Do you listen to audiobooks? Advice wanted
I’m in talks now with O’Reilly Media about producing an audiobook for Confessions of a Public Speaker. I’ve never done one of these things before, and the few I’ve heard were mixed bags.
Here are some questions:
- Do you prefer to have the author do the reading?
- What factors make one audiobook better than another (besides the quality of the book itself)?
- Is it important that the audiobook is identical to the printed version?
- What are the top annoyances you wish audiobooks would avoid?
For reference, here’s a sample of my voice from NPR.
1. Yes, unless you’re Jim Rohn (The Art of Exceptional Living for example)
2. Voice quality of reader.
3. No. I got tired listening to Rich Dad Poor Dad since there was so much repetition in that title. I would’ve preferred an abridged version. A less monotonous voice would have been better as well.
4. Heavy breathing, throaty, raspy, nasally voices. If I’m going to listen for any length of time the fewer the vocal anomalies the better.
4. Abridging! Gee whiz, I want to hear the whole darn book!
1 – Yes, especially if the book has any personal comments and also if the author has a good voice/style. Seeing this is a book about public speaking, is written from a first-person viewpoint and you are also known for your presentations, I think it’s a good fit ;)
2 – Clear speaking is good. Chapters/sections as individual tracks on a CD, or as individual mp3s (numbered accordingly). Not everyone can listen through an entire book in one sitting.
3 – Nope. As long as it’s not completely different, the occasional ad-lib, or aside/correction are fine.
4 – I’ll second Jason on the vocal anomalies and monotone is boring.
1. Yes. It’s not a guarantee that it will be good certainly, but when it’s good, it’s very good. I think that adds a fascinating aspect to the reading.
2. The person that is doing the narration, regardless of how good the book is (see note 1).
3. I prefer it that way, but wouldn’t say it had to be. For instance, I only buy unabridged audio books. That said, certain things, by their very nature, can’t be be the same (e.g, charts, pictures or maps in a book verses how they are consumed when read)
4. Using multiple people to do multiple voices. Effects (e.g music in the background). Audio quality that goes up and down so you have to adjust your volume.
Good luck! I look forward to it
1. It’s not terribly important to me that the author do the reading, though I do appreciate hearing from them in an introduction. It is far more important that the reader be someone I can comfortably listen to for hours on end.
2. Certainly the speaking voice of the reader is a huge factor. Also the quality of the editing (see next point).
3. It is definitely not important to me that the audio version be a verbatim reading. Just as a movie made as a literal reading of a source book would not be very entertaining, so too does an audiobook script benefit from significant editing for the new media.
As one example: when reading, people are far more likely to read the first sentence of a paragraph than the interior. Written material must be constructed with this in mind, putting main ideas early and supporting details later in paragraphs.
When listening, there are no paragraphs. Some audiobooks add significant pauses between paragraphs in the source material, and this is extremely annoying. Instead, audiobooks should thin out some of the supporting detail and make it possible for the reader to emphasize the key points via inflection.
4. Having just said that the source book should be edited significantly, an audiobook which abridges too much leaves me feeling like I wasted my time in listening to it. Its a delicate balance between taking material out to keep the length under control, but leaving material in to keep it worthwhile.
1. Yes, especially if the author has a good speaking personality and embodies the content.
Having said that, I’d still be happy with a speech synthesizer reading an ebook if that was the only option (since any audio version would allow me to drive/do dishes/chores while listening).
2. Voice and tone of reader. Books that have NPR-grade technical quality and voice talent are better than commercial talk AM talk radio (if that makes any sense).
3. I prefer the full text as opposed to an abridged version. But a book with many visuals would obviously be difficult to represent 1-to-1.
4. Overacting (for lack of a better term) and it’s polar opposite, flat/dead delivery. Poor recording and mastering quality.
Other: I’d buy the audio version of Confessions of a Public Speaker in a heartbeat, so please make it happen :)
1. No in general as most authors don’t necessarily have a good reading voice. I tremble in the memory of hearing excerpts from “Dune” read by Frank Herbert. No, go with someone who has a good, clear, empathetic voice. However, in your case I will make an exception. :)
2. The voice, and in what style the voice is reading. And the ability to surprise the listener. My best audiobook experience was where with a book where different actors read different parts, and this process had been well planned to match the writing style of those chapters. Having one person read the general prose, and another act out various talks or points, is a good contrast. One male, one female might be a good effect, if their voices in general are similar in style.
3. No. It is important that it is mostly so, but slapping a bit more advice, a bit more anecdotal evidence in an audiobook will want me to buy it more. Unless the added info is superfluous, redundant, etc. Sometimes an audiobook can be a little *less* than the written one with great success.
4. Insulting the listener with a poorly planned audiobook. :) It’s not just about reading the darn thing, it’s about reading it in ways to make the reader feel the subject-matter. And no, having Patrick Stewart read it is no guarantee of success (although he *is* good).
