Audio not quite live

[Harper]

So... My agent let me know that the audio version of Greywalker is coming out September 23. Needless to say, this makes me Very Happy. :grin:

[BlueNinja]

Who's doing the reading?

[Harper]

The narrator is a lady named Mia Barron. Unfortunately she's kind of new to the business and I don't know anything about her. I have the impression that Recorded Books LLC--that's the publisher of the audio--is hoping to get the first three books out quickly and catch the Christmas buying frenzy, but that's strictly a guess.

[Harper]

The audio download is now available at Audible.com (http://www.recordedbooks.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=rb.show_prod&book_id=78999&prod_id=CR703) and there's a nifty streaming sample you can listen to if you want. I find the narrator's voice a little bland, but she reads well and very clearly. I just hope the photo on the cover is Ms. Barron and not Harper, 'cause I can't imagine her in a beret.

[Brother Brian]

The audio download is now available at Audible.com (http://www.recordedbooks.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=rb.show_prod&book_id=78999&prod_id=CR703) and there's a nifty streaming sample you can listen to if you want. I find the narrator's voice a little bland, but she reads well and very clearly. I just hope the photo on the cover is Ms. Barron and not Harper, 'cause I can't imagine her in a beret.

I will download tonight. (I'm in the middle of Blaze by Richard Bachman, but am totally not into it.)

[Brother Brian]

The narrator is falling into the first person trap.

When reading a first person account, the entire thing should be read as dialog, as if the charcter was talking to the reader. You can hear her tone and cadence change as she switches from "narrator" mode to "charecter" mode.

If she read the whole thing in charecter mode, I think she'd be much better.

As for a story analysis...I'm only 10 minutes into a 12 1/2 hour audiobook...so I don't have any yet.

[Brother Brian]

So I finished listening to Greywalker.

The Good: I like the mystery around some of the charecters. Will and Quenton especially I was never quite sure of.

The Greywalker hook itself is something new and interesting.

The dialog was mostly belivable, with only a couple minor exceptions.

The Bad: The more I listened, the less I enjoyed the narrator. Every male charecter sounded like a bad head cold. Really just putrid masculine voices.

I'm pretty sure that I've played in White Wolf Games with each of those vampires. The hippy Malkavian, the backstabbing Ventrue, Alice the cold Toredor, Carlos the Giovanni.

Finally, I just lost my suspension of disbelief about everything that had to come together for the plot to resolve. Good thing she got these cases at once!

And I'm betting it was the voice over, but Harper came off as whiney a lot of the time. Especially with Mara.

[BlueNinja]

The Greywalker hook itself is something new and interesting. It's part of what I like about the series.

I'm pretty sure that I've played in White Wolf Games with each of those vampires. The hippy Malkavian, the backstabbing Ventrue, Alice the cold Toredor, Carlos the Giovanni. If you don't like the vampires, they don't make much of an appearance in the next two books. Kat did say something about bringing them back in book four, I think.

[Harper]

Yeah, there's vampire problems in Book 4, Vanished, and a lot more in Book 5 (still untitled). I'm not actually a fan of my own vampires. It was never my intention to write "a vampire book" it's just what came out. But I have to say I didn't base the vampires on anyone's system or prior book. I just stuck to basics and let them develop on their own. I've never played the White Wolf systems or read the manuals.

I haven't listened to the whole audio book yet. It's hard to sit through anyone else reading my material. Especially since I used to read aloud for the Braille Library myself, so I'm picky as hell.

[Brother Brian]

Yeah, there's vampire problems in Book 4, Vanished, and a lot more in Book 5 (still untitled). I'm not actually a fan of my own vampires. It was never my intention to write "a vampire book" it's just what came out. But I have to say I didn't base the vampires on anyone's system or prior book. I just stuck to basics and let them develop on their own. I've never played the White Wolf systems or read the manuals.

I haven't listened to the whole audio book yet. It's hard to sit through anyone else reading my material. Especially since I used to read aloud for the Braille Library myself, so I'm picky as hell.

For the record I wasn't trying to accuse you of plagerism or anything, it's more that I thought the vamps were 2d, when most of the charecters are 3d.

