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New media = new methods for a growing industry. Audiobook publishing is booming, with Audio Publishers Association statistics noting

6 million more audiobooks were sold in 2012 than were sold in 2011, representing a 13.5% increase in revenue reported by the publishers who shared data for both 2011 and 2012. The sales growth can be attributed in part to the fact that the total number of titles published in 2012 in the audio format has nearly doubled year over year. The format is thriving with the widest selection of titles ever available—13,255 titles were published as audiobooks in 2012, up from 7,237 the previous year. Publishers continue to increase their output to ensure that the most popular trade titles are released simultaneously in print and audio formats.

Even the Wall Street Journal is sitting up and taking note, in The New Explosion in Audio Books: How They Re-emerged as a Rare Bright Spot in the Publishing Business. 

As media combine into transmedia formats blending text, visuals, and audio there’s a growing need for trained voices and technical experts. There have long been audiobook narrator workshops, led by industry experts such as Pat Fraley, Johnny Heller, Robin Miles, Paul Ruben & Bettye Seitz. In response to this growing need for audiobook artists and technical gurus, Bob & Debra Deyan have announced the creation of the Deyan Institute of Vocal Artistry and Technology, a campus environment where, according to the Institute’s press release,

This believed to be the first of its kind worldwide… Institute’s initial lineup of courses includes introductory intensives and master classes for audiobook narrators, specialized courses for voiceover artists, as well as technical courses on production and post-production for both voice actors competing in the ever-increasing self-recording market and audio engineers alike. Deyan Institute instructors are each acclaimed experts in their respective areas of specialty.

I featured the Deyans in my “Voicing a Cause” blog post after the Audio Publishers Association honored the pair with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. For over 20 years, Bob has been dedicated to creating great audios, in partnership with his wife Debra. But the couple has turned their focus to making a positive impact in the world of ALS, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. Now Debra Deyan says,

It’s hard to express how much it means to me to launch this school in honor of my husband, Bob Deyan. Bob is riveted by excellent acting, loves the human voice and particularly the ancient art of storytelling. He spent his life’s work directing actors and preserving the human voice experience for generations to come. It is my vision that Bob’s legacy will live on through Deyan Institute.

Best of luck in your new cause, Bob & Debra!

Mary Fahl shares how audio production can go beyond the narrator behind a mic, by enhancing the experience with an original musical setting, on Random House Audio’s The Wolves of Midwinter. On the American Songwriter blog, Fahl explains that it all started when the singer-songwriter, and long-time Rice fan, gave a copy of her album Love & Gravity to the novelist before it was released. Fahl was flattered to receive a galley copy of Rice’s newest work in return, via her publicist - it was the 

The Wolves of Midwinter with an inscription that read “For Mary Fahl of the supernatural voice…” “Give this to Mary”, Anne said, “Tell her she’s in the book.”  Some discussion followed and it was decided that it would be a great idea for me to write a song for the audiobook version of the novel.

In Fahl’s blog post, she shares exactly how she met this challenge:

Random House needed the recording in less than two weeks, and with my already packed schedule, I was left with a little more than 6 days to write, arrange, record, mix and master the song. I hadn’t even read the book yet.  As you might imagine, nausea ensued, but I had already committed to the project, and not being one to back out of a promise, I plunged in.

Audiobooks can be magical when the publishers provide a soundscape that enhances and extends the author’s text. Whether it’s the inspired casting of the perfect narrator, or the care involved in crafting a soundscape that includes music or sound effects,  listeners know that production preparation = audiobook awesomeness.

Give a listen to Fahl’s theme song below, and read the whole blog post here: http://www.americansongwriter.com/2014/02/songwriter-u-guest-blog-mary-fahl-approached-anne-rice-write-theme-song-exiles-wolves-midwinter-new-audiobook/

Pat Fraley, audio narrator guru guide, is today’s guest in an Audiobooker series that reveals just how those voices in your head learn the skills that lead to audiobook excellence. We’ve heard from audio producer/director Paul Ruben and narrator Johnny Heller. Next Wednesday, audio legend Bettye Zoller will add her perspective. Patrick Fraley has been teaching, producing and performing audiobooks for about 20 years, and is a multiple Audie Award nominee and winner. His instruction and demo direction have guided more performers into book deals than anyone in the history of the audiobook industry. Here are the details:

Who is the audience for your workshops?
Okay, before I attempt to answer your question, know that my business adviser, Kristine Oller, told me that I am not allowed to call them “workshops” any longer. I call them, “events.” The difference is that in my events, I teach with other teachers, like Scott Brick, and allow more interaction with the participants. That way, every event is different. They are rather like a fungus: they have a life of their own.
Now to your question: the events are for those who want to advance their audiobook storytelling and dialogue skills. The participants are made up of working narrators or performers in other areas, and those who should be working. I approve all who want in so I know they are comfortable with the rigors of the events.

Why do you have the expertise to conduct the sessions?
That’s the first time I’ve ever had that question asked. I just plain don’t now why I have the expertise. I have hunches on how I got the skills to teach. Mainly, a gift from God, and totally undeserved. Also, when I was a young man I trained to be an actor, and have taught and performed for 40 years. That helped.

What range of previous training do you find in participants?
All over the place. Some have not trained much, and like me, are just plain talented. Others have trained as actors, singers, in improv and the like. The other bunch who are trained are interesting: Doctors, Firemen, Lawyers, Plumbers, Ex-Military. They apply their knowledge and training from one discipline to another. You get really interesting metaphors from people who spent a career on submarines or changing out cistern bowl floats.

What skills do you focus on and why will this knowledge advance a participant’s career in audiobooks?
I don’t teach how to advance a “career.” A career is a whole bunch of the same kinds of jobs in a row. I teach techniques, which get the narrator more skillful at storytelling, and doing subtle changes to their voices and hearts to populate a book with the necessary characters as needful. Also, I guide some of my students into how getting their first job, and then, go about another job. For my students who are already working, I try to get them a wee bit better.

How does the changing world of audiobook creation – digital technology, home studios, economics – impact the focus of your workshops?
Digital technology and specifically the advent of Downloadable Audiobook Editions have opened the floodgates to books being recorded. This means that all kinds of books need all kinds of skilled narrators. Old, young, black, white, fuchsia. It is my job to focus my students on realizing their personal style, and assist them in finding where the welcome mat is out for their set of skills and style.
Digital sound, both in recording and how people listen to the sound, demands subtle performance in many of the book styles and genres (slap me if I say “genre” again. I could have said, “categories,” but it’s French, and makes me sound so…you know).
Economics play a primary role for narrators who may now purchase home recording equipment at a reasonable cost. I guide them into getting the right equipment or usually connect them with the many who are much more knowledgeable than I.

Are there any other fun and interesting facts about narrator training that you’d like to share?
Well, I don’t know how fun this is. More like a mini-rant. Narrating is reading aloud. Most all who seek training have done this all their lives. It’s not rocket surgery. Compared to most all other areas of performance, it’s simple. Those that make it complex are those who want to hold “the keys to the kingdom.” I believe in encouraging performers to get going, get work and get better as they narrate their first audiobook project. The hard part, that no one can teach, is what it’s like spending 20+ hours in a closet recording “90 Days to a Better Prostate.” It ain’t all Hemingway.

Do you have any upcoming sessions? How can an interested person register?
Upcoming sessions? I have more lined up than Justin Bieber appearances. I do have free audiobook narration lessons at my website, patfraley.com. Look for my “Free “ page. Also, at my “Learn” page, there is information on where and what I plan on teaching next. All scheduled around Justin’s appearances, by the way. I have my priorities.

