Merry Christmas...

Well...

It's almost time to put our feet up for a few days and enjoy Christmas with family and friends. 

Wherever you are in the world, we wish you a safe, happy and joyous holiday season....and we hope that you get everything you've asked for from Santa Claus! 

Next up for us, is "The Hawk & His Boy" by Christopher Bunn and "A Feast Of Dragons" by Morgan Rice. 
Both epic fantasy novels to kickstart your New Year!

See you all again soon! 

The Spinning Heart: A Novel

"The Spinning Heart" by Donal Ryan is now available for download at Audible.

I'm still in a bit of a daze that I was given the opportunity to narrate this Booker Prize nominated, Irish Book Award and Guardian First Book Award winner.

It's been a total joy to work with Donal and the team at Steerforth Press on this production, and I sincerely hope you all enjoy listening to it. 

You can find out more information about this fantastic piece of Irish literature by clicking here.

You Can Find Me In Da Club….

Earlier in the month, I was contacted out of the blue by the phenomenal electronic music producer K1T, and asked if he could avail of my services. 

Highly curious, I replied that he indeed could, but was puzzled to know why one of the top DJs and producers of progressive house and trance would need a narrator. 
"He's far too young to be writing his memoirs." I thought to myself. 

Anyway, what followed was the makings of a collaboration where I got to lay down some vocals on his latest EP. I can't tell you much about it until it is released, but it has been an absolutely awesome experience to be involved with. 

To give you an idea of how great this guy is, here's a snippet from one of his recent projects. 

I will let you all know when my "vocal" contribution hits the clubs. 

Guardian First Book Award 2013

I'm absolutely delighted to see that Donal Ryan's debut novel The Spinning Heart, has received the Guardian First Book Award. 

The book is an angry portrayal of rural life in post-crash Ireland and was an absolute joy to read. 

You can read all about it here and please have a listen below: 

Guardian first book award 2013 goes to Donal Ryan

Christmas Goodies!

Bestselling fantasy author of "The Sorcerer's Ring" collection, Morgan Rice approached me through publisher Noah Lukeman Literary earlier this year to explore the option of narrating the first book in the series, to see how it would fare as an audiobook. 

Entitled "A Quest of Heroes", sales have been excellent and so they have decided to go into production on the next two books in the series: "A March of Kings" and "A Feast of Dragons". 

Thor is back with even more adventure and the plot thickens in his search to find out who he is and why he has the powers that he does. I love the medieval environment with kings and knights and the pomp and circumstance that goes with it. I can see why it's a regular on the Amazon bestseller list.

I'm delighted that Morgan's listeners have enjoyed what I did with the first book and it is great to read what they had to say, and even more heartening to be asked back to narrate more of the series. 

The Hawk & His Boy

In addition, the long-awaited "The Hawk & His Boy" by the stellar Christopher Bunn will be released in time for Christmas. The story of Jute and the world that the author has created around him is simply mind-blowing. 

I'm beyond excited that this book is almost done. It has taken a while to get it produced but we wanted to do the incredible descriptive passages and character maps justice. You're going to love it! 

The Spinning Heart

It brings me enormous pride to be able to announce that I have just started work on narrating Irish author Donal Ryan's acclaimed debut novel "The Spinning Heart".

Booker Prize Nominee 2013

Last week, the book was long-listed for the Man Booker Prize and we are all hoping that it will make the short-list on September 10th. 


"In the aftermath of Ireland's financial collapse, dangerous tensions surface in an Irish town. As violence flares, the characters face a battle between public persona and inner desires. Through a chorus of unique voices, each struggling to tell their own kind of truth, a single authentic tale unfolds.

The Spinning Heart speaks for contemporary Ireland like no other novel. Wry, vulnerable, all-too human, it captures the language and spirit of rural Ireland and with uncanny perception articulates the words and thoughts of a generation. Technically daring and evocative of Patrick McCabe and J.M. Synge, this novel of small-town life is witty, dark and sweetly poignant."

