Guest Post: AUDIOBOOKS - FROM A NARRATOR'S PERSPECTIVE by Shaina Summerville

There's an increasing demand for audiobooks and many questions about the process. Today Shaina Summerville is my guest to fill us in on the process from the perspective of the narrator. 

Greetings! My name is Shaina Summerville and I am an audiobook narrator with 50+ audiobooks available on Audible. I have narrated for indie authors in addition to publishers such as Simon and Schuster, Harper Audio, Houghton Mifflin, Tantor Media, and Hachette. You will often find me narrating YA and middle grade fiction…but I also adore narrating (and reading) cozy mysteries! 

Thus far I have narrated cozy mysteries for three different authors: The Taylor Quinn Quilt Shop Mysteries by Tess Rothery, Asbury High and the Thief’s Gamble by Kelly Brady Channick, and the Paige Mackenzie Mystery Series by Deborah Garner (soon to be released!). 

When I asked members of a cozy mystery audiobook group what they want to know, many questions came up about the audiobook creation process, so that is what I will address today. 

What does the audiobook creation process look like? 

The first thing to keep in mind is that one hour of audio takes many hours of work. The general estimate bandied about in the narration world is that one finished hour of audio can take up to six hours of work. This includes: 

• Prep: I pre-read the book prior to recording, taking notes of important events, words or names I need to get pronunciations for, and character or vocal descriptions in order to prepare my character voices. 

 • Preproduction sample: I record a small portion of the book for approval by the author. This is also where we will collaborate on character voices. 

 • Narration: Once my sample has been approved, I begin narrating the book. It typically takes about two hours to record one single hour. 

 • Post Production: This includes the proofing, editing, and mastering process. During this point the audio is compared to the manuscript for errors and corrections are made. The audio is also “prettied up” to make it sound its absolute best. While some narrators perform their own post production, many outsource this to a professional sound engineer as it a) guarantees the best possible sound and b) frees us up to spend more time on narration. 

How do I get chosen as a narrator? 

Typically, the first thing I do is record an audition sample for the authors to make sure my voice fits the vision in their heads of the character. Assuming that’s a go, we come to an agreement on our terms, sign a contract, and off we go!  

How do you handle character voices? 

Character voices are one of the first things I nail down with my authors. I’ll typically ask them to describe their characters for me—preferably describing vocal qualities rather than looks. I can often glean a lot about a character from what is written in the text, but sometimes an author will have a specific idea. I ask them to describe all of their characters, but often I’ve found that an author will want to nail down a small number of key characters who will appear throughout the series and they give me free reign on smaller characters.

As a female narrator with a higher pitched voice, male voices can be a bit of a challenge at times! However, the important things about male voices is to note that they don’t have to be low and deep! Many times, male voices are not all that different in pitch from many females but there are other characteristics of their voice to consider. Men typically use a smaller range of pitches when they speak. They are often more staccato in rhythm. The placement of their voice in their mouths is different as is their diction. 

As with my female characters I will take a large number of vocal qualities and combine them to create differing characters. I love cozy mysteries because there is such a large range of characters and I can sometimes make slightly larger choices on character voices than I might in say a typical romance. 

And that’s the narration process in a nutshell. I hope this has provided answers to questions you may have had about audiobooks. You can always feel free to reach out to me on social media or contact me at my website www.shainasummervillenarration.com if there is anything else you would like to know!

Thank you, Shaina, for demystifying a process that is new to me and, I suspect, to other authors and readers. 

An important thing to note is that when audiobooks are released, authors and narrators usually get free promo codes for the new audiobook in hopes of garnering reviews quickly. Interested? Here are some sites where available promo codes may be posted, and possibly reviews as well:

Cozy Mystery Audiobook Lovers  

Audiobook Promos For Authors and Readers of All Genres 

Everything Audiobook . . .E.A.R.S. 

Stay tuned. . . Next month (7/19) Diane Weiner will share perspectives on the process from the author's perspective.

Here's some other cozy audiobooks available from your favorite authors:

Granny Snows a Sneak by Julie Seedorf (Author) and Priscilla Finch (Narrator)

Murder at the St. Regis by Dianne Harman (Author) and Anna Wheeler (Narrator) 

Glad One by Margaret Lashley (Author) and Sarah Pesek (Narrator)

A New Place, Another Murder by Christa Nardi (Author) and Jeanne Pilgrim Mayo (Narrator)

Mind Your Manors by CeeCee James (Author) and Jennifer Groberg (Narrator)

Playing with Poison by Cindy Blackburn (Author) and Caroline Miller (Narrator)

Spotlight and Review: GLAD ONE: CRAZY IS A RELATIVE TERM (Val Fremden Humorous Mystery Series) by Margaret Lashley

 FREE FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!

