Writing for Audiobooks: Audio-First for Flow and Impact

Author Advice from Radio Writing (Method Writing, Book 3)

By: Jules Horne

Narrated by: Jules Horne

Are you an author interested in preparing your book for audiobook narration? Do you need advice on narrator-friendly writing and editing for voiceover and audio production?

This practical guide to radio writing techniques will help you prepare your book for a voice artist or your own narration. Discover how to:

• Edit with your narrator in mind
• Use audio flow words and phrases
• Convey information with clarity
• Write from an audio-first viewpoint
• Handle visual book elements
• Engage split-focus listeners
• Shape sentences to hook listeners

...and lots more, including word lists and home studio tips.

Audio production is a big investment! Make the most of your spend by getting your script audio-ready. With an audio-first editing pass, your narrator and listeners will really notice the difference, and you'll learn new writing and editing skills that will transform the impact of your books, whether audiobooks, or print and ebooks.

Why I wrote this book

Audiobook sales are booming. But as an author, how can you make the best of the opportunity? Most writers haven't trained in radio, podcasting, scriptwriting, or other writing forms that prioritize the spoken word over the written word. Narration and voiceover are a kind of performance, and book scripts need to be edited with audio writing techniques in mind, so that voiceover artists can deliver their very best.

Hence this practical guide book. I'm a scriptwriter, spoken word performer, and ex-BBC radio journalist, and I teach dramatic writing at a UK university. My experience is in writing for the ear, and I've pulled everything I've learned together here, including audio-friendly concepts such as:

• flow
• attunement
• landing
• context-first
• performability
• language spans
• discourse markers

...all taken from the different writing worlds of radio news, spoken word, oral storytelling, rhetoric, and stage and radio drama.

There’s advice for both fiction and non-fiction authors, and some technical studio tips for writers on the indie author path wanting to record their own audiobooks. This is perfect for:

• novelists
• non-fiction authors
• publishing professionals
• podcasters
• voiceover artists
• audiobook narrators
• oral historians
• spoken word performers
• radio writers
• storytellers

...and anyone inspired by the audiobook boom and the delights of the spoken word!

Set yourself up for audiobook success with Writing for Audiobooks: Audio-First for Flow & Impact.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Jules Horne (P)2019 Jules Horne

Helpful Overview When Considering Audio

It's a great book if you are not familiar with audio book creation. It will also help in your decision of whether or not audio books is something you want to endeavor but don't let all the info discourage you as it can be daunting. This book simply explains why you should consider audio books with some helpful tips. So, I would consider it an overview and not an in-depth book.

Fabulous advice for writers

I’m an audiobook narrator who loves when authors write with audio in mind. It really does make a difference. Jules Horne’s solid and easily actionable advice ensures your book flows beautifully in audio plus makes you a better writer. Her performance is engaging and deliberate, allowing the listener to absorb the information and examples. Highly recommend this audiobook!