Am so delighted to be a part of this. Especially due to me being from Ireland, and this being my first narration for an Irish author. 
Donal Ryan is an incredible writer, and I'm very grateful to be trusted with the opportunity to bring his work to audio.

Exciting times indeed!

Updates

Just a quick update. 
For my royalty clients who are waiting very patiently to get their audiobooks released, I am almost done. 
Other work has had me swamped and I have have virtually zero time available for my projects. 

I'm off to get some more work done. 

Thank you! 

A Quest of Heroes...and other news

So much happening at the moment and it has been almost impossible to keep on top of everything but we're getting there. 
Morgan Rice's critically acclaimed "A Quest of Heroes" was released to Audible last week and is expected to be available for download very soon. 

"The Hawk & His Boy" by the incomparable Christopher Bunn is the next title to be completed and will be released shortly. I have a special attachment to this book in particular and I hope you will find that it reflects in the production. 

Robb Rodenparker's horror compendium "Ultimate Fear" is also in the pipeline and will be completed very soon. 

My studio setup is changing slightly as we work more on getting audiobooks out to authors and providers in a more timely fashion. 
I never thought I would have received as many requests for narration that I have now, and I have a lot to be thankful for. 

However, the amount of requests and projects far outweighs the amount of hours in the day, so in order to prevent any further delays, I have had to take measures to reduce my own workload and begin outsourcing, as I simply cannot find time to complete them while maintaining my day-job (which pays for all the studio equipment and bills.)
As I have mentioned in an earlier blog, I restricted the number of royalty projects that I was willing to work on, and this is definitely making a difference to my bottom line. 

To further improve production facilities, I have raised my per finished hour rate. This allows me to hire an audio editor in addition to the mastering engineer that I already have. Finding the right person to edit an audiobook was difficult as you are handing a large section of your story-telling ability, the timing, to someone else. The good news, is that I think I have found the right one.  

We will find out soon. 

I Am ONE! ....

It's been twelve months since I began narrating. Lots of lessons have been learned on the way to a year. 

Some pieces of advice for new narrators from a good-as-new narrator:

1. Get training. Seriously. Regardless of your acting, voice-over or media background, audiobook narration is a completely different animal. 
The best instructor bar none: Pat Fraley. Go to him. Learn. Come out of a workshop ten times better than you were going in. Or at least buy his book "Billion Dollar Read". 

2. Put as much cash as you can into your recording space. A properly treated room will make even the cheapest microphone sound acceptable.

3. You are an audiobook narrator and not a mastering engineer, so please hire one, at least until you know what you're doing. You will never, ever regret doing this! 

4. Due Diligence - "What, Wayne?" 
On royalty deals, ask your authors to provide a marketing plan for their book. You'll be putting a minimum of 40 hours (a week's work) into a production for them. Unless you are using the book to cut your teeth and are happy to get nothing for it, make sure the author is into it as much as you. If they are not: negotiate a per finished hour deal. Even $100 is better than 10 sales after 12 months. 

5. If you are not enjoying yourself.....stop narrating! 

Thank you to everyone for a fantastic year...
I'm off to have some cake!

More Steampunk...

Again, just a short blog to say to steampunk author Michael Coorlim's second instalment in the "Bartleby & James Adventure" series is now on sale at Audible. 

"Maiden Voyage of the Rio Grande" is a one-hour tale of murder, mystery and suspense aboard the largest airship that the world has ever seen. 
Can Alton Bartleby and James Wainwright find the culprits and save the stricken Rio Grande from capsizing and destroying London? 

Find out here: 

Maiden Voyage of the Rio Grande 

Michael Coorlim has done a wonderful job of writing this series and the third instalment is also on its way soon, so make sure to collect them all!

It's a terrific story but please, make sure you listen to the first in the series And They Called Her, 'Spider' before you do.
You won't be disappointed!

Spiggot....

