I also feel a need to share my ignorance of the importance of audiobooks. I initially hadn’t even planned on doing an audio version, thinking it was only for those killing time while commuting in cars or too lazy to ‘read’. Turns out I am the lazy one – for not thinking through the importance of this method of enjoying a narrative, be it funny, informative, academic or, like mine, a mash-up, tell-all about celebrities, sex and addictive, dysfunctional parts of life!
So here are things I’ve learned about audiobooks and their importance: listening to a book while doing chores, or walking, or working out or before bed. Losing yourself in a verbal book can help with anxiety, depression, negative thinking, vocabulary skills, the building of literary skills, resting the eyes, and sleeping (no blue light emissions here). Those who are visually impaired, blind, struggle with dyslexia or rheumatoid arthritis, of course, benefit as well. And shockingly — at least to me — is that 57% of those who listen to audiobooks are in the 18-29 age group, while only 12% are 65+. I had so much of this wrong and my consciousness was raised in a very positive way by this experience, this use of my narrative morphing into a book that can be listened to.
So, here I have put in the time and finances to create an audiobook version of ‘LIAR, ALLEGED’ without ever having listened to a single audiobook myself! I’m heading to Miami for some interviews in early December and instead of listening to my usual American Songbook albums enroute on my Bose buds, I’ll be listening to a book!
An audiobook for the Festive Season might be way better than a scarf or pair of socks for friends, family or colleagues! Especially give the brilliant narrator I collaborated with, Benjamin Koenig, who did an utterly amazing job!
I listened to over 80 sample audio resumes of voice actors/narrators before deciding on Ben. I’ve been asked why I didn’t do the audio myself – after all, I have the one-man show and the PPV versions under my belt. My reasoning was/is two-fold: There is an art to reading a 278-page book (appx nine hours as a read – try that onstage!) requiring cadence, timing, speed, emphasis, clear pronunciation and so many things skilled voice actors have learned from experience. I didn’t want to fuck up my own book by not knowing the ‘tricks of the trade’. And when I heard Ben’s voice, some psychic instinct within me said, “he’s the one, that’s the voice!”
Contacting Benjamin Koenig was a process. It is done through a division of Amazon that controls most of the audiobook business, ACX. Hoops were jumped, a reader’s fee was agreed on, and I received a five-minute sample of Ben reading the first pages of my book. And he was perfect! But he hadn’t read the entire narrative yet and I was a little freaked that the adult material and language, and the on-page gratuitous sex scenes (necessary to the plot IMO) might put him off. But pro that he is, he jumped right into the deep end of the pool and fearlessly took on the project. It is not just my ‘blue’ use of language in the narrative, but the Bonus Chapter includes nearly 30 celebrity profiles of major celebrities. I needed a narrator who would be able to differentiate the various award - winning stars without trying to impersonate their voices (it’s an audiobook, not a drag show). Ben ‘grokked’ this. I explained it this way, “pretend you are sitting in a comfy, overstuffed chair by a roaring fireplace and surrounded by several adult friends sipping wine while you read them a book.” And that’s exactly what he did! To perfection!
Rumor has it that one night, while he was recording a sex scene I describe, one that takes place in a bathhouse and is very graphic, he was working in his home studio and his wife walked by and overhead him talking about a blowjob and some, uh, finger work, and it gave her pause. Was this a book he was working on or was he on his mobile phone? Thay laughed about it later – Ben has a charming (and understanding) wife and a brilliant little daughter who aspires to be an actress, so the relationship was ‘safe’. But it takes a lot of courage to be a straight man with a family and reading my material. Kudos to Ben!
The ‘LIAR, ALLEGED’ audiobook can be purchased on Amazon just like the eBook, softback and hardcover copies. Just click on the icon! As always, YOU ARE IMPORTANT! Your online reviews and support, your stars rating the material – that is what makes the difference to a self-published author like me between moving forward to a second book or being left in the dust. Please support me by letting others know about ‘LIAR, ALLEGED’.
Many thanks/happy reading (listening!)
- David Vass