#audiobooks — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #audiobooks, aggregated by home.social.
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I was frustrated by the lack of detail in the Netflix documentary about the Five Families so I used an audiobook credit to by a 30+ hour book on the subject which so far I'm enjoying. I only know the broad strokes of the #mafia lore so I'm learning a lot of new stuff about the early years so far.
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Who is Narrating the Future? AI and the Audiobook Market
A new white paper released by Frankfurter Buchmesse and produced by Dosdoce.com shows the audio industry's increasing adoption of AI, but still with some reservations.
The post Who is Narrating the Future? AI and the Audiobook Market appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/09/who-is-narrating-the-future-ai-and-the-audiobook-market/ -
Who is Narrating the Future? AI and the Audiobook Market
A new white paper released by Frankfurter Buchmesse and produced by Dosdoce.com shows the audio industry's increasing adoption of AI, but still with some reservations.
The post Who is Narrating the Future? AI and the Audiobook Market appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/09/who-is-narrating-the-future-ai-and-the-audiobook-market/ -
Who is Narrating the Future? AI and the Audiobook Market
A new white paper released by Frankfurter Buchmesse and produced by Dosdoce.com shows the audio industry's increasing adoption of AI, but still with some reservations.
The post Who is Narrating the Future? AI and the Audiobook Market appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/09/who-is-narrating-the-future-ai-and-the-audiobook-market/ -
Who is Narrating the Future? AI and the Audiobook Market
A new white paper released by Frankfurter Buchmesse and produced by Dosdoce.com shows the audio industry's increasing adoption of AI, but still with some reservations.
The post Who is Narrating the Future? AI and the Audiobook Market appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/09/who-is-narrating-the-future-ai-and-the-audiobook-market/ -
RE: https://mastodon.social/@lufthans/117220972865157950
Libro.fm has a half dozen CJ Cherryh audio book that are also DRM free
The listings include the entire Faded Sun trilogy and full cast abridged workups of Merchanter's Luck and Downbelow Station
The downside is the audio books don't have the fantastic art :)
https://libro.fm/search?q=C.J.+Cherryh&searchby=authors
https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781977371744-the-faded-sun-trilogy
https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781685085155-merchanter-s-luck-dramatized-adaptation-abridged
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They want to see if the Visitor harmed any other civilizations on its way.
This reading is chapter five of The Francesians, the last book in the Green Comet trilogy. Between the Maker world and that of the comet people, the Visitor dropped in on two other systems. Elgin and Fran and the others need to see what damage was done.
#audiobooks #ebooks #OkanaganReader #recordings #TheFrancesians #Video #YouTube
rjb
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So against my better judgement, and honestly just because I like to check out new things, I downloaded Open Audible because Libation hasn't been working lately. Sooo many unlabeled buttons! Plus it gets stuck a lot when I'm going through settings. I have to tab away from it and then tab back. #Bookstodon #Audiobooks #Blind #Accessibility
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In Part 9 of @eddietonkoi’s continuing series on audiobook narration, he gets less technical and explains how to make edited audio sound like a human would actually speak. I found it fascinating.
https://www.podfeet.com/blog/2026/09/audiobook-audio-v3-part-9-invisible-cadence/
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What Sound Editing Does a Non-Fiction Audiobook Actually Need?
A non-fiction audiobook may sound easy. There is a narrator. There is a manuscript. The narrator reads it. The audio is exported.
But professional audiobook production is rarely that straightforward.
In non-fiction, the quality of sound editing directly affects comprehension, credibility and listening fatigue. A great narration can still feel amateur if the underlying recording has inconsistent levels, distracting breaths, room noise, clicks or poor pacing.
At CINEDRAMA ENTERTAINMENT, we look at audiobook editing as more than simply “cleaning an audio file.”
It is about creating a listening experience that allows the content—and the narrator—to remain the focus.
1. Noise Reduction Without Destroying the Voice
The first step is identifying unwanted background noise:
- Air-conditioner and fan noise
- Electrical hum
- Computer noise
- Room ambience
- Traffic or environmental sounds
- Recording-system noise
The challenge is not simply removing everything. Over-processing can make a human voice sound artificial, thin or metallic. Professional editing means finding the balance between a clean recording and a natural-sounding voice.
2. Breath Editing
Breaths are part of natural speech. Removing every breath can make narration sound unnatural. Leaving every breath untouched can make the audiobook feel distracting or poorly edited.
For non-fiction, breath editing is usually about control rather than elimination.
Unusually loud breaths, distracting gasps and awkward pauses may need attention, while natural breathing can remain part of the performance.
3. Clicks, Mouth Noise & Recording Artifacts
Close-mic narration can reveal details that are almost invisible during recording. Placement of the mic causes variations.
Mouth clicks, lip smacks, saliva noise, small pops and other artifacts can become surprisingly noticeable through headphones.
These are often handled individually or selectively. The goal isn’t to make the narrator sound “processed.”
The goal is to make the listener stop noticing the recording and start focusing on the content.
4. Pacing & Pauses
This is particularly important for non-fiction. A business book, biography, self-help book or educational title contains information that listeners need to absorb.
If sentences run together, important ideas can lose impact. If pauses are excessive, the audiobook can feel slow.
Good editing considers:
sentence → pause → idea → emphasis → transition
The editor is therefore not only working with sound.
They are working with how information is received by the listener.
