious about how #3 goes as well, though I don't want to get ahead of myself. I have a certain advantage in that most of my siblings (I'm the second of 5) have degrees in theater/film and thus have a lot of creative friends I may be able to pull into this thing...we'll see. Would LOVE to get some original music for it, but I doubt that'll happen. One can dream, right?

But yeah, I'll definitely look into starting a blog here. I'm envyous of a lot of the people in this community....hopefully by hanging around some of their talent and persistence will rub off on me.