The 11 Commandments of Podiobook Production
I know you’re excited (and very smart) to join the ranks of Podiobooks.com authors. You’ve made a wise choice in embracing the concept that “information wants to be freed.” The good news is that the path has been well-blazed before you by authors who have learned things the hard way. You now have a well-paved path. So rather than fight against the tide, you can stand on the shoulders of giants and embrace these tips for success.
While I can’t promise breakout success, I can personally promise you that your path will be easier if you read and adhere to these 11 principles. With that…
1. Listen to Other Serialized Audiobooks
Please understand that the masses have expectations, and they expect you to deliver. Serialized audiobooks have been around since 2005. Millions of episodes have been downloaded. Lots of feedback has been provided. And the only way you can learn from that is to listen to other successful serialized audio books first, and then deliver on the promises they’ve already made.
I can’t tell you how many times I go through the setup process for new authors, only to discover that they have never listened to any other podiobook. I don’t get this. Hey, I’m all about breaking the rules and marching to the beat of my own drummer, but it pays to at least know the rules and be able to discern between a syncopated beat and random banging.
2. Write, Edit, Re-write, and Then Produce
Writing is hard work. Editing is harder still, and re-writing can be – to speak the common tongue – a huge pain in the ass. But all of those steps are important and should not be – must not be – skipped over, skimped on or skimmed over. Yes, there are a few notable examples that fly in the face of that. Yet I can categorically state that your book would be much improved if you took the time to have it edited (by someone other than your mom, please) and then re-written – an iterative process that need not stop for a few rounds.
Comparitively speaking, the work and dedication required to self produce a serialized audiobook version of your work is pretty simple. Don’t get me wrong; there’s plenty of work to be done behind the microphone and in front of an audio editor (and I’ll get to that in a moment.) But don’t assume that mad audio production skills can somehow make up for an inferior story that could have been made better with some judicious editing. Make the best written book you possibly can, even if you never plan on it seeing life in printed form. Then you can make it into a podiobook.
3. Find Your Quiet Place
The first step in having quality audio starts with having a quiet source. While it may be impractical to spend a thousand dollars turning your family room into an isolation chamber, it certainly is worth the investment in time and inconveniences to find the quietest place you can in your home to do your recording, as well as find ways to minimize ambient noises from your recording equipment (computers are such noisy things.)
A relatively noise-free audio track allows you much more flexibility when producing without having to worry about bringing up the background noise, too. Caution: Noise reduction software rarely works as well as you would like or assume. Some prior authors have done wonders from recording inside of their walk-in closet (the hanging clothes do a great job of absorbing echoes), making creative use of wall tapestries, and investing in computer-less recording devices (like the Zoom H4n.) Noise should be eliminated (or at least reduced) before it enters the microphone, rather than trying to scrub it out after.
4. Treat Yourself To Quality Headphones
Ask any audio recording professional and you’ll get the same answer: Quality headphones are the most important piece of equipment you can buy. I’ll go out on a limb and say that editing without using headphones (like using room monitors or your computer’s speakers) is tantamount to taking a photograph without looking through the viewfinder.
Headphones should block out much of the outside world, allowing you to hear the finest detail of your audio. When you hear something that isn’t quite right, like a chair squeak, barking dog, or annoying plosives (as made on the letter “p”) – fix them! I always use quality headphones when I record – cranked as loud as I can stand it – to catch these noises at the source. I also recommend using headphones to listen to your final file all the way through before you publish it. Yes, even though you just spent an hour editing that very file. Listen again!
5. Buy a Decent Microphone
Notice the word “decent” in that title. I’m not suggesting that you spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on a microphone. All too often people assume that all of their problems will be solved with One New Microphone. Truth be told, that’s rarely the case. But that doesn’t mean you should be satisfied with the $20 USB headset you use for online gaming or the stick that came with your computer.
There are many things to consider when shopping for a microphone, and I’m not going to get into any of them here. Want more information? Buy a book or ask a friend. The arguments on what you should buy will go on forever. My advice? Go to your local music store and try out a Shure SM58 microphone and an AudioTechnica AT2020. Those are each quality mics, and you would be well suited to start your shopping there. After that, try out other more expensive models. When you’re happy, figure out a way to integrate your chosen mic into your current recording setup. Additional components may be required. See the Shopping Guide for more details.