Thanks so much, Pat – plus thank you for your great free resources. And for those of you who want to see and hear examples of the narrators Pat deems solid examples of stellar storytelling, watch and listen to the clips in this 9 minute video – a virtual primer on what to listen for in audio evaluation!

Watch & listen to VH1′s “Mob Wives” star in the recording booth as she narrates her autobiography Mob Daughter. I love seeing the director & engineer at work, and hearing a tough chapter and the emotional reactions  that won’t make it into the final polished recording. Karen, daughter of Sammy ‘the Bull’ Gravano, was nineteen years old when her father turned his back on the mob and cooperated with the Feds. Listen here as she describes the day her father revealed his decision.

Reflections by Weston Woods/Scholastic Audio producer on changes in audiobook creation. I asked five industry pros about the shift from studio production teams to solo narrators recording in home studios for my January “Voices in My Head” column in Booklist. Their answers are so thoughtful that I want to share every word with you, before the column with their abridged remarks appears next month. You’ll hear from all five – Gagne, Tavia Gilbert, Johnny Heller, Barbara Rosenblat, and Paul Ruben - one each week in alphabetical order. Today I’m hosting a man whose work has been recognized in so many ways, including Odyssey Award Honors, in his 30+ years in the industry. It’s interesting to compare Paul Gagne’s remarks below with an interview here on Audiobooker from 2009 that also includes an adorable audio interview with Mo Willems & daughter Trixie.

PG: I think that publishers are continuing to feel the long-term effects of a weakened economy, combined with the market shift from physical audio CDs to digital formats.  With the consumer price of a digital copy generally being less than that of a physical CD, a publisher needs to sell more copies to net the same profit.  So there’s an ongoing concern with reducing production costs, and a good narrator who can offer one-stop shopping by doing their own recording and editing can give the publisher significant savings in the cost per finished hour.

PG: I’m very old-school in believing that an actor, a director and a sound engineer in a good studio all bring something vital to the table in any audiobook production, and that each of their contributions affects the performance and the overall sound quality of the finished recording.  I think it’s critical to have an actor who can give a solid reading, a director to listen intently and offer coaching and suggestions to draw the best performance out of the actor, and an engineer monitoring the technical quality, flagging character voices to easily play a line back if a reference is needed for consistency, and carefully checking the actor’s spoken words against the script for accuracy.  I’m very much aware of the trend toward working with narrators in their home studios, but I’ve been very reluctant to go there, and will probably only do so kicking and screaming.  For one thing, I think that the recording quality is likely to fluctuate from narrator to narrator depending on the equipment they have and the effectiveness of whatever soundproofing they have installed in their home studios.  More importantly, I don’t want my casting choices limited to only those actors who have home studios — I want to be able to cast the best reader for a given book from the full pool of available talent, period.

To answer the second part of your quest

Jane Lynch: my new BFF! Heartfelt audiobook memoir as perfect girl-talk car commute companion. The power of hearing the author sharing every detail of life’s happy accidents? You’ll be driving around the block to spend more time with Jane, as you bond together over her acting insecurities, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and critical success. Happy Accidents is pure listening perfection, inviting you to lean forward with tears in your eyes as Jane shares the letter she wrote to her parents explaining that she is gay, while the next moment you’ll throw your head back in hysterical laughter at the description of life’s crazy relationships. I must admit that I have one CD of this audiobook unheard and can hardly bring myself to listen  – I just don’t want my time with Jane to be over!

I wish that I could have both Jane & my other audio BFF, Lisa Scottoline, in the car at the same time. I think I’ll work on a “If you liked Scottoline’s Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog, you’ll like…” listen-alike compliation, with Happy Accidents the first on the list.  I had the honor of speaking with Lisa, her daughter Francesca Scottoline Serritella, and children & YA author Gary Paulsen about their experiences recording their own memoirs in my Voices in My Head column My Life, My Words, My Voice. If you’re interested in how authors react to reading the story of their lives, check it out. I’ll bet the experience is different for actors who record their memoirs. Perhaps I can try to give my new BFF Jane a call to see exactly what she thought about her time in the audiobook studio. Or maybe I’ll just have to settle for watching the in-studio interview that publisher Harper Audio did with Jane! In the video below, Jane gives you some background on how & why she wrote Happy Accidents. And if you haven’t seen Jane and Lara’s It Gets Better video, watch it as well. Now do yourself a favor – go get a copy of the audiobook for yourself & listen

Booklist Voice of Choice Katherine Kellgren is back as the irrepressible Jacky in L.A. Meyer’s Mark of the Golden Dragon, reprising the role that has garnered multiple Odyssey Honors for Listen & Live Audio. I love to see narrators in the recording booth – the acting doesn’t stop with the voice. You can see in the video below that Katy’s facial expressions and body language help the listener hear the character. If you haven’t experienced an audiobook narrated by the lovely Ms. Kellgren, you simply must. Learn more about her here and here, or keep up with what’s new by checking out Katy’s Twitter account.

Report on  The Name of the Star, the newest from Johnson, as recorded by Barber in the Brilliance Audio studios, featured in this post by Sarah Debraski on “The Hub,” YALSA’s literature blog.  I especially liked Debraski’s observations on being inside the audiobook studio:

There were really so many interesting things I learned about audiobooks, including:

Unlike filming a movie, recorded books are typically read beginning to end, completely in order.

Brilliance Audio uses the traditional “three legged stool” approach to recording–using a narrator, an engineer, and a director to create the recording.  The engineer and director both listen, but for different things.  The engineer is listening for sound quality (and indeed, twice, the engineer stopped the recording to go adjust a buzzing light that only he could hear), while the director is listening to ensure “fidelity to the book.”

They recorded using a common style called “punch in.”  In the punch in style the narrator, when she would make an error, would simply pause.  The engineer would play back the beginning of the sentence and she would just jump right into it, without having to start all over again.  It’s not like doing takes of a movie.  I was pretty amazed that they were able to do this without discussion about starting from where or when, they just did it.

Apparently it is exceptionally difficult to find an actor or actress who can truly convincingly go back and forth between an American and British character (which this narrator could do.)

A good standard ratio for a reader is 2:1, which means 2 hours of reading to get 1 hour finished product.  (They said that the narrator we saw was more like 1.25:1.)

Once the reading is done the production studio (which is where we were) does not have much more to do to the product.  It gets sent to the publishing company studios for finishing, which includes things like adding any music and credits.

A special fascinating tidbit for librarians:An audio recording of a book gets seven unique ISBNs for all the different formats!

Thanks for the report, Sarah! Can’t wait to listen

An insider’s look at Odyssey-winner The True Meaning of Smekday. I had the opportunity to talk with one of the very best in the audiobook business, Random House Audio’s director of studio productions Dan Musselman, after the 2011 Odyssey Award winners were announced by the American Library Association. The task of Sarah McCarville’s Odyssey committee of expert listeners was to choose ONE best audiobook out of all the titles produced for children from birth up to & including age 18. After narrowing the field to 429 (!) eligible titles, they selected Musselman’s Random House Audio/Listening Library production of The True Meaning of Smekday, written by Adam Rex and narrated by Bahni Turpin, as the winner.  I was thrilled to hear the announcement of the winner, as Smekday is on my list of all-time favorite audiobooks (as you can tell from my starred review review here). So I was curious to hear what Dan – who has produced over 3,000 audiobooks in his career – would share about his reaction to the Odyssey Award. Read the whole interview here for a fascinating look inside the audiobook studio.

