AudioBook Reviewer Newsletter
September 2021

Seeking to improve the newsletter, ABR consulted with several authors and narrators. The following is a result of their input. Anyone wishing to submit articles, please feel free to contact Charla White at audiobookreviewer@mail.com.

Furthermore, creative input is always appreciated as well! And now, on with the newsletter!!!!

Basic Training Isn’t Just for the Military

By: Jason Markiewitz

Two weeks ago, my eleventh narrated title arrived on Audible. I am ecstatic and the sales are doing well. Next month, my twelfth title will make its debut and I will have reached my goal of twelve books on audible in my first twelve months in the business. So, the question is then, when did my business officially start, and what steps did I take to ensure I was professionally ready to audition? Well, let me tell you, I prepared for four months prior to submitting my first series of auditions and put myself through a self-developed Narrator’s Boot Camp; that’s right...basic training isn’t just for the military!

To be a successful narrator, like in any other profession, you must train to do the job and continue professionalizing throughout your career. A wise narrator who I respect greatly said (paraphrased)...if you like reading, that’s a great first step. Now, take your favorite book, and read out loud for 2-3 hours. Then, do that consistently for 2-3 days. If you can do that, you may have what it takes to be an audiobook narrator. Well, let me tell you, I hadn’t read out loud in a long time and that was a challenge. But then I had to record it. Well, what recording

suites are out there? Which one is recommended? Which one is easiest to use? What about editing skills? Do I edit and clean up the work myself? If so, how do I do that? Should I hire out for editing? What is a noise floor? What is RMS Normalization? These are all excellent questions, and ones you will want to research and answer BEFORE you begin attempting to be an audiobook narrator. Let me get you started.

My practice book was “Around the World in Eighty Days” by Jules Verne. I love that story and it has so many rich characters to practice various voices and accents. I set up my microphone and connected it to my computer, recorded my voice using Audacity, and when I was done with about 30 minutes I was spent! Plus, it wasn’t clean! I had so many errors, vocal hiccups, nasal pops, swallows, irregular breaths, sniffs, lip smacks, tongue clicks, plosives, bumps against the chair...and the outside noise from cars, trains, lawnmowers, air conditioning, and more than got into the recording. I was left with about 15% of usable material. The voices were great though!

After a beer and a break, I consulted the resident “know-it-all” in these matters: YouTube! There is so much information out there to teach a novice editor about sound quality and mastering, I was floored. I watched dozens of videos, took copious notes, and then practiced on my original recording, made new ones and worked some more. Can you edit out a lot of those issues...yes, with the right software...but the more you process the recording, the more risk you take in quality. Another wise narrator said (paraphrased) develop good narration skills instead! I have endeavored to do exactly that. Over these past 11 books, I have improved my vocal skills, my tone, my pacing, and my ability to catch errors on the fly and fix them as I go. Good narration skills, good acting skills, a quiet space, a good microphone, and a lot of narration calisthenics during boot camp will definitely set your fledgling narration career on the right path!

Connect with Jason on the following platforms:

Follow Jason Markiewitz ACX.com/JasonMarkiewitz Twitter.com/MarkiewitzAudio Facebook.com/MarkiewitzAudio Linkedin.com/in/JasonMarkiewitz

Recent Winners of the AudioBook Reviewers Choice Awards

Click on the links to read the reviews and discover a wonderful book! Inspector Hobbes and the Common People by Wilkie Martin
The Spirit of Eldon, World of Samar, Book 4 by M.L. Hamilton
The Benevolent Lords of Sometimes Island by Scott Semegran

Top Listens for August 2021

Click on the links to read the reviews and discover a wonderful book!
Dream Stalker by Nancy Gardner
Out of Poland by Charles Breakfield and Rox Burkey
A Christmas Carol (Like the Dickens) by Wilbur Edwin Henry and Charles Dickens Hurricane by Glenda Norwood Petz

Three Graves by Zack Kaplan
Broken Rock by K.A. Finn
Secrets and Lives by Marilyn Freeman
Wryd Gods: Timelessness by Susana Imaginario More! by Tammie Rothermel

New Releases

The following are a few new releases currently being reviewed by members of our staff. Keep an eye on audiobookreviewer.com for the reviews! In the meantime, check them out at Audible.

The Awakening: The Darkness of Diggory Finch, Book 1 by Chris Philbrook

Yetis in Whistler by M.L. Hamilton and narrated by Kelley Hazen

Out of Poland by Charles Breakfield and Roxanne Burkey

Click here to view their trailer

The 2021 Awards

Announcing YEAR 2 of the AudioBookReviewer Awards

Some of you are already familiar with the AudiboBookReviewer’s Choice Award. This is an honor earned for those audiobooks that, if we used a five-star rating, would actually deserve six. They are the best of the best and any book we review during the year might earn that award.

Continuing this year, AudiobookReviewer will host an award program to recognize the absolute Best audiobooks in the following categories:

Series, Horror, Fantasy, Mystery, Thriller, Sci-fi, Young Adult, New Author, Narrator, Author & Narrator team

All titles that have requested expedited reviews in the current year are automatically considered as long as that review is scheduled for completion on, or before November 1st of each year. If you wish for your audiobook to be considered for these awards but do not have an expedited review, there is a modest entrance fee to help cover the expenses associated with the award.

Winners will be announced on December 1 and will receive all of the following:

License to use the official AudioBookReviewer award digital seal on all their materials Announcement on our Official Facebook Page
Announcement on LinkedIn
Announcement on our Official Twitter Account

Announcement on our Official Instagram Account One sheet of 24 award stickers

To submit your book, just purchase the ABR Award Submission item and provide the following information during checkout:

Name if different than what’s used for purchasing
Audible Promo Code or a direct link to your audiobook
Category in which you are submitting. Note, you may purchase multiple submissions if

you want to be considered for more than one category, e.g., Fantasy and New Author

Winners will be announced publicly on Wednesday, December 1, 2021. The contest will be closed for submissions on November 1, 2021.

Pre-Orders

Check out these new pre-orders:
A Mystery of Light : Ash Angels, Book 3 by Brian K. Fuller and Narrated by R.C. Bray

Soulbrand, Weapons and Wielders, Book 3 by Andrew Rowe and narrated by Nick Podehl

Humanity’s Promise, Paradigm 2045 Book 2 by Robert W. Ross

Hell Divers VIII: King of the Wastes by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

Have a new release or pre-order - email us at audiobookreviewer@mail.com and we’ll post it on the website and include it in the next newsletter accordingly!

What’s Next?

Follow us at audiobook_reviewer on instagram! Copy and paste this in your browser - come back often! https://www.instagram.com/audiobook_reviewer/

If you have any suggestions, please email us at audiobookreviewer@mail.com. We always look for ways to improve and add to our services.

Many thanks to our reviewers, their reviews are making a difference for our authors, narrators and listeners!

Interested in being a reviewer? Contact audiobookreviewer@mail.com to inquire.

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Disclaimer: This Audiobook was provided free of charge by the author, narrator, and/or publisher in exchange for a non-bias, honest review.