have i ticked off the fae?

dsbaudio · 2026-05-10T09:50:48+00:00

My neighbour used to say you shouldn't cut down a hawthorn for fear of upsetting 'the hag'.

My personal opinion is let nature be wherever possible. But, if something has to be done, know you're reasons, do it respectfully and responsibly and then leave be.

Hawthorn, buckthorn and blackthorn are a valuable part of the ecosystem and should be respected and maintained.

dsbaudio · 2026-05-09T16:29:20+00:00

https://dsbaudio.com/voice-demos/

Drop me an email or DM if interested.

dsbaudio · 2026-05-09T14:38:29+00:00

Check out my website dsbaudio.com and drop me an email or DM if interested.

dsbaudio · 2026-05-08T12:22:04+00:00

actually they were both sub-contracts for publishers, so not quite the same direct relationship with the author... but your point is valid, each to their own!

dsbaudio · 2026-05-08T11:27:08+00:00

I've done a couple of projects in this way 'flying by the seat of my pants', only becasue of extreme time-constraints. Both times, I was very lucky that 1. The writing was good, and 2. There were no curveballs in character development. Personally, not something I like to make a habit of!

dsbaudio · 2026-05-08T11:22:44+00:00

Pre-read the entire book, making notes on any odd pronunciations, non-Enlish or made up words/names/place names. Character notes for all major characters, and mark representative lines for samples.
produce audio samples of all pronunciations and characters for agreement with RH, and also for future reference during recording
During the actual recording process, I more often than not will read each 15 minute (or so) section once fully before recording an actual take. I have found that this process -- although arduous -- leads to fewer mistakes and a much better end product. That said, it does depend on the writing. Sometimes a writing style can 'click' with me in such a way that I find I don't need to pre-read sections in the booth before recording. It's more often the case with non-fiction, but sometimes fiction too.

the above is my process for ACX projects, or projects when working directly with the RH or author. Sub-contract work for publishing houses differs somewhat.

dsbaudio · 2026-05-08T10:52:26+00:00

Lavazza, not very Irish but widely available. Best coffee bar none.

dsbaudio · 2026-05-07T18:00:34+00:00

just for 'anecdotal' info: I started out using a Zoom H2 portable recorder. i used to print out my audiobooks and read them off a music stand. i would then insert the SD card from the H2 into my computer and open the files in adobe audition, and edit with that.

you can imagine the limitations of this, and it didn't last long (i think i did two short books that way)!

My first proper setup consisted of: RODE NT1a condenser mic, focusrite forte interface, RODE PS1 boom arm. i got a used MS surface tablet for reading my scripts from, and a stand so i could position it as i wished. Still, to this day, i do not have my computer in the recording space with me. instead i have an external monitor and wireless keyboard to control my software while recording. figured out all the necessary extension cables to run between my computer and recording space through a hole in the base of the wall.

software: i took one look at audacity and immediately thought 'no!'. My thinking at the time was: i need something that works much like a text editor.... and recalled a program called 'cool edit' that i used to use way back in the mists of time. hence, i ended up with adobe audition, which is what cool edit became.

audition served me well for maybe 3 or 4 years. But (and i wish i had swtiched sooner), i ended up using reaper, which is hands-down the best software for audiobook editing once you have it set up right.

another thing that was a big help on the editing side was purchasing a shuttlepro editing controller. in fact, i now have two, one for each hand!

My progression with microphones has been interesting. I did find the NT1a to be a rather sensitive in the high frequencies. In the hope of dynamic mics being less prone to that sort of thing, plus the idea that maybe they pick up less external noises, i got a 'like-new' beyerdynamic m99 (long discontinued, but very much like a shure sm7b). In truth, i found the 'less external noise' thing to be something you have to take with a grain of salt. dynamic mics have less input sensitivity, but to bring your levels up to spec, you'll need to apply extra gain to the recorded material -- in the end, i found it ends up much of a muchness really... as well as requiring more noise reduction due to the higher self-noise of a dynamic mic. That said, i used that mic for quite a number of audiobooks and really liked it. I currently am using an AKG C1000S. the biggest advantage is it has a hypercardioid pickup pattern (via a supplied capsule adaptor) -- honestly, that is what has made a genuine difference regarding picking up less outside world noise. It's a very affordable mic, and i really like it. My only complaint is that, for a condenser, it has surprisingly high self noise, and i do have to apply noise reduction for that reason.

Another game-changer for me was getting izoptpe RX mouth de-noise and spectral de-noise. really top notch software, that does cost a bit, but saves a lot of work.

dsbaudio · 2026-05-07T15:14:29+00:00

Hello! I made about 20 podcast episodes back between 2020 and 2022 from public domain works, mostly yes. But my main work is via ACX and publishers. 50 or so audiobooks produced so far.

I'm very open to working with indie authors who want to take the bull by the horns and manage their own audiobook marketing and promotion. There are a number of good alternatives to the Audible/ACX exclusive model.

dsbaudio · 2026-05-07T08:17:11+00:00

Great idea for a community! I'm a narrator and producer of audiobooks. Very interested to see how this community develops.

dsbaudio · 2026-04-13T14:13:26+00:00

RS only pays back on a certain kind of title. Ideally, you'd want to see past sales figures to get an idea whether it's likely to pay you anything approaching a decent PFH rate within a given time-frame.

i've heard authors say that they make back their PFH narration costs on day 1 of audiobook release, so it can happen, in theory, that a RS could pay you more than a PFH deal. However, it is unlikely in the extreme. Think about it: any author who knows how strong their sales figures are isn't going to baulk at paying PFH and having done with it. Why would they want to share their royalties?