5. Volume & Dynamic Consistency
Imagine listening to an audiobook where one paragraph is quiet and the next suddenly becomes much louder.
You turn up the volume. Then the narrator becomes loud.
You turn it down again. That is a production problem.
Professional editing aims for consistent perceived loudness while preserving enough natural dynamics in the narrator’s performance.
This becomes especially important when an audiobook will be consumed across headphones, phones, cars and smart speakers.
6. EQ & Voice Clarity
Equalization can help improve intelligibility and reduce unwanted tonal characteristics.
Depending on the recording, an editor may need to address:
- Excessive low-frequency rumble
- Boxy or muddy sound
- Harsh high frequencies
- Nasal characteristics
- Lack of vocal presence
But EQ should serve the voice—not impose a completely different voice on the narrator.
A professional audiobook should still sound like the person who recorded it.
7. Editing Mistakes Without Killing the Performance
Non-fiction narration can contain:
- Mispronunciations
- Repeated words
- False starts
- Incorrect readings
- Long hesitations
- Sentence corrections
- Page-reading mistakes
These may need to be edited carefully.
The important word is carefully.
If an edit removes too much of the natural performance, the listener may hear unnatural jumps, changes in ambience or altered pacing.
A good edit should be heard as little as possible.
8. Chapter & Section Transitions
Non-fiction audiobooks often contain multiple chapters, sections, lists, quotations, references and sometimes supplementary material.
These transitions need to feel intentional.
Silence, spacing and chapter openings should create a consistent listening structure rather than making the audiobook feel like a collection of unrelated recordings.
9. Mastering & Delivery
Editing is not the final step.
The completed audiobook needs to be prepared according to the technical requirements of its intended distribution platform.
That can involve checking:
- Overall loudness
- Peak levels
- Noise floor
- File format
- Sample rate
- Channel configuration
- Beginning and ending silence
- Chapter/file structure
- Technical consistency across the entire title
A beautifully edited chapter is not enough. The complete audiobook needs to work as one professional product.
The Bigger Picture
This is why we believe audiobook production should not be treated as simply:
“Record → Clean → Export.”
A professional non-fiction audiobook involves a chain of decisions:
Narration → Editing → Restoration → Pacing → Voice Processing → Consistency → Mastering → Delivery
Every stage influences the final listening experience.
And perhaps the most important principle is this:
The best audiobook editing is often the editing the listener never notices.
The listener shouldn’t be thinking about noise reduction, EQ, compression or breath editing.
They should be thinking about the idea, story or knowledge being communicated.
That is the real purpose of sound editing.
The Audible Craft
In this newsletter, we’ll explore the production decisions behind professional audiobooks—from narration and sound editing to mastering, audio storytelling and the evolving role of technology in the audiobook industry.
Because when a book becomes audio, the words aren’t the only thing that need to be heard.
Produced by Cinedrama Entertainment — Where Creativity Takes Center Stage.
#audible #audio #audiobook #audiobooks #books #cinedramaentertainment #production #rakutenkobo #reading #spotify #writing #youtube -
What Sound Editing Does a Non-Fiction Audiobook Actually Need?
A non-fiction audiobook may sound easy. There is a narrator. There is a manuscript. The narrator reads it. The audio is exported.
But professional audiobook production is rarely that straightforward.
In non-fiction, the quality of sound editing directly affects comprehension, credibility and listening fatigue. A great narration can still feel amateur if the underlying recording has inconsistent levels, distracting breaths, room noise, clicks or poor pacing.
At CINEDRAMA ENTERTAINMENT, we look at audiobook editing as more than simply “cleaning an audio file.”
It is about creating a listening experience that allows the content—and the narrator—to remain the focus.
1. Noise Reduction Without Destroying the Voice
The first step is identifying unwanted background noise:
- Air-conditioner and fan noise
- Electrical hum
- Computer noise
- Room ambience
- Traffic or environmental sounds
- Recording-system noise
The challenge is not simply removing everything. Over-processing can make a human voice sound artificial, thin or metallic. Professional editing means finding the balance between a clean recording and a natural-sounding voice.
2. Breath Editing
Breaths are part of natural speech. Removing every breath can make narration sound unnatural. Leaving every breath untouched can make the audiobook feel distracting or poorly edited.
For non-fiction, breath editing is usually about control rather than elimination.
Unusually loud breaths, distracting gasps and awkward pauses may need attention, while natural breathing can remain part of the performance.
3. Clicks, Mouth Noise & Recording Artifacts
Close-mic narration can reveal details that are almost invisible during recording. Placement of the mic causes variations.
Mouth clicks, lip smacks, saliva noise, small pops and other artifacts can become surprisingly noticeable through headphones.
These are often handled individually or selectively. The goal isn’t to make the narrator sound “processed.”
The goal is to make the listener stop noticing the recording and start focusing on the content.
4. Pacing & Pauses
This is particularly important for non-fiction. A business book, biography, self-help book or educational title contains information that listeners need to absorb.
If sentences run together, important ideas can lose impact. If pauses are excessive, the audiobook can feel slow.
Good editing considers:
sentence → pause → idea → emphasis → transition
The editor is therefore not only working with sound.
They are working with how information is received by the listener.
5. Volume & Dynamic Consistency
Imagine listening to an audiobook where one paragraph is quiet and the next suddenly becomes much louder.
