Hannah Fredericksen hard at work being “Gracie”

I’ve been lucky to have both my novels recorded as audiobooks. I’m ashamed to admit it but prior to the recording of my debut, Someone Else’s Child, I’d never listened to an audiobook! Podcasts, yes, but I hadn’t moved into the world of audiobooks.

Thankfully, listening to my own novel being read opened the floodgates for me and now I see audiobooks as a way to smash through novels when I’m driving or doing housework. It does take a degree of focus and sometimes I lose track of characters or miss a pivotal moment and have to track back, but mostly I love hearing the book come to life.

The recording process intrigued me, so when The Eleventh Floor was scheduled to be recorded, I visited Bolinda and met the lovely staff and the amazing narrator, Hannah Fredericksen.

I invited Hannah to answer some questions about the experience, but first I’ll explain what happens from my end.

My publisher sends me a Narrator Brief to complete. This is where you specify the narrator’s voice (husky, polished, age, background, nationality, accents etc). Other important details are the story perspective (first or third person) and who your dream narrator would be.

The publisher sends this on to Bolinda. The production coordinator arranges casting. She chooses three or four actors who match the criteria (and have availability), has them record an audition demo from a scene in the book and then sends those back to the publisher.

From there, I choose and Bolinda books in the actor.

As both my novels were written in first person, this was harder than I expected. I guess I had a voice in my head when I was writing but I didn’t realise this until I listened to narrators and thought “no, that’s not how my protagonist sounds”!

The first book was narrated by Celia Ramsdale and the second by Hannah Fredericksen. Hearing my books come to life was a unique experience and one I’ll treasure. Hannah’s insights are below.

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What’s the casting process like — do you receive the narrator brief and then record a sample?

I receive a narrator brief, which might include information about the author, genre, geographical setting, synopsis and any specific thoughts the author might have about the characters (specifically the key protagonist!). I'll also receive a passage of the book to record as an audio-file audition.

How far in advance do you get the book? Do you read it in full before recording?

I am usually sent the full manuscript quite soon after being confirmed as the narrator. I always read the book in full before beginning recording (I don't want to be surprised by twists as I read aloud!) but always like to read it in the week prior to recording so it is fresh it my mind! I use a program to markup the book as a cheat sheet for myself so I can stop as rarely as possible while recording!

Do you have a voice in your head when you are reading different characters?

Definitely! And I mark them all up with corresponding colours on my manuscript so I know who is speaking when I'm in the flow of recording! (Sneak a listen below!)

How many sessions does it take to record a full audiobook? How many chapters would you read at a time?

It totally depends on the length of the book and whether it includes anything especially tricky like lots of dialogue in different languages etc! But an individual recording session for me would generally go for five hours (at that point my brain and mouth start to go haywire!) and depending on the length of book I might record for between 3-6 days.

The Eleventh Floor had some scenes where characters speak other languages—Portuguese and Italian. How did you prepare for these scenes?

When working with different languages, I will translate the dialogue when preparing and have it marked up on my manuscript so I understand its meaning. I will also listen to the correct pronunciation (by someone who speaks the language!) and record an audio-file to reference just before I reach that section of the book!

How do you feel listening back to the book after it’s recorded?