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Karen Commins

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Atlanta Audiobook Share-rator™

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Archives for 2014

Interview with Audiobook Blogger April Holgate

28 December 2014

Authors and narrators greatly appreciate the people who take the time to listen to our audiobooks and then write thoughtful reviews. In this first installment of a new series, I’m excited to interview audiobook blogger April Holgate from Eargasms Audiobook Reviews to find out about her review interests and process.

April’s bio:

I have always been a reader in one form or another. I generally get through a book a day. I just cannot help devouring stories! I was the kid whose favorite teacher was the librarian. She always let me borrow more books than you were allowed. As a kid I was very introverted. I loved going into my books and living an adventure in my head. As I grew older I started coming out of my shell and getting into theatre. Turns out reading and theatre are a perfect combination!

My career has varied from being an artist to working in Broadway theatres to working as a kid’s talent agent then back to being a starving artist again. I have loved every minute of my journey!

10 Questions For April

1. When did you start listening to audiobooks?

I have been listening to audiobooks for several years now. I started here and there while working on art projects or playing video games. I thought it was a great way to make that time more productive. Later I listened during my long commutes to and from work, 2-3 hours each way. Now I have a new job where I am on the computer all day, perfect for listening to books.

2. What prompted you to start writing audiobook reviews?

I started writing book reviews several years ago when I discovered Goodreads. It started as a way to keep track of books I had already read and my thoughts on them. Amazingly enough people started liking the reviews and asking for recommendations. I write a review for everything I read, the good, the bad and the eh. I only started including narrator info in the reviews a few years ago. I realized they were an important part of the experience that I left out. A narrator really can make of break a read.

3. Where do you write your reviews? If it’s a public place, why did you choose it? If it’s at home, describe the room and/or stuff on your desk. A picture would be fabulous!

I am a very fly by the seat of your pants kind of girl. I write reviews on my Kindle, on my iPhone, sneak them in while at work and at my desk. I have written reviews while lounging in bed, on the subway, in the bubble bath, waiting in line and most often at my messy desk. Wherever I am that gives me a moment to think and get those thoughts out. I am almost afraid to show you a picture of my desk because it looks like an episode of hoarders! LOL What can I say, I like chaos.

4. How do you decide whether to read a book or listen to it? Do you ever do both for the same book?

My traditional reading time is very limited due to work and life, so I am very picky about what I physically read. Mostly those are books from authors I am already invested in, who have not made the jump to audio.

Selecting an audiobook is easier because I can listen while I work, commute or pretend to work out. I have plenty of authors and series that I stalk, um follow. I am always watching for them to release. Other books will catch my eye because of the cover art, I like pretty. Then I read the blurb to see if the story interests me. From there I will listen to the sample to determine if I like the narrator. If everything looks and sounds good, I will spend one of my precious credits or accept the offer to review.

I have read a few books both in traditional reading and them in audio. Most of the time it is because the author has made the transition to audiobooks, other times it is because I need to reacquaint myself with a series that I read in ebook and am now switching to audio. I love experiencing the book again in a very different way. Many times I pick up things that I missed the first go around.

There is also the rare occasion when I switch to an ebook because I am not enjoying the narration. It has only happened a few times.

5. Do you have a go-to genre?

Do I ever! I have my top three favorite genres.

Romance, pretty much every sub-genre, I read anything from the sappy sweet to YA to naughty erotic to romantic suspense. I am a sucker for a good love story; smexy steam is always a bonus.

Paranormal/Urban Fantasy, especially if it involves shifters! I love me some yummy shifter crack! My favorite thing about the genre is the way it can rebuild the world you thing you know. It is fantasy but modern as well.

Mystery, love them all, especially a cheesy Cozy Mystery. I love playing detective and trying to solve the crime before all the clues are revealed. There have been a few that gave my inner Sherlock Holmes a real work out!

6. What is your review policy? Do you accept review requests from narrators?

I welcome any offers for audiobooks. I have submission from authors, narrators and publishers. You will find I do a fair share of indie/self-published audiobook reviews. It is important for me to showcase more than just the NYT Best sellers. Generally my policy is just ask, you never know what might catch my attention. I have ever changing book moods!

7. Describe how you approach your reviews. Do you have different criteria for different genres?

For me a review is about liking the book or not. I hate reviews that regurgitate the book blurb or give spoilers. You will not see that at Eargasms. My philosophy is Keep It Simple. I go over what I thought of the book and characters in general. Was there a story, was it any good? How steamy did things get? What kind of narrative was it, single POV or mixed?