You turn up the volume. Then the narrator becomes loud.
You turn it down again. That is a production problem.
Professional editing aims for consistent perceived loudness while preserving enough natural dynamics in the narrator’s performance.
This becomes especially important when an audiobook will be consumed across headphones, phones, cars and smart speakers.
6. EQ & Voice Clarity
Equalization can help improve intelligibility and reduce unwanted tonal characteristics.
Depending on the recording, an editor may need to address:
- Excessive low-frequency rumble
- Boxy or muddy sound
- Harsh high frequencies
- Nasal characteristics
- Lack of vocal presence
But EQ should serve the voice—not impose a completely different voice on the narrator.
A professional audiobook should still sound like the person who recorded it.
7. Editing Mistakes Without Killing the Performance
Non-fiction narration can contain:
- Mispronunciations
- Repeated words
- False starts
- Incorrect readings
- Long hesitations
- Sentence corrections
- Page-reading mistakes
These may need to be edited carefully.
The important word is carefully.
If an edit removes too much of the natural performance, the listener may hear unnatural jumps, changes in ambience or altered pacing.
A good edit should be heard as little as possible.
8. Chapter & Section Transitions
Non-fiction audiobooks often contain multiple chapters, sections, lists, quotations, references and sometimes supplementary material.
These transitions need to feel intentional.
Silence, spacing and chapter openings should create a consistent listening structure rather than making the audiobook feel like a collection of unrelated recordings.
9. Mastering & Delivery
Editing is not the final step.
The completed audiobook needs to be prepared according to the technical requirements of its intended distribution platform.
That can involve checking:
- Overall loudness
- Peak levels
- Noise floor
- File format
- Sample rate
- Channel configuration
- Beginning and ending silence
- Chapter/file structure
- Technical consistency across the entire title
A beautifully edited chapter is not enough. The complete audiobook needs to work as one professional product.
The Bigger Picture
This is why we believe audiobook production should not be treated as simply:
“Record → Clean → Export.”
A professional non-fiction audiobook involves a chain of decisions:
Narration → Editing → Restoration → Pacing → Voice Processing → Consistency → Mastering → Delivery
Every stage influences the final listening experience.
And perhaps the most important principle is this:
The best audiobook editing is often the editing the listener never notices.
The listener shouldn’t be thinking about noise reduction, EQ, compression or breath editing.
They should be thinking about the idea, story or knowledge being communicated.
That is the real purpose of sound editing.
The Audible Craft
In this newsletter, we’ll explore the production decisions behind professional audiobooks—from narration and sound editing to mastering, audio storytelling and the evolving role of technology in the audiobook industry.
Because when a book becomes audio, the words aren’t the only thing that need to be heard.
Produced by Cinedrama Entertainment — Where Creativity Takes Center Stage.
#audible #audio #audiobook #audiobooks #books #cinedramaentertainment #production #rakutenkobo #reading #spotify #writing #youtube -
What Sound Editing Does a Non-Fiction Audiobook Actually Need?
A non-fiction audiobook may sound easy. There is a narrator. There is a manuscript. The narrator reads it. The audio is exported.
But professional audiobook production is rarely that straightforward.
In non-fiction, the quality of sound editing directly affects comprehension, credibility and listening fatigue. A great narration can still feel amateur if the underlying recording has inconsistent levels, distracting breaths, room noise, clicks or poor pacing.
At CINEDRAMA ENTERTAINMENT, we look at audiobook editing as more than simply “cleaning an audio file.”
It is about creating a listening experience that allows the content—and the narrator—to remain the focus.
1. Noise Reduction Without Destroying the Voice
The first step is identifying unwanted background noise:
- Air-conditioner and fan noise
- Electrical hum
- Computer noise
- Room ambience
- Traffic or environmental sounds
- Recording-system noise
The challenge is not simply removing everything. Over-processing can make a human voice sound artificial, thin or metallic. Professional editing means finding the balance between a clean recording and a natural-sounding voice.
2. Breath Editing
Breaths are part of natural speech. Removing every breath can make narration sound unnatural. Leaving every breath untouched can make the audiobook feel distracting or poorly edited.
For non-fiction, breath editing is usually about control rather than elimination.
Unusually loud breaths, distracting gasps and awkward pauses may need attention, while natural breathing can remain part of the performance.
3. Clicks, Mouth Noise & Recording Artifacts
Close-mic narration can reveal details that are almost invisible during recording. Placement of the mic causes variations.
Mouth clicks, lip smacks, saliva noise, small pops and other artifacts can become surprisingly noticeable through headphones.
These are often handled individually or selectively. The goal isn’t to make the narrator sound “processed.”
The goal is to make the listener stop noticing the recording and start focusing on the content.
4. Pacing & Pauses
This is particularly important for non-fiction. A business book, biography, self-help book or educational title contains information that listeners need to absorb.
If sentences run together, important ideas can lose impact. If pauses are excessive, the audiobook can feel slow.
Good editing considers:
sentence → pause → idea → emphasis → transition
The editor is therefore not only working with sound.
They are working with how information is received by the listener.
5. Volume & Dynamic Consistency
Imagine listening to an audiobook where one paragraph is quiet and the next suddenly becomes much louder.
You turn up the volume. Then the narrator becomes loud.
You turn it down again. That is a production problem.
Professional editing aims for consistent perceived loudness while preserving enough natural dynamics in the narrator’s performance.