I listen to a lot of Audio books from Audible.com. To me, whom reads it isn’t as important as the performance they put on. I like to listen to narrators who really put on a show, and are enthusiastic about the subject. I prefer that the story match the book exact. I don’t want the feeling that I might have missed something I could have gotten from the print version… that’s the whole reason I go with audio books…. so I can do my reading while I’m on the road… during my commute, or while I’m busy with mundane chores. I’m the best read person I know thanks to audio books.
The most annoying thing to me a narrator can do is sound really monotone and flat. If it’s fiction, it will not be entertaining….. if it’s informative… I’m only going to be as enthused by the subject as the narrator is.
1. Do you prefer to have the author do the reading?
No preference, but it would be especially ironic if a book titled “Confessions of a Public Speaker” were not read by the author.
2. What factors make one audiobook better than another (besides the quality of the book itself)?
For fiction books, having a great storyteller makes a huge difference (listen to Jim Dale read the Harry Potter audiobooks). For non-fiction, I think this can backfire. The “Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA” audiobook sounds really old-fashioned, I think in part because of the reader.
Other “features” that are nice: announcing chapters, and sidebars. The chapters help me find my place again when the iPod forgets, and sidebars are a change in context that require a break in thought.
3. Is it important that the audiobook is identical to the printed version?
I prefer minimal deviation, but some information needs to be communicated differently via audio vs visually
4. What are the top annoyances you wish audiobooks would avoid?
Slow readers, heavy breathing, sound effects, DRM-only formats, tracks not corresponding to chapters/sections
Great feedback so far – please keep it coming.
For specific reference, I added a voice sample of my voice. You guys ok with this for a entire book worth of audio?
After reading through the sample chapters on Amazon, and listening to the voice sample… I think maybe you need to up load a voice sample from the book. It seems like you’re writing the book from a conversational “What it’s like” point of view. The voice sample is and sounds like a news report… that’s not how you would sound if you were sitting across from me telling me about it. Maybe you should post the sample chapters form amazon in your voice. I’m not sure I would want to listen to hours of news cast sounding audio. Keep in mind this is just my opinion.
I love audio books, I have a long commute and it’s the best thing for walking, and multitasking (crocheting and listening to books!).
The author doing the reading *generally* makes a huge difference. In your case, I think it would be a Good Thing. No need to hire someone. Really.
Worst thing about some audiobooks, particularly in business, are references to forms — an example would be GTD, which in audio, references some additional materials — not helpful if you have no way to get the content.
I always prefer unabridged — even for Very Very long books.
1) No preference. The main thing is the voice should be clear and aware of the content. If the reader does not relate to the content, he can take the charm out of it.
2) The reader showing emotion in the reader. That makes a big difference. For eg I am listening to Brain Rules Book right now and I can see the author is so excited to share with me his findings and his observations. Besides the content, an enthusiastic reader make the audiobook interesting.
3) Yup. I hate abridged versions. Thats like short changing. Give the whole thing in its entirety.
4) Cancel the recording if you have a sore throat or a cold. We don’t want to go through that for a whole chapter or more.
Btw, I think you are the first one I know who’s checking if there’s enough audience for your audiobook. That’s smart :)
1. Absolutely (yes)
2. One audiobook is better than the others when it’s energetic, read with enthusiasm and offers something different than just reading the book itself. For example, stephen r. covey’s 7 habits offers real world testimony’s of how real people apply each of the habits (in the interview format). For example, Jack Welch’s enthusiasm when he voices the audiobook of “Winning”.
3. It’s not essential, but please include some of those real life examples
4. Bad recording, faster than light reading, slower than hell reading, monotonic reading, not dividing tracks on the audiobook per book chapters, not including past chapter reviews on the beginning of each of the chapters, saying “reader” instead of “listener”, not tailoring exercices the book has for the listener on the road (ex: “close your eyes for a minute and imagine…” how the hell am I going to close my eyes… I’m driving!)
Hope this helps,
RC
I can’t add much to answer the questions. Most of the answers here express my feelings.
I am very, very picky about who I can listen to. I’ve rejected lots of audio books for that reason. So, don’t take this personally, but I’d rather hear someone else. You have a great voice, really, and listening to you for 1 hour wouldn’t be a problem. 20+ hours would be more difficult. Things that I look for in a voice that are different from yours: deeper voice — I know you can’t change this at all, but it is easier for me to listen to someone who has a deeper voice than you. clearer pronunciation — you’re really better than average, but don’t underestimate how clear and precise you really need to be. After about 10 hours, every little detail or fault becomes very annoying.
1. No but it’s nice. They really need to be able to read and deliver well. You should be right.
2. Good sound quality, ease of access, good reader. On ease of access I prefer to go via Audible just because a) they are a trusted publisher and b) they work hard to work with the various players on the market. I’ve had both an iPhone/iPod and a Creative player and Audible made it dead easy.