I spend at least a paragraph of the review is dedicated it the narration. Again, keeping things simple, commenting in the pace, tone and energy of the read. I have pet peeves about bad accents, background noise and weird pauses.

I do not have a lot of criteria as far as the genres, except for Romance. I need a story with my steam. I am not a fan of thin stories wrapped around oodles of sex. Give me a quality story with my smut!

8. Do you multitask when listening to books? If yes, what else do you do while you listen, and how does listening to books affect the other activity?

I listen while I work, I think it makes me more productive. Oddly enough splitting my attention tends to make me more focused. I get through more work when I am listening to an audiobook . I also listen while I am editing photos or creating props/costumes. Again, I think the audiobook helps me focus more on my task. I don’t usually need to think too hard about work or art, listening is a nice way to let my mind wander.

I also listen at the gym, but we are not going to talk about that torture chamber!

9. Looking back through the reviews you’ve written, please share the link(s) of 1-3 that were favorites of yours and explain why they are special to you.

So hard, it is like picking a favorite book! Impossible! Here are a few more recent ones that I really enjoyed.

http://www.eargasmsaudiobookreviews.com/2014/08/07/jitters-a-quirky-little-audio-book-by-adele-park/
Jitters is a favorite review because it was a book I was expecting to adore. There was such a sense of theatricality about the read, I fell in love! I do not usually enjoy full cast narrations; this was a very happy exception.

http://www.eargasmsaudiobookreviews.com/2014/11/29/audiobook-review-better-nate-than-ever-by-tim-federle/
Better Nate Than Ever is a favorite because I loved the combination of writer/narrator, and Nate really reminds me of so many friends. I can just imagine them as him in their youth.

http://www.eargasmsaudiobookreviews.com/2014/05/09/the-selkie-spell-by-sophie-moss/
The Selkie Spell was such a beautiful read. It was one of those books you want to crawl inside and live. Loved the Irish accents!

10. As a narrator, I sometimes feel I have a spiritual connection to some of the characters in the books. If you were a character in a novel, who would you be, and why?

I am going to show exactly what a classic book nerd I am here. I think I would be either Elizabeth Bennett of Emma Woodhouse. I think I have Lizzie’s forthright attitude and spunk. Emma is my more playful side. Ms. Austen really did know how to craft an awesome character!

I think I could easily relate to most of Shakespeare’s heroines as well. Katherine, Beatrice or Rosalind; all strong, independent and sassy as all get out!!

Connect with April on these sites:

Blog http://eargasmsaudiobookreviews.com/
Goodreads  https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2016803-april
Amazon
Audible http://www.audible.com/listener/A1KYJA5YM1479G?ref_=a_search_mst_tnaft_5
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/eargasmsaudiobookreviews

Thanks, April, for a peak inside your world! Also, I thank you for all of the narrator interviews on your blog this month, including my interview today!

Do you have a question for April? Please leave a comment!
 

Filed Under: Audiobook Bloggers, Audiobooks, Away From the Mic, Interviews, Marketing, Narrators Tagged With: April Holgate, blogger, Eargasms Audiobook Reviews, reviews

Upcoming Series: Interviews with Audiobook Bloggers

26 December 2014

When you have the courage to put your art out in the world, you know you will get a mix of reactions to it in the reviews.

I have never written a review (and don’t intend to start), but I’ve certainly read plenty, including many left for my audiobooks on Audible.

However, I do look at reviews for 2 primary reasons:

  1. to prepare for an audition of a book I’d like to narrate
  2. after my audiobook is released so that I improve my performance in future books

If I’m reading the reviews for the print editions before an audition, I look for comments about:

  • grammar
  • spelling
  • typos
  • correct word usage
  • amount of graphic sexual or violent scenes
  • amount of foul language
  • plot and character development

Helpful comments include things like comparisons to TV shows and movies, where if you liked the other medium, you’d probably like this book as it has similar character development.

I also like to know that the reviewer reads/listens in the genre for the review. Some people who have never read/heard a cozy mystery JUST DON’T GET IT! They think all mysteries are full of violence and fast action. They leave negative reviews and ratings for books that don’t meet that expectation.

The review is also not the place to complain about the price of the book/audiobook, though many people write one for that very reason.

Whether the review is left for a print edition or the audiobook, it doesn’t help anyone if it doesn’t offer constructive criticism. With an audiobook, if the Audible listener doesn’t like the story, s/he will usually trash the narrator, too, and vice versa.

Those types of reviews usually have 1-star ratings and don’t offer anything helpful to either the author or narrator. They usually just say something generically mean that could have come from a MadLibs, like: “The [story or narrator] was [negative adjective like horrible, atrocious, terrible, awful]! Don’t waste your money!”

It’s like the reviewer is completely outraged that they spent money and then didn’t enjoy the audiobook for whatever reason. They feel it their sworn duty to warn off other people from making the same tragic mistake, yet they can’t articulate the reason the audiobook didn’t meet their expectations.

Whether a reviewer is writing from the heights of wild enthusiasm or from the abyss of negativity, what’s the point of writing a review if a person can’t say what s/he liked or didn’t like about the book? Writing “I liked/didn’t like it but don’t know why” is not a review; it’s an opinion.

Even in a discussion with one’s friends, just saying “I liked or didn’t like it” wouldn’t be enough. Someone who might be interested in the book would almost certainly ask what about it did you like/not like.

I’m not trying to tell anybody to write any certain thing or certain way.  Even the 1-line opinions of “loved it” or “hated it” are valuable because your art made somebody feel something, which is really the point behind creating it.

Since I haven’t written reviews, though, my opinions about them may not matter to anyone but me!

For this reason, I am thrilled to announce a new series of interviews with audiobook bloggers! These people love audiobooks and write thoughtful reviews of the audiobooks they hear.

April Holgate, prolific listener and author of the Eargasms Audiobook Reviews blog will be first in the interview hot seat. Look for her interview here on Sunday, 28 December. Coincidentally (or not!), I’ll be interviewed on her blog that day as well and hope you will check out both of our sites.
 

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Books, Interviews, Marketing, Narrators Tagged With: April Holgate, Audible, Eargasms Audiobook Reviews, reviews

Gary Terzza’s Advice for Newbie Narrators on ACX.com

3 December 2014

On 11/18/14, ACX.com hosted a Twitter chat with UK voiceover coach Gary Terzza, who offered advice for newbie audiobook narrators on ACX.com.

I added the chat to a Storify page. My archive from that page is linked here.

 

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Business, Narrators, Voice-Over Tagged With: ACX.com, advice, audiobook, Gary Terzza, narrator, Twitter chat

How to Submit Your Audiobooks for Review in AudioFile Magazine

1 December 2014

On 10/29/14, ACX.com hosted a Twitter chat with AudioFile Magazine, the audiobook industry’s oldest and best publication, so that narrators and publishers could learn about AudioFile’s purpose and review policies.

I added all of the Q&A tweets that I could find to a Storify page, which you can read at this link. I also included some headlines highlighting key points.

 

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Authors, Business, Marketing Tagged With: ACX.com, audiobooks, AudioFile Magazine, narrator, reviews, Storify, Twitter chat

How to Embed a Soundcloud Sample in a WordPress Blog

29 November 2014

With more voice artists sharing their recordings on Soundcloud, I thought it might be helpful to share some steps for embedding the Soundcloud player in a WordPress blog.

First, go to the user’s profile on Soundcloud.

Click the Share button (circled below) on the track or playlist that you want to embed.

On the next screen, choose the Embed tab and check the box for WordPress code. I choose the large player on the left of the 3 sizes shown and make a modification to the code pasted in WordPress, which I’ll explain shortly.

Copy the code from Soundcloud and paste it in the Visual tab your WordPress post.

Note that this code gives you a large picture and player like this:

If you pick the middle player on the Soundcloud embed screen, your player is smaller, but your image may not look pretty.

The player on the right side of the embed screen displays a thin strip of the artwork and is so unsatisfactory in appearance that I don’t even want to include it here.

My blog would crash on an iPad if I had more than one of those large players.

I therefore manually change the code for the large player in my WordPress post so that my player looks like Soundcloud’s original small player. I also like that the cover art is fully represented in the small player.

To make your code for the large player look this way, make these 2 changes to the Soundcloud code that you pasted into WordPress:

&visual=false   (default was true)

height=166       (default was 450)

For an example of a finished post, check out this article, which includes 3 small players.
 

Filed Under: Business, Marketing, Narrators, Recordings Tagged With: recordings, Soundcloud, voiceover, WordPress

10 Things I Learned About Speaking at a Conference

11 October 2014

On Friday, 10 October 2014, I presented the topic “Setting Sail In Audiobooks” at the Georgia Romance Writers’ (GRW) annual Moonlight and Magnolias Conference. Although I gave a polished talk with a fabulous multimedia presentation, the overall experience is not one I want to repeat any time soon.

I’ll be honest — before yesterday, I had never given this sort of presentation. I had done presentations in my government career, of course, so I had no fear of speaking to a group.

I raise the point about this kind of presentation because a more experienced public speaker might have been able to avoid the technical and communications problems I encountered. I therefore thought it might be helpful to share some things that could have gone better to save others from a similar plight.

