Words On Tape: How To Create Profitable Spoken Word Audio on Cassettes and CDs

By Judy Byers

Book Overview

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0965572145
• ISBN13: 9780965572149
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: AudioCP Publishing
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 0.8" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Great Book--Could Be Updated

If you're contemplating entering audio publishing--creating audio books-- and you're not sure where to start, I'd recommend "Words On Tape."The book discusses the basic steps to create an audio product--preproduction (creating the script), production (recording), and postproduction (editing and mastering the tapes, duplication, and packaging).Byers emphasizes the need to plan. Lack of planning leads to higher expenses. She advises creating a solid script and rehearsing it before entering the studio. Many publishers of audio books will hire professional voice talent to read.Byers discusses hiring union or non-union voice talent. And, she provides a very basic contract that a small audio publisher can use which states that talent allows his/her voice to be used. (However, the contract could be significantly improved. For example, the contract should also read that the rights conveyed would also apply to any assigns of the publisher. So, for example, if the publisher sold the audio rights or his/her company, the purchaser wouldn't encounter any potential problems. For anyone working with publishing contracts, I'd also recommend the books by Jonathan Kirsch about publishing law.)Using 1997 values, Byers says the typical audio book might cost about $2,000 per finished hour, with a big chunk of that going to studio recording time and professional voice talent. Maybe, $70 per hour for studio time, and, maybe, $200 on up for voice talent per hour. And, Byers says to typically allow two to four hours of recording time for each hour finished product.Although not a technical book, for people who might try this themselves, Byers says a high-quality condenser microphone and DAT (Digital Audio Tape) should be used to make the recordings. Byers warns that recording directly to cassette creates too much hiss. (For the compulsive technology do-it-yourselfer who wants to know more about sound for advanced recordings, I'd also recommend "Audio in Media" by Stanley Alten.)Byers also discusses packaging of audio products, including vinyl cases and Norelco boxes (those little fold-out boxes that come with many audio cassette tapes).Also, Byers tells us a few interesting stories about creating audio. For example, Jack Canfield and Mark Hansen, creators of the "Chicken Soup For The Soul" Series have long been speakers and creators of audio. After telling us that Canfield earned over $100,000 a year from royalties from a self-esteem program long before he got into the soup, Byers relates a story about Canfield and Hansen trying to make a recording when things weren't going so well. They recorded into the night trying to get it right.Quoting Canfield, Byers relates: "But, when it really got funny was after dark. A cricket had somehow found its way into the wall in the studio, and began to chirp. We'd already been at the microphones for hours, so we were tired, but we only had three more pages to go. Our schedules were too tight to come back, so we'd say a couple of senten

A terrific leg up

This book has everything a beginner could conceivable want and need to know about getting his/her words on audio cassettes and/or CDs. You learn about planning the project, budgeting, designing, scripting, packaging, recording, editing, duplicating, labeling, different modes of selling, and what the future may hold. It tells you what to do and what not to do and why. What I particularly like is how Byers provides you with a flowchart of all that needs to be done and in what order then spends the rest of the book detailing the process in a logical, sequential, and step-by-step fashion. There are examples and illustrations galore to clarify her points. Also she provides appendices which are loaded with resources, fill-informs, and templates so that you have everything you need to actually start the process rolling. This book is a must-have for anyone considering putting her/his voice on tape.

Excellent guide to producing books on tape

Judy Byers is a nationally known consultant to publishing companies. She has specialized in spoken-word audio since 1987. Prior to that she was a radio producer/commentator for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and worked for U.S. radio and television stations. She owns Audio Cassette Producers in Denver, Colorado. The audio-cassette market collects over $4 billion a year in sales, and Words on Tape is an invaluable, fact-filled resource for anyone who hopes to insert themselves in this market. This 230-page trade paperback has a table of contents, an index, and offers multiple appendices, including a comprehensive list of resources, fill-in forms for audio production, and templates to use for audio cassettes. The subjects covered in the main body of the text include the following (with each chapter providing its own particular list of resources): (1) the market for audio publishing; (2) what sells and steps in production; (3) planning your project; (4) copyrights, contracts and ISBN's; (5) budgeting your time and money; (6) scripts and narrators; (7) choosing the right packaging for your audio book; (8) how the production studio works and how much time it takes to record a tape in the studio; (9) what happens at the time of recording; (10) editing the audio tape; (11) duplication and labeling; (12) marketing and sales; (13) selling to bookstores and libraries; (14) information on CD's. This book is a fascinating, extremely practical guide for anyone who has ever wondered what would be involved in getting their words on tape, from self-publishers, to mainstream-published nonfiction writers, to companies offering business seminars. In addition, many authors who have published fiction through mainstream publishers have found that it is an excellent marketing and promotion method to tape their own audio how-to-write-fiction lectures and market them to would-be fiction writers and fans. You can't miss with this book. Highly recommended!

Self-Publishing Spoken-Word Audio

Authors should spin off their books into audio products to wring maximum value out of their work. You will discover how easy it is to create and sell your own spoken-word audio tapes, CDs and downloads. Words on Tape guides you from initial planning through production to selling your new product. Judy Byers has been in the business since 1987. Prior to that she was a radio producer/commentator; she has a gorgeous voice. This is the only book on the subject and it is an outstanding step-by-step guide. DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com

everything anyone could want to know about spoken word audio

When my husband and I decided to expand our studio and include spoken word audio, it fell to me to research the market. I discovered Judy Byers excellent book which answered all my questions and then some. Judy covers everything about audio from demographics to packageing. Anyone considering the production of an audio tape needs to read this book.