If you’re looking for a great family listening audiobook for your Spring Break car trip, get you hands on Smekday. You’ll laugh your way down the highway – and have some food for thought to trigger thoughtful conversation. And be sure you have all the Odyssey titles in your library collection, including this year’s Odyssey Honor titles:  Revolution, which Musselman coproduced with Orli Moscowitz, Alchemy and Meggy Swann (both from Listening Library), and Brilliance Audio’s The Knife of Never Letting Go and Will Grayson, Will Grayson.

A non-fiction audiobook with tips and guidance for young writers, in a light-hearted duet recording by authors Anne Mazer & Ellen Potter. Watch this sneak peek into the recording of Spilling Ink, from Full Cast Audio:

I seem to be on a video kick this week! But I love to see & hear what goes on inside the audiobook studio. And Full Cast Audio does such a great job documenting the production of their titles. I am really excited to add a non-fiction title to the that all-too-small section in the audio section in my middle school library. I can’t think of any other how-to audiobook for young listeners – this young writer’s handbook may be the first of its kind!

We were off to the Land of Oz at ALA Annual, thanks to the wizardry of Random House Audio & OverDrive Media. Readers young and old, famous and not so much, took part in the community-sourced recording of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – watch the video to see the recording in action. Or check out the Flickr collection of photos here. Keir Graff shared his experience sharing the mic with Cory Doctorow (and 299 others) on this Likely Stories post. It’s almost time for the curtain to be pulled from the finished recording, so I’ve asked Random House’s Katherine Fleming to stop by and fill us in on the project. So, Katherine…

What’s on your MP3 player?

I’ve been listening to clips from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz—I can’t believe how great all our volunteer narrators sound!

Tell us about your role in the audiobook community.

My usual job is in publicity at Random House Audio/Listening Library, but for Lend Your Voice I put on my producer hat for the weekend and ran the recording in addition to getting the word out about the project—I have to say, it was fun being “in the studio” with all the participants.  We all had a great time laughing at the outtakes and meeting our favorite authors throughout the whole process.

What was your most interesting/embarrassing/hilarious moment in the audiobook studio?

I loved hearing everyone’s fantastic character voices—all the readers got really into it!  We had some great voices. I must say having Audiobooker stop into the studio was a highlight of the event – just listen to Mary Burkey reading page 220.

What’s new and exciting in your part of the audiobook community?

Lend Your Voice was a really unique project—we’re not aware that anything like it has been done before.  We ended up with 301 total narrators for the audiobook!  We at Random House/Listening Library wanted to get out there and connect with our listeners and have them participate in a recording themselves to see what it is like in the studio.  We decided to release it as a digital exclusive to draw some extra attention to downloadable audiobooks, they really are great to take on the go and many people haven’t tried them (Did you know many libraries also offer digital audiobooks? check with your local library!).

The recording was a resounding success, featuring voices from Lillian Imhoff, age 6 (the youngest participant) to narrators from Canada, England, Wales, Belgium, Germany, Argentina and South Africa, to Newbery Medal winner Rebecca Stead (When You Reach Me).Many

Full Cast Audio founder Coville and fantasy author Tamora Pierce made audiobook history when they collaborated on audiobook original Melting Stones, the first time an author’s work was completed and released as an audiobook before the publication of the print edition. Pierce directed the audiobook, and both she and her husband voiced characters in the fully cast recording – as did Bruce Coville and 19 other members of the Full Cast ensemble. This example of full participation by author in the creation of an audiobook is not unusual at Full Cast. Collegial collaboration is the standard at this company formed by prolific author Bruce Coville partially as a response to audiobook productions of his own works that did not meet his expectations. He’s succeeded so well that  the Full Cast studios resemble family reunions – authors returning with each new book, often stepping in front of the mic accompanied by spouse or child. You can get a glimpse of the process in any of the terrific videos posted on Full Cast Audio’s YouTube channel, featuring great behind the scenes looks at recording sessions such as that of Coville’s new book The Last Hunt above. Today I’ve asked Bruce & Tammy to share a look Inside the Audiobook Studio with us by answering my Five Questions:

What’s on your MP3 player?

Tammy: I’ve been listening recently to Celtic rock, specifically Heather Dale‘s “One of Us” and “Mordred’s Lullaby” (gave me goosebumps!), and Steeleye Span‘s beautiful “The Wife of Usher’s Well”. “Wife” is a variant on the Goddess story in which a woman calls up a world-ending storm if her three sons, who have gone off and not returned, do not come home. They return, but they tell her that at dawn they have to go, because they’re dead and have to report to heaven. Steeleye Span gives is a passionate treatment, with Maddy Prior’s soaring voice conveying the kind of power a woman can have to raise that kind of story. Dale has the same power in “Mordred’s Lullaby,” the kind of song a woman bent on the destruction of a kingdom might sing to the baby who will achieve that for her as a man. “One of Us” is about a girl who sees a lady knight in the fields of chivalry just as she was about to give up her dream, and realizes that if this woman can do it, she can, too. Since I have lived my whole life on this principle, this song, which I just discovered, moves me deeply.

Bruce: You’re go

From Random House Audio:

A. E. Hotchner first met Paul Newman in 1956 when the then relatively unknown actor assumed the lead role in Hotchner’s first television play, based on an Ernest Hemingway story. The project elevated both men from relative obscurity to recognition, and began a close and trusting friendship that lasted until Newman’s death in 2008.

In A Friendship, Hotchner presents a complicated, unpredictable, fun-loving, talented man, and takes the reader along on their adventures. The pair traveled extensively, skippered a succession of bizarre boats, confounded the business world, scored triumphs on the stage, and sustained their friendship through good times and bad. Most notably, they started Newman’s Own as a prank and watched it morph into a major enterprise that has given its $260 million in profit to charities including the Hole in the Wall Camps worldwide, dedicated to helping thousands of children with life-threatening illnesses.

A Friendship is the story of an unusual bond and a tribute to the acclaimed actor who gave to the world as much as the world gave him.

See the magic of audiobook editing in this video from Robert Nichol AudioProductions in London, working on a Random House recording of The Captive Queen by Alison Weir, read by Adjoa Andoh. Here’s a description of the action:

After recording all audiobooks go through an edit stage, this can take 4 to 5 hours to create one 77 minute CD.
This then gets ‘proofed’ -listened to by the producer and any changes are noted and then handed back to the studio befor the mastering stage. Only then does it go to duplication ready for retail.
A lot of hard work behind the scenes.

Thanks to Twitter pal @AliMuirden for the link!

Publisher and Director of Hachette Audiobooks, Anthony Goff has had his finger on the play button of many titles nominated for recognition at the Audies Award ceremony. But Goff doesn’t keep his enthusiasm for the audiobook publishing field contained at the office. He’s the immediate past President of the Audio Publishers Association, and currently serves on the APA Board of Directors along with last week’s “Inside the Audiobook Studio” guest Michele Cobb. Michele, who is also a past President of APA, and Anthony are two of the audiobook community’s most articulate advocates, and it is an honor to have had them both as guests!