3. I prefer it. It may be tricky if there are visual aspects to the book so allowances need to be made there.
4. I am possibly far too uncritical of the medium as I don’t really have any. I’m more critical of how some software and players deal with them than the books themselves.
Generally, for technical/business books, I prefer the author to read the books (Malcom Gladwell and Jack Welch are a couple of my favourite listens). Fiction seems to be different, generally I prefer a professional reader.
For one audio book to be better than another content is key. Other than that the reader would be number two.
The audio book doesn’t have to be identical, but it better be pretty darn close. If I listen to your book I won’t read it too. I have a long commute, unabridged versions are fine.
Make the tracks short. I listen to books in the car and sometimes eject the CD or lose my place and it’s easier to find my way back if the tracks are short. (Of course, by the time I find out the tracks are annoying long it’s already too late).
Keep the cheesy music (they all have cheese music) to a minimum.
1. Yes – greatly prefer it when the author reads – it feels like the author is wanting to communicate they thoughts (which motivated the writing of the book in the first place) rather than listening to a performance of the book.
2. General expressiveness. Make the words come alive. It’s more an extended talk than a reading.
3. “Abridged” makes me feel like I’m missing out on something. They don’t have to be identical, but I shouldn’t miss anything.
4. I don’t like it when language particular to printed books is carried over directly. “As you read earlier” –> “As you heard earlier”. Also, don’t read the acknowledgements, etc that are often at the start of a book. I can’t easily skip over them. Have them at the end of the audiobook.
1) In general, no. I still have flashbacks to a CD of famous poets reading their own poetry and an excruciating rendition of “Charge of the Light Brigade”. The only exception that leaps to mind is Jim Collins (Good to Great), which works only because he really leverages his intimate conversational style to sell his over-the-top personal passion for the topic.
2) Unless you do something terrible with background sound effects or a really bad recording job, it’s just the words and the reader. Helps if the reader matches the aim of the book – reading books aimed at motivating/inspiring the reader is fairly different than reading, say, classic period literature and calls for a different vocal style.
3) It’s important that it’s available unabridged – audiobook readers are by and large people who are choosing to take 3x longer to read the book, so it’s not like we’re in a big hurry. But (see next point), sometimes it makes sense to say the same thing in a different way when in audio.
4) Standard gotchas – watch out for things like tables of data, footnotes, etc that rely on visual cues in the text (eg. Freakonomics had readers compare different top ten lists of names – easy on the eyes, rough on the ears) and be willing to change formats/replace with summaries/etc. Audiobooks are heinous long tracks that are hard to page through, so adding reasonable internal navigation with chapter boundaries at least every ~10 minutes or so makes life easier for the listener.
On your voice, from that sample I’d say no. If you could reproduce the more personal verbal style I’ve seen you do on the web, I’d say maybe. If you’re serious about it, try this as a test case: see if you can reproduce the intensity of your Ignite talk but at half that speed. But see point #1, it’s okay to have someone else read – just find someone you think can _convey_ excitement for the topic.
(I’m a ~4 audiobooks a month (mostly Audible) plus following a half dozen podcasts regularly kind of guy, so I’m compulsive on this topic. And I’ll listen to this book when it’s available too. :-)
1. Yes, if they are able to do it. After that, Stephen Fry, John Clease, Barbara Rosenblat, or anyone else with a pleasing voice, and a sense of humor.
2. A good speaker. I can listen to a book on the kindle via text to speech if I want monotone and perfectly true to the words in the book.
3. No.
4. Segments longer than a chapter, I like to be able to restart at a chapter. Music. Poor quality recording, or low bit rate.
Hi Scott,
I listen to audiobooks a LOT. Here are my responses.
1. It’s a good way to let the reader ‘bond’ with the author, but not essential if the narrator is good.
2. How non-boring the speaker is. Also, the structure of some books don’t lend themselves to audio. Other respondents have mentioned graphs and diagrams, but lists (especially) long ones don’t work so well with audio.
3. No. One of the reasons I get the audio is to save time. I much prefer an Audiobook that’s under about 4 hours. I’m after the essence of the book. When I want detail I buy the real book.
4. A droning reader. I bought Blue Ocean Strategy on audio because someone raved about the book. It’s 6.5 hours long and the reader is boring. I’m on my second listen because I don’t remember the first one (kept dozing off). Don’t make your book dangerous to listen to while driving :)
Mike
I’ve only listened to a few audiobooks to date, but am ramping up on them. The book itself of course makes a big difference, but yes, the quality of the readers is big too. I don’t care who it is who reads it, as long as they do a good job (and am also fine with multiple people like used in the Ender books).
I think it’s very important the audio book is identical. If not, I’m left wondering, what did I miss, or how is it different, and what if it’s something I cared about. Also, if you read the comments on Audible.com, you will see that nobody wants the abridged books. The #1 complaint I’ve seen for any book there is that it wasn’t the complete book or was somehow different than the dead-tree version.