This becomes especially important when an audiobook will be consumed across headphones, phones, cars and smart speakers.
6. EQ & Voice Clarity
Equalization can help improve intelligibility and reduce unwanted tonal characteristics.
Depending on the recording, an editor may need to address:
- Excessive low-frequency rumble
- Boxy or muddy sound
- Harsh high frequencies
- Nasal characteristics
- Lack of vocal presence
But EQ should serve the voice—not impose a completely different voice on the narrator.
A professional audiobook should still sound like the person who recorded it.
7. Editing Mistakes Without Killing the Performance
Non-fiction narration can contain:
- Mispronunciations
- Repeated words
- False starts
- Incorrect readings
- Long hesitations
- Sentence corrections
- Page-reading mistakes
These may need to be edited carefully.
The important word is carefully.
If an edit removes too much of the natural performance, the listener may hear unnatural jumps, changes in ambience or altered pacing.
A good edit should be heard as little as possible.
8. Chapter & Section Transitions
Non-fiction audiobooks often contain multiple chapters, sections, lists, quotations, references and sometimes supplementary material.
These transitions need to feel intentional.
Silence, spacing and chapter openings should create a consistent listening structure rather than making the audiobook feel like a collection of unrelated recordings.
9. Mastering & Delivery
Editing is not the final step.
The completed audiobook needs to be prepared according to the technical requirements of its intended distribution platform.
That can involve checking:
- Overall loudness
- Peak levels
- Noise floor
- File format
- Sample rate
- Channel configuration
- Beginning and ending silence
- Chapter/file structure
- Technical consistency across the entire title
A beautifully edited chapter is not enough. The complete audiobook needs to work as one professional product.
The Bigger Picture
This is why we believe audiobook production should not be treated as simply:
“Record → Clean → Export.”
A professional non-fiction audiobook involves a chain of decisions:
Narration → Editing → Restoration → Pacing → Voice Processing → Consistency → Mastering → Delivery
Every stage influences the final listening experience.
And perhaps the most important principle is this:
The best audiobook editing is often the editing the listener never notices.
The listener shouldn’t be thinking about noise reduction, EQ, compression or breath editing.
They should be thinking about the idea, story or knowledge being communicated.
That is the real purpose of sound editing.
The Audible Craft
In this newsletter, we’ll explore the production decisions behind professional audiobooks—from narration and sound editing to mastering, audio storytelling and the evolving role of technology in the audiobook industry.
Because when a book becomes audio, the words aren’t the only thing that need to be heard.
Produced by Cinedrama Entertainment — Where Creativity Takes Center Stage.
#audible #audio #audiobook #audiobooks #books #cinedramaentertainment #production #rakutenkobo #reading #spotify #writing #youtube -
What Sound Editing Does a Non-Fiction Audiobook Actually Need?
A non-fiction audiobook may sound easy. There is a narrator. There is a manuscript. The narrator reads it. The audio is exported.
But professional audiobook production is rarely that straightforward.
In non-fiction, the quality of sound editing directly affects comprehension, credibility and listening fatigue. A great narration can still feel amateur if the underlying recording has inconsistent levels, distracting breaths, room noise, clicks or poor pacing.
At CINEDRAMA ENTERTAINMENT, we look at audiobook editing as more than simply “cleaning an audio file.”
It is about creating a listening experience that allows the content—and the narrator—to remain the focus.
1. Noise Reduction Without Destroying the Voice
The first step is identifying unwanted background noise:
- Air-conditioner and fan noise
- Electrical hum
- Computer noise
- Room ambience
- Traffic or environmental sounds
- Recording-system noise
The challenge is not simply removing everything. Over-processing can make a human voice sound artificial, thin or metallic. Professional editing means finding the balance between a clean recording and a natural-sounding voice.
2. Breath Editing
Breaths are part of natural speech. Removing every breath can make narration sound unnatural. Leaving every breath untouched can make the audiobook feel distracting or poorly edited.
For non-fiction, breath editing is usually about control rather than elimination.
Unusually loud breaths, distracting gasps and awkward pauses may need attention, while natural breathing can remain part of the performance.
3. Clicks, Mouth Noise & Recording Artifacts
Close-mic narration can reveal details that are almost invisible during recording. Placement of the mic causes variations.
Mouth clicks, lip smacks, saliva noise, small pops and other artifacts can become surprisingly noticeable through headphones.
These are often handled individually or selectively. The goal isn’t to make the narrator sound “processed.”
The goal is to make the listener stop noticing the recording and start focusing on the content.
4. Pacing & Pauses
This is particularly important for non-fiction. A business book, biography, self-help book or educational title contains information that listeners need to absorb.
If sentences run together, important ideas can lose impact. If pauses are excessive, the audiobook can feel slow.
Good editing considers:
sentence → pause → idea → emphasis → transition
The editor is therefore not only working with sound.
They are working with how information is received by the listener.
5. Volume & Dynamic Consistency
Imagine listening to an audiobook where one paragraph is quiet and the next suddenly becomes much louder.
You turn up the volume. Then the narrator becomes loud.
You turn it down again. That is a production problem.
Professional editing aims for consistent perceived loudness while preserving enough natural dynamics in the narrator’s performance.
This becomes especially important when an audiobook will be consumed across headphones, phones, cars and smart speakers.