Quick blog to let you all know that "Spiggot" by Craig Saunders is now on sale at Audible.com

It's an absolute riot of an audiobook, and you can download it here: 

Spiggot: A Depraved Comedy by Craig Saunders


Not for the easily offended! You have been warned!

The Hawk And His Boy....

Just a sneaky listen for you.....enjoy!

Coming Soon....

Ms. Juniper Jones, my personal assistant and nomination for sainthood, has informed me that any future requests for narrations are now on hold until "...your backlog is completed, Wayne". 

To that end, here is the running order for release from left to right: 

The Hawk And His Boy: an epic fantasy from Christopher Bunn. For me, it will in future years be recognised as a classic. Absolutely fantastic descriptions and scene-setting. Definitely the most rehearsal reads, re-takes, screams, mic-stand throwing and curled up in the corner whimpering ever done on an audiobook recording, trying to do justice to this amazing book. Oh, and there's two more in the series! "Where are my pills?!"

Ultimate Fear: a book of horror stories by Rob Rodenparker, the first of which I read as a practice run the other day, with the Pocket Ninja standing guard to chase away the ghouls that dropped in to listen! (There is no doubt in the world that this man can write horror.) 

On The Trail Of The Scissorman: The third story in the Bartleby & James series of steampunk adventures by the mind-blowingly talented Michael Coorlim. I have just finished narrating "Maiden Voyage of the Rio Grande" which was an absolute joy to read.

A Quest of Heroes: Noah Lukeman Literary Agency in New York dropped me a line and asked if I was interested in narrating Morgan Rice's #1 fantasy bestseller on Amazon.com, and I am delighted to say that it is coming to your earbuds at the end of June. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit....and now this! Awesome stuff! Am really looking forward to recording it.

So, that's where I am at the moment folks. I will keep you updated as and when I can over the next month or so. 
Thank you all for your endless patience and wonderful support!

Scary Stories....

When you lie awake in the dark, do you hear noises? 
Shadows...do they seem to move by themselves? 
What about the corners of your bedroom? Who's standing there?
Who's watching.....waiting.....? 

Rob Rodenparker is letting me loose on his compendium of the sinister and the macabre. 

Ultimate Fear - coming soon. 

Sleep well! 

Maiden Voyage of the Rio Grande

The second audiobook in the "Bartleby & James" series by steampunk author Michael Coorlim is in the final stages of approval and, if all goes well, will be available for download in about two weeks time. 

Don't have much to say about the book, other than, much the same as the first book in the series "And They Called Her Spider", it is well worth a listen. 

I've even left you a little sample, to whet your appetite! 

A Quest of Heroes

It is with the greatest of pleasure that I can announce my upcoming narration of Morgan Rice's best-selling fantasy book "A Quest of Heroes". 

Check this out for a list of credentials: 


#1 Bestseller on Amazon (Fantasy)
#1 Bestseller on Amazon (Childrens Fantasy)
#1 Bestseller on Barnes & Noble (Pubit titles)
#2 Bestseller on Barnes & Noble (SciFi)
#6 Bestseller on Barnes & Noble (Teens)
#7 Bestseller on Sony (Childrens Fiction)
#24 Bestseller on Barnes & Noble
Top 50 Bestseller on Google Play

The book is the first in a five-part series and it is anticipated that it will be launched at the end of June - just in time for the school holidays. 

Please get your tweeting hats on and spread the word! 
This is a fantastic book!

Time For Some Changes

Lots of changes happening at the moment, and that is why there has not been much activity on my blog. 
First of all, "Spiggot" by Craig Saunders will be released to the publishers this Friday. 
This is not a book for the faint-hearted and is definitely top of the 'most swear words to ever come out of my mouth' list. 
My parents are so proud! 

It is wonderful to be able to explore genres through the ACX medium and be able to safely experiment with characters and moods across so many different environments and scenes. The feedback has been simply amazing. 

Due to enquiries from the more established audiobook production houses, I am in the process of changing how I record narrations. There are now two exclusive spaces in my studio. An acoustically treated recording room, and a separate mastering suite. 
Earlier in the year, I pondered a move from an aviation career to full-time audiobook production, and I have many people to thank for their advice and guidance on what to do. 

