Whether you’re commuting, cleaning, or exercising, audiobooks are a fun way to experience novels while completing mundane tasks. This is why I opted to offer an audio version of Deadly Harvest (Book 1 in my Georgia Rae Winston Mystery Series).

When I told my friends Deadly Harvest was in production, many wanted to know how the process of turning a novel into an audiobook works, so I thought I’d share!

First, as fun as it would be to narrate my own books, I simply don’t have the expertise to pull off a professional-quality recording. So, I turned to Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) for help.

Using ACX’s online system, I posted a five-minute passage from Deadly Harvest. I was sure to include all the characters whose voices I wanted to hear the narrator read. Soon, I had many auditions from which to choose. I decided to work with Jennifer Jill Araya because of her talent and professionalism and offered her a contract through ACX’s system.

Once Jennifer accepted, I sent her the full manuscript, which she read. She had a few questions about pronunciations of names, but I gave her the freedom to create character voices based on what I’d written.

Then, I provided a fifteen-minute sample script, and Jennifer recorded it. When I listened to the sample, I checked her pacing and  interpretation of my characters. Once I approved the sample, she recorded the entire book and posted it in ACX. After that, I listened, and once I gave my final approval, the book went through the quality assurance process before Audible offered for sale. And that’s how audiobooks are made!

Hearing my book come to life in this format was exciting. If you’d like to try a sample, listen at Audible, Amazon, or iTunes.