I was reading an article last week by Radio 2 DJ and (excellent) author, Stuart Maconie. He was talking about audiobooks and how they're becoming more and more popular - so much so that he's been asked to read all of his books so that they can be turned into audio versions.
He describes the process of sitting in a small room in some dingy studio reading for hours on end. It's not a very glamourous life being and audiobook reader! Stephen Fry who, as I've already mentioned in this blog, is a huge audio book fan and performer also describes the small dank studio spaces that are the habitat of the reader.
Still, as Mr Fry and Mr Maconie both agree, even a big book doesn't take THAT long to read - perhaps a week in the studio at most - so the suffering is only temporary...
Rockford's Rock Opera is often described as an audiobook. I suppose it is the best description although it does upset me a bit to be compared to someone reading a book on tape. It is certainly a story on CD with a narrator I suppose but, really, that's where the similarity ends.
Rockford's Rock Opera took 3 years to record! Three years recording narration, sound effects, characters, songs and all the rest. So, if you'd like to hear what a audiobooks really can sound like, give it a try.
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