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November 23, 2010 By Catherine Cousins Leave a Comment

Ebooks and Digital Downloads (iTune Apps)

2QT Publishing now offers eBook creation and distribution on all formats, either through our route on Kindle or via a major distributor. This means our ebooks are available to download from the likes of Kindle and iTunes and many other online stores.

Click on the links below to purchase our eBooks:

Kindle Store:

Also available for download from iTunes store – apps store

For Everything A Reason

Trance Warriors: The Siege of  Scarn

The Next Level- Aligning Business Success and Personal Fulfilment

Filed Under: Book Releases, Business, eBooks and Digital Downloads, Fiction (Inc Fantasy), Publications Tagged With: 2QT, Audio Book & MP3 Download, audiobook, Audiobook production, Business ebook, Ebooks, Fantasy, Fiction (Inc Fantasy), Frank English, Laurence Udell, Magic Parcel The Awakening, New releases, Paul Cave, Publications, publisher, Publishing, Siege of Scarn, The Next Level, The Siege of Scarn, Thriller

August 6, 2010 By Catherine Cousins Leave a Comment

eBooks & Audiobooks with 2QT Publishing

eBooks

We have had a number of enquiries about eBooks so we did some homework and looked at the marketplace for a good distributor who was willing to work with us. As many of you will already know there is an array of software packages to convert your book as well as companies who offer this service – some very good, some not. We wanted to be able to offer an alternative option for those with a limited budget as well as those authors who have a physical title but want to increase their routes to market. Most important of all we wanted to maintain the quality that we strive for with all our products and services.

As we have discovered, getting your eBook to as wide an audience as possible is proving to be quite a hot topic for debate between the retailers, publishers and Nielsen’s (who issue ISBNs).  So what we have decided is to sign up with an experienced distributor who specialise in digital production and distribution to work with us. The service will include all our publishing services for our physical titles but instead of printing we will convert of your book to a number of different digital formats to accommodate the variety of platforms currently available, including Kindle and iTunes Apps

Our distributors have access to all the major retailers of eBooks and of course with Amazon’s new Kindle Store we will be on there too!

For as little as £250 you could have your book converted to a eBook – and it could be up and out there for sale in weeks rather than months.

Coming soon… An interview about eBooks where we hope it will dis-spell some of the myths and mis-information that’s out there.

If you are interested in finding how your book can be converted to an eBook then please do get in touch for an informal chat (that means no hard sell on the end of the phone!)

AudioBooks

2QT now have three Audiobooks – and more on the way.  We take a lot of pride in the production of our Audiobooks and we know that you will hear the difference.  Working with a producer who shares our approach and is as passionate about audio as we are about books! We will manage the reader, scripting, recording, production and editing, artwork and publication aspects for you.

Along with our Distributor we now have a greater ability to increase our routes to market and are looking forward to developing this service for authors and writers.

See our Q&A Article on AudioBooks

*Note: If you are using our eBook service please be aware that unlike our other services there is a contractual agreement between us and the Distributor that you will need to sign up to. Only eBooks published through 2QT will be eligible to use this service.
Royalties apply.
AudioBook products will have the option to sign up for Distribution service.
Please do not be put off by this – we would be happy to answer any queries and clarify any concerns. For more details please contact us.

Back to home page

Filed Under: Resources Tagged With: 2QT, Audio Book & MP3 Download, audiobook, Audiobook production, digital formats, eBook conversion, Ebooks, iTunes Apps, Kindle, mp3 download, Publications, Voice over

June 14, 2010 By Catherine Cousins

A Fishy Tail – making sound waves!

Buy from Amazon | About the author

Read all about it!       Read all about it!

‘KICKING UP QUITE A STINK IN THE BIG DRINK’

is the headline of the Deep Sea Mail
because a plot has been discovered
to rob the seahorse of its tail…

Written and scripted by the multi-talented Dave Stephen and characterized by well known story teller John Edgar.

A Fishy Tail is read-a-long book with an audio CD for young children and those of us who are young at heart about fishy trouble beneath the waves.

To whet your appetite for this title which is sure to make more than just ‘soundwaves’ listen to a short sample here:

A Fishy Tail – Demo

Educational as well as humorous with music and sound effects for a complete production. The audio is approx 23 minutes making it ideal for radio as well as material for classroom projects.

