Stephanie Queen

USA Today Bestselling Author

Behind the Scenes: Making an Audiobook

By

SQ Listens to AudiobookConfessing to yet another vice (aside from junk food), I’m addicted to audiobooks. How do I know I’m addicted, you ask?

I’ll tell you. When I first started, I only listened while working out. Then my work outs went from 30 minutes to 60 minutes, hinting at the beginning of my addiction. Next I began listening while I was driving too, but only long distance drives. Then I moved into plugging into audiobooks the second I get in the car. There’s no doubt about my addiction. I don’t even bother to take my earbuds out when I go from the car to the house. I even listen in the evenings while watching TV. Yes, it is tricky and I do need to turn the sound off on the television, but like all of us these days, I am famously a multi-tasker. Or that’s my guilt-ridden addict’s excuse.

Being a novelist, the natural next step as a confirmed audiobook addict was to make my novels into  audiobooks. Unlike listening to audiobooks while watching TV, I didn’t need a silly excuse to do this. It’s a smart business decision with the growing audiobook audience. So I did it.

The Author’s Audiobook Making Process (through ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange platform of Audible/Amazon):

  1. Prepare and share a script for narrator auditions
  2. Listen to as many auditions as it takes and give feedback to narrators where appropriate
  3. Choose a narrator and negotiate a deal, agreeing to a royalty share or rate per finished hour.
  4. Send the novel/script to the narrator.
  5. Review and approve first 15 minutes of audiobook.
  6. Listen/review/make notes of changes for each chapter, one at a time. (This can take a while!)
  7. Listen to corrected chapters and make more notes for changes as needed.
  8. Listen to final corrections and approve audiobook.
  9. Pay narrator and submit to ACX  for review/approval
  10. Get promotional clip and promotional codes from ACX
  11. Your Audiobook is approved and live and ready for all your fans to buy!

What a fun intensive process it’s been. With three of my thirty books in audio now, I’ve figured out. Auditioning narrators has been the most fun part for me. There are a lot of talented professionals out there. Seventy-nine auditions later, I was able to find someone who I thought was perfect for my Beachcomber Investigations series.

Let It Snow Audiobook Cover
Newest Audiobook

I chose Mishka Thebauld to narrate Let It Snow, a Beachcomber Investigations romantic suspense novella turned audiobook, which is out now. Mishka is a trained actor with some TV and Film experience, but just starting out in voice over narration. I was lucky to find him now as a beginner. This month he’ll begin narrating The Beachcombers – prequel to the Beachcomber Investigations series. This young actor impressed me so much that I plan to have him narrate the entire series. I predict he’ll be a star audiobook narrator–if he doesn’t get distracted by his TV/Film acting career.

You can hear more about the audiobook making process and meet Mishka in the podcast video below, but first I want to offer a FREE download of Let It Snow to one lucky random commenter.

Let me know in the comments if you like audiobooks and why for a chance to WIN your FREE Audiobook copy of Let It Snow!

Now, hear all about audiobooks behind the scenes and meet super narrator, Mishka Thebault:

NEW Book Trailer for New Release: Beachcomber Gone

By

Counting down to the release of book 9 in the Beachcomber Investigations series on November 25th.

Here’s a book trailer to give you an peak into the story!

Available soon:

AMAZON.    APPLE.    NOOK.    KOBO

Curl Up with a Book: Facebook Scavenger Hunt!

By

Curl Up with a Book
FACEBOOK SCAVENGER HUNT

October 5-8

Curl up in a comfy chair, grab your favorite beverage, and prepare to play our scavenger hunt. You could be the lucky winner of our $90 gourmet gift basket grand prize or win an Amazon gift card! With 26 authors participating—many hosting individual giveaways of their own—we’ve got plenty of fun surprises and treats. It’s super easy and fun to play. Click the link and join the hunt!

Authors Participating in the Hunt

Alex Gordon • Allison Temple • Amanda Uhl • Anne McClane • Ashley Farley • Aubrey Wynne • Cailin Briste • Crystal Walton • Holly Cortelyou • Jacqueline Diamond • Jacquie Biggar • Karen Michelle Nutt • Kerry Blaisdell • Kristine Smith • L. R. W. Lee • Maria Geraci • Maureen Bonatch • Morgan K Wyatt • Nikki Lynn Barrett • Nina Crespo • PG Forte • S.A. Larsen • Stephanie Queen • Taylor Marsh • Zoe Forward • Aileen Harkwood

THE GRAND PRIZE 

Hollywood-Style Book Trailer: Beachcomber Danger

By

Hollywood is not in danger of me taking it by storm, but I did have fun creating this book trailer for my latest installment in the Beachcomber Investigations series, Beachcomber Danger. The dramatic opening, the music and the credits at the end are all part of iMovie’s “Hollywood” treatment.

Hint: The book is better than the movie!

Let me know what you think of the trailer. (Myren, my chauffeur, has of course weighed in. He thinks I’m hopeless and have nerve even referencing Hollywood in the same sentence as my book trailer.) (I reminded Myren which side of his bread is buttered and by whom.)

Myren aside, take a look and leave a comment. It would be much appreciated.

Audiobook Preview! Let It Snow

By

I confess, I am an audiobook-o-phile. I would walk around with headphones on listening to stories all day if it didn’t cause me to run into walls and/or telephone poles. When I was a kid, my mother used to tell me about how when she was a kid they listened to shows like The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet and Dick Tracy on the radio. I used to think that compared to watching television, listening to the radio seemed lame. I actually felt sorry for my parents having to listen to The Adventures of Superman over the radio.

Boy, was I ever wrong.

Now I know how powerful listening to a story acted out can be. You’re forced to immerse yourself and picture the scenes in your head, creating your own intimate world connected only by the voices as you listen.

Face it, I’m hooked.

So naturally, I wanted to create an audiobook from one of my stories for the Christmas season. I’m working on producing the audio version of Let It Snow and auditioning narrators right now.

Here’s one of the front-runners. Let me know what you think!

Let It Snow – Chapter 1

This is the first audiobook I’ve done in a long while, but I did create a couple a while ago. If you’re into audiobooks and romantic suspense with loads of action, then you should try The Hot Shots available at Amazon.

Or if you’re partial to romantic comedy with a bit of action and suspense, try The Throwbacks, also available at Amazon.

Consider this my personal invitation to hook you on audio–if you’re not already gung-ho!

Coming Soon!

Privacy Policy

SQ will keep your private information private and not send you emails without your permission. SQ will never share your private information for the use of a third party. If you have any questions please contact me at stephanie@stephaniequeen.com.

You Might Like This

%d bloggers like this: