Inspy Romance

Inspy Romance—Fall in Love With a Good Book

There’s Nothing Quite Like Hearing a Great Book (with a giveaway)

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Photo by Siddharth Bhogra on Unsplash

Right?

Okay, confession time. I’ve never been an audio book reader listener. (See?) Back in high school, I remember listening to a couple Agatha Christie audiobooks while doing chores. It sure made ironing a whole lot more fun.

But I’m a faaaast reader. Super fast. That might be my super power. So audiobooks never quite caught on for me. But now that one of my own books is in audio and now that I’ve gone through the making of one, I can see how audiobooks could be awesome!

There’ve been a few posts on Inspy Romance on the whole process, so I won’t go into that. But I will say that it was a very eye-opening experience. So many audiobooks are done in almost a monotone fashion — very little emotion in the narrator’s voice. Or a woman in her fifties narrates a book that’s from the point of view of a twenty-year-old. That always throws me off.

But times and styles have changed. Now, sometimes, an audiobook can have a male and a female narrator. Have you read listened to one like that? I had a couple audition for my book and considered working with them, but while I liked her style, I didn’t care for his. It’s hard enough to find a narrator you’re happy with; I think finding a couple that you’re happy with is even harder.

Photo by Matt Botsford on Unsplash

My book received well over thirty auditions, and some cracked me up. For example, one audition was just excellent. She sounded the right age; she put some emotion and drama into it — and then she said something in a very British accent! What? My books are set in Chicago. My characters are Chicagoans! What’s with the British slip there? I checked her info, and sure enough — she was from England. Yet she could almost nail an American accent. Almost!

Others would do voices so well — and then suddenly a new character would sound completely obnoxious! Or nasally (which is also not pleasant, right?). I let my kids listen to some of the auditions, and we had a good laugh at voices that suddenly went haywire. My book had a lot of characters, which made it challenging for a narrator to do them all well and yet distinguish one character from the other. That was the second biggest aspect I looked for, right after being able to put a touch of drama into the reading.

The narrator I worked with turned out to be a native Chicagoan. As well as a native Tennessean. She was a child actor/singer and spent her life going back and forth between the two locales. So she could nail a Chicago accent, as well as a Southern drawl. Natalie, my narrator, is a professional voice-over actress who has done a lot of audiobooks and a whole lot of commercials, many of which you’ve probably seen. I spent some time on her website and realized that, yep, I remembered that Laughing Cow cheese commercial. And even the Be Like Mike (Michael Jordan) commercials she was in as a kid.

Working with Natalie was honestly easier than finding the right narrator. Once we had our contract set, she got to work, mostly on the weekends, and cranked out chapters one right after the other. Honestly, I don’t know how she did it and stayed sane. She worked loooong hours, and at one point she did have to take a break because her voice was starting to give out.

Photo by Claus Grunstaudl on Unsplash

But the finished product is one I’m super pleased with. Yes, it’s very awkward at first, listening to my story being told by another voice. I don’t know why, but it is. But when I give myself a couple minutes of listening to get past it, I’m really thrilled with what she did. And, as the book goes on, my narrator gets even better and better and better.

What book is this? Glad you asked, haha. It’s Kept, my debut novel that has been so well received. Right now the book has 522 reviews on Amazon, and 80% of them are 5 stars. If you already own the ebook, you can buy the audio book for $7.49. Which is a fantastic price for over 13 hours of listening! And you can go back and forth between reading and listening. That’s a pretty cool perk of buying both from Amazon.

If you’ve never tried Audible before, you can get Kept free as your first book. That’s not a shabby price either, is it? Can’t beat that!

If you haven’t been able to get the ebook since it’s only on Amazon right now, you can buy the audiobook from iTunes as well. (I’m on a PC, so I hope that link works for those of you on Apple products.) Now there are all kinds of ways to get your hands on Kept! Which makes me super happy as an author.