Top annoyances: so far, about the only thing I’m not a huge fan of is when they put music in, or some kind of sound effect or transition sounds. A lot of times I’m listening in the car, so any extra noise usually just makes it that much harder to hear the words. If it’s purely in between chapters and is very short, and doesn’t overlap the speech, then it’s ok, but otherwise, don’t bother, I don’t find it enhances it in any way.
1. Sure. Author reading his own book is always better.
2. I think the quality of the book itself is the factor here.
3. Hard to say. I never did both (read the paper copy and listen to audiobook), never wanted to do both, never wanted to compare. So if a book was different from audiobook, I wouldn’t have noticed that anyway… But somewhere deep in my subconsciousness I think I still expect that audiobook is indeed identical to the printed book.
4. Background music. Intros. Especially lengthy redundant intros at the beginning of each chapter. Music. Outros. Especially lengthy redundant outros at the end of each chapter. Music. Some elements of the audiobook (intros, outros, chapter titles, quotes, etc.) being so f*cking much louder than the base text that you can’t really set the comfortable volume on your player and relax, but instead, you need to sit tight being ready to decrease the volume five times as soon as that louder part starts. Music.
P.S. Frankly, I haven’t listened to your voice sample; I think I don’t really care how does it sound. Either way, author reading the book is better than someone else doing this, unless the author has som truly insane voice/speach problems… Even accent (if any) wouldn’t be a problem.
P.P.S. When choosing distribution channels for your audiobook, be careful and wise. Choose many different channels. Make sure they can deliver your audiobook in a convenient form. What I want is to simply pay, download the files, burn them on my CD as MP3s and listen them in my car. But often you need to pay, then download 2 or 3 softwares to connect to the audiostore and to listen the book and to put it on your player or CD. And no, you can’t do it any other way. And haha, as soon as you are done, you find out that you can only burn the book as audio CD, resulting in 7 (!!!) CDs, instead of 1 CD with MP3s. Hello, audible.com :(
I’d love to hear you read the book ! I know reading is not public speaking but I think the result can be great.
The top annoyance for an audiobook is when Audible won’t sell it to you because you have a french credit card…
This sounds a bit creepy, but…
I had no problem listening to your voice while you were giving presentations. You have a very warm and personable tone. You speak well and shouldn’t have any trouble recording your own book.
I’m fairly easy with voices though, I’ve only had one audiobook I had to stop listening to because the reader read far too quickly and sounded ‘detatched’ from the material.
In short: I think you should record it.
Re #1 – no. It doesn’t matter how good your speaking voice is (and you’re a public speaker, after all), it’s your attitude toward the book. Think about how you felt halfway through reviewing copy-edits, and ask yourself if you want to feel that way again.
An introduction? Sure, record that. Or better, record an appendix that adds extra value to the audio book. But hire someone who doesn’t know the text.
Scott,
I’m British and we Brits often find a lot of American pronunciation quite grating, but I find your voice clear, energising and easy on my ear.
I hope this helps.
Patrick
1. Does not really matter
2. Voice quality of the reader is really important. Also, important is that there be lesser asides (typically footnotes etc)
3. Probably not. But I would not want to buy an audiobook if I am missing out on stuff as compared to the printed version.
Btw, your voice is pretty good – I wouldn’t mind hearing an ebook read by you.
Audible.com has kept my commute sane for many years now, so I’m a big fan of audiobooks and I’m psyched to hear you’re looking into it.
My take on the questions:
1. I’m indifferent to it – after 5 seconds of curiosity about the voice, it’s much more important to me that it be well read. An author can be an excellent reader of his own stuff, especially since he knows the nuance and emphasis well, but if his reading chops are not at least comparable to a pro, it comes off as vanity.
2. Accessibility. I use audible because the price and inconvenience of buying books on CD is a losing proposition for me. It’s not necessary (though it is convenient) for me to go through audible, but if I can’t get it electronically, I’m willing to wait for it to get remaindered.
3. Yes. Abridged audiobooks feel like I’m being ripped off. The rub is that I have no context for how much it has been abridged, so I will assume the worst, and suspect I’m getting the clif notes version. However, tweaks by the author that suit the medium (change “Book” to “audiobook” and such”)
4. If you have diagrams, make them easy for me to get. I can forgo them while I’m listening, but if I can’t eventually go check them out on the web or in some other convenient fashion, it gets aggravating.
And after listening to the sample, I’m sorry to say, get a reader. I’ve heard far worse, and it’s clear you could do it ok, but the payoff of a pro seems clear.
-Rob D.
1. Not. Unless the author is trained in using his voice. I prefer books read by good actors with theatrical background, they just know how to speak clearly, when and what to accent, and so on. Public speaker could probably do too ;-)
2. Aforementioned thing: the quality of the voice. Also, if my case is to be considered (foreigner listening to the English book), it would be nice if the book avoided too much jargon and rare idioms and if the person reading it tried to pronounce things clearly. Finally, finding the good reading speed is uneasy and very important – fast words thrown with the radio speed make it difficult to follow, slow talk makes it boring.