I decided to invite Anthony to be our guest here on “Inside the Audiobook Studio” when I read the New York Times story on Hachette’s Dickensian serialized podcast release on iTunes  of Transition by Iain M. Banks, as an abridgment divided into 23 episodes. These free episodes served as a novel  promotion for the full-length audiobook release – and I love seeing great ways to introduce audiobooks to new listeners. Let’s hear what else Anthony has to share with us here in the interview seat…

1.    What’s on your MP3 player?
Right now I am listening to NurtureShock by NYT Bestselling author Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, read by Po Bronson. He’s an amazing writer and fantastic narrator of his own works. It’s a timeless classic in my eyes that is the parenting book for those who don’t have time to read parenting books. Some great hot topics touched upon are the chapters “Inverse Power of Praise” (which Po and Ashley used to headline an award-winning piece in New York Magazine “Children and Race”) and “Why Kids Lie,” why even some from the best of upbringings end up aggressive, if not outright cruel…Fascinating stuff. I just finished listening to End the Fed by Ron Paul: talk about controversial, timely, and from the heart…In queue is Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, now available as an unabridged audiobook for the first time featuring narration by author David Foster Wallace, and the multi-cast of the film, including Director John Krasinski. Saw the just-released movie and some of the scenes actually (in my unbiased view) were better acted on our audiobook! ; )

2.    Tell us about your role in the audiobook community.
I’m so happy to be involved in such a passionate community. Yes, everyone has multiple job functions, but everyone cares so much about the format that going home feeling worn out many days is merely a sign that we continue to wage the battle of growing the audience while putting out the highest quality audio recordings to hook new fans. The work NEVER ends, but neither do the

Winner of the first Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production, Arnie Cardillo of Live Oak Media is a meticulous craftsman of children’s audiobooks and readalongs. I had the pleasure of interviewing Arnie for Booklist after he won the Odyssey for Jazz, written by Walter Dean Myers and illustrated by Christopher Myers – you can read here his description of the process of creating original musical pieces to underlay the sung & spoken narration of each poem in the Myers’ journey through the history of jazz. Let’s hear what Arnie has to say in response to my weekly Inside the Audiobook Studio questions…

1. What’s on your MP3 player?

MP3 Player?  I prefer listening to CDs, not downloads (and I’ll tell you why later on).  But did go to see David Sedaris, on the first night of his fall tour, and got to hear him read some of his new material. Not the greatest voice, but an incredible reader and storyteller; and someone who is deeply committed to the spoken word.  His delivery and pacing are impeccable; and, when you are listening to him read his stories, the stories themselves transcend his vocal qualities, and he transports you into the stories themselves, into his genius.

2.  Tell us about your role in the audiobook community.

When I’m wearing my production hat, I’m responsible for finding the right books, (a ongoing process that I share with my editor in CHIEF and wife, Debra) obtaining audio rights, drawing up contracts, researching information in text to make sure recording or facts are authentic (and solicit the aid of the author when appropriate or necessary), spotting the book with my engineer and composers to plan out the production (places music will appear, type of music and instrumentation that will provide the appropriate emotional support to the reading, places where sound effects should be used and placed so that the text/words make a greater impact and imprint on the early readers memory and mind), hire narrator(s) and musicians, work with narrators at the voiceover sessions, working on final mix of all audio elements and components with the engineer to make sure production sounds the way we want it.  Boy I should give myself a raise…but really, productions are a collaboration with many talented artists, and my main purpose is to make sure it all get done, and of course, pay everyone!

3. What was your most interesting/embarrassing/hilarious moment in the audiobook studio?

Many hilarious moments at the voiceover sessions—and what language comes out of these actors.  But the funniest narrator we’ve ever worked with is John Beach (titles he recorded for us include Punctuation Takes a Vacation, Mystery On the Docks, Art Dog, Moo Cow Kaboom, the Grandpa Spanielson series).   It’s like he channels voices that come out of nowhere.  During a recent recording session for Grandpa Spanielson #3 The Shrunken Head, we were trying to find the right voice for the rotund Queen of the Headhunter pooch tribe, and all of a sudden he comes out with an impersonation of James Mason!  He is so spontaneous, and every session with him is an adventure into hysterics.  By the way, Barbara Caruso’s reading of the Minnie and Moo series, and her characterizations of the Lucy and Ethel of the Bovine world, is another non-stop, laugh out loud fun-filled experience.

4. What future trends or changing perceptions or technologies do you think will have the greatest/worst/revolutionary impact on the audiobook production field?

OK, here is the answer I was referring to at the beginning of question one.  In a nutshell, I think downloaded audio sounds horrible.  It’s thin, hollow-sounding, and lifeless.  Call me a throwback to an ancient time, but I still love listening to vinyl, and loved the introduction of the CD because of dynamic range that it lent to sound and the total lack of recording (white) noise that used to be introduced in the recording process and was ever-present on cassettes.  All of the good sonic qualities, like a warm, full and life-like sound that we heard on vinyl and CDs, has been squeezed out of the digital download sound quality.  It’s like taking all of the healthy, nutritious, and vitamin rich contents of whole wheat and making Wonder Bread.  It’s processed sound, if sound is an appropriate word for it.  Maybe technology will correct its own sonic shortcomings in time, but right now, I consider digital download sound a giant step backwards.

5. What’s new and exciting in your part of the audiobook community?

Our plan is to add more video clips to our website, so that avid audio listeners and fans can “peak in” on the recording/production process and get to see what a recording or mixing session looks like.  And, by the way, you have to listen to what the reigning queen of audiobook narration, Barbara Rosenblat,  did on our recent production of Kate DeCamillo’s and Harry Bliss’ picture book, Louise: The Adventures of a Chicken.  She dances gingerly between the voices of French chickens, Pirates, circus performers, Mid-Eastern fortune-sellers, etc., all with a clever tongue-in-cheek flair, to make for a truly enjoyable audiobook experience.

Thanks so much for being here as our guest, Arnie! I am looking forward to the new releases from Live Oak – especially This Jazz Man, Karen Ehrhardt’s clever play on the finger-play chant “This Old Man,”  retooled to introduce nine jazz masters. Sure to be another great title in the Live Oak “Music Makers” collection. And check out Arnie & Debra Cardillo’s great Behind the Scenes interviews on their website!

These  fantastic videos show the recording of  YA novel Once Was Lost, with great interviews and on-location footage. The multi-talented Sara Zarr not only writes terrific titles such as her National Book Award finalist The Story of a Girl, she also narrates her own audiobooks, as she did for Sweethearts, The Story of a Girl, and the upcoming Once Was Lost. Plus now she can add videographer to her list of accomplishments! Thanks for allowing us to join you inside the audiobook studio, Sara, and for giving us permission to post your awesome productions.

Exclusive video and audio clips and an interview with Director Dan Zitt  – what a great visit inside the recording of Walter Dean Myers’ Riot. Listen to this clip <http://www.box.net/shared/pmv54l2l13> of the audiobook released today by Listening Library, and be sure to watch the video at the bottom of the post where you’ll  really be inside the studio with members of the Anthony Morgan Choir. Here’s a photo of Riot author Walter Dean Myers, winner of multiple literary awards, with today’s Inside the Audiobook Studio guest, the astonishingly talented Dan Zitt on the right.