I hope you’ll give Kept, the audio book, a try. And would you mind sharing this post wherever you like to get social? I’d love to see the audiobook take off and introduce a whole new segment of readers to Kept and its characters.

Now for a giveaway, which I think I’ve done only once this year! Two commenters will win a total of 3 print books from me. One will win any one of my three books — Kept, Taken: A Kept Novella, or Homestands (Book 1 in the Chicago Wind series) plus another one of those three to give to a friend. I’ll even mail the other book separately to the friend if that would be easier. Another winner will win one of those three books for yourself. The contest will go through midnight on Friday, Central time. The winners will be announced in the Sunday blog.

I’d love to hear that you’ve shared this post or the title of the last audiobook you listened to. I’ve been cleaning my house to my audiobook, and that has made the job a lot more fun. Now that my kids are older, I’m thinking a good audiobook is a lot more likely to be in my future. How about you?

Sally Bradley (37 Posts)

Sally Bradley writes big-city fiction with real issues and real hope. A Chicagoan since age five, Sally has been fascinated by all things Chicago (except for crime, politics, and traffic) for almost as long. She now lives in the Kansas City area with her family, but they get back to Chicago for important things -- like good pizza and a White Sox game. A freelance-fiction editor and former president of her writing chapter, Sally has won a handful of awards for Kept and another work-in-progress. Visit her online at sallybradley.com or on Facebook.


Comments

  1. Hi Sally, I thoroughly enjoyed Kept (and Taken and Homestands:). How exciting for you to have it as an audiobook. My mother-in-law is legally blind, so enjoys audiobooks, I will definitely share this with her. I have to confess, that the only audiobooks I listen to are ones for my boys, usually as we are driving. I’m like you and am a fast reader, so go through a lot of books, quite quickly- but then, I re-read my books as well, a lot!! Looking forward to Shelf Life (that’s the downside to reading fast, waiting for the next book to come out!!)
    Blessings:)

  3. Hi Sally! I am also a fast reader and do not listen to audiobooks. The only audiobooks I listened to were in my high school English classroom. Some I heard yearly for 10 years. One of my favorites was Lord of the Flies done by the author himself William Golding. In his own voice we heard not only his interpretation of the story, but background information and insights. As a listener, I was always amazed how every year something new popped out while listening to a work. Now in retirement, I wished I had time to reread works or listen to an audio work. But I find my attention span is shorter and I enjoy discovering new works and authors. Best wishes.

  4. I was never able to really get into audio books. partly because I have epilepsy and the main problems are behind my eardrums. the same with wearing ear buds. Just doesn’t work. I have the same problem with people who have heavy accents. I just have problem following what they say.

  5. I have not gotten into audiobooks yet. I enjoyed reading about your trying to find the perfect audio couple.

  6. Hi, Sally. I enjoyed your blog. I am a fast reader, also, and go through books rather quickly. The audiobooks sound interesting, but I have experienced hearing loss in the last few years, so they wouldn’t work for me. But I am thankful they are available for those who cannot see to read a book. You are a new author to me, and I would love to win some of your books. Thanks for the chance. Blessings on you as you continue to write.

  7. I really enjoy audio books, so this was a fun read. I am now listening to To Wager Her Heart by Tamara Alexander while I’m busy sewing. I love to have audio books on while I work. My favorite narrator on Audio is Anne Flosnik in Debbie Lynne Costello’s book The Sword of Forgiveness. Her voice is incredible!

  8. It’s been a long time since I’ve listened to an audiobook except for a few nonfiction books in the car. I should give it a try again – I’d get a lot more books “read” that way!

  9. I’ve listened to audio books with my children for decades. They used to be on tape! I recently started listening to them just for myself this summer while working on my tan in a lawn chair. After 25 years raising kids and homeschool and another 11 to go I decided to pace myself… ? And be nicer to myself. Reading in the desert sun isn’t easy so audio books to the rescue.
    Your book Kept sounds amazing! I’ll put it on my audible list!