6. EQ & Voice Clarity
Equalization can help improve intelligibility and reduce unwanted tonal characteristics.
Depending on the recording, an editor may need to address:
- Excessive low-frequency rumble
- Boxy or muddy sound
- Harsh high frequencies
- Nasal characteristics
- Lack of vocal presence
But EQ should serve the voice—not impose a completely different voice on the narrator.
A professional audiobook should still sound like the person who recorded it.
7. Editing Mistakes Without Killing the Performance
Non-fiction narration can contain:
- Mispronunciations
- Repeated words
- False starts
- Incorrect readings
- Long hesitations
- Sentence corrections
- Page-reading mistakes
These may need to be edited carefully.
The important word is carefully.
If an edit removes too much of the natural performance, the listener may hear unnatural jumps, changes in ambience or altered pacing.
A good edit should be heard as little as possible.
8. Chapter & Section Transitions
Non-fiction audiobooks often contain multiple chapters, sections, lists, quotations, references and sometimes supplementary material.
These transitions need to feel intentional.
Silence, spacing and chapter openings should create a consistent listening structure rather than making the audiobook feel like a collection of unrelated recordings.
9. Mastering & Delivery
Editing is not the final step.
The completed audiobook needs to be prepared according to the technical requirements of its intended distribution platform.
That can involve checking:
- Overall loudness
- Peak levels
- Noise floor
- File format
- Sample rate
- Channel configuration
- Beginning and ending silence
- Chapter/file structure
- Technical consistency across the entire title
A beautifully edited chapter is not enough. The complete audiobook needs to work as one professional product.
The Bigger Picture
This is why we believe audiobook production should not be treated as simply:
“Record → Clean → Export.”
A professional non-fiction audiobook involves a chain of decisions:
Narration → Editing → Restoration → Pacing → Voice Processing → Consistency → Mastering → Delivery
Every stage influences the final listening experience.
And perhaps the most important principle is this:
The best audiobook editing is often the editing the listener never notices.
The listener shouldn’t be thinking about noise reduction, EQ, compression or breath editing.
They should be thinking about the idea, story or knowledge being communicated.
That is the real purpose of sound editing.
The Audible Craft
In this newsletter, we’ll explore the production decisions behind professional audiobooks—from narration and sound editing to mastering, audio storytelling and the evolving role of technology in the audiobook industry.
Because when a book becomes audio, the words aren’t the only thing that need to be heard.
Produced by Cinedrama Entertainment — Where Creativity Takes Center Stage.
#audible #audio #audiobook #audiobooks #books #cinedramaentertainment #production #rakutenkobo #reading #spotify #writing #youtube -
What Sound Editing Does a Non-Fiction Audiobook Actually Need?
A non-fiction audiobook may sound easy. There is a narrator. There is a manuscript. The narrator reads it. The audio is exported.
But professional audiobook production is rarely that straightforward.
In non-fiction, the quality of sound editing directly affects comprehension, credibility and listening fatigue. A great narration can still feel amateur if the underlying recording has inconsistent levels, distracting breaths, room noise, clicks or poor pacing.
At CINEDRAMA ENTERTAINMENT, we look at audiobook editing as more than simply “cleaning an audio file.”
It is about creating a listening experience that allows the content—and the narrator—to remain the focus.
1. Noise Reduction Without Destroying the Voice
The first step is identifying unwanted background noise:
- Air-conditioner and fan noise
- Electrical hum
- Computer noise
- Room ambience
- Traffic or environmental sounds
- Recording-system noise
The challenge is not simply removing everything. Over-processing can make a human voice sound artificial, thin or metallic. Professional editing means finding the balance between a clean recording and a natural-sounding voice.
2. Breath Editing
Breaths are part of natural speech. Removing every breath can make narration sound unnatural. Leaving every breath untouched can make the audiobook feel distracting or poorly edited.
For non-fiction, breath editing is usually about control rather than elimination.
Unusually loud breaths, distracting gasps and awkward pauses may need attention, while natural breathing can remain part of the performance.
3. Clicks, Mouth Noise & Recording Artifacts
Close-mic narration can reveal details that are almost invisible during recording. Placement of the mic causes variations.
Mouth clicks, lip smacks, saliva noise, small pops and other artifacts can become surprisingly noticeable through headphones.
These are often handled individually or selectively. The goal isn’t to make the narrator sound “processed.”
The goal is to make the listener stop noticing the recording and start focusing on the content.
4. Pacing & Pauses
This is particularly important for non-fiction. A business book, biography, self-help book or educational title contains information that listeners need to absorb.
If sentences run together, important ideas can lose impact. If pauses are excessive, the audiobook can feel slow.
Good editing considers:
sentence → pause → idea → emphasis → transition
The editor is therefore not only working with sound.
They are working with how information is received by the listener.
5. Volume & Dynamic Consistency
Imagine listening to an audiobook where one paragraph is quiet and the next suddenly becomes much louder.
You turn up the volume. Then the narrator becomes loud.
You turn it down again. That is a production problem.
Professional editing aims for consistent perceived loudness while preserving enough natural dynamics in the narrator’s performance.
This becomes especially important when an audiobook will be consumed across headphones, phones, cars and smart speakers.
6. EQ & Voice Clarity
Equalization can help improve intelligibility and reduce unwanted tonal characteristics.
