It’s been forever since I last updated you on the progress of my project to publish an audio version of my memoir, A Different Way of Seeing: A Blind Woman’s Journey of Living an ‘Ordinary’ Life in an Extraordinary Way. Admittedly, when I started the project, I imagined it would take me only a month or two to get it done. Which only goes to show how naïve I am at times. Because that was almost two years ago.
Here is an update on my progress so far.
My wonderful narrator, Julie Norman, has completed the audio files of the book. This was the first, and definitely biggest part of the project. I think Julie has done a marvelous job and has brought my words to life with her reading. Admittedly, it felt somewhat strange listening to someone else read the words that I had written, but I’m still glad I asked Julie to narrate the book.
I’m currently working with several beta readers to check the audio quality and consistency of the recordings. It’s hard for me to listen objectively, both because it is my own words that are being narrated, and because I know how much time and effort went into the recording of the text. Hopefully I will get a more honest opinion from my test readers.
Once I’m content that the recordings are good to go, I will then start the process of getting the book into the various audio book platforms like Audible. This would be easier if I lived in USA, Canada, UK or Ireland, as I could then simply upload them to Audible myself. Because I live outside those countries, I need to go through an external company to publish the books. Which, of course, means there is yet one more person nibbling away at my income from the book. But, at least the book will be available for people to read in audio.
I wish I could give you an estimate of the timeline from here. In reality, like most other parts of the writing and publishing industries, it is hard to know for sure and much depends on the focus I give the project. Since I’m also busy getting Fiji’s book ready to publish, I have to be careful about the decisions I make on prioritizing my time. But I will get the audio book of A Different Way of Seeing out as soon as I can, I promise. Likewise with Fiji’s book, “Paws for Thought: Seeing the World Through the Eyes of a Guide Dog”.
Phew, 2021 is turning into quite a busy ear for me when it comes to writing. Busy and exciting!