3. No. But it would be nice to know whether it is and if not, what are the differences.
4. Ugly file formats, bad or no ID3 tags, too long chapters (both my radio and my mobile make it easy to jump to the correct chapter, but unpleasant to find/preserve the moment in long chapter, in general I prefer each part to be 3-5 minutes long). Irritating sound intros being added to every part (or equally irritating “this is the part of ….” textual intros)
I find your voice acceptable but would prefer if you were a bit slower while reading the book.
1. Usually prefer the author, especially for books that have any first-person aspect.
2. Ability of the reader to communicate complex information. The right pacing with respect to complexity of material. Books that have narratives are easier to listen to — e.g., “Jack.”
3. I listen to audiobooks to hear the full book, so I think the reading needs to be functionally identical. It’s not a problem if you say “it’s” and the book reads “it is,” or if you occasionally repeat/rephrase some concept that reads better than it sounds, but don’t omit stuff.
4. They need a lot more breaks — seek points — than chapters. If you take it out of the CD player and then put it back in, it needs to be easy to seek almost to the page level.
As for your voice, you sound like you’re reading on that sample. That’s the biggest thing, to figure out how to read without sounding like you’re reading. I know you practice your speeches; you need to practice this too. It is a technique that can be learned. Also, make sure whomever is recording you understands how to set up the audio to fill out the bass on your voice. If you know how to close-mic to take advantage of the proximity effect without popping plosives, do that, but most people without radio training find that constraining. So get someone who can EQ your voice a bit. But overall, you’re engaging and committed and passionate about what you believe, so you could be an excellent reader of your own material.
Hi Scott, I listen to audio books every day on my long commute to work, so I have my own answers to your questions, for what that’s worth.
1. I much prefer the author to read the book if it’s fiction. If it’s non fiction I want the reader to have a clear and pleasant voice and to sound like he/she understands the material and is interested in communicating it. The number one turn-off for me is a reader who could be reciting the phone book; there are many audio books on sale for which this is the case. Listening to your voice sample, you’ll do fine.
2. The qualitys of the reader, listed at (1).
3. I prefer unabridged works. The price of the audiobook is rarely less than the dead-tree version, so I don’t want short changed. After that, I guess it depends on the material as there may be justification for making changes case-by-case.
4. Top annoyances are readers who drone through the material in a bored monotone, where you can hear the end of a line on the page and know it doesn’t correspond to the end of the author’s thought.
I listen to a lot of audiobooks during my commute, so I definitely have an opinion. :)
1) In general, no. Your voice isn’t too bad, but I think you might find you’re better off getting dedicated voice talent. I have no doubt in your public speaking abilities, but scripted book reading is a different beast.
2) The biggest thing for me is the rhythm and pacing of the speaker AND how well it matches the subject matter. Scott Brick, for instance, does an amazing job reading audiobooks but he would likely be a horrible fit for your book.
3) YES! Abridged books drive me nuts. I will grant that some books do not read as well out loud vs. in print but that’s just the way it goes. If I’m listening to a book I don’t want to have to worry about what was cut out. Most often I don’t read the print version so I will have no way of knowing what I missed if the audio is abridged so I just skip abridged books entirely.
4) As someone else said, music/sound effects are irritating. Narrators who don’t do a good job with different character voices are bad, but I don’t think that’s an issue with your book (based on the sample chapters I assume it’s 99% first person). And my number one annoyance: not having the book available on audible.com.
I hope you make the audiobook happen. With work, commute, family, etc. audiobooks are about all I have time for these days and I’d definitely like to give yours a listen/read. Cheers!
1. Who the voice is doesn’t matter
2. If it’s being distributed in electronic form, I much prefer it coming in a format that doesn’t require me to install some company’s custom DRM-only player and prevents me from burning it onto a CD to listen to in the car.
3. Yes, absolutely.
4. When you can hear the narrator inhale in between sentences. It’s like going to a movie theater, and at an exciting moment in the film a theater walk around checking tickets with a flashlight. It ruins the illusion of what is being presented. Also when the book has background music for effect, but the balance between the music and voice is so much that you can’t hear what the narrator is saying.
I’m sure that if you read an entire audio book out loud you would relax enough to exhale. That Marketplace segment got scary and I had to turn it off.
I’ve sat through a presentation in person. You are engaging and i bet you’d narrate an audio book well. But why go through all the trouble if you could get Patrick Stewart to do it? ;)
-danny
You should definitely turn these into Audiobooks!!
Author reading is always preferred (they add passion to the text)
If you are not a good reader, you do need to be – I won’t listen (even if it’s the author), if the reader is monotone, quiet, etc. Probably some things you could borrow from the book itself.
