Welcome Packet

Thank you for selecting me to narrate your audiobook! You’ve put a lot of your time and energy into this book, so I want to make sure to give you the best representation of your work in an audio version!

The following information will help us establish a smooth workflow to make sure the experience and the end product meets and exceeds both our expectations.

Communication

Feel free to reach out to me through any of the following:
Email: david@davidsdear.com

Website: https://davidsdear.com/contact

Twitter https://www.twitter.com/davidsdear

Discord: DavidSDear

For ACX projects in progress, please contact me through the ACX messaging system.

Payment

For new clients I ask for a 50% non-refundable deposit after the first 15-minute sample has been approved. After all the completed audio has been submitted and approved I will send an invoice for the remaining balance.

Pre-production

Provide a copy of the manuscript in either PDF (preferred) or .doc/.docx format. Prior to recording, I will read through the entire book to get an understanding of the work and what my approach to it will be. If you can provide any of the following before I begin recording, it would be very helpful for the process:

  • The general tone you’d like conveyed for the audiobook.
  • For fiction work: Character bios, traits, or specifics that aren’t evident in the writing.
  • Pronunciation guide for created or uncommon words and/or names.

First 15 minute review

Once I’ve finished reading the book and have incorporated any additional info you’ve provided me, I will provide you with a 15 minute sample recording of how I will perform the work. I highly recommend providing me with a specific section or several sections from the book which features information, scenes, and/or characters of which you’d like to hear me perform. This is your opportunity to provide notes and feedback on the performance.

Recording process

Once the 15-minute sample has been approved, I will begin the recording process. I will be using my artistic discretion on my artistic approach to recording the audiobook, taking into account your feedback provided during the sample period. I will discontinue accepting feedback on any of my artistic choices once this part of the project is underway.

I will include the preface or introduction, forward, main body including part and chapter titles, and an epilogue in the audio files, if these are part of the work. Dedications can be included based on your preference. Acknowledgements, glossaries, footnotes, author bios, and all other material not mentioned previously will be omitted from the narration as they are generally not included in audiobooks.

If your book references any graphs, charts, or other graphical information that is referenced in the writing, I recommend creating a PDF containing them that can be made available to the listeners of the audiobook. Please provide a page or reference number I can add to the narration that indicates where to find it in the PDF.

I will upload all the audio files once I’ve completed narrating the book in its entirety. While some authors and rights holders like to receive each chapter as it’s completed, I’ve found that this disrupts the flow and slows the process, potentially compromising my ability to meet the agreed upon deadline. Therefore the audio files will be submitted only after the entire book has been completed.

Corrections/pickups

Once you’ve had the opportunity to review the entire audio, you can then submit a list of corrections or “pickups” (if any) I will need to make. This would consist of mispronounced, unintelligible, or missing words or phrases; anything that does not match what is written in the book. Please provide me with an index consisting of the chapter, page number, how the line or word was read in the audio, and how it is supposed to be read. All pickups need to be submitted at the same time. In addition, I will be submitting all corrected audio files after all corrections provided have been completed.

As a reminder, directorial or interpretive corrections need to be made during the 15-minute sample stage and are not considered for corrections or pickups at this stage.

Final product

All files submitted are set to industry standards and are ready for publishing. Once all the audio files in the entire project have been approved, I will submit an invoice for the remaining balance of the work. This balance may be adjusted from the original estimated total based on any difference in the time length of the finished audio from the amount of time estimated.

Revisions after project completion 

If for any reason you decide to rewrite any portion of the book that you would like me to re-record after the project has been completed, the turnaround would be contingent on my schedule and would be billed at 1.5 times the PFH rate originally charged for the project.

Thank you for taking the time to review this information. Following this process will ensure we have a productive and successful working relationship. I feel confident you will be satisfied with the results!