The ultimate goal, of course, is to have somebody else proof and edit my work so I can focus on making buckets of money. I’m not going to lie, though, I kinda like this part of the job.

Today we are editing the next story, journeying through time and space and very much *not* thinking about why our car is leaking oil like a sieve.

Rifled through discarded audiobooks recently, checking only for anything with professional/educational merit. Found narrators like @edoballerini.bsky.social , R.C. Bray, Eric Conger, Scott Brick, and @thestevenweber.bsky.social. If you’re going to learn narration, learn from the best, I say.

For the Locus fundraiser auction: a copy of the Subterranean edition illustrated hardcover of The Murderbot Diaries: locus.betterworld.org/auctions/loc...

I don’t want to work today, I want @marthawells.com’s new Murderbot novel to come out now so that I can both read it, and listen to @kevinrfree.bsky.social perform it. Hard copy coming from @bookshop.org, audio from @libro.fm.

This week, I’m listening to Orlando Wells reading @stephenronson.bsky.social’s The Berlin Agent, set in the early days of WWII. Stephen’s excellent story and Orlando’s perfect narration make me feel I am actually on location as the events of the book unfold.

Book #02 has been uploaded to ACX for review, time to think about Book #03. 2 down, 1198 left to go.

As a narrator, the upside is that my demos are ready for other people to hear them and decide if I am right for their project. As an introvert, the downside is that my demos are ready for other people to hear them and decide if I am right for their project.

Your to do list: buy a book at your local indie this weekend - or with us online!

Jesse Q. Sutanto’s Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice For Murderers has humor, broken hearts, bleak marital drama, parent-child tension and, of course, murder. Eunice Wong voices the characters and shifting moods with skill and sensitivity. I’m pausing after every chapter to figure out how she does it.

Every coach I have ever spoken with has made me a better narrator. I never regret the cost of spending time with someone who is enthusiastic & knowledgeable, and who conveys that knowledge and enthusiasm to others. Why, yes, I did have a session with Uncle Roy Yokelson this morning. Why do you ask?

Poking around long-ignored directories on my pc, I came across an audio copy of The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, read by Douglas Adams. In turn, that reminded me that I drove through a blizzard to see Douglas himself read from this book almost exactly 44 years ago today in Ann Arbor, MI.

I had a dental appointment this morning and am arranging a consult about my recording pc this afternoon. It’s all just equipment maintenance and repair, isn’t it?

First royalty check is on the way! Trying to decide how to spend $10.16!

Normally, I’m gadget-oriented, i.e., a new microphone will fix all my problems. Then clarity strikes and I realize what I really need is better personal organization and time management. Getting more work done more efficiently will get me ahead. Any ideas out there to better manage book projects?

I should be working in the booth but the Ken Burns film Jazz (all ten dvds!) was in the free library at work yesterday and my priorities had to be adjusted.

One of my fillings fell out this week. Not a major event, overall, but every .0004 seconds during every waking moment my tongue is screaming “WHAT’S THIS?!? WHAT’S THIS?!?” like I don’t already know. Bonus feature: the edges of the filling are razor-sharp.

It’s an admin day here in Studio A, we’re focused on social media campaigns, prepping the next book, and, for those with the thickest skins, checking sales figures and reviews.

My first book on Audible, First Offensive: The Marine Campaign For Guadalcanal, recently had its first sale and now I have to update my resume from “narrator” to “professional narrator”.

“Until we are all free, we are none of us free.” ~ Emma Lazarus July 22, 1849 - November 19, 1887

It’s the busy season in all my non-audio pursuits, what with the dayjob, putting snow tires on *before* it snows, holiday shopping and child returning from afar, but today is a rare studio day and I couldn’t be happier.

It’s newsletter Tuesday! The first Tuesday of each month I send out a VERY SHORT newsletter covering the recent highlights of a shiny new narrator (that's me!). If you’re interested in that kind of thing, shoot me your email in a DM. (Unsubscribing is easy-peasy, btw.)

Can’t sing nor dance but I recently stepped out of my booth (and comfort zone) to participate in a music video directed by www.tessholbrook.com for the latest song from www.natemottmusic.com. Film prep is very much like getting an audiobook ready to record but with tons more people and a dress code.

Since my Book 0001 (I'm feeling optimistic) just went up on Audible, will ACX send me this tshirt automatically or do I have to ask?