The audiobook may need to be adjusted from the text to fit the audio format – if there are references to graphics, tables, and such it’s just silly to have it read that way.
The audiobook should recognize that it is being heard and not read and should conform to the rules of anything that people hear (presentations, speeches, conversations, etc)…
I find that you talk very fast in your videos, so I was going to suggest getting someone to read. But listening to the NPR sample, your speed was great. Do it yourself!
I listen to a lot of audiobooks (avg. 3 a week), so yeah I’ve got some definite preferences.
1. Yes, I prefer a reading by the author
2. Short and clear. Don’t “abridge”, adapt. Many printed books are unnecessarily long, and it’s incredibly annoying to have to listen to all of the extra stuff without being able to skip forward like in a printed book.
3. See above. Keep it the same, except when dealing with references (addresses of companies and the like), leave those for the end, and/or put them online and tell people where to find them. Describe illustrations if absolutely necessary, but “paraphrase” the illustration, tell us what it’s showing, don’t describe every single line and detail.
4. a) Focus on clarity, not speed. People can speed up the reading with software (I do this all the time), but it will become garbled if it’s not clear.
b) Don’t trail off at the end of sentences (you did this a bit in the sample recording), this becomes really annoying after awhile. Also, see “c” below…
c) Lower your tone at the end of sentences. Experienced readers always end sentences slightly lower (unless for emphasis, or when asking a question), not raising their voice; inexperienced readers often don’t look ahead, and end the sentence raising the tone of their voice.
Notes: Your sample reading was quite listen-able; it’s most understandable when reading with a fairly even, low tone.
1. Yes – if the author has a trained (or gifted/natural) voice and style.
2. Good style of the reader. E.G. consistent standard diction and phrasing, a pleasing voice, neutral accent (regional accents can be OK, even good, if clear.)
3. Typically yes.
4. In the audio – any sound other than the reader (e.g. music, soundFX). Physically – segments that are two small or large, ideal segment length is three to five minutes.
Honestly – I would not care to listen to you for an entire book. Your high tenor range is unusual for spoken word recordings; and your word clipping (accent) and inconsistent pace would be a distraction.
However, compelling content can definitely pwn the reading voice.
You should totally hire Sean Connery to read it!
i listen to a lot of books on CD in the car
i think getting the right person to read the story is VERY important
i listened to a book a few months back and could not get into the story because the actor that read the text was bad bad bad.
all monotone
I prefer audio when listening to non-technical books – specifically summaries as opposed to the entire book.
1. It doesn’t matter to me if the author reads the text. Just someone who reads the text well matters.
2. For a fictional audio book, I enjoy when the narrator adjusts his/her voice to create characters to ‘act’ out while they are reading.
3. Yes, I believe an audiobook should be unabridged and identical as the book. If this is not the case, then make it clear up front.
4. None really.
I suggest hiring someone. BJ Harrison who does the Classic Tales podcast is great!!!
Scott,
1. So whether or not the author reads the work depends greatly upon the style of the writing. Some fictional writers like Fahrenheit 451’s Ray Bradbury was not the voice I heard in my head through the years. Where as a piece on Public speaking would be best coming from the expert…as in You.
2. The factors I focus in on are the readability of the work and whether or not it translates into conversations meter. Some are so technical that I need to dissect into bits and bobs of info. If taken too far it starts to remind me of some of my professor’s afternoon hypnotic rambleings.
3. Absolutly not! It shouldn’t be in order to make it engaging in a conversational style.
4. Don’t give me long chapters. Bits of thoughts that I can listen to…answer my phone…listen some more…e-mail my boss…listen some more. Especially in a topic like Public Speaking it will be more critical to have the engagement plus the information…downloadable outline?
Thanks for asking.
Steve
Hi,
I love audiobooks. Saves time in today’s world. more likely to get “read” than a book that ends up sitting on the night stand night after night.
1. I prefer the author to do the reading. it is more authentic, more believable and more personal every time..no matter how boring he is. it sounds more like a story when the author reads it. and stories sell.
2. it is unimportant that the audiobook be identical to the printed version as long as the author feels his/her point came across.
3. the biggest annoyance is when it sounds like the reader is reading rather than telling a story. no more monontonous voices
1. No preference, as long as the writer can do it right.
2. The reader makes all the difference- I’ve sought out audiobooks based purely on the performer.
3. Absolutely!
4. Minimize the fluff (added stuff to feature the company) at the beginning and end.
Well, now that I’ve seen the great collection of photos & diagrams (thanks again, by the way), I’d be reluctant to recommend the audio version.
I do listen to audio books occasionally.
The vocal qualities of the reader are more important to me than whether or not they are the author.
Many, many great writers are not great readers. It’s often illuminating to here a writer read and discuss excerpts of their work (at a bookstore, say) but that’s not the same as listening to them read the whole thing.
