Creating your own audio book can be a very rewarding accomplishment. However as with most things worthwhile there are some huddles you'll have to get over and in this case the first one may be finding a topic for your audio book.
They say that everyone has at least one book in them. Here are some ideas that may help bring your book to the surface.
- Write about your career
- Write about your children
- Write about your hobby
- Write about your passion
- Write about your travels
- Write about your parents or grandparents
- Write about your family
You see it's really not that hard to come up with a topic and your first audio book doesn't have to be long one. Just start with a simple idea and before you know it you can have a fun little talking book. So go ahead why not give it a try, you never know where it might lead you!
Okay now that you have you book there are two ways to turn it into an audio book.
The first way is to use a computer program that will convert your text into a digital audio format. These computer programs convert the text and to a digital audio voice and some of them are so good you'll think it's human. Creating an audio book can be as easy as typing your audio book into a text editor and entering into the voice-over software.
Here are some of the better text to speech software programs
The second method for creating your own audio book is a little more complex but that doesn't mean you can't do it yourself. By using your own voice you can record your audio book directly to a computer.
To record your own audio books using this method you'll need the following:
- Microphone stand
- Studio Quality microphone
- USB Audio/MIDI interface
- Headphones
The main problem you'll encounter using this method is the sound quality of the audiobook. It's tough to get a high quality audio recording from standard computer equipment. The microphone, the sound card even the accoutics of the room you're recording in can effect the quality of your finished product. If you plan on going this route I recommend using the best quality equipment you can efford.
A better way to go!
If you're really serious about recording an audiobook then a recording studio is the best way to go. By leaving the recording to the professionals all you have to worry only about reading your book aloud.
With a little research you should be able to find a recording studio near you. Most studios have the capability to record audiobooks and they definitely have superior equipment to give you a professional audiobook product. You'll want to practice reading your book before hand so the actual recording goes smoothly. Just remember to have fun when you create your audio book, it should be a rewarding experience!