Last week I had the pleasure of recording Breathe, Empower, Achieve on audio book at the Tantor Media studio in Connecticut. I am grateful for the experience, as it is always fascinating to get a behind-the-scenes look at an industry with which I am unacquainted.
This being my first go-round with narrating (Breathe, Mama, Breathe was read by a professional narrator), I wasn’t sure what to expect. After a brief tour of the studio, I took my seat inside a tiny recording booth—just an iPad on which to follow along, some bulky headphones, a microphone positioned quite near my (soft-spoken, I was told) mouth, a warm mug of throat-friendly tea, and me.
The encouraging studio producer sat outside the booth patiently listening to me read every single word of my book aloud—some more than once. Over the course of that first morning, I became increasingly more comfortable with the slow and steady process.
Not only was narrating for hours each day surprisingly tiring in a voice/talking sort of way, but also in a focusing/concentration manner as well. I spent the late afternoons biking happily along Long Island Sound in order to decompress and recharge.
Having turned in the manuscript last January, it was a treat to go back and read the entire book aloud, re-familiarizing myself with the words themselves and, in the process, strengthening my ideas, passion, and beliefs behind them.
I return for one day of edits in a few weeks and am excited to hear the finished results. When you pre-order the audio book you’ll receive the same free gift as with the paperback book pre-orders and get your chance to hear the finished product as well. Thanks for following along on my journey!
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