Webcast:Onthe Making and Dissemination of an Audiobook

An author, a narrator, and a producer explain the process of and challenges in creating an audiobook

Dodie Ownes -- Library Journal, 09/25/2009

• Panelists: author Spencer-Fleming, narrator Toren 
• Challenges of narration, production discussed
• Access webcast archive through September 2010

LJ's September 15 "From the Page to Your Ears" webcast on the creation of an audiobook, sponsored by BBC Audiobooks America and moderated by C.L. Quillen, coordinator of public services at Old Bridge (NJ) Public Library, was lively and informative. 

The panel was kicked off by Julia Spencer-Fleming, award-winning author of the Clare Fergusson/Russ Alstyne mystery series (St. Martin’s/Minotaur), who talked about her writing and her inspirations as well as recounted a heated discussion with her mother about the TV series 24, which she said resulted in her 2005 title To Darkness and to Death. “I beat Kiefer Sutherland by solving my mystery in just 22 hours,” she joked.

When asked about the process of having her titles selected to be audiobooks, Spencer-Fleming noted that when she first heard that BBC was interested in her titles, she thought, “How exciting, I’m going to be on Masterpiece Theatre!” She’s now waiting to hear about possible movie deals, which, she implied, would go a long way in helping to fund her daughter’s college tuition.

Matching narrators
BBC Audiobooks America executive producer Dan Hypes discussed the process of matching books with narrators. Quite often when reading a title, he said, a voice “comes into my head.” If one of BBC Audiobooks America’s narrators is not quite the right fit, he explained, an audition is held to find the best fit for the book and the author’s intentions.

Suzanne Toren, who has narrated all of Spencer-Fleming’s titles to date and some 1000 audiobooks over the course of her career, said her job poses certain challenges. Namely, she must keep multiple character voices straight in single titles and keep these consistent throughout a series of novels. The pronunciation of character and place names, she also noted, sometimes requires input from the author. But her biggest concern is paying attention and staying focused during long sessions in the sound booth.

Spencer-Fleming told the live webcast's participants that, after listening to Toren’s interpretations of the different characters in her books, she now hears those voices as she pens new titles. “The biggest gifts that the audiobooks are to me is to experience each of my titles afresh,” she said. This is quite a compliment, especially considering that, prior to the training session for this webcast, Toren and Spencer-Fleming had never directly spoken to each other! (They had, however, communicated through their producer.)

Moving forward
Attendees learned many details on the recording and product process, including page to run time, advances in technology, and the multiple formats now available. BBC Audiobooks America produces titles in all formats: MP3-CD, digital download, Playaway, and CD; the latter continues to be the most popular format with libraries.

Hypes and BBC Audiobooks America Library Marketing Director Michele Cobb spoke about acquiring the rights to produce audiobooks, which can dictate in which formats the final product will be available. Cobb noted that other considerations include the length of title, sales of the author's previous titles, and the author's popularity.

After Cobb ran through a quick preview of BBC’s fall titles, most of which will be simultaneously released in print, moderator Quillen handled a barrage of questions from the audience, ranging from what narrators eat (“a Granny Smith apple, provides moisture and sugar for energy”) to the market for teens to how narrator consistency is maintained across series. The latter prompted a conspiracy among the panelists to place Spencer-Fleming’s next title in Hawaii. You’ll have to listen to the webcast, which also includes an four-minute clip of Toren reading Spencer-Fleming’s I Shall Not Want (2008), to find out how that turned out!

Access the webcast for free through September 15, 2010 by registering at www.libraryjournal.com/bbcaudiobooksamerica. Access all of LJ's webcasts here.

And stay tuned for the October 1 issue of LJ's BookSmack! e-newsletter, in which Cobb will address additional questions posed by participants during the live webcast that panelists were unable to address in the time allotted.