Depending on the recording, an editor may need to address:
- Excessive low-frequency rumble
- Boxy or muddy sound
- Harsh high frequencies
- Nasal characteristics
- Lack of vocal presence
But EQ should serve the voice—not impose a completely different voice on the narrator.
A professional audiobook should still sound like the person who recorded it.
7. Editing Mistakes Without Killing the Performance
Non-fiction narration can contain:
- Mispronunciations
- Repeated words
- False starts
- Incorrect readings
- Long hesitations
- Sentence corrections
- Page-reading mistakes
These may need to be edited carefully.
The important word is carefully.
If an edit removes too much of the natural performance, the listener may hear unnatural jumps, changes in ambience or altered pacing.
A good edit should be heard as little as possible.
8. Chapter & Section Transitions
Non-fiction audiobooks often contain multiple chapters, sections, lists, quotations, references and sometimes supplementary material.
These transitions need to feel intentional.
Silence, spacing and chapter openings should create a consistent listening structure rather than making the audiobook feel like a collection of unrelated recordings.
9. Mastering & Delivery
Editing is not the final step.
The completed audiobook needs to be prepared according to the technical requirements of its intended distribution platform.
That can involve checking:
- Overall loudness
- Peak levels
- Noise floor
- File format
- Sample rate
- Channel configuration
- Beginning and ending silence
- Chapter/file structure
- Technical consistency across the entire title
A beautifully edited chapter is not enough. The complete audiobook needs to work as one professional product.
The Bigger Picture
This is why we believe audiobook production should not be treated as simply:
“Record → Clean → Export.”
A professional non-fiction audiobook involves a chain of decisions:
Narration → Editing → Restoration → Pacing → Voice Processing → Consistency → Mastering → Delivery
Every stage influences the final listening experience.
And perhaps the most important principle is this:
The best audiobook editing is often the editing the listener never notices.
The listener shouldn’t be thinking about noise reduction, EQ, compression or breath editing.
They should be thinking about the idea, story or knowledge being communicated.
That is the real purpose of sound editing.
The Audible Craft
In this newsletter, we’ll explore the production decisions behind professional audiobooks—from narration and sound editing to mastering, audio storytelling and the evolving role of technology in the audiobook industry.
Because when a book becomes audio, the words aren’t the only thing that need to be heard.
Produced by Cinedrama Entertainment — Where Creativity Takes Center Stage.
#audible #audio #audiobook #audiobooks #books #cinedramaentertainment #production #rakutenkobo #reading #spotify #writing #youtube -
I was toiling through Cat Rambo's "You Sexy Thing": only listened to 4.5 hours in 10 days and it felt like a chore: inconsistent pacing, drawn out descriptions, unannounced character changes. Dropped it.
Started "Only Human" by Sylvain Neuvel yesterday morning and I'm already 5 hours into. This series is catnip to me.
Yup, some #audiobooks are really clicking with me and other are not. I should definitely drop books faster.
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I was toiling through Cat Rambo's "You Sexy Thing": only listened to 4.5 hours in 10 days and it felt like a chore: inconsistent pacing, drawn out descriptions, unannounced character changes. Dropped it.
Started "Only Human" by Sylvain Neuvel yesterday morning and I'm already 5 hours into. This series is catnip to me.
Yup, some #audiobooks are really clicking with me and other are not. I should definitely drop books faster.
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I was toiling through Cat Rambo's "You Sexy Thing": only listened to 4.5 hours in 10 days and it felt like a chore: inconsistent pacing, drawn out descriptions, unannounced character changes. Dropped it.
Started "Only Human" by Sylvain Neuvel yesterday morning and I'm already 5 hours into. This series is catnip to me.
Yup, some #audiobooks are really clicking with me and other are not. I should definitely drop books faster.
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I was toiling through Cat Rambo's "You Sexy Thing": only listened to 4.5 hours in 10 days and it felt like a chore: inconsistent pacing, drawn out descriptions, unannounced character changes. Dropped it.
Started "Only Human" by Sylvain Neuvel yesterday morning and I'm already 5 hours into. This series is catnip to me.
Yup, some #audiobooks are really clicking with me and other are not. I should definitely drop books faster.
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Please vote for my wonderful book cover designed by Alexandre Rito at Podium Entertainment! #books #truecrime #audiobooks
https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/21137/ -
Please vote for my wonderful book cover designed by Alexandre Rito at Podium Entertainment! #books #truecrime #audiobooks
https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/21137/ -
Please vote for my wonderful book cover designed by Alexandre Rito at Podium Entertainment! #books #truecrime #audiobooks
https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/21137/ -
Please vote for my wonderful book cover designed by Alexandre Rito at Podium Entertainment! #books #truecrime #audiobooks
https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/21137/ -
Please vote for my wonderful book cover designed by Alexandre Rito at Podium Entertainment! #books #truecrime #audiobooks
https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/21137/ -
Nearly completed my second listen of the audiobook Mindset by Carol Dweck. Dweck is the Psychologist who came up with the idea of growth vs fixed mindsets after observing different attitudes to learning, challenge and failure in her experiments with children.
It's mostly good though much of it is not terribly new to me given that so many books mention Dweck's work.
I do like the section on the complicated minefield of praise, and what parents say and kids hear, for example: "You're so brilliant, you got an A without even studying" can be interpreted as "I better quit studying or they won't think I'm brilliant".