1. Only go when you are INVITED.

In January of 2014, I sent a message to the Georgia Romance Writers to inquire about speaking to their group about audiobooks at a monthly meeting and/or the annual conference. The conference chairperson responded that I could submit a workshop proposal for the conference. If my proposal was selected, I would have to pay the conference registration fee for attendees.

I responded that I was unwilling to pay registration fees since I wouldn’t be an attendee. My thinking was that I was offering to HELP them for free. I certainly was not going to PAY for the privilege of spending my time, energy, and creativity in developing an engaging and informative talk and then more time at the actual presentation.

In March, after the proposal window had closed, the conference chairperson wrote to me:

Are you still interested in presenting at the Moonlight & Magnolias conference in October? We have an opening in the workshop schedule, and since you’re local and provide a service to authors, we’re willing to waive the registration requirement.

My gut whispered to me that they didn’t want ME. They just wanted someone to FILL A SLOT and were SETTLING for me “since I’m local and provide a service to authors”. I chose to dismiss those thoughts, telling myself they were just my own inner resistance to stepping outside my comfort zone instead of a warning signal. I responded that I would be delighted to accept the slot.

2. Ask for equipment to transmit both the computer video and AUDIO.

I had to submit my equipment requests in June, long before I started creating my slide show. Even though my topic was AUDIObooks and AUDIO is my life, I didn’t think to specifically ask for equipment to transmit my computer AUDIO along with the screen display.

My snazzy slide show included 4 terrific videos that demonstrated key points. As I practiced my speech last week, I suddenly realized that the projector might not transmit the computer’s audio. I wrote to the conference coordinator, who said they only had a projector, and she didn’t think she could get speakers for my computer. She referred me to the hotel contact person to solve the audio problem. I’m guessing that no one at previous GRW conferences has ever had a multimedia show, so no one ever thought of or asked for audio equipment.

The hotel was only providing a microphone and podium. However, it could easily include the additional sound mixer configuration for my computer audio for an additional $130. GRW apparently was unwilling or unable to pay the additional fee.

]I had to solve the audio problem. My choices were:

  • Pay the hotel the $130 to set up the additional equipment.
  • Take an external speaker from home, perhaps even a studio monitor.
  • Remove the videos from the slide show.

I decided to take a Bluetooth speaker. I had to hold my microphone in front of the speaker in order to project its sound throughout the large ballroom.  I’ll have more to say about this solution in subsequent points.

3.  Test and re-test every aspect of your slide show.

My laptop worked well with a Bluetooth speaker that we had purchased from Williams and Sonoma. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize that it must time-out after a certain amount of inactivity. When I got to the 2 videos at the end of my presentation, the Bluetooth speaker wouldn’t play the sound. I might have discovered that fact if I had played all of my videos with the external speaker during my rehearsals.

4.  Ensure that your name and presentation name are the way you want them to appear on the schedule and program.

When I received the conference schedule in September, I just looked for my name to see the date and time of my session. I didn’t notice that my session title was listed as the very bland and vague “Audiobook Presentation” instead of the name I had given it “Setting Sail In Audiobooks”.

 

Of all the presentations, mine was the only one with such a non-descript name. The other presentations retained the names given them by the speakers. Some of the presentation names contained more characters than mine, so my presentation name would have fit in the space provided.

I only noticed this undesirable and unauthorized change on Thursday night before my Friday session. Sure enough, the printed program listed my presentation name as “Audiobook Presentation”. This name probably translated into a lower attendance level for my session.

At least my name was spelled correctly.

My presentation had an intriguing name.
The slides continued the sailing theme.

5.  Visit the room where you’ll present and know how the equipment will be configured at least 1 day before your session.

I did visit the hotel the day before the conference. I stood on the stage at the podium in a ballroom of 25 tables with 10 chairs at each table. I envisioned the room full to capacity of people who were interested in my topic and excited to get my information about using ACX to create audiobooks.

The hotel A/V director told me that GRW had not ordered a screen for Friday. I had to send yet another message to the conference chairperson about the screen. She assured me that they would have a screen for Friday.

I naively thought that in the ballroom setup, the screen would be ON THE STAGE, behind me at the podium. I didn’t know until I got in the room for my session that the screen was a small thing set off in the far corner with a projector on top of a table! I asked them to move the table and screen closer to me so that I could still use the podium. I didn’t want to hold the mic for the entire session while also bending down to the table to read my presenter notes from my computer.

On Monday, I had asked the conference chairperson what kind of cable connected to the projector. I didn’t get that answer until I walked in the room on Friday.