Dan, please take a seat in the interview chair and let’s get started…

1.    What’s on your MP3 player?
I usually have three or four audiobooks in my iPod at one time, and I listen to parts of each depending on the mood I am in.  That being said, I am wrapping up an audiobook by Luanne Johnson titled Muchacho.   Ozzie Rodriguez is perfectly cast as the juvenile delinquent Eddie Corazon. Louanne Johnson’s characters are so authentic, and Rodriguez doesn’t need to do much to enhance the story.   A minute into the audio you believe that Rodriguez is Eddie Corazon, and as an audiobook producer, that is what we always aim for.   The book is also topical for today’s teens. It covers immigration and drugs, and more importantly, self esteem, which is a major issue with teens today. It is an audiobook that I am going to pass on to all of my teacher friends.  I am also listening to Jim Dale’s recording of Alice in Wonderland.  I loved hearing it in the studio, but to go back and listen to his performance again brings me right back to my childhood.

2.    Tell us about your role in the audiobook community.
I am the Director of Master Recording for the Random House Audio Publishing Group, which essentially means that my team is responsible for the production of every recording that Random House Audio and Listening Library produce. I have been producing audiobooks for thirteen years, and I have probably produced over 750 or so audiobooks in that time.
I have always considered my job as a Producer to be about collaboration. Who better to discuss what the author had in mind than the author? From the moment that I receive a manuscript from our editorial director, the collaboration begins. I have often said that there is one voice for every book, and I spend a lot of time with our authors trying to find that one voice. I also spend a lot of time picking the brains of talent agents who are always willing to help us find new performers. There isn’t a cookie cutter approach to casting here, and that is why Listening Library and Random House has been so successful over the years. Sometimes it is more than one voice. Sometimes it’s finding the right music to sprinkle in. Either way, every book we work on has a voice, and we do our best to help find that voice. After we’ve found what we are looking for, it is off to the studio.  Our collaboration doesn’t stop there. We talk with our authors about pronunciations if we need to, and we even invite them into the studio if it is convenient. The more creative voices in our process, the better.

3.    What was your most interesting/embarrassing/hilarious moment in the audiobook studio?
Wow, I have had so many interesting experiences in the studio over the years.   I’ve had the chance to work with former Presidents, Oscar winners, Icons and wonderfully talented actors and authors, so picking just one is so hard. I would have to say that casting, producing, and working with Walter Dean Myers on our full cast recording of his book Monster was by far the most interesting. I spent about two months casting that book and probably saw about a hundred actors or so to fill all of the roles. In the end, I found the main characters voice in a boy who had never acted before. The minute that I heard this boy’s voice I looked at my director and said, “that’s him.” There is nothing like finding the perfect voice for an audiobook, and in that case, I can honestly say that it was perfect.   The one thing I learned that day is that you will sometimes find talent in the most unlikely of places. In the end, the recording was one of the most amazing experiences of my career. We had 17 actors in big studio reading for all different types of characters, and the experience of being alongside all of these talented people made it the perfect audiobook production to me.

4.     What future trends or changing perceptions or technologies do you think will have the greatest/worst/revolutionary impact on the audiobook production field?
I think that casting trends relative to awards have taken over the industry in a negative way. If an actor wins a few cheers from the audiobook community, producers are casting (or should I say miscasting) them solely on these accolades. I think it is a terrible approach to producing audiobooks. If you are the trendy narrator one year, you seem to get ten gigs the following year based solely on that trend. It takes all of the thinking out of the casting process and quite frankly it can take the heart out of a production, regardless of how well that trendy narrator narrates the program. Authors and their audiobooks deserve more attention than that from producers. That’s not to say that good narrators shouldn’t be hired over and over again. It simply means that producers are taking the easy way out with their casting. Awards are nice, but trendy narrators change, and producers are doing these books a disservice by casting the flavor of the month.

5.    What’s new and exciting in your part of the audiobook community?
I have just completed a full cast recording of Walter Dean Myers’ new book Riot. This book takes place during the draft riots of 1863. We’ve cast twenty or so actors to perform the various roles in this book, and sprinkled in some music and sound effects. It is the most dramatic audiobook listening experience that I have ever had. We spent a significant amount of time casting this audio which has 60+ roles ranging from ages ten to sixty.  The characters are so diverse that we were really challenged throughout the production process. We had to cast Irish immigrants, soldiers, and children of all backgrounds. We also have some members of the world famous Anthony Morgan Choir who were good enough to come into the studio and sing a song during one of the most important parts of the book. When I listened to it (for the third time) I could see the guns going off in my mind, I could feel the fear of the children in an orphanage, I could smell the smoke of the burning buildings. It is an amazing experience.
The other thing that I am really excited about is our recording of the classic Jack London novel, Call of the Wild. We just cast Jeff Daniels to narrate this book, and we really think that it is going to be amazing. I am also working on an audio only project with author and narrator Ron McLarty.

Thanks so much for being here for our weekly look inside the audiobook studio, Dan, and sharing the exclusive first sneak peeks at your production of Riot! This video gives a real feel for what it’s like to be part of the recording session with the Anthony Morgan Choir:

I hope you’re enjoying meeting members of the audiobook community here every Wednesday. The whole idea for “Inside the Audiobook Studio” was triggered by a great event hosted by Brilliance Audio at their studio in Grand Haven, MI. Tim Ditlow, Brilliance VP & Young Adult and Children’s Acquisition Editor, invited a few audiobook aficionados to tour the studio and chat with production staff, narrators, directors, engineers, and art directors. We even ended up at Cindy Dobrez’s home for a wonderful dinner and more audiobook-themed conversation. I was thrilled to meet Amy Huntley, author of The Everafter, along with Tavia Gilbert, narrator of Amy’s debut novel, and Josh Adams, Amy’s literary agent. It was so fascinating to visit the studio & talk to those who create great audiobooks, I had to find a way to allow you a peek into the process. So I asked Amy & Josh to take a seat here “Inside the Audiobook Studio” to share their roles in producing an audiobook. Plus, Amy will appear as the Audiobooker guest blogger on Friday, sharing her thoughts on audiobooks from her perspective as a veteran high school English teacher. Here’s a picture of Amy hearing her novel as an audiobook for the first time; you can listen along to a sample here:

© Jamie Georges, 2009

Amy & Josh, tell us…

1.    What’s on your MP3 player?

Amy: I confess I listen to audiobooks on CD. My iPod is loaded with music to write by. As for audiobooks….I just started Labyrinth by Kate Mosse.  I love books that tie the past and the present together, and if they involve archeology and the sense that the past is somehow being unburied—all the better. This one does all that.  But since I’ve just gotten started I can’t pass judgment on it yet. I’ve also been listening to Focus on the Family Theatre’s versions of The Chronicles of Narnia. They’re excellent full cast radio show versions of the stories. My daughter and I just stretch out on the floor in the living room and listen to them. It’s sort of like getting to live in the 1930’s and 40’s when families gathered around the radio to share entertainment together!

Josh: We’re just back from our summer vacation, which involved hours of driving, so we listened to The Magic Tree House –a favorite of our 7-year-old daughter–several times. While we primarily listen to audiobooks by Adams Literary authors (we exclusively represent children’s book authors and artists), listening to an audiobook–any audiobook–is always a welcome respite from those times when our 2-and-a-half-year-old has her choice of what we listen to in the car!

2.    Tells us about your role in the audiobook community.

Amy: It’s a funny thing…I play a very small role here. I write the book, and then other people take it pretty much entirely from there. With Brilliance Audio’s version of The Everafter, I was given the right of refusal about the reader of my text. When the studio contacted me to say they thought Tavia Gilbert would make a great reader of my book and asked what I thought, I did a little research on her, listened to her online doing a variety of situations and fell in love with her as the voice for my main character. I think the only other role I play in this process is being conscious when I’m writing of how the language will sound when it’s read aloud.

