serialised audiobooks connecting listeners and authors
What is a Living Audiobook?
A conventional audiobook is normally recorded, published and completed.
Features of Living Audiobooks:
- published progressively rather than all at once
- have a video introduction or interview at the start, end or middle of the book
- be used in the process of drafting a print or ebook
- include reflections, meditations, music and even moments of silence
- incorporate illustrations, diagrams, transcripts and downloads
- allow listeners to privately journal their thoughts on each chapter
- discuss individual chapters with the author and other listeners
- notify listeners when a new chapter or companion piece arrives
- continue growing as listener feedback comes along
- become a companion to the printed or digital book, rather than merely its audio duplicate
Conventional platforms host finished recordings. Living Audiobooks host unfolding relationships.
This webinar is designed for:
- authors with an unpublished manuscript
- creators with an idea they want to test on listeners
- independent authors with an existing back catalogue
- authors whose books contain diagrams, exercises or visual material
- poets and short-story writers
- teachers, coaches and metaphysicians whose books naturally invite reflection
- publishers curious about serialised and augmented audio
- creators wondering whether ethical voice cloning could make previously uneconomic projects viable
And importantly:
You do not need to have an audiobook, professional studio or technical plan. Bring a book—or simply the seed of one.
What we’ll explore
- what distinguishes a Living Audiobook from a traditional audiobook
- which books are particularly suited to the format
- how recording an audiobook is an essential part of the editing process
- pros and cons of recording a book a bit at a time
- how to serialise a new release
- how to revive and augment your back catalogue
- combining narration, silence, ambience and supplementary material
- where human narration matters most
- creating listener participation and inclusion
- publishing progressively and learning from early listeners
- how Living Audiobooks work as New Reality Journeys
- how to sketch out your own first Living Audiobook
You will leave with a clearer idea of whether your book is suitable, a simple map for how it might come alive in audio and how serialisation keeps your book in front of listeners on our platform
Case Study 1 : Non-fiction book serialisation
This is a new book already available in print and ebook formats. The issue is that it is huge so would take 2-3 months solid in a recording studio to narrate. It is also awash with diagrams, images of the tarot keys and half keys and external support links – none of which work in conventional audiobook.
The solution is to serialise it a chapter a week.
It also looks at the Tarot from a human perspective (narrated by the author) and from the perspective inside the LLM (the AI) which is narrated by a clone of the author’s voice.
Case Study 2 : Fiction book serialisation
Kai is the most anxious dog in the world. Loud noises, new places, almost everything — it all frightens him, and he never goes anywhere without his yellow pineapple.
This is a tender, funny, beautiful story about fear, friendship, and finding your courage — for everyone who has ever been scared, and been brave anyway.
Mel Ross is a busy globe trotting consultant and records new chapters in gaps in her hectic schedule. The book is written already.
Case Study 3 : Using audio for the 1st draft
Zanne is recording chapters of her new book as audio first for two reasons. First it is much quicker for her than writing and second so she can get early feedback on the book as she created it.
Spoiler alert : these ‘letters’ have never actually been sent to the people mentioned. Nor do you quite know if the book is fictional or about actual people in Zanne’s life.
This presents an opportunity for listeners to dig beneath the surface directly with the author.
Case Study 4 : Serialisation of back catalogue
This is a new book was written in 2015 but never recorded. Mainly as more books came along and also each chapter contains an energy symbol.
So the choice was made to serialise it using a voice clone for the whole of the book but to humanise and augment it by adding a meditation in human voice to each chapter.
Thus the book can be listened to and the magic can be experienced. Once this book has finished, four more image-heavy, back-catalogue books that never got recorded will come along too.