There are lots of actors who do book readings “on the side”. It is an excellent use of their vocal training, and they are after all in a field with low historical employment rates. Hire one, and spend your own time doing more writing. It’ll be a win-win situation.
As for the “identicality” issue. It wouldn’t necessarily be important to me, but of course you should make sure the listeners know they are getting an edited or abridged version. It may be more work for you, of course. But there’s nothing wrong (and often much right) with adapting a work to fit a new medium.
1) I prefer to have the author do the reading. I think they bring a level of emphasis that can only be brought by the author. For what its worth, I think it would be a little weird to have a book about public speaking read by someone other than the author. It would be like asking Walter Cronkite what it was like to be an astronaut in the early years. Sure he interviewed them but I doubt he had the depth of knowledge to speak about it like Buzz or Glen.
2) The reader needs to seem interested and passionate about the material. I don’t mean over the top excitement but if it isn’t interesting to listen to the reader then it doesn’t matter what they are talking about. (Feel free to add that into your book. hehe) I agree with breaking the book into smaller chunks so it’s easier to jump around if the listener so chooses.
3) Maintain the spirit of the book and cover the major points. If it ends up being slightly different so be it. If you can’t tell the audio book is comes from the written book you have a problem.
4) Boring readers, long sections without breaks, word for word reading of the book, and a lack of understanding that the audio book provides an opportunity to reach “readers” in a new medium. Listening isn’t reading so don’t treat it as the same medium. Adjust to it and take advantage of the ability to SPEAK directly to your audience. They will be listening, you already have what you want to say the question is HOW do you want to say it.
1. Do you prefer to have the author do the reading?
If he is an excellent reader, otherwise, I prefer a professional voice talent.
2. What factors make one audiobook better than another (besides the quality of the book itself)?
See (1.) Also,be sure that the chapter bookmarks are accurate.
3. Is it important that the audiobook is identical to the printed version?
Depends on the material. I always choose the unabridged version of fiction. Non-fiction can be more effective in an abridged format.
4. What are the top annoyances you wish audiobooks would avoid?
I personally do not like sound effects or music. Think of how you would want to read a chapter in front of an audience. The words are what matters.
Your voice sounds great to me in that sample. I’d prefer to listen to your enthusiasm and sincerity than a hired gun droning on. I’ve hear many audio books and some of them sound quite patronizing in tone. Be bold Scott and do it yourself.
Hi Scott,
I listen to dozens of audiobooks a year due to a long commute. For fiction, obviously, a good narrator is key and makes all the difference. A great narrator can even make a mediocre book compelling. But these are professional actors.
For business books, I don’t mind someone with a less professional voice, because it gives the book some credibility and doesn’t sound phony. (I’ve listened to Malcom Gladwell’s books on tape, for example, and that was OK).
On the other hand, I might get tired of a non-professional voice for 6 or 8 hours. Your voice isn’t bad, but again, not sure if it has the staying power for a longer narrative that a professional could deliver more easily.
So for me it’s a toss-up between a kind of informal authentic delivery and a more professional, dramatic voice.
Guess I’m a bit on the fence on this.
Good luck whatever you decide!
Have you considered approaching it as a ‘live’ version of the book? Refining with audience would help, and recording in front of audience would probably be more natural for you. Seems to fit with the subject matter. Compare a David Sedaris essay read live or recorded in the studio.
1. Not necessarily, but can be disconcerting if you’re very familiar with the author – e.g. Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth.
2. I’m more likely to listen to story-based books than something that resembles a textbook.
3. Not identical, but not abridged.
4. Packaging – I’d like to have both audio and print (or digital) for reference.
1. Author? Almost never – the author’s “voice” comes out on the page; the author’s voice can be heard in an interview.
2. Quality of the reader’s voice, pronunciation, diction. The right “voice” for the story. Alexandra O’Karma has a gorgeous voice but it’s not appropriate for a business book.
3. Identical? Absolutely.
4. Annoyances? Music between chapters.
the author can be a good person for the reading if they are passionate about the subject. for example, most of the richard dawkins audiobooks are excellent. plus the author is more likely to emphasize the important points.
I listen to the free audiobooks at newfiction.com and librevox. They are fun and entertaining. Best of all free.
1. Yes!
2. Things you probably cannot control (no-DRM, good track breaks, same price as book, etc.)
3. It depends on length and price. If the audiobook is abridged then it needs to be cheap $10-15. If I like it I’ll buy the book too!
4. When things are left out of a unabridged book. Example, at the end of the chapters in “A Whole New Mind” Pink lists some additional readings (which I was very interested in). Weeks after reading the book I realize he had many many more listed in the book! I wish he had made a webpage with any omitted stuff from the audiobook that I could have checked out.
I would buy the audiobook version of CoPS.
1. YES, unless the author can’t speak well.
2. No clue. Never thought about it.
3. No. You can’t reproduce every chart, table, or picture. And, it shouldn’t be expected that the printed version reproduce every story and nuance of speaking.
