Audiobooks are a booming business with less obstacles than ever before. While many indie authors face the burning questions: Should they narrate their own books or find a narrator? And how do authors find the right narrator for a book?

CJ Critt, SAG-AFTRA Actress and Narrator, walks through the process of narration and let's us peak behind-the-mic for the work that goes into voicing an audiobook. CJ has been narrating audiobooks for decades with nearly 200 popular titles of fiction to her name. For her, being an artist is thrilling. But it is work. And it is a business. And with her help, we walk through the business of audiobook narration and what it takes.

Connect with CJ
cjcritt.com
[email protected]

CJ's Upcoming Narration Classes
https://stagewest.coursestorm.com/course/voice-over-acting-master-class-narration-tuesday-august-9-6-00-8-00-pm

https://www.1106lupo.com/bookings-checkout/vo-trio-speak-up-narration-sept-11th?referral=service_list_widget

https://www.1106lupo.com/bookings-checkout/cj-critt-s-voice-over-trio-september?referral=service_list_widget

The YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPcGXevs2NQk3Ab9OD66zuQ

Support the Show:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/romancethestory

Find me below:
Twitter - @RomancetheStory
Instagram - @RomancetheStory
Facebook - @RomancetheStory

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Award-winning author Kate Forsyth knows her way around a re-telling. With a Doctorate of Creative Arts in fairy tale studies and an accredited master storyteller, she has written several books re-contextualizing fairy tales and myths. She lends insight into her process of writing a re-telling and how to pull from the original tales to create a compelling story for a modern audience.

Kate's most recent novel is The Crimson Thread, a reimagining of ‘The Minotaur in the Labyrinth’ myth set in Crete during the invasion and occupation of World War II.

The Crimson Thread
https://amzn.to/3bMB5hZ

Kate's other books
https://amzn.to/3bJh381

Connect with Kate
https://kateforsyth.com.au/
Facebook - @kateforsythauthor
Twitter - @KateForsyth
Instagram - @kate_forsyth_

The YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPcGXevs2NQk3Ab9OD66zuQ

Support the Show:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/romancethestory

Find me below:
Twitter - @RomancetheStory
Instagram - @RomancetheStory
Facebook - @RomancetheStory

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Clarissa Gosling, author of  "Dragons of Kaitstud" and "Lost Princess of Starlight"  YA fantasy series, has always lived more in the world of daydream and fiction than in reality. But faced the problem many author do: How do you find the time to write?

On top of being a busy mum and living abroad, she is also an admin for the 365 Writing Challenge, an international writing support group that helps writers build the habit of writing. She has built in writing productivity for her busy schedule and is one of the co-hosts of the Reading Queens podcast, which discusses mainly young adult fantasy books and their tropes.

Find Clarissa's books on Amazon:
https://amzn.to/3xVkxfg

Connect with Clarissa:
https://clarissagosling.com/
TikTok - @clarissagosling
Facebook - @clarissagosling
Twitter - @clarileia
Instagram - @clarissahgosling
Pinterest - @clarissagosling

365 Writing Challenge:
https://www.365writingchallenge.com/

The YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPcGXevs2NQk3Ab9OD66zuQ

Support the Show:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/romancethestory

Find me below:
Twitter - @RomancetheStory
Instagram - @RomancetheStory
Facebook - @RomancetheStory

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It's a spicy book blurb summer! Professional book blurb writer and saving grace for authors, Jessie Cunniffe, joined the show to spill all the tea on writing the perfect book blurb for your book - talking the ins and outs of creating a dynamite blurb that sells your book for you.

Below are links to freebies and the paid courses mentioned on the episode - along with discount codes for the podcast.

Spicy Blurb Secrets for Romance (FREE):
www.spicyblurbplaybook.com

Anatomy of a Book Blurb for general fiction/nonfiction blurb (FREE):
https://adoracopyediting.thrivecart.com/anatomy-of-a-book-blurb/

Spicy Blurb Playbook BUNDLE:
Use code ROMANCETHESTORY for 10% off
https://romancingthestory--adoracopyediting.thrivecart.com/the-spicy-blurb-playbook-bundle/

Book Blurb Magic:
Use code ROMANCETHESTORY for 10% off
www.bookblurbmagic.com

Custom Book Blurb Service with Jessie:
https://romancingthestory--adoracopyediting.thrivecart.com/custom-book-blurb/

Find Jessie here:
TikTok - @bookblurbmagic
Instagram - @bookblurbmagic
Twitter - @Bookblurbmagic
Facebook - @bookblurbmagic

Find me below:
Twitter - @RomancetheStory
Instagram - @RomancetheStory
Facebook - @RomancetheStory

Support the Show:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/romancethestory

Sources:
https://www.tagari.com/what-percent-of-self-published-books-are-amazon/

http://edwardwrobertson.com/self-publishing/self-publishings-share-of-the-kindle-market-by-genre/

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Writer, speaker, and social media consultant Kathryn McClatchy talks about her passion of engaging and encouraging Authorpreneurs and what that term means to her. With a background in business, she plans to help authors take their book business to the next level with some great advice on where to start. We also discuss our latest collaboration on Twitter Spaces, #AuthorpreneurSpace, where we get into the nitty gritty of book marketing and business with more detailed topics.