Came across Kaliane Bradley’s Ministry Of Time and by the end of page 1 was reading it aloud to myself (that’s right, working for free!) because it was so much fun. George Weightman & Katie Leung narrate, providing a textbook example of how a great audio performance adds to the reading experience.

Look what just came in the mail! Just as pleased today about completing this class as I was in May, and still miss those monthly chats. Thank you again, @sppresents.bsky.social

Absolutely!

Rain? Bah, humbug. I have audio to edit and text to prep so it's still a beautiful day.

The Kitchen Cafe, Brewster, MA.

I’m on vacation this week. This means posts over the next few days will all be variations on the theme of “What Is Michael Eating Now?” Today, I'm at Lucky's Coffee Garage, in Lebanon, NH

Looking at the cover art for audiobook #0001, now in final review at ACX, and it’s weird to see my name there but I’m quite proud about it, too.

Taking a confident and optimistic view of my future narrating career, I’ve decided to number my audio projects with four-digit numbers. Coincidentally, Project 0002 is ready for editing.

Spending a large chunk of this day in the recording booth and loving every moment of it.

Going to add “Minor plumbing repairs” to my resume after this weekend. It’s the same hourly rate, after all.

Lots of driving today means lots of listening to Grover Gardner. I'm very okay with that.

Today’s Adventure In Audiobooks is learning how to make (on a Windows pc) a decent-looking epub out of the public domain book I just finished recording. Tips from the School Of Hard Knocks gratefully accepted.

It’s a recording day for me so of course I have to go to the dentist first (2nd time in a week!) and then to our excellent mechanics for an oil change. I will not mention the necessary yardwork in hopes of avoiding doing the necessary yardwork.

WE’RE SO EXCITED! Join Ana Clements and me for a 2-day online audiobook narration workshop (Aug 3rd & 9th). FOR MORE INFO: tinyurl.com/54dz85y5 Email: [email protected]  or [email protected]   Subject line: “August Workshop”

Am I watching Dept Q on Netflix? Sure. Am I reading, at the same time, Jussi Adler-Olsen’s The Keeper Of Lost Causes, the basis of Dept Q? Of course, who wouldn’t? And, also at the same time, am I listening to Erik Davies read The Keeper of Lost Causes? Well, why not, that’s not weird at all.

This week I finished recording my first official book. I still have to edit and master it but: It’s not AI-generated; I chose this title to do because I wanted to do it, not because I had to; It’s not a “practice” title for figuring out how to record audiobooks;

Until I get my official narrator tshirt, I’m happy to wear these (from from the folks at Libro.fm) while I record my first “under-my-actual-name” book. #audiobook, #voiceactor, #audiobooks, #narrator, #narration, #audiobooknarrator, #NarratorLife

Did you know that 28% of all revenue from independent bookshops immediately recirculates in the local economy—compared to 17% with Barnes and Noble and less than 4% with Amazon? Just saying 🤷‍♀

A perfect end to a fun day in the booth.

I love having a project: I love prepping a project, I love doing all the recording, proofing and editing, and I love being in my tiny booth. But I suck at starting projects. Not today, though: not only do I begin a project today, it has at least three sequels to keep me busy this summer.

For me, the first step on the road to Narrator Happiness is to block anyone who says reading nonfiction is easy.

I caught the sore throat going around my day job and I had this deep, raspy, breathy voice. A good voice for a horror novel, noir detective, or a fun children’s ghost thriller. But how do you book such a job when you don’t know when that voice will come back and you have to be sick to do it?

BORDER PATROL: “Are you an 🇺🇸 citizen?” 🔥 NATIVE AMERICAN WOMAN: “FIRST ONES. We didn’t cross the border, the border crossed us… what are you? You’re not first born. You’re not from this f*ckin’ land. Punk-as* b*tches.”

I can’t help but notice that every single time an LGBTQ+ person is killed in a high-profile hate crime, masses of people immediately rush in to explain why it could not possibly have been a hate crime, actually.

The only official Murderbot merchandise is here on Worldbuilders, which is a non-profit that raises money for charity: worldbuildersmarket.com/search?q=mar...

Time to clarify something. When authors say “Unbound haven’t paid me” that makes it sound like Unbound had some money, which they used to buy authors’ writing. Unbound had no money. The authors did: we had raised that money. They were holding it in trust. Unbound stole our money.