To remain creative during the pandemic and all the crazy of 2020, I finally got around to recording the audiobook of my award-winning book, Sun Night. Creating the audiobook was incredibly overwhelming having never done anything like this before. YouTube and Google search became my best sources for finding how-to videos, articles for best microphones and recording software, the best home studio setups, and strict file requirements. It was a lot of information that took some time to digest, especially all the requirements needed for audio files.
I set up the master bedroom closet as the studio space since it had perfect soundproofing with all the hanging clothes around the room. I added a thick winter coverlet on the floor, a small folding table where I could attach the mic, plus the computer, a full glass of water, and the iPad with the book file to read from. After a few test recordings, I began the long journey of recording the unabridged version of Sun Night. It was actually much harder than I thought but I got more comfortable as I went through the chapters. I recorded after work hours or on the weekends, and the project took several weeks to complete. It became obvious very quickly that this was not a process that could be rushed.
Listen to a 5-minute sample of the audiobook for free.
After the chapter recordings were completed, the files needed to be cleaned up to pass a strict audit by ACX. Since I had never recorded an audiobook before, I was quite hesitant about the audit and prepared myself for a decline. To my surprise, less than 20 days later, the audiobook was approved for sale and uploaded to the different audiobook websites: Audible, iTunes, and Amazon.
I must say, this was a lengthy but rewarding process. It gave me the time to recollect the images of my past from the pages of the book. This process also helped me focus on other things after the bad year we had in 2020 and the beginning of 2021. By the way, the Spanish version of the audiobook is in the works, expect it in the coming months.