Non-fandom audio: beta listener?

[darkemeralds]

I've begun work on a non-fandom audiobook, and before I get too far into it, I feel I need some opinions other than my own in order to improve.

If you

• have the time and inclination to listen to a 21-minute file and write me some spot concrit
• listen to podfic or pro audiobooks enough to know what works and doesn't work for you
• like non-fiction
• don't mind material of a spiritual nature

I'd love to get some feedback.

My reading is the intro and first chapter of The Great Field by John James. I'm not authorized to record it and this isn't a "real" recording job, it's just me starting out.

I'm looking for comments on my reading (speed, interpretation, voice quality, language clarity, suitability to the text, etc.) and the recording (editing, sound quality, volume, noise, etc.). My recording setup is amateur, to say the least, but given that constraint, I'm trying for a professional nonfiction audiobook style, so I'm truly looking for improvement.

I've got nothing to offer in exchange except my gratitude, but there would be lots and lots of that!

Comments

[quayle]

Hi! I just finished listening to it: it's an interesting text and I have to say you read it very well and cleanly ;D My only criticism is that the beginning was a little bit disorienting to me in terms of where you were in the text. Perhaps you need to leave slightly longer pauses between sections (such as the dedication, the opening quote and so forth). Some form of music or sound cue is also a really effective way of doing that.
Hope this is helpful. Good luck with the rest of this project!

[darkemeralds]

Thank you! That's great feedback. The text itself is...well, let's say not that well-written or well-organized. One of my challenges in attempting this particular class of book is to find ways to clarify things (like whole swaths of italics, or extra white space without an actual new heading) that are easier to parse visually, but without adding actual words.

I've used bits of music as "dividing lines" in podfic, and I've heard it done with varying degrees of success in pro fiction and, occasionally, in non-fiction. This book might be a good case for it.

Thanks so much! And I LOVE your icon! That's fab.

[quayle]

Thanks! Also, I think it maybe doesn't have to be music per se, it could even be something like the sound of a chime or similar. Especially if you will need it frequently ;D