The following books are available as Audio Books on Amazon, Audible or Apple iTunes. I’m using the ACX platform for production supported by the amazing narrators. Book recordings are in either English or US English.
Completed books:
Other Languages
I am always interested in other languages. Any potential narrators interested in translating to other languages, please let me know. I will add the translation to the ACX platform. Current translated books can be found here.
Audio Books in Production or Released
Audio Books Challenges
The audio book process is rewarding but complex. It requires extensive efforts on behalf of the narrators for which, I am very grateful. The backwards and forwards from author to narrator is essential to get the right voice. This is often different from how I might have imagined the character in the first place. It also highlights the joys of grammar errors and necessity of punctuation! Something I’ve written about before.
ACX Process
Books are set up in ACX by the publisher or directly by the author. Narrators can join and audition by selecting the book. Alternatively authors/publishers can invite a narrator to the book. The main process on ACX is as follows:
- Post book onto platform
- Accept auditions
- Review auditions
- Make offer to narrator with 3 options for payment
- Payment upfront no royalty for narrator
- Mixed royalty and payment
- Royalty share
- Mixed royalty and payment
- Payment upfront no royalty for narrator
- Make offer to narrator with 3 options for payment
- Narrator accepts
- 15 Minute upload
- Book upload against assigned chapters
- Author reviews
- Edits and re-uploads
- Complete book approved inc 5 min audio sample
- ACX Review
- Publish to Audible, Amazon, Apple Books (ITunes)
Audio Books and AI
There is a lot of discussion about using AI to generate an audio books narration. I have been tempted to use that process; however, I have decided not to. ACX does not allow AI narration under its Ts and Cs.
I tried a few existing chapters using two methods. These were tried on several different AI platforms but the criticism remains.
Narrators Voice Extended
In this method, a recording of a real persons narration is applied to new text. Effectively this is extending text to audio functionality but to new text. Results for me were poor because expression and feeling of the reading is not easily duplicated.
Artificial Voice
The full AI experience takes text and applies different voices to it. As with the extended system the issue is expression. The AI has to be told where voices change (different characters) in dialogue for example. It also needs to be told if more or less expression. This is added to the text in commands added in codes or settings to the text.
English (UK) 
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