6. Practice Anal-Retentive Audio Editing Skills
I’m going to dispel a horrid rumor. This will probably get me kicked out of the podcasters club, but here goes: Editing audio is easy.
There. I’ve said it.
To go one further: you can achieve fantastic production quality utilizing free audio editing software. Audacity works on PCs and Macs and, unless you have a good reason not to use it (i.e. you have experience with and access to better tools), then you should be using it. Plenty of your Mac-addicted fellow authors also use GarageBand, which is also a fine tool, but only for Mac and built into Mac computers.
The trick to either of these (any audio editor, really, even serious audio mastering tools like Hindenburg) is to be incredibly meticulous and methodical in your editing process. In other words, don’t rush through it. And don’t try and cram more than one step together. Think of it this way: You don’t try and format your text while you type out your chapters, do you? But when you are formatting, you correct any misspelled words or subject/verb disagreements as you encounter them, right? Then please do the same in editing your audio. Mispronounced a word? Re-record the whole sentence or paragraph and replace it. Hear that unnatural pause when you turned the page? Cut out some of the dead space. Wish you would have left more space between sentences or a longer pause for effect? Add it in! Audio editing tools are designed to do just that – edit! Go slow, take your time, and play around until you are as good with your editor as you are with your word processor. I promise you that it’s not any harder. Or it won’t feel so after you get used to it.
7. Normalize and Maximize Your Volume
While cutting and pasting inside of an audio editor is simple, the raising and lowering of sound levels inside of the file is less so. And that’s where tools like Hindenburg and Auphonic come in very handy. Both tools (the former is a software you buy and the latter is a pay-as-you-go web application) work their magic on your audio files by normalizing, leveling, and maximizing the volume or “loudness” level of your audio. That’s important so that the volume of your files is the same volume as other files. Because you don’t want to send people scrambling for the volume control when your way-too-quiet file is over, and a properly normalized file (read: everything else) starts to play next. Be kind: Normalize and maximize.
Many audio engineering gods will profess that they can do a better job on their own without using third party tools. I’m not here to argue against them and have heard many fine recordings where a skilled audio engineer managed to do it alone. So let me state it this way: If you are not using a third-party tool and you do not have a good reason to not use a third-party tool, then you should be using a third-party tool to normalize and maximize your files. Period.
8. Use a Little Music
In the olden days of audiobooks, adding in music and other effects was strictly verboten. Yeah, well… rules are meant to be broken. This one in particular. If you take a listen to the most popular podiobooks, they all feature appropriate bed music before and after the episode. Music – when chosen wisely and applied correctly – can enhance your audience’s listening pleasure by setting the tone and tenor of the book. Got a creepy horror book? Use creepy music. Full on bodice-ripper? Bring on the sexy. The Buying Guide secton of this document has some places listed to find good music. Word of caution: Follow the rules and respect copyrights! (And don’t get us in trouble!)
9. Add Serializing Elements
There’s a difference between the traditional, downloadable audiobooks you can find on Audible and the serialized audiobooks we distribute on Podiobooks.com. We’re much more akin to a television series or mini-series, where their stuff is more like a movie. For us, the media file for each episode (probably a chapter, but not necessarily) should have an opening section. Keep it short and sweet. Name of the book. Name of the author. Maybe the chapter name. And the episode number. Then get on with the story!
Likewise, each media file should have an outro. You can go a little longer here, but only if you need to. It’s a good place to thank your publisher, give attribution to the music (playing under your narrated outro as a bed), and to drive a little traffic to your website or social properties. Bonus!
10. Interact With Your Fans
The rules of engagement between author and reader/listener have changed. Listeners now have access to those who create the content they consume in ways never seen before. Capitalize on this. Embrace this. Look at the popular authors. In almost every case, they have incredible amounts of interaction with their fans. Read comments. Actively seek conversations. Participate in forums. Answer your emails. Go out of your way to embrace and encourage these people to keep spreading your words far and wide.
11. Have Fun
The minute this becomes more work than fun and you can’t see why you are doing it, stop. Seriously. It’s not for everyone. Those who do it, love it. But that doesn’t mean you have to love it. There are lots of ways authors can try and make a name for themselves. We’re but one. A fun one, right?
Do all 11 things (I call them commandments for a reason) I just mentioned and you’ll go far. Don’t do those things and you risk having people turned off by your work. You have one chance to make a first impression. Get it right!