4. A phenomenal example of an audiobook done right is Jim Valvano’s “They Gave Me a Lifetime Contract and Left Me For Dead”. I think I like it because it IS the author, and it sounds like he isn’t scripted, just telling a story about his life.
1. For non-fiction audio books I generally prefer titles that are read by the author. But some authors have voices or speaking styles that are difficult to listen to, so there are exceptions to this rule.
2. For me, unabridged audiobooks, read by the author, are the gold standard. The audio book has to be available on audible.com. There should be supplementary material available for download in cases where it would be inappropriate to include it in audio format (for example, if your book contains lots of pictures, charts, or lists). The downloadable audio book should be indexed by chapter. So for audible in my player you can skip back and forth by chapter. Some audiobooks just set an arbitrary interval for skipping and this really sucks as you then land in the middle of who knows where.
3. Identical as much as possible. Like if the printed book has extensive charts, graphics etc then obviously this won’t be possible (although as mentioned you can create a supplementary pdf or something to include with the audiobook)
4. Reading tedious lists of, for example, URLs to references online. Downloadble audiobooks that don’t index their audio by chapter (as mentioned above). Overly pompous British narration (I love the British accent, so I don’t mean that British accents in general are bad) :)
I cannot stress enough how important that the book be unabridged. I WILL NOT PURCHASE ABRIDGED AUDIO.
Examples of really well-done author-read non-fiction books are David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” and “Making It All Work” and Richard Dawkins’ “The Greatest Show on Earth”.
Dawkins really seems to care about these audio books, you can tell that he puts a lot of personal attention into them. In order to save himself from reading the whole thing, he splits the book between himself and a female narrator and this works fine. He will even interject during her readings for specific sentences that obviously mean something personal to him. Well done.
1.Yes.
2.Voice of the author. narration with diffrent voices where needed.
3.Yes – At least very close, no less.
4.Many people’s voices.
1. I prefer a professional reader take the book. As an example the books Narrated by Don Leslie. And see then Robert Greene’s narration of his latest book. it is not BAD but it does seem to drag on in places.
2. an engaging narration keeps the attention.
3. Footnotes – and other reference material can be hard to insert without interrupting the flow. Abridgement should be possible with the Authors approval of the content.
4. In general – music in an audiobook is an annoyance.
1. Motivational material should be read by the author. Nonfiction and fiction should be read by a voice trained author. Messages/Intros written in the “writer’s voice” should be read by the author. Stephen King and Ray Bradbury may be incredible, but they are not actors. Stick with what you know.
2. The reader must have the ability to immediately immerse the listener into the story. This has to do with stage presence. Either you have it, or you don’t. This is what makes Patrick Stewart and Gregory Peck great voice actors.
3. My rule of thumb is that as long as the intent of the author isn’t changed, little things can slip by. The reversing of “said he” and “he said” for example. Raphael Sabatini changes back and forth arbitrarily all the time.
4. Mispronounced words; and the reader clearly not understanding the material. Anyone can make sounds while reading words. Audiobooks should be a production, not a lecture.
Hi.
It’s not important for me for the book to be read by the author himself. Professional voice over artistes usually have a much better command over their reading than the authors might. They know how to pace the reading, they give proper expressions especially at punctuations. Most of the times they have more pleasant voices which can become important if you have to listen to the audio for long durations.
Some audio books I have found are way too fast. Doesn’t give me enough time to absorb or reflect. Can’t say exactly why but a nicely paced reading seems to be important.
For me personally it is important for the audio book to be exactly the same as the printed book. But for some I guess just the highlights might be enough.
Annoyances… well some audio books are one long continuous reading. Since a lot of people listen to audio, even music on their computers and phones nowadays, it’s important for the files to be broken into small segments, maybe by chapter or subheadings.
Some audio books use professional voices, but they are very hard tone wise and might not be better suited for long listening.
Any chances for the audiobook?
While I’m at it:
1. I consider it a plus, provided that the author is up to the task.
2. Good pronunciation (I mostly read english material and I am not a native speaker), right emphasis, voice differentiation (or use of different voices) when needed.
3. Definitely important, I do not settle for abridged releases.
4. Lack of emphasis
I am curious if an audiobook was made? I am currently reading this book and would be very interested in purchasing the audiobook.
Thanks!
Hi Danelle: thanks for asking. No audiobook was made. I pursued it for awhile with O’Reilly Media, the book’s publisher, but it never happened.
You can find a few different presentations I’ve given based on the book:
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhA04D_xfp8]
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwVLbg1EfCI]
Thanks for the reply! I am almost through your book and it is great!! I definitely would have bought the audiobook had it been made!
One more quick question for you! I am needing to interview a presenter for my college communications course and would love to interview you. Your book has changed the way I present! Would this be a possibility? Let me know!! Thanks!
Danelle