Category: Announcements

Hi.

I wanted to let you know that I have started to make some digitally narrated audiobooks to share on YouTube for those who would like to listen to them.

I know audiobooks are not everyone’s thing.

And then there’s the whole AI voice thing…

I know… Those two letters can cause quite a reaction, but before you automatically condemn me or this audiobook for those letters, let me assure you that my use of the AI voice I am using to create the audiobooks PAYS the voice actor.

You see, I’m using Elevenlabs to create these audiobooks, and Christopher, the narrator I have selected, is a professional voice actor, who of his own free accord, submitted a professional reading sample to Elevenlabs. They, then, made a professional clone of his voice, after which, with his full permission, they added his voice to their narrator voice library, and every time anyone uses Christopher to narrate their project, the voice actor gets paid for the use.

Now, obviously, the pay is not at the same rate that he would earn for a production that he is commissioned to do, but he is paid. And that means that when I’m making these audiobooks, I’m supporting a fellow creative. That’s important to me and is why I am doing my best to only select professional cloned voices as I make my audiobooks for both my pen names.

At present, I have selected to use Christopher for all my Leenie books because I find I rather enjoy listening to his voice read me stories, but who knows, that might change as I go on.

If I had time and more experience (and for fun and to offer a different version of audio), I might try using a mix of male and female voices to create a duet style audiobook, or I could pull out all the stops (and likely drive myself crazy) and use a different voice for each different character when they speak. 😀 Will that ever happen? I wouldn’t say never, but it does seem unlikely at present.

I’ve long wanted to have audiobooks, but I could never afford to do them. They’re not cheap, and I’d be paying with Canadian dollars which means they’re even more expensive for me. So, I had thought I’d never get to do them.

And then, my father’s wife (he remarried after my mother died) started losing sight in her one good eye (she’s been blind in one eye all her life), and her ability to read was slowly taken from her. That’s when I started to look at audiobooks as something more than just a nice thing to create if you can afford to do it.

So, I started to look for ways to do good quality productions at a fraction of the cost, and in that search, I came across Elevenlabs. After taking a short how-to course on using Elevenlabs to make audiobooks, I have arrived here at the beginning of a slow process of producing audio files.

I am starting my audiobook sharing on YouTube with the little vignettes that I’ve written for The Saturday Broadsheet. Since they are so short, it’s been a good way for me to practice my production and video making skills. I hope you will give at least one a listen and hopefully, you’ll find some enjoyment in these audiobooks. But, like I said; I know this won’t be for everyone. It’s not intended to be.

As I get each audiobook ready, I plan to schedule and share these videos on Saturdays on YouTube. So, if this is something that interest you, I’d love to have you subscribe to my YouTube channel and click the notification button so you won’t miss when I upload a new story.

I am posting the first vignette, Percival the Frog, below. You can listen to it here or click through to YouTube.

I do hope that this will make my books more accessible to more readers.

<3 Leenie

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