Audiobook Edition
This work project began with a challenge from a friend, Victor. He phoned me while in the process of reading my new book, God Loves Your Work: Discover Why He Sends You to Do What You Do.
“You know,” he said, “many younger people today prefer listening to a book than reading it.” (His comment did not make me feel any less antique.) But he continued: “They want to listen in their cars, on planes, with their cell phones and tablets, and so on. In fact, some of us like to read and listen to a book simultaneously.”
“Okay,” I said. “Let me do a bit of research on how to make an audiobook happen and get back to you.”
Once I had done some digging to learn the process, I knew I needed a sound editor—someone deft at dealing with wave forms, nudging volume levels, and deleting glitches. And as I mentally checked off qualifications, the name of another friend came to mind. Dennis’s background in radio broadcasting and video-production made him the ideal candidate. As it turned out, he was not only willing to take it on but eager to get at it.
That began a daily back-and-forth of audio files between Dennis and me. More goes into making an audiobook than I had imagined. Decibel levels had to be carefully tweaked. The “bit rate” (new term for me) could not be variable—it had to be constant.
But we persisted, completed the project, and uploaded all the chapters. Within a few days, the audiobook became available through Audible, iTunes, and Amazon.
Sandra Beckwith, citing research by clinical psychologist Daniel Willingham, says “your brain processes information the same way regardless whether you read or heard it. Rather than being a negative experience like cheating, hearing the oral version of the story adds enormous value to the text because:
• The listener enjoys the musicality and emotion in the language.
• One’s listening and concentration skills improve.
• A person absorbs the author’s words and message while doing something else – audiobooks are a multi-tasker’s best friend!
• Language skills and/or subject retention can be strengthened by listening while reading along with the print book.”
So, Victor, here it is. In addition to hardback, paperback, and Kindle editions, God Loves Your Work is now available as an audiobook.
Enjoy!
