Having finished (or thought I’d finished! About which, more to come…) the final edit of History Maps 1: User Interface, I decided to read it out loud into my phone’s voice recorder app, to see how it sounds.
I’m so glad I’ve done this. Reading the first chapter out loud and listening to it playing back made more necessary edits clear to me in a way that words on the page or screen did not. I need to edit that and re-record it, check it again and then move on to chapter 2 when I’m happy with it.
I’ll do the whole book that way, and share it – along with the text version – with my pre-publication readers for feedback, so that those who prefer audio books can “read” it that way and, in the process, we’ll also work out whether I’m going to be able to read the professional Audible version or whether we’ll need to hire an actor for the job. Most people hire actors, but, you know, I am a Yorkshire woman! And as such, I obviously want to save money where I can 😀
So, what else, other than edits, have I learned so far from this first recording?
- The need to develop different voices. In particular, to differentiate Zoe’s voice from the narrative one, because hearing it back, it’s hard to work out which is which.
- The need to eliminate mouth noise! I was so conscious of my swallows and breaths.
- Some thought for background noise. Obviously, the professional version needs to be recorded in a sound proof space with a really good microphone.
- The need to practice! I stumbled, once or twice.
In summary, it’s not as easy as you’d think. Those actors might actually be worth the money!