I would like to take a minute to share some book news. The audio version of Something For Your Money is now available on Audible and Amazon.
That completes the platform trifecta, more or less: the book is now available in print (hardcover and paperback), ebook (more platforms than I can mention), and audio, which makes me appreciate how much books have changed since I started writing them.
Back in 2003, when Suburban Xanadu was released, the model was a hardcover release, then maybe a paperback. Then we saw the rise of audiobooks (I’m old enough to remember when they were called “books on tape, though I don’t know the last time anyone listened to one on cassette tape). Before that, though, writing a book that would be available on audio seemed like a near-impossibility. Sure, it was possible to get one recorded, but it felt like something reserved for best-sellers, not run-of-the-mill books on niche parts of history.
And now we live in a world where a writer, even one well-insulated from the best-seller lists, can have not one but four books, narrated by a real human, that people can listen to. If you click the link you’ll notice I have a fifth “Virtual Voice” title, Boardwalk Playground. That is an interesting story. While my passion for my hometown of Atlantic City, New Jersey (the town whose history the book chronicles) is unparalleled, it apparently isn’t sufficient to spark the attention of readers, who prefer my Las Vegas work. Since this book is even further removed from best-sellerhood than the rest of my catalogue, I decided to go the quick and easy route by experimenting with Virtual Voice. It’s not exactly how I might have read it, and I wish there was the option to give the AI voice a South Jersey accent, but those are the breaks.
My four human-voiced audiobooks share the same narrator and producer: Eric Jason Martin. I’ve been working with him since Grandissimo, which is over ten years at this point. I’ve benefited immeasurably from his expertise and talent.
One of my favorite things about the new audiobook is that it includes a short podcast-style interview with Eric in which we explore the behind-the-scenes of writing the book and a lot more. Which brings me to what I want to talk about: How new platforms open up new possibilities.
Nothing revolutionary there, I know, but I have a feeling that if you’re reading this you know that I use this space more to work ideas out and share what I find interesting than to deliver ex cathedra unique, timeline-bending pronouncements. That other people have tilled this soil doesn’t, in my opinion, make it any less fertile.
A print book is static: you write it, it gets edited, goes to press, then is available to read. Those putting the book together have a great deal of control over what the readers sees. Another thought that occurs to me: independent authors share with the superstars of the literary world a greater influence (or even control) over the final printed product than major publisher authors who, as I once was, are just glad to be getting published. I had complete freedom and control over every aspect of the books that I published myself (almost everything from Grandissimo forward) which makes me feel closer to them. I had generally good luck with my earlier books, though one has a cover that I still don’t enjoy. Laying out the books myself made me more appreciative of the readers and possibly a better writer.
Electronic books give the reader more flexibility; they can change font sizes and typefaces while reading the book on a variety of platforms. It’s amazing how quickly we get used to having that kind of variation as a reader. If you’re like me, you might have gotten frustrated at not being able to adjust fonts on a pdf, forgetting that not so long ago this wasn’t an option at all. I like the ability to embed links, taking advantage of the hypertext potential. As a reader, I relish the ability to look up the definitions of words I don’t know. Ebooks have the added advantage of being easier to travel with, but lose out to print when it comes to reading in the pool (or, I guess, any body of water, but I’m struggling to imagine curling up with a good book while wading through the ocean surf) and print books never lose power (though they also don’t illuminate themselves, so that’s a push).
Voice is more accessible in some ways—you can listen while you drive, for example, and can have fun add-ons like the aforementioned interview. While I don’t listen to books myself, I can appreciate that others like the option.
No matter what the format, there’s still something surreal for me about seeing something I wrote available to be read (or heard) by anyone. I am a little perplexed that people who I’ve never met read what I’ve written. When I think about being in print (or ebook or voice), I feel profoundly grateful that I have had the opportunity to write and publish.
At this point, I am just glad that people find some value in what I have to say, and that they are able to find a way to read or listen that suits them.
So until next time, expect the unexpected, stay informed, and I’ll stay informal.
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