Josh: My role involves licensing audio rights to audio publishers here in North America, as well as internationally, on behalf of the authors we represent at Adams Literary. This role primarily involves finding the best match for each author’s work, negotiating the advance and terms of the agreement, and assisting with securing the final text to be recorded, as well as with the marketing and publicity of the audiobook edition in conjunction with the book.

3.    What was your most interesting/embarrassing/hilarious moment in the audiobook studio?

Amy: I usually excel at embarrassing myself in public, so I was amazed that I made it through the entire studio visit without self-inflicted humiliation. The most interesting part of my visit, though, was watching the sound editors. To me, language is such an alive thing, so it was fascinating to see the way the sound editors tracked it in spikes and seconds on the computer then fixed missing or hard to hear words. When I’m listening to audio productions, they seem so natural—and yet a lot of work has gone into making them sound that way!

Josh: My recent tour of the audiobook editorial offices, recording studios and production facilities at Brilliance Audio was really eye-opening. It was great to see the care, dedication and passion that goes into each production. There is a true respect for each author’s work, and that’s vitally important to us as literary agents–and, of course, to our authors and artists. We always look for “voice” in the literary works we represent–and it’s both reassuring and inspiring to see the professionals behind the audio production help give life and texture–and a real voice–to our authors’ work. The highlight for me, of course, was listening to some of the recording session of The Everafter by Amy Huntley, meeting the narrator Tavia Gilbert, and seeing the final sound editing of Leaving the Bellweathers by Kristin Clark Venuti, two amazing debut authors we represent. Probably the funniest moment happened after the studio tour, when I was discussing our efforts to bring Alan Katz’s bestselling Silly Dilly books (Take Me Out of the Bathtub, etc.) to audio, and all of a sudden a noted children’s librarian began a rousing and animated rendition of “Stinky Stinky Diaper Change!” We may have to include this librarian in the recording! [Mary’s note: Was this Cindy Dobrez??}

4.    What future trends or changing technologies do you thing will have the greatest/worst impact on the audiobook production field?

Amy: There are an amazing number of formats right now for audiobooks. I think the electronic downloads will eventually win this battle, but I’ll miss going to the bookstore to pick something out. It’s nice to be surrounded by bookstore smells and to pick up an audiobook at the same time I’m picking up a hardcopy of a text. I love that flexibility.

Josh: Certainly all the talk is about “e-everything” and how it’s changing our industry. It’s definitely had an impact, but we’re still in the early stages in children’s publishing, and I’m hopeful these and new technologies will help expand the market for our authors’ books in different formats, rather than replacing formats–specifically physical formats–altogether. I’m interested, too, in how these technologies are not just changing the landscape in retail, but in the school and library markets as well–for example, some libraries around the country are moving to a subscription-type, pay-per-use model that allows simultaneous downloads. One hotly discussed issue recently has been the text-to-speech capability within e-books, which hasn’t been an issue for us, as we don’t grant those rights in our licenses. In the future, I’d expect and hope to see bundling of different editions of a book–for instance a physical book bundled with an e-edition as well as an audio edition–as publishers look to expand the market for different formats, and as authors look to expand their audience.

5.    What’s new and exciting in your part of the audiobook community?

Amy: My debut novel, The Everafter, is coming out as an audiobook. Brilliance audio is the publisher. Since it’s my first novel and my first audiobook, I’m thrilled. I haven’t gotten to hear the whole text yet, though. The narrator has told me about a couple of her favorite spots in the narration, so now I feel a little like a kid staring at a pile of presents waiting to be opened. People are telling me that the stuff inside is great, but I can’t open the gifts yet. The suspense is killing me.

Josh: In addition to the titles I mentioned before, I’m extremely excited about the audio edition of John Claude Bemis’s The Nine Pound Hammer (the first in The Clockwork Dark trilogy), which debuts this week from Random House and Listening Library simultaneously. This is a truly original and imaginative middle-grade fantasy adventure whose mythology is rooted in the legends of John Henry and the Ramblers, and was inspired by John’s love of folk music and stories. John is a musician, and some of his original music is included on the tracks of the audio recording, which really helps to set the mood for the mysterious Southern Gothic, steampunk style of the book.

Thanks so much, Josh & Amy!  Here’s a picture of John Mendelson of Candlewick (center) and Michael Winerip (gotta those two in the interview seat!), with Tim Ditlow (right) and Lynn Rutan. Yes… another Booklist Blogger at the bash – we’re everywhere!

© Jamie Georges, 2009

10 years + 60 CDs = an amazing achievement!

The Complete Sherlock Holmes – 56 stories and 4 novels – is longer than War and Peace… so the magnitude of David Timson’s achievement in having recorded the whole Holmes canon for Naxos AudioBooks deserved special recognition. And it came in a sizable box set of 60 CDs containing everything from The Study in Scarlet which chronicles the first meeting between Mr Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson to The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes, the final collection. In the box, making it a real collector’s item, is also The Adventure of the Wonderful Toy, a new Holmes story written (and read) by David Timson himself. With the CDs comes a thick booklet containing background information on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and his most famous detective who, residing at 221b Baker Street, became a legend in his own lifetime – even though he never really lived! This booklet was written by David himself, for in addition to being a master reader, he has become something of an expert on Holmes… so much so that there is a commentary on every individual story.

Naxos AudioBooks combines the best in classical and modern literature with their huge catalog of musical productions, creating rich aural soundscapes that enhance and expand the listening experience. Equally wonderful are Naxos’ productions of audiobook originals: non-fiction works on history, philosophy, the arts, biography, and more – even a bird-watcher’s guide with audio clips of birdsong. Educators will welcome the new Young Adult Classics line, which include an abridged audio production of frequently-taught works along with a CD that contains PDFs of both the original and abridged texts and a study guide. I enjoy Nicolas Soames’ chatty and informative blog, chock-full of behind-the-scenes audiobook information from the co-founder and publisher of Naxos AudioBooks. I was so intrigued by his post about Naxos’ The Complete Sherlock Holmes quoted above that I HAD to do this across-the-ocean interview with Nicolas from the Naxos headquarters in England. Nicolas answers my every-Wednesday “Inside the Audiobook Studio” questions below, PLUS you will find MANY links to Naxos videos, podcasts, and audio clips at the end of the interview – and FREE downloads from The Complete Sherlock Holmes.

1. What’s on your MP3 player?

We are doing so much unabridged audio that it is a constant battle to play catch-up. So, I have just finished Tristram Shandy read by Anton Lesser, and it was such a delight I keep going back to listen again to my favorite bits. Similarly The History of English Poetry by Peter Whitfield, read by Sir Derek Jacobi – it a script with some very acute insights (it starts with a wonderful quote from Emily Dickinson. But also Sharpe’s Triumph, a Napoleonic war historical series…and all the Matthew Shardlake novels – crime in Henry VIII’s England.)