As for the recording...I'll be picking up the next book on paper. I'm not sure if I can deal with the reader for an entire series.

[Harper]

For the record I wasn't trying to accuse you of plagerism or anything, it's more that I thought the vamps were 2d, when most of the charecters are 3d.

Oh heavens, no. I didn't think you were accusing me of ripping anyone else off. It's just a note that if they look familiar, that's a coincidence. It's unfortunate that vampires are so done to death that there aren't a lot of new things to try. I don't find them as flat as you do, but I'm privy to information about the characters that you haven't been exposed to yet, if you've only listened to the audio book of Greywalker.

Of course, I am the writer and I'm not objective. And it was my first book--hopefully I'm getting better at this stuff. I appreciate the critique, though, because no one improves if they never get intelligent feedback.

I guess I'm going to have to listen to the whole audio book and see what I think of Mia's recording. There's another recording at the Braille Library and I'd love to compare the two.

[Hagelrat]

Audio books here are about £15 - £20 a time. It's hard to justify buying the audio of a book you already have when it's twice what the book cost, even if you'd really like it. Also, Bookstores here seem to just have a few as an afterthought so the selection is rubbish. I think it's a real shame because although I read lots Mark and I both listen to audio books at night (he is an insomniac) and in the car, so if they were sensibly priced we'd buy loads.

[Brother Brian]

Audio books here are about £15 - £20 a time. It's hard to justify buying the audio of a book you already have when it's twice what the book cost, even if you'd really like it. Also, Bookstores here seem to just have a few as an afterthought so the selection is rubbish. I think it's a real shame because although I read lots Mark and I both listen to audio books at night (he is an insomniac) and in the car, so if they were sensibly priced we'd buy loads.

www.audible.com

I pay $20 / month and get 2 audiobooks. Great selection, (although they don't have The Dresden files as read by James Marsters...which I'd love to listen to.)

The books are in a proprietry format, but you can burn them to stanadard CDs.

If you want more than the membership "credit" books, the rates are MUCH better than at bookstores.

[Hagelrat]

BB - thanks for the heads up, i'll see if I can find something similar and yeah i'm desperate for the James Masters Dresdens too.

[Brother Brian]

BB - thanks for the heads up, i'll see if I can find something similar and yeah i'm desperate for the James Masters Dresdens too.

My pleasure.

BTW Audible's proprietry format works on IPods and Sansa (SanDisk) MP3 players among others. A $20 .mp3 investment should work. If you have a non-complant player, you can always burn to a disk, then rip the disk to a standard mp3.

[Hagelrat]

groovy, I'm a pod person so should all work nicely.
:spring_blau:

[Harper]

And just to drive you all mad: the audio version of Poltergeist is about to be released. Yay! (Although I still have reservations about the reader.)

[Hagelrat]

Do you not get a say in the reader?

[Harper]

Nope. Kind of like cover art--no one asks me and if I say anything they nod sagely, smile like I'm a bit stupid and say "we'll bear that in mind."

[Hagelrat]

It's a shame on both counts, I can understand not wanting to give the final say to the author necessarily, but you see some book covers and some reader choices that really do a book a disservice. You've had great covers, I hope your reader works out ok.

[Thing One]

I am thrilled to have Greywalker and Poletergeist on audio.
Due to my disability with migraines, audiobooks are my major vice.

That said, I agree that the narrator has a few weaknessess. But overall, I really enjoy them and will listen to them a lot I am sure.

I was laughing so hard about 'rinoboy' LOL

I thought that the necromancer vampire was really scary.

And more than anything - so often audiobooks are only made of the newest book in print. I am greatful to have the Greywalker series from book 1!!!!!!!

iTunes had some problems with sound file on my last two audiobook downloads. And they haven't fixed it. So every break in Poltergeist had a feedback/snow noise break of about a minute! OMG it sucks. They tell me they are working on it. Wah! Why did it have to happen on Poltergeist????

[Harper]

Maybe it's not the audio.... maybe you have... a poltergiest... ;)

[Thing One]

LOLOLOL
OMG that is probably true....
Now I need Quinton to come over with his ghost detector :)