Category: Audio Books

Some Success – Notes by Hand – Mar 13

Pulling the guitar string through the tuner, wrapping a few times then a luthier’s knot, I twisted to tighten and –snap—it popped. The high E string. A fresh set. The other five ready to go. Sparkling, beautiful. New. An inauspicious start.

Not how I planned it.

I wanted to play, not do maintenance.

This scenario, though, is often how my writing starts. I begin any sort of way, discarding each as boring, base or unworthy, until finally landing on a sentence to entice the reader.

Probably a lot closer to how marketing for publishing works. The one idea I’m sure will launch my book inevitably fails. The iterations eventually reveal a working approach.

Writing teaches one thing over all others, the power of perseverance. 70,000 words don’t happen by accident. Particularly when each of those words have been touched more than a baker’s dozen on the way to you, dear reader.

My latest example is the re-release of an audiobook. In a day I sold and distributed as many of them as I did in the first year of print publication. There is an audience and that audience is not always readily apparent.

What does show up? Me. I appear and continue to chip away because if I tell my story and just one of you is relieved of your worry and pain for the shortest time, I am a success.

That’s what the story is for. That’s what all of them are for.

Be well ~ jefe

Catch What I’m Reading This Week

Finished

He does some cool stuff with timelines and structure in here. Just be sure to wash your hands! (You’ll know once you’ve read it.)

Started

The prologue is chilling and opening chapters enticing. Always wanted to read this after I heard him interviewed on Book Worm when it came out. (Rest in Peace, Michael Silverblatt.)

A New Part of the Journey

I’m starting production on audio versions of all three of my books.

Embarking on this journey isn’t an entirely insane proposition. As some of you may know, I am a professional grade commercial and music video editor. As a film schooler, I’ve taken my fair share of acting classes (with good marks) and voiced over more than a few industrial videos.

I am comfortable with the technology and game, even a little excited, to test my skills at telling my own stories. Heck, in grade school, I was excited for my turn to read aloud. As my brother says, I like to be the center of attention.

Each of these stories has been read aloud many times, to myself and my wife, and, to be honest, I enjoy reading them.

Also, as a person with current disabilities, I have learned about helping others. I never understood that some people were unable to read a book because they can’t turn a page or hold the book or hate it because of dyslexia or can’t see it or a thousand other reasons that I don’t even know about.

Now, I understand and now I’m hoping some people can have a little respite in their lives.

Stories matter.

Anyway, I’m going to record some notes on how I do this along they way. For myself, so I don’t forget, and for you because maybe you’re bored and want to read something.

Today I recorded a test track and worked on the set up. The mic, of course. I’m using Adobe Audition for recording and editing. I’ve also worked on the proper effects, levels and all that gobbly gook to make sure I sound reasonably professional.

On a side note, once back in the day, I edited for Jordan Scott a commercial for The Roots – it promoted their new album on MTV and the like – and I added a bit of video feedback, image decay color rainbow thing to the cut. It looked really cool. In fact, when we sent the commercial for the final recording at the online suite, the post supervisor called to find out how I did it. No one could figure what I did and, to be honest, when I told them all the tech heads freaked out. They’d never heard or seen anything like it.

This is a long way of saying, sometimes I break things to make things.

Should be fun …!