This is pretty much what it says on the tin: I'm wondering whether anyone would be interested in fanfiction through the medium of an audio book.

Recently, my lecturers have been badgering me into the devil that is performance poetry - I'm on a creative writing undergraduate course, don'cha know - so it's sparked a vague interest in other forms of spoken word media, including the highest form of lowbrow literature. Fanfiction.

Edit: I should probably add that I'm not planning anything here. I'm curious, is all.

 

No. STFU and GTFO.

 

If you keep updating your story and include an audio copy... Then sure.

 

Like Blaise, I'd have little use for such a format.

If I recall, potterficweekly.com does a regular podcast that includes audiobook-formatted fanfiction. It seems a whole lot of work and I can't say much for their selection. (I've never heard of most of the stories they cover).

 

.... will the bad grammar, horrible spelling etc, of most fan fiction be in Audio form?

 

I'd be interested in hearing it only if it was based on a well-written complete story up to DLP standards. The last thing we need is an audio book for 'My Immortal.'

Joe's stories, JBern's, Shezza's, etc. Those are the work's I'd be interested in listening to. Even then, the narrator's voice would have to be really good.

 

Narrator would also be required to have a clear, understandable voice/accent.

You know, I actually haven't heard an audiobook before; does the narrator voice the dialogue as well as everything else, or just everything else with voice actors/actresses taking over the voice roles, like an audioplay?

Eg, does the narrator say, "Yes," Harry mumbled in its entirety, or does the voice actor mumble yes, with the narrator just saying 'Harry mumbled', or does the voice actor just mumble "Yes" without any input from the narrator, who only describes scenes that paint an image in the listener's mind? Eg, 'Harry glanced at the dried blood now encrusted into the carpet and then sighed; it must be Ginny's 'time of the month', once again.'

 

If someone would be willing to put together some dramatic readings, much like the My Immortal and 30 H's ones, then I would watch them on youtube.

Serious readings? Nah.

 

I use TTS software when I want to listen to fanfiction (for example, when I want to fall asleep listening to something). It's understandable (with the right software and voices), and yet I find it makes me fall asleep, if you are interested in that. Usually, though, I read fanfiction as it is updated and don't have the patience to wait for an audio version.

 

A lot depends on the quality of the actor reading the text. The best ones employ a separate, identifiable voice for each character and a neutral one for the narrative. All narrative is spoken, including the "he said"/"she said" tags.

I find Audiobooks to be excellent for working out or staying awake on long drives, though I seldom listen to them otherwise.

 

I used to use them while I was working, because it was mind numbingly boring shit to do. You want a good example of Audiobooks? A Time Traveler's wife, and Douglas Adams Hitchhikers series.

Can anyone on DLP match that? No. And besides, DLP has the attention span of six minutes. We'd never finish even one. So lets skip it entirely.

 

Would that also include sound effects, like if the narrator described Hermione slapping Ron across the face, there would also be a slapping sound spliced in just before the dialogue?

 

I've never heard one with sound effects outside of onomatopoeia. Most employ some kind of soundtrack or music indicating the end of a chapter, but that's about it.

Some books do well in the audio format (e.g., Stephenson's Snow Crash), whereas others do less well (Joyce's The Dubliners). Humor works when the spoken-word pacing is right (see Hitchhiker's Guide), whereas it fails for stuff that's only funny when read quickly--e.g., Dave Barry's stories. Dialogue-heavy stuff requires a talented actor to pull off without getting annoying.

 

Oh, the hypocrisy. You think you have a right to talk about bad grammar? In a fifteen word sentence, you made five grammatical mistakes. How is that even possible?

:facepalm

OT: I'd be willing to give it a shot, I suppose.

 

Audio fanfiction books? That's quite an odd thought. I'd give it a try if it existed, yeah, but it sounds like making it wouldn't be worth it. But on the other hand I kind of want to see it happen, now it's been brought it up.

 

If this goes down, it will go down one of two ways:

1. Joint effort

We could give this a shot with a very short oneshot, just to see how it goes, provided that more of us would join in (especially females). Each of us would need to read out three paragraphs, one from the beginning of the story (introduction), one from the middle (when the tension is at it's highest), and one from the ending (conclusion). Then, we'd need to vote the best guy (or girl); and that would give us the narrator.

Then of course, there's the voice acting. Each of us will have to do a line from each character, and we'll again vote who's the best on acting out each particular character.

And then - only then, can we begin recording. It would take more time than you'd expect to get even a short story done, but the overall quality wouldn't be that bad.

2. Single effort

One man does all the work. It'd be faster, but don't expect much quality from this method, for I doubt one man (or woman) has the talent to do more than 3-4 voices.

*

Then, of course, there's the recording quality - or the quality of the recording equipment. I doubt many of us have at least unidirectional microphones at home (as opposed to the omnidirectional microphones which would enable the listener to hear your mom/wife/girlfriend/son/roommate flush the toilet in the background as you read out the lines/narrate).

Then there's the shape and padding of your recording room, which I won't go into detail about.

Sound effects - forget it. I haven't listened to that many audio books, to be frank, but I doubt they incorporate sound effects together with the narrator. You're probably thinking of the radio story broadcasts done wayyy back in USA. Besides, even if we'd do this, it'd make half the narrative pointless, as the narrator would already describe the sounds. Plus, it would nearly double the editing and post-production time.

TL;DR: Despite numerous organisational and technical problems, I'd be willing to give this a go, if only to find out whether I can do the job or not.

 

^ Then let's quit talking about it, and just pick a story and do it.

On a related note... anyone know a good place to host an audio file? if one, two, half a dozen people want to give this a try with either their favourite story or a piece of original work, we'd need a place to put the readings that we can all get to, but the general public won't...

'Cause, y'know. It's embarrasing.

 

Ermmmm, MediaFire?

EDIT: I made a free account on the site

Email: dlpaudio@hotmail.com

Password: ************

Just make a folder with your username and dump everything you record in there.

EDIT 2: Also, if you are dumping files, don't forget to lock your folder using the padlock icon shown when you highlight your folder. Otherwise, your folder will be public...

EDIT 3: Just realized this is actually NOT a private place on the site... so yeah, I changed the password. Hit me up with a PM if you want in...

EDIT 4: I know I'm getting annoying, but hell, don't pick up a first year fic, unless you know a bunch of really good eleven year old voice actors. Come to think of it, it would probably need to be a post Hogwarts fic. I don't know about you guys, but my voice doesn't break at random.

 

I'm getting confused here. Are we going for something like radio dramas or something like audio books?

 

... audio books. I thought the OP was clear enough on that.