But something has been bothering me throughout the book and I just worked out what it is. The book never seems to acknowledge the existence of privilege or bias, and instead pretty much lumps all responsibility for failure on the individual.
When the book says (to paraphrase), "A fixed-mindset person uses failure as an opportunity to blame, instead of an opportunity to learn how to succeed next time", a reader might reasonably interpret this as, "Don't draw attention to the systemic bias that is holding me back, as that would be fixed-mindset thinking, I just need to try harder".
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Nearly completed my second listen of the audiobook Mindset by Carol Dweck. Dweck is the Psychologist who came up with the idea of growth vs fixed mindsets after observing different attitudes to learning, challenge and failure in her experiments with children.
It's mostly good though much of it is not terribly new to me given that so many books mention Dweck's work.
I do like the section on the complicated minefield of praise, and what parents say and kids hear, for example: "You're so brilliant, you got an A without even studying" can be interpreted as "I better quit studying or they won't think I'm brilliant".
But something has been bothering me throughout the book and I just worked out what it is. The book never seems to acknowledge the existence of privilege or bias, and instead pretty much lumps all responsibility for failure on the individual.
When the book says (to paraphrase), "A fixed-mindset person uses failure as an opportunity to blame, instead of an opportunity to learn how to succeed next time", a reader might reasonably interpret this as, "Don't draw attention to the systemic bias that is holding me back, as that would be fixed-mindset thinking, I just need to try harder".
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Nearly completed my second listen of the audiobook Mindset by Carol Dweck. Dweck is the Psychologist who came up with the idea of growth vs fixed mindsets after observing different attitudes to learning, challenge and failure in her experiments with children.
It's mostly good though much of it is not terribly new to me given that so many books mention Dweck's work.
I do like the section on the complicated minefield of praise, and what parents say and kids hear, for example: "You're so brilliant, you got an A without even studying" can be interpreted as "I better quit studying or they won't think I'm brilliant".
But something has been bothering me throughout the book and I just worked out what it is. The book never seems to acknowledge the existence of privilege or bias, and instead pretty much lumps all responsibility for failure on the individual.
When the book says (to paraphrase), "A fixed-mindset person uses failure as an opportunity to blame, instead of an opportunity to learn how to succeed next time", a reader might reasonably interpret this as, "Don't draw attention to the systemic bias that is holding me back, as that would be fixed-mindset thinking, I just need to try harder".
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Nearly completed my second listen of the audiobook Mindset by Carol Dweck. Dweck is the Psychologist who came up with the idea of growth vs fixed mindsets after observing different attitudes to learning, challenge and failure in her experiments with children.
It's mostly good though much of it is not terribly new to me given that so many books mention Dweck's work.
I do like the section on the complicated minefield of praise, and what parents say and kids hear, for example: "You're so brilliant, you got an A without even studying" can be interpreted as "I better quit studying or they won't think I'm brilliant".
But something has been bothering me throughout the book and I just worked out what it is. The book never seems to acknowledge the existence of privilege or bias, and instead pretty much lumps all responsibility for failure on the individual.
When the book says (to paraphrase), "A fixed-mindset person uses failure as an opportunity to blame, instead of an opportunity to learn how to succeed next time", a reader might reasonably interpret this as, "Don't draw attention to the systemic bias that is holding me back, as that would be fixed-mindset thinking, I just need to try harder".
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Nearly completed my second listen of the audiobook Mindset by Carol Dweck. Dweck is the Psychologist who came up with the idea of growth vs fixed mindsets after observing different attitudes to learning, challenge and failure in her experiments with children.
It's mostly good though much of it is not terribly new to me given that so many books mention Dweck's work.
I do like the section on the complicated minefield of praise, and what parents say and kids hear, for example: "You're so brilliant, you got an A without even studying" can be interpreted as "I better quit studying or they won't think I'm brilliant".
But something has been bothering me throughout the book and I just worked out what it is. The book never seems to acknowledge the existence of privilege or bias, and instead pretty much lumps all responsibility for failure on the individual.
When the book says (to paraphrase), "A fixed-mindset person uses failure as an opportunity to blame, instead of an opportunity to learn how to succeed next time", a reader might reasonably interpret this as, "Don't draw attention to the systemic bias that is holding me back, as that would be fixed-mindset thinking, I just need to try harder".
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Medium Playback is still a fantastically narrated podcast even though it is over. They now have TTS on all their stories, but for a while, I loved the production value of these narrations. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/medium-playback/id1394390142 #Audiobook #Audiobooks
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Medium Playback is still a fantastically narrated podcast even though it is over. They now have TTS on all their stories, but for a while, I loved the production value of these narrations. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/medium-playback/id1394390142 #Audiobook #Audiobooks
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Medium Playback is still a fantastically narrated podcast even though it is over. They now have TTS on all their stories, but for a while, I loved the production value of these narrations. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/medium-playback/id1394390142 #Audiobook #Audiobooks
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Medium Playback is still a fantastically narrated podcast even though it is over. They now have TTS on all their stories, but for a while, I loved the production value of these narrations. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/medium-playback/id1394390142 #Audiobook #Audiobooks
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Medium Playback is still a fantastically narrated podcast even though it is over. They now have TTS on all their stories, but for a while, I loved the production value of these narrations. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/medium-playback/id1394390142 #Audiobook #Audiobooks
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Les livres audio, c'est toute une histoire de narrateur ! 🗣 L'exemple des Hunger Games avec la voix française de Katniss m'a direct plongée dedans mais ce n'est le cas de tous 👀
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Do not buy these books if you want a full story. He ends this one right at the explosion happens. I don't mind multiple books but each should tell a full story. Not end abruptly mid-action. Nothing in the Title Details tells you that you aren't getting the full book, either. I rewound a couple times because I thought I accidentally hit something on my player. Nope. It just cuts off so you will buy book 2. 2.5 stars for half a story.
