"Levels" - The Audio Book Format

[Jim]

The Perfect World - Maybe

Imagine a world in which the words thief, arsonist, murderer, rapist, tyrant, bigot, and fraud do not exist because such people do not exist.

Imagine a world in which everyone, without exception, has access to the exact same quantity and quality of food, clothing, housing, formal education and social advancement opportunities - a world in which being different is not just accepted or tolerated, but is considered admirable.

Now imagine that, in this world, the words father, mother, son, daughter, sister, brother, family, marriage and religion also do not exist because the concepts themselves do not exist.

Imagine that, in this world, the inhabitants are occasionally transported to a place they never knew existed or required to do something without having the slightest idea of what they are doing or why it must be done.

Can you imagine such a world? I did.

If you should choose to visit it someday, I sincerely hope that you enjoy reading about or listening to the story of the world of Levels* as much as I enjoyed creating it.

Jim Vuksic - Author

*Available in paperback, e-Book download (Kindle, Nook, Tablet), audio book on CD (9 discs) or audio download - 8 hours listening time, narrated by Stephen Rozzell.

http://jimvuksic.tateauthor.com/

[Stacy]

Sounds like something I would like. I'll have to see if I can get my hands on one.

[Michael]

Sounds interesting. The audiobook is showing in Audible as abridged. That is a showstopper for me.

[Jim]

Michael wrote: "Sounds interesting. The audiobook is showing in Audible as abridged. That is a showstopper for me."

Michael,

I too prefer the unabridged version of any novel; including my own.

My initial excitement and enthusiasm when first notified of the publisher's intent to create an audio book format of Levels was dampened when informed that I would have to produce an abridged version of the original manuscript of 111,000 words, used for the paperback and e-Book formats, that could not exceed 85,000 words for the audio book.

This was necessary to minimize the publisher's costs incurred for a professional narrator, studio technicians, and production. It is standard procedure associated with any work from an unknown author with no previous notoriety that would enhance its commercial value and the likelihood of the publisher recouping its investment.

It took me 80 hours of re-writing before both the publisher and I were satisfied that the abridged version flowed so seamlessly that a listener unfamiliar with the unabridged print formats would not notice the editing.

Thank you for expressing your interest in the storyline and noting that it is available at Audible.com.

Jim

[[deleted user]]

How interesting. Thank you for offering these insights on the industry, Jim.

[Jim]

Jennifer (Feedback's just another word for we don't give a damn) wrote: "How interesting. Thank you for offering these insights on the industry, Jim."

Jennifer,

Thank you for taking the time to comment on the original post (message 4) and for the nice compliment expressed in your post in the thread titled Technical Stuff > Audio or Not? (message 8). It is very much appreciated.

Jim

[[deleted user]]

You're very welcome :) i hope to sample your work at some point.

[Michael]

Jim,

Have you had a look at that Amazon audiobook publishing site? wwwACX.com. It was an interesting read and looked pretty impressive overall and seemed simple for the production of audiobooks, even to the whispersync / kindle. shame it is only open to Americans at the moment though.

That situation of yours sounds really odd though. I mean that is like a 20% reduction and seems just... a weird restriction. Generally when I see abridged audiobooks they always have an unabridged version, and in general they only do it for books in excess of 15 hours.

Best of luck though.

[Jim]

Michael wrote: "Jim,

Have you had a look at that Amazon audiobook publishing site? wwwACX.com. It was an interesting read and looked pretty impressive overall and seemed simple for the production of audiobooks, e..."

Michael,

Initially, writing a novel was just one goal of several included in a bucket list that my late wife insisted I create when I retired in 2001. Upon reading the original manuscript, two of my adult children would not stop pestering me until I agreed to send query letters to a few mainline publishers. It came as a total surpise to be offered a contract by one of them. Levels was published Aug. 9, 2011.

I am now in the process of completing the last item from that list - visiting all 50 states by car, with a 3-day minimum required to count as a visit. 43 states down, only 7 to go; although, upon giving it some serious thought, I have decided it might be better to fly to Hawaii.

I do appreciate your comments and advice; however, even though I still receive a quarterly sales report and royalty check from the publisher, between completing my list, staying in touch with my four adult children and four grandchildren, and maintaining a fairly active social life, I may never get around to attempting to pursue a writing career.

Thank you again,

Jim

[Michael]

Ah so a one off. Very impressive getting it done! Congrats. My bucket list would be somewhat less ambitious - like to finish reading all my books :0

Yes, I'm not sure when the next ice age will hit, allowing you to drive to Hawaii!

[Jim]

Each paperback book format of Levels includes a coupon code for a free download of the audio version of the novel, narrated by Stephen Rozzell.

Once downloaded onto a computer, you can listen to it through your computer's speakers, burn it to an audio CD or save the file to a portable music device (such as Apple's iPod) and listen on the go!