2. Tell us about your role in the audiobook community.

Here’s this week’s schedule: I have met and talked (ok, ok, publisher’s lunches and drinks) with Clive Stanhope, independent audio rival and colleague, and we chew the cud – good readers, good and bad buyers, the pitfalls and the delights; then there were drinks with Rodney Troubridge, a key figure in the Waterstone’s UK bookstore chains, who has a passion for audio. He listens in bed and is so engaged sometimes that he can’t sleep! But he still listens! That’s commercial side. I took an active role in the first day’s recording of The Exploits of Brigadier Gerard, a wonderful Napoleonic war (again) character full of Gallic dash and bombast by Arthur Conan Doyle. The AMAZING Rupert Degas read it with an endearing French accent…different from his American (Cormac McCarthy’s The Road) and English (Restoration / Kafka’s The Trial). What a talent. I prepared for The Mayor of Casterbridge which Anton Lesser is reading unabridged this coming week; talked to my CD manufacturers about new plastic CD boxes; prepared the final details of the Q1/Q2 2010 releases…titles, covers, readers etc; and worked with our editor on The Essential Remembrance of Things Past which is coming next year. Neville Jason has taken the highlights from the 39 CD set, and, with Roy McMillan, introduces each excerpt, with music setting the scene. Sometimes, I even got to sleep and I went to my wife’s chamber concert (Mendelssohn and Haydn).

3. What was your most interesting/embarrassing/hilarious moment in the audiobook studio?

Sara Kestelmann, a grande dame of English theater, was recording George Eliot. Sara is a wonderful reader and strong character with decades of spotlight work on the finest classical stages. But there was a regularly re-occurring noise in the studio which we couldn’t pin down. Eventually I realized. ‘It is your leather skirt,’ I said. And left a questioning silence…  would she suffer for her art? ‘NO, NICOLAS,’ Sara said in her best Lady Bracknell voice.

4.  What future trends or changing perceptions or technologies do you think will have the greatest/worst/revolutionary impact on the audiobook production field?

Digital download is transforming audiobooks, there is no doubt about it. And it is wonderfully convenient. But with it comes an acceptance of a lesser quality in sound, in production value and even in performance. Plus, being squeezed financially because of lower income, we are all having to take short cuts. Most important of all, it means there is no financial room to be original in audio. Almost every audiobook is just a recording of a book – not very imaginative. We try to do original audio making the most of the medium, such as biographies of Chopin or Beethoven, or the History of the Theater, where we can make the most of the fact that when discussing Chopin composing a Nocturne or Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, you can HEAR it! More audio originals please!

5. What’s new and exciting in your part of the audiobook community?

The History of English Poetry is a perfect example of something special for audio – a look at the development of poetry from Beowulf to the beginning of the 21^st century. It starts with a quotation from Emily Dickinson saying that you know it is poetry when it feels ‘…As if the top of my head were taken off.’ Derek Jacobi takes us through the ages, the different attitudes towards poetry (ego and the individual didn’t happen in poetry until the approach of the 19^th century), and with scores of extracts read by fine actors, this is a learning, enriching and enthralling experience. Content is important and so is performance! Rupert Degas’s reading of Cormac McCarthy’s The Road is so chilling and compulsive that it will resonate for days later…and don’t get stuck in a traffic jam or on a desert island without The Complete Sherlock Holmes read by David Timson, one of the landmarks of the audiobook genre. In the 15 years of active audio recording since I started Naxos AudioBooks in 1994, I have NEVER gone on to the business end of a microphone. Why? Because when you work, day in and day out, with performers like Juliet Stevenson, Anton Lesser, Michael Sheen, David Timson and many others, you know which side your bread is buttered! Just listen to the free downloads from David Timson’s reading of The Complete Sherlock Holmes:

The Silver Blaze by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1 hour)

The White Company by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (11 mins)

Our Mutual Friend (opening) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (5 mins)

Thanks so much for being in the interview seat, Nicolas, and for the awesome recording of Sherlock Holmes video below & the wonderful links to more audiobook information:

Sherlock Holmes Podcast:  http://www.naxosaudiobooks.com/AUDIO/sherlock_holmes_podcast.mp3

David Timson Our Mutual Friend Podcast:  http://www.naxosaudiobooks.com/AUDIO/Our_Mutual_Friend_Podcast.mp3

Bleak House video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2c9lWn-83Dc

Juliet Stevenson Austen Podcast:  http://www.naxosaudiobooks.com/AUDIO/juliet.mp3

War and Peace video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPAlSuzRHM4

ABC Bookshow War and Peace Podcast: http://www.naxosaudiobooks.com/AUDIO/abcbookshow.mp3

Neville Jason Sword in the Stone Podcast:  http://www.naxosaudiobooks.com/AUDIO/neville_jason_podcast_0208.mp3

The Road video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn_fzNWyrFI

John Calder Samuel Beckett Podcast:  http://www.naxosaudiobooks.com/AUDIO/0206johncalder.mp3

Reflections on the art of audiobook production and narration from the Oxford Literary Festival:

http://www.naxosaudiobooks.com/NAB_at_the_OLF/James_Joyce_s_Women.mp3

http://www.naxosaudiobooks.com/NAB_at_the_OLF/Speak_the_Speech.mp3

http://www.naxosaudiobooks.com/NAB_at_the_OLF/Speak_the_Speech_notes.pdf

http://www.naxosaudiobooks.com/NAB_at_the_OLF/John_Milton_and_his_English_Language.mp3

http://www.naxosaudiobooks.com/NAB_at_the_OLF/When_the_Magic_Began.mp3

Mo Willems & daughter Trixie are our special guests today, as Weston Woods delivers an extra-special “Inside the Audiobook Studio.” Paul Gagne, Director of Production, recorded a fantastic audio interview with Willems, multiple Geisel Medal & Caldecott Honor recipient, and Trixie, her father’s co-star in Weston Wood’s 2007 Carnegie Medal-winner Knuffle Bunny. If you’ve ever seen Willems in person and wonder how he can calm down enough to be captured on mic, you’ll find out who rules the Pigeon roost after listening to this marvelous interview, captured after the Willems duo completed the audio recording for both the audiobook & animated film of The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog. Hint: she’s a pint-sized pro in the glass booth

Paul Gagne, producer of countless audio & video awards including a 2009 Odyssey Honor for I’m Dirty!, graciously takes the interview seat in my every-Wednesday feature “Inside the Audiobook Studio.”

1.  What’s on your MP3 player?

I use an iPod, and it’s mostly loaded with music.  Close to 12,000 songs - I’ve been an obsessive consumer of music for close to 40 years!  I usually listen to music when I’m driving, but more and more I’ve been alternating between music and audiobooks for the one hour commute to and from work.  The last audiobook I listened to was The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  I just LOVED listening to Sherman Alexie’s voice and didn’t want it to end - very funny and moving at the same time.  Another title I recently listened to was Scholastic Audio’s recording of Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret.   I became so emotionally caught up in the ending of the story that I wasn’t paying attention to my driving, went through a stop sign and got a $75.00 traffic ticket.  I told Scholastic they could use that in their ad copy if they paid the ticket.  They didn’t take me up on it.

2.  Tell us about your role in the audiobook community

I’m the Director of Production at Weston Woods.  I’ve been with the company for over 31 years now, starting as a sound editor fresh out of college.  I suppose my very first “audiobook” was a radio drama based on Ray Bradbury’s short story, “The Foghorn,” that I produced for an independent study project in college.   It was pretty terrible.  Anyway, I gradually worked my way up to producing and directing at Weston Woods, and I’m now responsible for overseeing projects from start to completion.  I have a permanent staff of two - Melissa Reilly Ellard is our subsidiary rights manager and my co-producer on a majority of our productions, and Steve Syarto is our in-house audio engineer - supplemented by occasional freelancers.  Our job functions overlap in a lot of areas, but I tend to direct most of the voice recordings and work with our composers to develop a musical approach for each title.  All of our productions are pretty fully scored with original music.  We’re a bit different from most audiobook producers in that we are usually simultaneously producing a video and an audiobook recording for each title we adapt, but whether it’s a video or an audio recording, I’ve always felt that the SOUND was the most critical part of the process.  Maybe that comes from having started as a sound editor after a background in college radio, but I’ve always felt that the soundtrack is where we’re adding our own interpretation to an author’s work and bringing it to life.

