Would anyone be interested in my novels being turned into audiobooks? If so which ones? I confess to not being very knowledgeable on audio books though I have listened to some in the past. I don't know...the idea of someone 'acting' the story out seems corny. And someone narrating my stories might transform it. There are some stories that are lyrical, poetice; Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings as an example. I bet that story being read to you would just leave you warm and fuzzy. But a publisher asked me if I wanted to turn Juicy into an audio book and I was like....whoa? Really? Juicy? Maybe Beast...but not Juicy. But then again, I don't know. What do you guys think?
Check out the demos at Cherry Hill Publishing for an idea of this publishers style.
http://www.cherryhillpublishing.com/
Thanks!
Honestly I can't imagine any of your novels being converted to audio style. It's like their voices are to be in my head only. I've created the intonation of each of characters. You've allowed this to your readers time and again. to have no choice but to accept an outside voice speaking as say Juicy or Troy.. I dunno it's just not sitting well with me.
ReplyDeleteI should add one thing... For the reader or "potential listener" who is new to the story or stories then maybe the audio would work. But since the characters' voices have already been created in my head I wouldn't care to have a audio version of the stories.
ReplyDeleteI have read a few audile books in my time. But what I find is there really aren’t many black female narrators to portray an African American black voice. It becomes very distracting when I have read a book with an African American black lead female character and the narrator is a white female. Being African American female myself we have a different speech infliction when we say certain words or phrases.
ReplyDeleteI second what missmoone says.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely YES! I Love audiobooks. But it must be tricky choosing the right person to voice it. I have skipped over some titles in audio based on the sample. One female that does well is Diana Luke she read Naomi Chase's 2 books male & female characters VERY well. I heard a male character sample for a Mary B Morrison book and was turned off because he sounded "slow" or unsure of the words he was reading...I skipped buying the audio version.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why 1 male & 1 female can't be used together.
I think u should do at least one :-)
I am not a fan of audio books personally, but I do think that they are a good idea. If I lost my eyesight I would hate to give up the worlds that authors create. I can listen to the words even if I can't see them to read. I have friends who also listen to audio books at the gym and when driving. I say go for it. It is more exposure for you and it benefits people who may not have the time or ability to read what you have written.
ReplyDelete-Just my two cents
Great comments...giving me things to ponder
ReplyDeleteMy initial thoughts were “no!!! absolutely not!”. I love reading words on a page and using my imagination to bring the story and characters to life. I thought that listening to the actor/story would be distracting or that I wouldn’t be able to get into the story as much. But publishing in audiobook format is a smart business move. Not everyone is visually oriented, and some people have physical challenges. If I were unable to see, I would be disappointed if I could not listen to your books, Pepper, including Juicy. And if the actors have AMAZING voices (like James Earl Jones (aka Darth Vader)), it could be a real TREAT to listen to the story.
ReplyDeleteWhat you said about your stories possibly being transformed through narration is a good point. You will probably have to vet the audiobook before its released.
Now I’m getting goose bumps at the idea of listening to Lee, Christopher, Robin, etc. tell their stories.
I say go for it. Audiobooks come in handy when I'm on a long road trip. If you need a voice, let me know!
ReplyDeletePersonally, I love reading books. However, I am a HUGE fan of audiobooks, as well. For those with long commutes, etc it is a great alternative. It ALL depends on the reader, though! They don't have to "act" it out ala Jim Dale reading the Harry Potter series (which by the way is AMAZING) but they can't ruin the story with their voice. I frequently look for audio versions of favorite books, I say go for it. It is unfortunate that a lot of my new favorite authors, such as yourself don't have the audio option. I'd definitely start with Beast and Juicy.
ReplyDeleteCrash and Stranded would make excellent audio books.
ReplyDelete