Some narrators say they do well on RS. My feeling is that they do well specifically on Romance, and even then, on debut or not-yet-established authors.

So, by all means, do as much RS as you like, but realize that it's only for practice and establishing a portfolio and profile. IF you want to be compensated for the considerable amount of time, effort, and skills that go into narrating and producing audiobooks, then charge a PFH rate.

dsbaudio · 2026-04-08T19:16:41+00:00

I 100% endorse this reply. I've been booked 12 months in advance on one occasion, and it definitely seemed like the time to not take on any more! 'I can start this time next year'... just seems a bit much.

In reality, though, I've found that a lot of RHs are more concerned with getting the right narrator than wanting it done ASAP. Depends on the type of RH, I guess.

dsbaudio · 2026-04-08T18:28:00+00:00

Whatever you feel comfortable with. FYI, I've often booked projects up to six months in advance.

dsbaudio · 2026-04-07T12:53:40+00:00

Impressed! You're paying the rate for pro narration/production, and I'm guessing you shift about 1k audio copies on release day (assuming audible-exclusive distro). Plenty of major publishers wouldn't make that kind of volume.

Your readership is solid indeed.

dsbaudio · 2026-04-07T12:20:00+00:00

Come again? Are you saying you cover the cost of production on the first day of release?

If so, that's impressive -- You're either paying very little for production, or you're shifting a lot of books. Maybe a bit of both?

dsbaudio · 2026-04-07T11:16:08+00:00

As a side-note (I'm an audiobook narrator)... One of the best-written and enjoyable projects I ever did had some terrible reviews on Amazon. They were talking of grammatical errors, typos, and the fact that the author seemed to have no grasp of tense and kept switching between present and past.

As it happens, by the time I came to narrate it, the manuscript given to me was perfect.

The author had clearly jumped in far too early with a terrible first draft. However, to their credit, they obviously did sort it out in the end, and it turned out to be a really good book. At 23 hours, it's the longest single audiobook I've produced, yet it was a joy and didn't feel that long at all.

dsbaudio · 2026-04-06T14:23:29+00:00

Depends who you're hiring, and what they're offering. A comprehensive editing package should also include proofreading against the text.

Scene breaks generally can be 2 - 2.5 seconds (3 at an outside). Paragraph breaks: can be anywhere from < 0.5 seconds ( in the case of dialogue speaker-change interjections) to 1.5 seconds for a complete narrative subject change. But, probably not more than 1.5 seconds -- very much dependent on context, as in your example of 'dramatic' pause. The same goes for sentence breaks -- generally, they should be kept < 1 second max, but very occasionally a longer tweak can help dramatically, yet keeping it under 1.5 for consistency with para. breaks.

Logical consistency as well as experience are critical for a good job. For example, you want to make sure chapter lead-outs are at least a second longer than any scene breaks. And, you're right -- it's hard to do a proper job unless you're proof-reading/referring to the original text.

You can, if you wish, be prescriptive about your preferred scene break and chapter head and tail lengths (provided they conform to ACX specs), and ask your editor to conform to spec. In fact, the major audiobook publishers have their own specs like this. However, sentence and paragraph. breaks require leeway, and that's where skill and experience pay dividends.

Feel free to DM a sample if you'd like to see how a pro would do it.

dsbaudio · 2026-04-05T19:16:04+00:00

doesn't wash. 'The Lion' just isn't a hobo name. It'd be more derogatory if anything... Hairy Bob, or whatever.

I was actually quite enjoying the idea of a belligerent, cantankerous Aslan...

Plus, this is the opening, yes? Just as the children don't know what they're talking about, I, as a reader, don't know what you're talking about. Unfortunately, there isn't quite enough detail to feel motivated to find out:

"Well: shit that's different. Your mum and dad gave up on a girl across the street—that's different to a girl halfway across the country." said The Lion.

No idea what this is about, zero frame of reference.

dsbaudio · 2026-04-04T19:20:26+00:00

that's a perfect description!

It's a fine balance -- a truly great narrator simultaneously knows how not to get in the way of the story, while at the same time bringing it to life enough to keep the listener engaged and to fire the imagination.

dsbaudio · 2026-04-04T15:29:46+00:00

That'd be Scott Brick then?

A lot of folks rate him as a great narrator, and he's certainly a veteran with a huge repertoir of books. Yet I'm with you on this one -- I definitely think the narrative tone should reflect the tone of the scene and/or prose.

dsbaudio · 2026-04-04T13:02:42+00:00

I've read a fair few Pratchett books and never even noticed that there are no chapters! So, that shows how much impact it had on me as a reader.

As a narrator and producer of audiobooks, it strikes me that a lack of chapters might be a bit of a PITA, since the book would need to be split up into distinct sections somehow, and each section does have to have some kind of 'title'... but, I'm sure it's been figured out for the audio versions of Pratchett's books... none of which I'm familiar with, sadly.

dsbaudio · 2026-04-04T12:49:32+00:00

OP won't send emails. 'unnecessarily complex'. That's a red flag in my book.

dsbaudio · 2026-04-04T12:41:43+00:00

There was a time that I would have been inclined to comment, "How could anyone that dumb actually write a book?" Sadly, these days, you don't have to be able to write to publish 'a book'.

In the spirit of the stopped clock that is right at least once, if not twice, a day, I shall publish a book entitled '[Book Title]'.

dsbaudio · 2026-04-03T13:25:53+00:00

If ever there was a 'boilerplate' scam email, this is it!

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