More talking books

Posted by Simon on 7th, November 2009 at 17:07:42

The work on the talking books is progressing well.

After a couple of mammoth recording sessions, I'm now more than half way through Evil Valley.  The Death Pictures is done, which only leaves The Judgement Book. I'm hoping the set will be complete by the end of November and ready for Xmas.

I've learnt a lesson doing the books - that what might seem for me like an ideal way of spending a day, talking the whole time, and not just that, but words I've written too, isn't quite so straightforward.  It's more like hard work, in fact.  I get very dry and quite tired doing it, but I am enjoying it nonetheless.

It was a big decision, saying I'd do the narration myself.  But I'm so close to my characters, and so fond of them, that I'm not sure I'd be able to trust an actor to get them right, just the way I imagine them.

For those who are interested in what I've discovered, this is the way the maths works out.  Each page takes about 2 mins to read on a rough average.  The books tend to be about 340 pages each.  That should equate to around 12 hours reading time.

But! There are always going to be fluffs - more than a few, if truth be told - and some pages are more full of text and denser to read than others, particularly the ones with lots of description.  That makes it about 15 hours reading time per book. by my estimate.

So, a fair bit of work, but a great opportunity to bring the tvdetective series to a wider audience - particularly those who have difficulties with their sight - and so one I'm relishing.

A quick confession - I have tried to do the voices of a few of the characters as I imagine them. As to how that's come out, I'm making no further comment!

I hope you get the chance to listen to one - or more! - of the books, and enjoy them too.  I have to say, I find the thought of me reading to someone in their favourite chair, or driving, or even lying back in bed, quite surreal...

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