Folks, I’m beside myself today with excitement for a good reason. TRINITY STONES just released on Audible and iTunes, and I have author and Audible Narratrix Extraordinaire, Hollie Jackson here with me today! Let me start by saying that finding Hollie made making an audiobook of TRINITY STONES a reality for me.
But first, let me share some background on my audiobook journey…
Although my novel is published through She Writes Press, I retained my audio rights and decided that this would be a great way to reach another audience. But let’s face it: audiobook production is expensive when you go ‘indie.’ For the uninitiated, although there is a revenue share option offered on Audible not requiring a cash outlay, you’re unlikely to have many takers if your book doesn’t have a solid sales record and your marketing plan and platform aren’t fairly substantial. For debut authors like me, that’s a real stumbling block. The other option is doing a work for hire arrangement. This can be very costly. Many narrators charge anywhere from $150 – $400 per finished hour. One finished hour is equal to approximately 5 elapsed hours. To give you an idea, TRINITY STONES is about 125,000 words and clocked in at about 15 finished hours. Um…you do the math.
After having no takers after two months, I started to search for narrators and stumbled across Hollie’s audition files. Several things attracted me to her right off the bat. First, not only was she an author in my genre, but appeared to have done a lot of work in it. Second, she clearly stated that she was open to a royalty share. After listening to just a couple of her audition samples, I fell in love with her voice and style. I reached out to her through ACX but didn’t hold a lot of hope after speaking with a few other narrators that people had recommended. To my surprise, I heard from her almost immediately. We spoke, and I offered her a small stipend (basically, all that I could afford) in addition to the royalty share. She accepted, and it’s been a true pleasure working with her!
So, without further ado… Hollie Jackson.
[LGO] It’s so great to have you here! [HJ] It’s awesome to be here! Thanks for having me. [LGO] As an author, I’m amazed at the number of audiobooks that you produce! I’m convinced you don’t sleep 🙂 Where do you find the time, and how did you get into this business? How long have you been doing it? [HJ] *laughs* Sleep is, well, let’s just say naps are definitely a thing around here for me. I take cat naps that put our Feline Mafia to shame. Up until about a year ago, I was only doing this as a side job, but I realized after my first project, that this was something I really wanted to do. I’ve always been the kind of reader who, on a whim, will just read out loud whatever I’m immersed in. And I read to my husband all the time; we call it his “reading by proxy.” I stumbled across someone looking for a voice to narrate their book and on a whim, submitted an audition. I already worked from home and figured I’d just give it a spin and see what happened. Fast forward a year and a half and now, I’m narrating full time and enjoying every minute. Easy to forego sleep when you’re loving what you do. [LGO] So, I understand that you write under the pen name H.R. Jackson, but that you are actually part of a writing team with your husband. You have a series, The Nemesis Chronicles, and a few other projects, yes? Tell us a little bit about your projects and what you are working on now. [HJ] Yes, indeed! In fact, narrating our series was what started the ball rolling to auditioning for other projects because I got such great feedback on our own venture. As for The Nemesis Chronicles, well, we’re working on the third book of the trilogy now and getting ready to launch from there into the second trilogy in the saga as soon as Clashing Muses is done. Currently, TNC consists of Minutes to Midnight (book 1) and Hand of Time (book 2). They’re urban fantasy set in an alternate universe. Someone once described it as sexy steampunk with a Vegas twist.My husband and I have been storytellers for as far back as either of us can remember and we realized that we really had something with a set of characters we’d been playing with for a few years. We are both huge Mythology fans and we started playing around with ideas for a story that included these fantastical creatures intermingled with humanity in a society with both magic and science at the forefront. So we sat down and collaboratively put together Minutes to Midnight, which chronicles the adventures of a Viking Courtesan (Dirk Donner) and a displaced Amazon (Morgan) in Las Vegas. We’ve dipped into all kinds of fantastical characters, which we called Mythics, that range from legendary fighters to fearsome beasties. There’s action, romance, and a pretty vibrant cast of characters, many of whom will be finding their own stories told in later trilogies.
Aside from that? I have a twist on the superhero genre story about half done, as well as a fun spin on the more traditional Hollywood monster style stories kicking around on my to-do list. It’s hard to find enough hours in the day to get everything worked on, but c’est la vie, eh?
[LGO] This is kind of a multi-part question since you are both an author and a producer, but what advice do you have for new writers? What advice do you have for people wanting to get into audio production? Finally, what about for authors looking for a narrator, any good advice there? [HJ] My advice to new writers? Don’t give up. Keep writing. It’s like any other skill, you have to always practice to improve. And read. Always be reading, because you never know where an idea will strike.For budding narrators? The work is out there, but you have to find it. Google is definitely your friend. Make sure you have good equipment and realize that it’s another field that you have build a portfolio in. But also keep in mind, this might *sound* like an easy job? It’s not. There’s a ton of work that goes into getting an audio file ready for uploading, so familiarize yourself with the basics of audio mastering, or find someone willing to help.
Also (and this goes for both new writers and people wanting to get into narrating), develop a thick skin and get ready for criticism. Not everyone is going to like your work. Don’t let it get to you, no matter how easier it is to say than to do, take that criticism and use it to get better at what you do. That’s been the hardest lesson for me to learn, but now, I operate under the divalicious, “haters gonna hate” motto. As long as my authors are thrilled with the finished product? That’s what truly matters to me. 🙂
And if you’re an author looking for a narrator? Understand that, though your story is truly your baby (and we are *very* aware of that), you do have to let go and trust that your narrator will bring it to life for you. A well-edited manuscript is a must and don’t hesitate to give a few directions as to questions about accents, character profiles, etc., but don’t forget that narration is a very different animal from producing a movie, so be aware that what you hear in your head might not be an exact match for what you get. But most of all? When you find the right narrator, you’ll know it, because you’ll find yourself falling in love with your work all over again. That’s what I strive to make happen and, you’ll find, most every other narrator out there worth their weight in gold has the same attitude.
[LGO] Finally, what’s your favorite dog breed? [HJ] Ooh. That's tough. I'm a cat kinda girl (four of 'em). BUT! I grew up with Schnauzers, and they're pretty awesome. Personally, though, my favorites are the Swedish Vallhund and the Jack Russell Terrier. [LGO] Hollie, thanks so much for stopping by, and let us know where we can find and connect with you as well as purchase your novels… [ HJ] My pleasure!
ABOUT HOLLIE JACKSON / H.R. JACKSON:
Taking her own love of storytelling, not just for her own work, but that of others, Hollie found her true calling in the vocal booth. With a range that goes from the innocent to the risque, across all genres, Hollie’s voice brings characters of all types to vibrant, compelling life, letting you sit back and allow the words to wrap around you.
She grew up getting lost in the world of poetry and prose, and truly enjoys sharing that with others through spoken word. Stories are, after all, meant to be spread by any means necessary, right?
Everyone has a story to tell…and Hollie loves to bring those stories to life, one word at a time.
Find her on the web:
BLOG: http://hrjackson.com
Twitter: @hrjacksontnc
Facebook: /authorhrjackson
Purchase her books here:
Minutes to Midnight on Amazon CLICK HERE
Hand of Time on Amazon CLICK HERE
Also available at bn.com and on iTunes. Links can also be found on her website
