“Audible is doing amazing things with the spoken word: sound effects, a full cast of actors—it is not just one actor reading everything out loud. And the best part is that it’s condensed to fit in your pocket. It’s both completely immersive and totally mobile.”
One revival came in the form of radio programmes that carried forward the oral tradition of storytelling. They created audio stories out of pre-written scripts and had them performed on radio by voiceover artists. The narrative changed voices, included sound effects and added creative humour. In short, radio programmes breathe life into the words that were lying frozen in the pages of old books.
“It is really exciting taking on new writers – as it’s the start of an epic journey together. I will edit their manuscript, most books at this stage require some form of editorial input, unless they have been professionally edited by an independent editor. I would then pitch the book to relevant publishers, this can be a prolonged wait at times and I do my best to keep morale high…”
All authors secretly dream of inspiring millions around the world with their writing. But ask authors to speak in front of an audience and that dream quickly turns into a nightmare. Alex Kiester’s debut novel “In Her Skin” takes readers down the perilous path from written word to spoken word. The psychological thriller centres around Meggie Meyer, a debut author who can’t face her book tour and hires an actress to impersonate her.
Sometimes I read what I wrote a few years ago and feel embarrassed. It’s not necessarily bad – it’s just that my priorities have changed. I look back and am relieved I didn’t publish it. You’ve studied numerous books. What is the trend that you’ve noticed between an author’s earlier works and later works?
“Giving importance to money over art may cause problems. Artists may start feeling insecure and disheartened to see their work not being appreciated after putting so much effort into it. Losing patience makes them act differently. For fame and money they may sell their souls. But those artists who know the power of patience will keep exploring and experimenting till they leave a mark of their own.”
Imagine writing a poem, posting it up on the web, then seeing it shared… not so bad, unless you want to sell or control how that poem is distributed. That involves copyright law. Copyright laws protect the work of writers and poets, and that of musicians, painters, and photographers, among others…
What is an International Standard Book Number? How does it work? Do authors need one? We have all seen the small barcode that sits on the back cover of every book. It is a unique 13-digit number assigned to every format of each book.
A writer is very close to their work. What may appear to be an error to the editor, may go unnoticed in the eyes of the author. That is the difference between a writer and an editor. A little tough love here and there from the editor is only to bring out the best in the writer.
If the author is the mother giving birth, I am the midwife making sure that the baby comes into this world safe and sound. Each work of creation is different, and comes into this world through a different passage. Having worked with lots of writers and writing styles, I know that it’s a different experience each time. No two births are ever the same.