  10. I started listening to audiobooks after my first one released, and I’m finding I quite enjoy them. I’m surprised about that!

    Anyone who’s into them, check our NEWS page, as we have quite a few audiobooks listed. I’ll go add Sally’s new release!

  11. I’m also a super fast reader. I’ve tried an audio book before but wasnt able to get into it. I really didn’t enjoy the narrator and quit. Yours sounds interesting, I may give it a try. My son uses audio books for trips and loves it. Thanks for the chance to win books, that’s always fun! God bless! Thanks for writing!

  12. You are so right that the person doing the audiobook makes all the difference. I listened to one series, and the narrator changed for the last book. I didn’t like the last one nearly as much as the first. I also love it when they can make the different characters have a different tone to their voices.

  13. Hey Sally, You know I loved Kept! It is definitely an all time favorite of mine. I’d love to hear it narrated! The last book I listened to on audible was a suspense book by Patricia Bradley called Justice Delayed. I’m like you in that I love reading more than listening, but when you are on a long road trip driving, it really is a great way to make the miles go by faster.

  14. I haven’t tried audio books, but my husband and I first discovered Madeleine L’Engle when we were driving from Oregon to California years ago, and heard “A Wrinkle in Time” on the car radio. When I’m on a trip, I enjoy listening to music, but just haven’t gotten into the audio book thing.

  15. I listened to one audio book & I was hooked !!! Love ❤️ love audio , I have a few on my iPhone , I listen over & over again !!!

  16. I am an avid reader, but have never tried audio…….perhaps I should! Enjoyed your post…and comments about audio. Hmmm think I better try it!

  19. How exciting, Sally!

    I recently released my first audiobook, and was so affected by the emotion my amazingly gifted narrator Sarah Kate added as she voiced my characters, I cried almost all the way through listening! It’s a totally different experience hearing a story to reading it.

    And I really want to know who that British narrator was! I need a Brit narrator who can do US accents for my Love in Store series.

  20. I love to listen to audios while at work. I am currently listening to one by Stephanie Laurens, The Daredevil Snared. I also shared this post via Twitter.

  21. I have never really given audiobooks a try. However, I think it would be neat to listen to something that might require certain accents for different areas.

  24. I haven’t tried audio books yet but I’ve been thinking about trying one. I’m from Canada so enter me for the international giveaway please.

  25. I am just getting home after a crazy day and an unexpected afternoon out at the doctor. Nothing serious, just needing to get a new specialist and they had a sudden opening this afternoon. Yay for answered prayer, right? Now I’m eager to read through all the comments before this one and get back to you.

  26. I hate waiting for books from my favorite authors! It’s so hard. I’m eyeing Francine Rivers’ next release. Come on, February, right? :)

    Thanks for sharing this with your mom, Wemble. I really hope she enjoys it.

  27. MH, start with mine (wink wink). :) I think there’s definitely a place for them. I was listening to one while I was grocery shopping recently. I thought I’d get weird looks walking around with earplugs, but nope. It really makes those mindless, time consuming tasks much easier to fit into the day.

  28. Lord of the Flies is quite the book! I would absolutely love to listen to that audio. I’m going to have to look into that one. Thanks for the tip, Renate.

  31. I’m so glad you entered! I love finding new authors and new readers. I think all of us will deal with hearing loss at some point in our lives. My husband’s mid-twenties cousin recently lost a lot of her hearing and is now learning how to hear with a cochlear implant. (I sure hope I spelled that right!) I don’t know that audio books will ever be right for her either though. So it’s wonderful that we can still have the print and ebook versions. I just love how easy it is to get books to readers nowadays.

  32. It’s all about the voice, isn’t it? And there are some really unique voices that work for one book but not for another. It was very interesting to me to hear that some people are just as big of a fan of their narrators as they are of their authors! Just another thing for an author or publisher to consider when they’re looking for a narrator.