#Audiobooks #Bookstodon -
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They thought that the Makers might cut off their laser propulsion, and they did.
#audiobooks #ebooks #OkanaganReader #recordings #TheFrancesians #Video #YouTube
This reading is chapter four of The Francesians, the third book in the Green Comet trilogy. The comet people are finally heading home. They feel lucky that the Makers’ lasers stayed on as long as they did. They should be able to make it to the turn where they switch to a set of autonomous lasers. Then it’s a clean shot home.
rjb
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Book Review: On Earth as it is on Television by Emily Jane
Author: Emily Jane
Title: On Earth as it is on Television
Narrator: Hayden Bishop
Publication Info: Hyperion Avenue, 2023
Summary/Review:UFOs arrive in the sky over Earth’s cities, interfere with communications, and then … they just leave. Humanity remains shaken, and while this is largely a humorous tale, there are menacing undertones in the growing xenophobia that leads to detention of suspected aliens. And it turns out that there are aliens on Earth, but they are mostly harmless. They had been left behind as scouts and when no one returned they slowly adapted to become (quirky) humans with somewhat ordinary lives.
The novel intertwines the lives of four people: Blaine and his unnamed wife who are raising two obnoxious, television-obsessed kids; Heather, a teenager who lives in luxurious Malibu but is annoyed by weird and extremely perfect stepfather; and Oliver who awakes from a catatonic state after 20 years and tries to piece together his life. There are also many cats in this novel, some of the cats are talking and telekinetic. Perhaps Emily Jane also loved The Cat From Outer Space as a child?
This book wasn’t working for me at first, but about a third of the way through some pieces began to click together. I’m glad I stuck with it because it’s a silly, sometimes absurd, reflection of humanity through the tropes of the alien invasion story.
Recommended books:
- The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis
- Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
Rating: ***1/2
#Aliens #Audiobooks #BookReviews #Books #Cats #humor #ScienceFiction -
Currently available on BBC Sounds: A WORKING MOTHER, by Agnes Owens
Ten years after WW2, our unreliable narrator Betty – arch, witty, clever – is married with children & feels trapped. While her husband, Adam, drinks and complains, Betty plots her escape…
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0030x96
#Scottish #literature #20thcentury #womenwriters #AgnesOwens #workingclass #workingclasswriters #audiobooks
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‘Who Gets to Listen. Whose Stories Are Available:’ The African Audiobook Market
Ama Dadson, CEO and Founder of AkooBooks Audio in Ghana shares the personal story which prompted her to start her company, insight into the African audiobook market(s), how they are scaling up the market quickly, and opportunities for international publishers and audiences.
The post ‘Who Gets to Listen. Whose Stories Are Available:’ The African Audiobook Market appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/09/who-gets-to-listen-whose-stories-are-available-the-african-audiobook-market/ -
Bonnier’s Bid for Nextory is the Biggest Audiobooks Publishing Story This Year
Bonnier’s Nextory Deal Isn’t a Subscriber Story — It’s a Vertical Integration Story On September 1, Bonnier Books announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire all shares in Nextory – Sweden’s, and one of Europe’s, largest independent audiobook and e-book subscription platforms – in an all-cash transaction. The purchase price has not been […]
The post Bonnier’s Bid for Nextory is the Biggest Audiobooks Publishing Story This Year appeared first on The New Publishing Standard.
https://thenewpublishingstandard.com/2026/09/02/bookbeat-nextory-acquisition/ -
I'm searching a way to play an audiobook on my #iPhone. Can't import into Books, which is weird. Any app you can recommend?
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Audiobook Competition Intensifies in Sweden as Bonnier Books, Owner of BookBeat, Acquires Nextory
The proposed deal would combine two of Sweden’s leading subscription platforms while adding Nextory’s scale in markets including France and Spain.
The post Audiobook Competition Intensifies in Sweden as Bonnier Books, Owner of BookBeat, Acquires Nextory appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/09/audiobook-competition-intensifies-in-sweden-as-bonnier-books-owner-of-bookbeat-acquires-nextory/#Audiobooks #Bonnier #MergersandAcquisitions #Nextory #Sweden
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Bookseller-Recommended Audiobooks by Latine Authors
From September 15 to October 15, we’re celebrating Latine Heritage Month and the many voices and experiences that make up the Latine community. First established as Hispanic Heritage Week in 1968 and expanded to a full month in 1988, Latine Heritage Month is a chance to dive into stories rooted in history and heritage, as […]
The post Bookseller-Recommended Audiobooks by Latine Authors appeared first on Libro.fm Audiobooks.
https://blog.libro.fm/bookseller-recommended-audiobooks-by-latine-authors/ -
August reading wrap-up
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On a desperately needed lighter note, anyone got any good audiobook recommendations? No romance or historical (unless its a fun facts thing) but other than that I'll consider it. Been reading a lot of LitRPG and scifi.