We’ll frequently consult with the author both before and after the recording, and in many cases they’re directly involved.  We recently had Mo and Trixie Willems back in our studio - we started a tradition in 2005 where we’ve recorded one of Mo’s stories each year shortly after the annual ALA conference, and this year was no exception — to record the voices for an animated film and audiobook adaptation of the second book in Mo’s “Pigeon” series, The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog.  Mo reprised his role as Pigeon and Trixie played the part of The Duckling!  Those sessions are always a lot of fun, and require very little direction - Mo has done a lot of stand-up comedy, and Trixie is just a natural, so it’s just a matter of letting them interact with each other in the studio and having a couple of microphones there to record it.  They improvised this bit where Pigeon and The Duckling are comparing notes on their favorite foods, and it’s just hysterical.  We also recently recorded author Amy Krouse Rosenthal reading her book Spoon, and John Himmelman’s daughter, Elizabeth, read his book Katie Loves the Kittens, which is about a dog she owned.

3)  What was your most interesting/embarrassing/hilarious moment in the audiobook studio?

Interesting:  They’ve ALL been interesting in one way or another, but being a frustrated musician I’d have to say that some of the most interesting projects for me have been the ones where we’ve taken a book with rhyming text and turned it into a song.  Antarctic Antics is probably my favorite example of this - Scotty Huff and Robert Reynolds took the 11 poems that Judy Sierra wrote for her book about penguins and set them to music!  When we told her what we wanted to do, she was just delighted - she said she actually conceived of the idea as a Broadway musical, but can’t write music herself so she turned it into a picture book instead!
Embarrassing:  I don’t embarrass easily.
Hilarious:  Way too many of those moments to count.  I always say that I have the perfect job, because where else could a group of grown adults actually be paid to stand around a microphone and moo “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star?”

4)  What future trends or changing technologies do you think will have the greatest/worst/revolutionary impact on the audiobook production field?

Having just attended my first Odyssey meeting at the annual ALA conference in Chicago, I have to say that I think the creation of the Odyssey Award is having a huge impact in terms of raising awareness and generating enthusiasm for the audiobook as a vital art form.  The enthusiasm and positive energy in that room just knocked my socks off and made me feel excited to be a part of this community.

With regard to changing technologies, I think that there has been a significant impact just in the variety of digital formats that are currently popular - audio CDs, mp3 players, audio downloads, Playaway® players, etc.  Audio content is now available in a wider variety of easily accessible formats than ever before, and I think the number of audiobook listeners out there is increasing exponentially as a result.

5)  What’s new and exciting in your part of the audiobook community?

We’re very excited about the batch of titles we just released this past spring, including Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, both by Mo Willems, Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith’s Math Curse, read by Nancy Wu, Ellen Levine and Kadir Nelson’s Henry’s Freedom Box, read by Jerry Dixon, and Laura Vaccaro Seeger’s First the Egg, read by Elle Fanning.   We’re currently putting the finishing touches on our fall releases, including David Shannon’s Duck on a Bike, Laurie Keller’s The Scrambled States of American Talent Show, and Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Maris Montes and Yuyi Morales, read by Maria Conchita Alonso.  On many of our new releases we are now including bonus tracks, including songs and author interviews.  We now have 40 Playaway® compilations available.

Thanks so much, Paul, for being our guest. And extra special thanks for bringing Mo & Trixie along! Stop in next Wednesday for another “Inside the Audiobook Studio!”

Something new on Audiobooker! Each Wednesday, I will have a guest member of the audiobook community stop in to answer five questions and share the nitty-gritty of what happens “Inside the Audiobook Studio.” Comments will range from the interestingly informative to the blushingly embarrassing - as in the PG-13 rated comment from narrator Richard Allen below. Today we have a team response from Tantor Audio, publisher of the instant audiobook Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson by Ian Halperin, released on July 21^st.  Be sure to listen to this audio clip from Unmasked so that you can imagine his vocal acrobatics described below

1. What’s on your MP3 player? (Jennifer Sullivan, Tantor’s Marketing and Sales Coordinator)

Little Bee by Chris Cleave, narrated by Anne Flosnik (Tantor Audio). Just when you think you know where the story is going, it suddenly takes a sharp turn. Anne’s narration was fantastic–with Nigerian, Jamaican, and British accents.  She really feels the characters–their pain, their happiness. She can even personify a Batman-obsessed four year old boy.

Another recent fave was Darling Jim by Christian Moerk, narrated by Stephen Hoye and Justine Eyre (Tantor Audio).  If I were still a bookseller, this would be at the top of my hand-selling list. Gothic and psychological, the intriguing storyline makes you want to keep listening, even though the tale can be chilling in parts.

2. Tell us about your role in the audiobook community. (Richard Allen, narrator of Unmasked)

My role with audiobooks is primarily as a narrator and director. My training in theatre has come in handy as you need the capacity to speak for long periods of concentrated times, in dialects, different character voices or in giving very specific and long passages of information in an engaging and entertaining way. For me the fun part of recording books are the decisions on characters and how each one will sound in a believable and consistent way, be it children, old Russian women or thugs in the middle of a shoot-out.

3. What was your most interesting/embarrassing/hilarious moment in the audiobook studio?  (Richard Allen, narrator of Unmasked)

Early on in my recording career I got a title which had, shall we say, a LOT of s*x in it…very descriptive, very detailed.  Well, being the “actor,” I was determined to give the listener their money’s worth, I am in the studio just going for it.  Every sigh, every coo, every sizzling tantalizing moment…..until the ultimate moment arrived….and the director was laughing so hard that he fell off his chair onto the engineer who inadvertently hit a button that ERASED part of the scene I was in the process of recording.

4. What future trends or changing technologies do you think will have the greatest/worst/revolutionary impact on the audiobook production field? (Laura Colebank, Partner & John Molish, VP, Sales & Marketing<!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 <![endif]--> )

Digital downloads  are the fastest growing segment, which is great because not only does it mean more titles can be made available (no shelf limitations) , but it’s also bringing younger users to the market.  While digital is the fastest growing segment, traditional CDs still dominate and there is a good market for MP3 CDs.

5. What’s new and exciting in your part of the audiobook community? (Laura Colebank, Partner & John Molish, VP, Sales & Marketing)

We’re really excited to be increasing our number of new releases from 30 to 40 titles this fall. As digital downloads grow, and  readers are more and more pressed for time, there remains a large gap between what is available in print vs. audio, creating a strong demand for more titles and a wider variety on audio with a good mix of fiction and non-fiction. Tantor offers libraries their choice of formats: Library, retail or MP3 CD editions, downloads and Playaway.  And that’s important in this current climate of budget slashing because selectors can add more titles to their collections by choosing less expensive editions. In addition to the Jackson title, here a few new titles from Tantor:

• Prelude to Dune series- back in print on unabridged audio (unabridged previously just available on cassette). Scott Brick is narrating (and was requested by the authors).
• Little Bee by Chris Cleave is getting lots of buzz - Nicole Kidman just picked up film rights.
• Dawn Light by Diane Ackerman - book received starred review from  Booklist

Thanks to Tantor Audio for being my first guest on “Inside the Audiobook Studio!”