For the next few days, you can grab Glad One: Crazy is a Relative Term, for free on Amazon! Discover the hilarious mystery series readers are describing as “A redneck Stephanie Plum!”

Amazon Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XTKBMWT

REVIEWER COMMENTS

"Hooked like a fish. OMG Margaret Lashley is the best! Val could be Stephanie Plum's double!! Phenomenal writing."

"If you enjoy Janet Evanovich you will love Margaret Lashley!"

"Her characters are real and full, her situations believable, and her dialogue marvelous."

"There's a mystery at the heart of this book - a few of them - that will hook fans of Janet Evanovich and other comic mystery writers."

"Margaret writes with a "smirk" of a Cheshire cat. Fantastic read."

"Full of twists and turns as only Margaret Lashley can write!"

"If you like Anne George's 'Southern Sisters' don't miss Margaret Lashley!"

"The characters are great - so many laugh out loud moments..."

"Glad One is a funny, witty and entertaining book."

SYNOPSIS

How Many Do-Overs Do You Get in One Lifetime?

One crazy old lady. Two gin and tonics. Three derelict beach-bum friends. Will Val’s fourth stab at starting over add up to a big fat zero?

After being raked over the coals by her German ex, Val Fremden returns to her hometown of St. Pete Beach, Florida to find everyone and everything she knew squashed under the heels of change – including herself.

With nothing to go on but her own dry sense of humor and the life coach advice of a beer-guzzling old lady she meets at the beach, can her life sink any lower?

Starting over again won’t be easy. But Val soon discovers friends can come from unexpected places.

When a chance encounter with a drunken beach bum throws a hot cop onto her path, Val realizes there are still a few sparks left in the old girl, yet. Now, if she could only convince herself she’s still got what it takes to get him hot and bothered, too….

Glad One is a satirical look at divorce, singlehood and climbing back up the social scale, told through the eyes of a snarky, reluctant, mid-forties woman who took her chances and lost everything…but regained herself.

If you like wacky, deeply flawed characters and laugh-out-loud situations, you’ll love Glad One! It’s the first book in Margaret Lashley’s hilarious, irreverent Val Fremden Humorous Mystery Series.

REVIEW

Southern style, rednecks, down-and-out losers, a lot of sarcasm and surprisingly hope. 

Val's midlife return to the US is not exactly welcoming - limited money, no friends, and no career.  She meets a woman on the beach - Glad - who offers her friendship and a life message. Only then Glad dies and the mystery unfolds around Glad's life. Val may not have a plot for her next book, but along with her new - rather unusual friends - she is determined to find answers and not let the witch get whatever inheritance may be due Glad's daughter. Tom, the cop (and sanest of the bunch) agrees to help out and what they discover is not expected. So, how many do-overs can one person have in the game of life? 

Lashley has created quirky characters, yet the bonds among Glad friends, even with the dramamine, body odor, and beer, are enviable. If you like a story that has every possible twist of human interaction - the good, the bad, the ugly, the humorous - you will enjoy this book and the journey as Val finds Glad's daughter. As much women's fiction as anything else, there is a mystery to solve.  And the solution isn't necessarily expected.

This is the first of the Val Fremden Humorous Mysterious Series, I'm looking forward to reading more and it looks like there are 7 in the series... 

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in the hopes that I would post an honest review. This has not affected the content of my review in any way.

QUESTIONS FOR THE AUTHOR

Why did you decide to write women’s fiction?

I grew up in an era of strong women role models, such as Marlo Thomas in That Girl, as well as Mary Tyler Moore and Carol Burnett in shows that bore their names. These women were pursuing their own dreams, their own ways. I didn’t see much of that in fiction today. I wanted to create a character that was strong, yet vulnerable. One that celebrated the everyday, self-made woman who was struggling to finally put her own needs first. My main character, Val, is a survivor who bears the scars of her hard journey proudly, and with her own quirky coping mechanisms and sense of humor.

Where did you get the idea for Glad One?

It’s a follow-up to Absolute Zero. A middle-aged woman who had it all, risked it all, and is now starting over with nothing. I wanted to explore the idea of a woman who returns to the US and finds everything she knew erased – including her credit history, finances, friends and social status. With no family support either, where could she turn? What would she do? What would change about her? What would she learn to value above all else?

What type of reader would enjoy your brand of women’s fiction?

Readers who like to be taken by surprise – who like to laugh and cry and dissolve into another world when they read. My characters have their great triumphs and cringe-worthy failures. They are flawed and vulnerable and funny as hell. My stories draw laughs using a wide net – from Pat Conroy’s twisted, dark family humor to Bridget Jones’s slap-stick situational gaffs. Things don’t always turn out like they planned. But that’s life – when it’s lived truly.