Having thought things over, I am going to keep doing this part-time for at least another year. Whether I choose to go full-time or not, will be partly down to me, and partly down to the production houses who have asked me to narrate for them. 

It is also time to start moving slowly away from the royalty schemes and instead to work on a "per finished hour" basis - but it ultimately depends on the book. If it's a bestseller with a demonstrable sales record on Amazon.com then fine, but if it's got a low number of ratings then it will have to be paid work. Any agreements I have made with authors so far for sequels etc will be honoured of course! I just need to look a bit more at the financial viability of projects. As a business, an eight-hour audiobook regardless of royalty deal or per finished hour, is all about that vital return on investment, and with a minimum of 40 hours going into production per title, you can see where time versus revenue becomes an issue. 

Some of the authors that I have narrated for in the past have really pushed their marketing and sold a lot of audiobooks. Others have disappeared into the ether. But what I was surprised to find was, when someone listens to one book and enjoys it, they have purchased another one that I have narrated, so I guess the benefit is two-fold. 

It's been about a year since I started this, and it has been fantastic. I'm excited about the new projects in the pipeline and thank you all for your continued support and encouragement. 

Next up is Christopher Bunn's "The Hawk And His Boy" and also some more steampunk and ...my first horror series... Ooooooh!

Time to go back to work!

Spiggot: A Depraved Comedy

It has been a while since I have posted a blog, and wanted to apologise for that. The day job has been very busy because of the time of year and that, unfortunately, limits the amount of time I have to get narrations done and is one of the reasons why I cannot commit to work from the larger publishers who work to very tight deadlines. Any unfortunate author who has had a chance to work with me will testify that the word "deadline" simply does not enter into my vocabulary list. 

The plus side to this is that quality of narration is not compromised as I refuse to rush these things. Someday, it might be a full time job for me and therefore I owe it to myself and the authors who trust me to narrate for them, to provide the best work that I can. 

Next week, I will be releasing Craig Saunder's comedy novel "Spiggot: A Deoraved Comedy". 

This book is basically manic. It starts in a rush and doesn't stop running until the last page. The jokes involved could be described in many ways: toilet-humour, shop-floor, working-man's laughter. As I said before, think "Auf Wiedersehen, Pet" for cops. 

I should really stick an outtakes track on the end of it, as there are times when my eyes burned from laughing and I simply had to take a break. 

Take from the book what you will. Saunders already has a solid fan-base and they are all begging for more. 

That's what it's all about really, isn't it? 

Spiggot: A Depraved Comedy - available from Grand Mal Press on Audible.com and iTunes in April. 

Update....and a question....

Happy New Year to everyone! 

It has been a busy holiday season. The downside of aviation is that the world takes a vacation and we are at our busiest for the year! The 'nature of the beast' as somebody once said. 

Four books in the process of being completed: "Spiggot" by Craig Saunders, which is proving to be a challenge due to me having to stop mid-take to wipe my eyes and settle down after another fit of giggles. (I should really do an "Out-takes" bonus file for this one. 

Christopher Bunn's "The Hawk & His Boy" is coming along nicely, but needs about as much time as "The Djinn" to complete. Just one of those books that has to absolutely perfect in order to do justice to writing that, in my humble opinion, is simply legendary. 

Then there are two novellas: one horror, one steampunk. 
"Dark Crux" by Rob RodenParker and "Maiden Voyage of the Rio Grande" by Michael Coorlim. 

So there's the update.... and now the question: 
As you all know, I do this part-time, as a hobby and my day job takes priority, but with offers now coming in from audiobook producers in the US and the UK, I now have to explore the possibility of leaving the aviation world behind. 

I have a fantastic job with great security and prospects, but the question is: Do I take a leap of faith, say goodbye to aviation and try my hand at full-time narration? Or do I play it safe and keep it as a pastime? 

Decisions, decisions!