I'm curious about how many of you enjoy audiobooks. Or whether you've even listened to one yet... Many (like me!) love words on a printed page, but I have started using e-books for convenience when travelling or to entertain myself when I have an unexpected wait. Since I can read on my phone, I always have a book with me.
But audiobooks involve listening instead of reading... more like a television show without the picture. Like a book, you get to imagine the characters and envision what they're doing in your mind.
My younger daughter loves audiobooks because she can listen while walking the dog, driving the car or doing chores. I used to set my Mom up with an audiobook on occasion and she really enjoyed just relaxing with a story. My brother-in-law would listen to audiobooks when taking his daily walk on the beach when we were all in Florida. He found them more entertaining than just listening to music while walking. Seems audiobooks can appeal to all ages.
So, as I mentioned in a previous blog, I decided to make an audiobook myself from my first book Can I Speak to the Hormone Lady? Managing Menopause and Hormone Imbalances. I stumbled across a mini-course online, teaching how to do it, and thought "I can do this!" I used to read to my children when they were small, and that included the first 4 Harry Potter books, so I've had lots of practice reading out loud! The only other part was getting the right equipment and recording conditions, and learning to edit afterward. I didn't want a single breath sound left in! I also re-did anything that didn't sound quite right and, since my reading improved as I progressed through the book, I ended up re-doing the first few sections to make them better quality. I'm sure I'll continue to improve as I do more of this work.
Of course, it's not perfect, but I decided it was time to submit it to Amazon/Audible/iTunes for distribution. I was surprised that it will take at least a month for it to be approved and processed. They must listen to every recording to ensure quality!
But, meanwhile, I'd like to share the "5 minute sample" (which is now closer to 6 minutes, as I added the title and a closing to the recording...) If you're curious, you can listen to it here: https://jeanniebeaudin.wixsite.com/author/audio-books The sample is from the introduction, explaining what the book contains and why I wrote it.
I'd love to hear what you think of my sample if you have 6 minutes to spare... and, of course, you can do something else at the same time if you listen on your phone! I hope to have the full book available for women in their 40s to mid 50s in the new year - in time for New Year's Resolutions to prevent or fix hormone imbalance symptoms.
And email or comment below to let me know if you love audiobooks or if you've never listened to one. I'm curious how many of my readers are also potential "listeners"...
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