  34. Queen of quite a lot, first, I love your name here! And after reading your comment, yes, I can see why you’d be the queen of quite a lot. I’m a homeschooling mom too. With a senior this year! Which is very exciting right now because it’s September. Come talk to me again in May, right?

    Anyway, yes! Kept will help you with that tan quite a bit, I’m sure. Stay cool! And most definitely pace yourself. :)

  35. I didn’t even think about getting the audiobook listed. Thank you, Valerie!

    So I’m curious — do you have any narrators that you really enjoy listening to?

  37. What’s really sooo fun is when the narrator adds another dimension to your words. Which I guess is something that only an author will catch. But there are a couple times in Kept where Natalie interpreted something I’d written in such a way that it gave me chills. Good chills! I like to listen to those sections every now and then. :)

  38. Absolutely! I’m all for making time go fast. You know, we have a family trip coming up… I may need to get an audiobook for that trip. Thanks for mentioning Patricia’s book. I’ll have to look at that one.

  39. I remember reading A Wrinkle in Time back in junior high. I might have been a little young for it then because I remember having a hard time getting through it, even though I did enjoy it. I bet that one would be excellent on audio. Thanks, Margaret!

  40. Nikki, I hear that there are growing chunks of audio only readers! And that’s not a bad thing. What books have you loved on audio? Which ones do you listen to over and over?

  41. Jackie, audio can be very fun. I really love it when there’s a touch of acting in the narrator’s voice, you know? It’s so easy to get lost in the story then. I hope you enjoy whatever book you try.

  42. I hear you on the mind wandering bit. Some of us just can’t do two things at once, and I know crocheting can take some concentration. I hope it works for you, though!

  44. I wish I knew who the narrator was, Autumn, but I can’t go back and see the auditions anymore. Just make sure you request the British accent when you put the book up for audition. I bet she and many more like her will turn up. :)

    Isn’t it the coolest/weirdest thing hearing your book being “acted” out? It really does move you. Are you planning on doing more?

  46. That would be fun! The right accent can definitely lend something to the story that you can’t get just from reading it. Hadn’t thought about listening specifically for that reason. Hmm…

  50. I like your take on audiobooks. Pretty similar to what I’ve thought about it for years. My first audiobook was a Jane Austen one (Persuasion) and I used to listen in a pre smartphone era, so it was a technological challenge to stop, rewind.. recently I’ve been listening to True to You (Becky Wade). I’ve started it when doing laundry the other day, but realized I often miss parts of it because I’m distracted by the work I’m doing. (Also, some parts take forever and I just get tired of the slow pace.. so I’ve put if “on the shelf” for a while.)

  51. Hi Sally! I’ve tried audiobooks a couple of years ago and really liked it. I used to face traffic jams more often and they were a good company to keep me calm and entertained in the car. I also liked it while knitting, then I could do two things at a time and optimize my time.

  52. You bring up a good point, Priscila, that not all books make good audio books. I’ve realized I don’t have a lot of patience anymore with books with a lot of narrative. I want dialogue and action, not lots of thinking. A slow book would make me give up on the audio version.

  54. My mom used to bring audiobooks along on road trips when my brother and I were young. I remember listening to Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books and “The Great Gilly Hopkins”. As an adult though I have really gotten into audiobooks. Maybe I need to give one a try. By the way, I’ve read both Kept and Homestands and loved each of them.

  56. We did Murder on the Orient Express last year when we were driving back from Minnesota. It was a pretty good version of it; that’s a classic story though.

    Thanks for reading my books, Jessica!

  59. I’m glad you found just the right narrator for your book. Did she read from her home or in a studio? Do you add sounds or music for drama? I’m sure it does sound different to hear your own words read by someone else. Enjoyed reading about your search for a narrator.

  60. Great questions, Dixie! She did a bit of both, but most of it was done in a Chicago studio — which was fitting since Chicago’s beautiful lakefront was the setting for the book. We didn’t do sounds or music, though.

  63. Hi Sally! Right now I’m listening to Heartbreak and Honor (it’s not Christian fiction).

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