Next Chapters Unleashed Anthology
https://amzn.to/38VeNtq

Find Kathryn here:
https://kathrynmcclatchy.com/
Twitter: @Kmmcclatchy
Instagram: @kathrynmcclatchy
Facebook: @KMMcClatchy
TikTok: @kathrynmcclatchy

Or her Author Facebook Group, Unleashing the Next Chapter:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/UnleashingTheNextChapter

Book referenced
Building a Story Brand by Donald Miller
https://amzn.to/3xjOJ4s

Find me below:
Twitter - @RomancetheStory
Instagram - @RomancetheStory
Facebook - @RomancetheStory

Support the Show:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/romancethestory

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Denise Giddings is a romance writer and lover of all things romantic.  From writing short stories to a stand-alone novel to a series, we talk about complex characters with flaws and how the passion for writing can encourage learning the craft. We also discuss some of the inspirations behind her latest release, Contradictions, and the importance of showcasing  African American characters. 

Contradictions Available Now:
https://amzn.to/3z28r6i

Find Denise here:
https://www.denisegiddings.com/
Facebook: @dgiddingsbooks
Twitter: @dgiddingsbooks
Instagram: @dgiddingsbooks

Find me below:
Twitter - @RomancetheStory
Instagram - @RomancetheStory
Facebook - @RomancetheStory 

Support the Show:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/romancethestory

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It's a surprise episode filled with writing retreat wisdom and fun "quickies" - lightning round author interviews. Hear all about what makes writing retreats special and why they're important to each writer. Plus, learn about what projects authors work on during a writing retreat and their best practices!

Find Kimberly Packard here:
www.kimberlypackard.com
https://amzn.to/3sQ3I3C

The "Spotifly" Playlist
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/34P12lKiYzQLGDw5D4rQib?si=87f3a7dfe65f4357

Find Susan Sheehey here:
www.SusanSheehey.com
https://amzn.to/3LEeNeo

Find Vanessa Foster here:
https://vgfoster.com/
https://amzn.to/3sUiCWr

Find C.A. Szarek here:
http://www.caszarek.com/
https://amzn.to/3PMXw6m

Find me below:
Twitter - @RomancetheStory
Instagram - @RomancetheStory
Facebook - @RomancetheStory

Support the Show:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/romancethestory

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Cindy Kehagiaras is a romance writer and Gen-Xer that's been waiting to write Two Princes, her debut novel, for 30 years. Now on her "5th Life" as she tells it, we talk a bit about the inspirations behind her debut's 90s-setting romantic adventure, the online writing community, and entrepreneurism in the current publishing landscape.  She also divulges a little bit on her next release - a second-chance surfer romance!

Two Princes Available Now:
https://amzn.to/3kTOVAz

Find Cindy here:
https://cindykehstories.com/
Facebook: @cmkehstories
Twitter: @CMKehSTORIES
Instagram: @cmkehstories
TikTok: @cmkehstories

Find me below:
Twitter - @RomancetheStory
Instagram - @RomancetheStory
Facebook - @RomancetheStory 

Support the Show:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/romancethestory

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E.L. Lewis (or Liza) is a romance author, Wattpad Star, and a natural storyteller with an active imagination. We discuss how her Wattpad journey started, how it's going and how the publications of her 3 novels came about. Vanessa Holden, a manager from Cherry Publishing, also joins us to talk as part of an indie publisher of romantic fiction. Liza's books are published through Cherry Publishing.

Find Liza here:
https://ellewiswrites.com/
Ink Series : https://amzn.to/3EIxw6K
Faux Real: https://amzn.to/3xQXweR
TikToK and Instagram: @ellewiswrites
Wattpad: @lizaalewis

Find Cherry Publishing here:
https://cherry-publishing.com/en/
Facebook - @cherrypublishingenglish
Instagram - @cherrypublishingenglish

Find me below:
Twitter - @RomancetheStory
Instagram - @RomancetheStory
Facebook - @RomancetheStory

Support the Show:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/romancethestory

Support the show

Sarah Kil is a graphic designer, self-starter, and an open-book when it comes to talking about the business of covers. She tells me all about her venture into book covers, what trends are emerging, and how a cover impacts marketing. While heavily rooted on romance, she designs for other genres, but she's still a hopeless romantic at heart!

Find Sarah here:
https://www.sarahkilcreativestudio.com/
Facebook: @sarahkilcreativestudio
Instagram: @sarahkilcreativestudio

Find me below:
Twitter - @RomancetheStory
Instagram - @RomancetheStory
Facebook - @RomancetheStory

Support the Show:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/romancethestory

Support the show