6.  Plan for all contingencies.

Take all kinds of cables and adapters that you might need. I had both HDMI and VGA cables and adapters so that I was prepared for any projector connection.

Print your presentation notes. Thank heaven I had taken this step because Powerpoint on my Mac never gave me the option for dual monitors. The attendees viewed the slide show, and I referred to my paper notes.

Make sure your printed presentation notes include the latest tweaks. I had changed the order of a couple of notes on Friday morning but didn’t print them. I was a little thrown during the presentation when the sequence was wrong.

7. Learn your moderator’s name and go over logistics and details the day before your session.

If I were a conference chairperson, I’d make sure that:

  • every session speaker knew the name and contact info of the session moderator
  • the moderator would ensure that the speaker had everything she needed and felt welcome
  • the moderator would be on hand to help the speaker get into the room

The GRW conference chairperson sent me no information other than the fact that I would have a moderator. She also said she’d be around to help connect the computer to the projector.

As a person outside of the organization, I expected more consideration and communication than I received. I’m sure it’s a big job to plan a conference, so perhaps the chairperson was overwhelmed by the task. I can see now that I should have been persistent with my questions until I got answers.

I met my moderator about 3:55pm for my 4:00pm session.

8.  Be self-reliant.

I can thank my parents, perhaps especially my mother, for teaching me this lesson early in life.

No one from GRW met me after I arrived at the hotel to help unload my car. I had already planned to get one of the hotel luggage carts to unload my briefcase with computer, a box of postcards for my door prizes, and a gift basket and 4 gift bags for door prizes. Fortunately, the bellman said I could use the cart for the next hour. I actually kept it for 2 hours since I didn’t have time to return it before I started my presentation.

I met my moderator as we were walking in the door. I appreciated her help during the setup, and the conference coordinator did come back and help her move the table and projector. I thought I was going to have to do it.

9.  If you are giving away door prizes, offer raffle tickets as people walk in the door. 

To celebrate my latest audiobook and first romance FOR A GOOD TIME, CALL…, I made 4 gift bags and 1 grand prize gift basket containing some cool swag that ACX and Belle Books generously provided to me along with all of the types of candy mentioned in the book. I had printed postcards and attached stickers to 5 of them. My plan was to pass out the cards at a certain point during the presentation and determine the winners before I ended my talk. I inserted the marked cards throughout my box of postcards.

I was shocked and dismayed when only about 25 people showed up for my presentation.

My moderator passed out my cards at the appointed time. When it came time to determine the winners, no one had a winning card. I was reminded of Michael Scott’s “Golden Ticket” idea in The Office. His hidden golden ticket idea didn’t work out well for him, and my specially-marked postcards didn’t work out well for me. It would have been so much easier and cheaper if I had just handed out raffle tickets to give away my door prizes.

10.  Give your best to the people who came to hear your talk.

The show must go on, so you’ve got to make lemonade….or something like that. Even though the size of my audience was not optimal, I knew that the people who were there came to hear me and wanted to learn about creating audiobooks. I did everything I could to make my presentation outstanding.

Well, I mostly did everything, but I wish I could’ve done something about the Bluetooth speaker so they could hear my last 2 videos. Those videos featured Colin Firth and Steve Martin. Just think — I was sharing a stage with Colin Firth and Steve Martin, but no one in the audience could hear them! 🙂

The people in the ballroom before me didn’t finish on time and wouldn’t leave the room until my moderator ushered them out after 4pm. I was late setting up, which made me even later in starting. I wanted to finish on time so I wouldn’t be rude to the person who was scheduled to speak at 5pm. Perhaps if I hadn’t felt so rushed for time, I might have troubleshot the Bluetooth speaker for a moment.

I really appreciated the attendees’ interest. A few people asked very thoughtful and intelligent questions at the end, and I had a delightful hallway conversation with one author as I was leaving.

I didn’t leave any business cards or my stack of postcards in their goody room. My hand-out in their binder included a copy of my business card and a link to a document I’ve compiled of audiobook resources for authors.

*******************

I spent months researching and collecting ideas for this presentation and weeks in creating the slide show. It would be a shame if all of that time, thought, energy, creativity, and money only benefitted the people who were in the room yesterday. Therefore, I’m going to convert my show to a video and add narration to it.

I may not ever present in person again at GRW, or any other writers’ organization, but I will continue to help authors through my blogs, videos, and forum posts.
 

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Away From the Mic, Business, Narrators, Observations Tagged With: ACX, audiobooks, conference, Georgia Romance Writers, GRW, Moonlight and Magnolias Conference, presentation, speaking

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