Authors On Audio
AUTHORS ON AUDIO
During the past week we have been recording The Gilded Cage, the first title in Vic James’ Dark Gifts trilogy. In addition to our reader, Avita Jay, and producer, Leo Whetter, Vic herself was able to join us for two of the studio days, drawing upon her experiences to pen a thoughtful blog post about the process.
Alongside Vic’s insight into the pronunciations, directions, and the spine-tingling feeling of hearing words brought to life which all comprise a good audiobook recording, we’ve compiled some other pieces from our archives of authors blogging about hearing their words … Read More >
Audiobooks: From The Margins To The Mainstream
AUDIOBOOKS: FROM THE MARGINS TO THE MAINSTREAM
This article was originally published in The Bookseller, 23 September 2016.
Audiobooks are now an established part of publishing – and they are growing fast. In the UK, downloaded audio sales were up 29% year on year in 2015 compared to 2014. Markus Dohle, C.E.O of Penguin Random House, picked out digital audiobooks in a recent letter to staff as having “a significant upswing”.… Read More >
Quarterly Blog: The Language Instinct
QUARTERLY BLOG: THE LANGUAGE INSTINCT
Having the freedom to decide a book’s setting in space and time sometimes requires giving voice to languages which, due to their age, are typically read rather than spoken. In the case of Joanna Harris’ latest book Runemarks, this is Old Norse. Joanna herself has been on hand to offer help with articulating the language to our producer Richard Hughes, and our reader, Rosie Jones.… Read More >
Video and Photo Services
VIDEO AND PHOTO SERVICES
As well as hosting recording sessions at our studio in Clerkenwell, we can also provide equipment and expertise suitable to produce high-quality photographs and video, suitable for promotional purposes.… Read More >
Jane Austen’s Curtains
JANE AUSTEN’S CURTAINS
This article was originally published in the London Book Fair Show Daily, 12 April 2016.
One of the pleasures of being an audiobook producer is being part of not one but two creative worlds full of intelligent, articulate people with stories to tell or information to impart: authors, and readers (perhaps it is clearer in this article to call them ‘performers’ to avoid confusion with the consumers of printed books). … Read More >
Audiobooks And The Price Of Fish
AUDIOBOOKS AND THE PRICE OF FISH
This article was originally published in the London Book Fair Show Daily, 16 April 2015.
“We deal with a highly differentiated product. There are hundreds of varieties, and within each variety, there are large ones, small ones, ones just in, and ones that have been around longer than they ought. And consumers wish to examine them before purchase.” We might well be talking about books, but actually this is an extract from an academic paper about the New York wholesale fish market–slightly paraphrased to avoid obviously piscine terminology. Fish markets are of interest to … Read More >
2016 So Far
2016 SO FAR
In the first quarter of 2016, we were kept busy by projects where we were asked by clients to convert old audiobook titles from master copies contained on physical media (CDs, DVDs, DATs and cassettes) to the necessary download specification for retail on the Audible store. It is a process which appears simple on the surface, but requires a surprising amount of work and time to accomplish, especially to a good standard.… Read More >
Audiobooks: Craft Or Commodity?
AUDIOBOOKS: CRAFT OR COMMODITY?
This article was first published in the Publisher’s Weekly/BookBrunch Frankfurt Show Daily, 11 October 2013. The original text is below, with footnotes indicating where more recent data has been established.
The audiobook industry has seen major changes over the 20 years I have been a producer. Do they threaten the industry, or open up opportunities for publishers and producers? Are they beneficial for listeners?
In the early 1990s audiobooks were often thought to be synonymous with books for the blind; now they are a significant part of the general trade publishing market. UK internet … Read More >