Speaker 1: Anyhow, yeah, so how to, how to choose a narrator for your audio book is the topic of discussion,

Speaker 2: correct? Yeah. Choosing a producer slash narrator, and it's like the number one question I'm asked all the time from authors. They're like, how do you choose, I mean, well, and this, this is really the hardest decision for most authors, and I think it was for me. I think a lot of authors, the problem is they get desperate. They think, okay, nobody's auditioning, you know, I'll just take whatever I can get, and then...

Speaker 1: Well, see, I feel like that begs a lot of questions in and of itself, you know, which is why I would love to have, you know, someone to actually ask these questions. I mean, we have you, obviously, who is an author, who has, who has sought a producer slash narrator. So were you ever, you know, you know, finding yourself in a position where like, oh no, there's nobody auditioning?

Speaker 2: I was worried about that, because, I mean, so I got in there right before they changed the royalty, right? And I only put my books up like, I don't know, two weeks before the deadline. And so, yeah, I was worried. How fast can I find, I mean, you know...

Speaker 1: So do you feel like you, and obviously that's when we found each other.

Speaker 2: Yeah.

Speaker 1: So do you feel like you just got lucky or, I mean, obviously, we've had our ups and downs as well, as far as timing and whatnot, I mean, I haven't, you know, I haven't been the best producer for you either, you know? Which I think is obviously good for people to know too, because that's, as I've been thinking about this question, or, you know, how to find a producer, you know, for your audiobook kind of thing, I mean, the one thing that keeps coming back to me is that it's showbiz, you know? At the end of the day, it's showbiz, and you're dealing with creative types more often than not, and quite often, the author or the publisher is of a different mindset. And so there's, you know, there's that sort of learning curve as well, I think, certainly for first-timers, because, you know, I come from the theater, I come from, you know, filmmaking and independent, you know, production background, and I mean, so much of it is rolling with, you know, those punches, and rolling, you know, constantly troubleshooting and problem-solving and creative problem-solving, and making do with what's, you know, with what's at hand, and oh, okay, this person can't show up, oh no, you know what I mean? So there's, it's sort of a constant, I don't know if you've seen Shakespeare in Love, I'm sure you have, it's one of my favorite films, and also a fantastic writer, Tom Stoppard. But one of the things they say over and over again is, like, how does this even come together? Like, it's, you know, I don't know, it's a miracle, you know? I don't know. But anyway, on a small scale, you know, that's kind of what writers are entering into with a narrator, you know, with a producer, you're entering into a mini-production with a creative. And so I just kind of wanted to say from the onset that whether, you know, you understand what that means or not, it's best, in my opinion, to approach the whole process with that in mind and with an open mind. And I think the less constraints you put on yourself, time-wise specifically, your heart will benefit, your heart and mind will benefit. I mean, we're all prone to, you know, deadlines and wanting things done as quickly as possible and whatnot, and like you and I have done, and you know, again, I thank you, I'll thank you officially, unofficially, and otherwise, you know, for being patient with me. Because I feel like overall, this has been a very positive experience for me, with you, you know, as a collaborator in this endeavor. And so I thank you for being patient, even though I'm sure it was painful for you and you were screaming into your pillow at times, even if it were just because of time, you know, just time, and wanting things done much sooner than they were. So I mean, this is so much easier said than done, because we do this in life, we do this with things we care about, but letting go of that tight grip just a little bit, I mean, you're collaborating with someone, you're inviting someone into your process.

Speaker 2: The intimidating thing is, you know, most authors have never done this before.

Speaker 1: It's also a very different animal to, you know, basically writing in solitude, you know, and then giving it to a couple of trusted people for feedback, and notes, and an editor, you know what I mean? It's very different, it's sort of, you know, letting someone into your sanctuary.

Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, you're sharing your, everybody, every author calls their book their baby, right? So you're sharing something very personal, you're kind of trusting someone to interpret what you've written, and that can be kind of scary, you know, kind of intimidating. So I mean, really, that is probably the biggest, first, most important decision. And then I also think, in terms of marketing, I think marketing really is key, and the choice that you make affects, you know, your sales. If you choose someone that no one likes listening to, you've hurt yourself, right? And so I just start off with a list of questions, you know, like, things to consider. The first one was, you know, what point of view is the book written in? You know, is it first person, third person, you know? My husband's picked up a couple of books that were, they were traditionally published, and they were like memoirs. And the person telling the story was like, male, and they had a female narrator. And to him, listening to a female read, I, in the male perspective, just is, it just threw him off. He was just like, this is weird, you know? To me, it would seem like it would be obvious. I don't know.

Speaker 1: Well, I mean, didn't you have some issues with that in your books as well, that I was narrating, you know, basically from Danielle's perspective?

Speaker 2: Well, there were a few people who were like, yeah, why don't you have a female, but I did write third person from her perspective.

Speaker 1: So what you're saying is that in your opinion and in your experience as an audiobook listener, that it's up for grabs. It's up for grabs if it's in third person, if the book is written in third person. It can go male or female in your opinion. And if it's written in first person, then it's weird if you go female.

Speaker 2: It doesn't match the gender, yeah.

Speaker 1: Yeah, no, I would agree with that. I would concur.