A Fishy Tail is also available an AudioBook  and available from Amazon, Waterstones and WH Smiths as well as iTunes (apps section)

Filed Under: Audio Book & MP3 Download, Children / Teenager, eBooks and Digital Downloads Tagged With: A Fishy Tale, audiobook, Audiobook production, Children / Teenager, Dave Stephen, New releases, Read along books, storybook

April 15, 2010 By Catherine Cousins 1 Comment

AudioBook Production – Your Questions Answered

Interview Q&A with Lee Pritchard, MediaMusicNow

Since having our first AudioBook – The Siege of Scarn – published and with another one about to be released, we have had a number of enquiries from authors about making their books into AudioBooks.

So who better to ask than the man who produces our AudioBooks, Lee Pritchard of MediaMusicNow.

We put to Lee some of the questions we have been asked about AudioBooks and here is what he had to say.

Our thanks to Lee for his time.


What’s involved in the production?
Audio Book production involves working with reliable and professional voiceovers to get a good raw recording of a book. As an audio producer it is vital for us to get a good clean recording so that we can produce the best edit and production.

Once the voiceover has recorded the raw audio, we edit it by first removing any breaths that can be heard, any clicks, pops and intrusive saliva noises (yuk!). At this stage, it is also good to reduce or increase gaps where necessary to alter the flow and pace of the book. It is quite usual to have to tighten the flow by removing fractions of time in between sentences, paragraphs and even words. As humans, we seem to be able to listen faster than we read.

Once the raw files have been edited, the production process involves EQ’ing, which alters the tonal balance of the audio so that it is clear. In some cases, the EQ’ing process can add additional power to the narration.

Additionally, a good audio producer should use a variety of processing techniques to balance out the audio volume, known as compression, gating and limiting. This processing makes the quiet sections of the book louder and blends the loud bits to make them quieter. The overall effect is to create a balanced and rounded sound.

Although audio editing software is widely available, using the correct speakers and working in a suitable listening environment is very important. Good audio production is a skill of judgment that can take years to perfect.

Who supplies the reader/voiceover and how is that managed?
Media Music Now has a number of reliable voiceovers to record audio books, however, if the client has a specific voice style in mind, we are open to sourcing new voices to suit their requirements.

Any new voiceovers are interviewed and required to provide a custom demo before I consider working with them. Audio books are long projects and you need the right people involved in order to achieve successful results.

Can I read my own book?
If you feel strongly about reading your own book, then yes you can, but, I would probably advise against reading a large book yourself as this can easily run into many days / weeks of recording. It is usually more feasible to record your own book if it is short or a section from your book such as an introduction from the author. We do have a location recording service, so we can record you if you are local to the Northwest region of the UK.

However, a professional voiceover will always do a better job as they are accustomed to the techniques required for long narrations. Also, a good voiceover will have developed their own reading style and microphone technique that can take years of practice.

How much will it cost for the production and how do you cost it / what’s included and who pays the reader?
The production cost can vary considerably depending on the size of the book and the experience and profile of the reader recording it. For example, a newly professional voiceover will cost significantly less than a well-known actor.
A second consideration is the cost of editing and production. If you want a cheaper product you could skimp on the editing, however, a fully edited and produced audio book will sound far superior in comparison.

At Media Music Now, we only take on projects where a high standard of production is required. We keep prices competitive and the quality high by working with voiceovers who have their own recording studio and use our own private studio to do the editing and production. This maximizes the productivity as we can be editing part of the book while the voiceover is recording the next section.

As a ballpark, our production costs range from £500 – £800 per produced hour of audio book. We produce a detailed quote with a breakdown of the costs and staged payments upon deliverables. This includes payment of all music licenses, the voiceover and project managing the production schedule.

How involved can I be as the author?
It is your book, you can be as involved as much as you like. If you want to make suggestions, we are happy to listen and see what we can do. We actually value your feedback and request that you proof listen to the book to make sure you are happy with the result. If there are any problems we are happy to sort them out for you.

Who owns the copyright (Producer/reader/author)?
Everyone owns part of the copyright. For example, when music is used in the introduction of chapters this will be licensed to the client and can be used in the product even though the composer of the music still owns the copyright(s).

It is the same with all aspects of the production, even though the individuals concerned have all expressed permission (in the form of a license) for their content to be used i.e. music, voiceover, manuscript, the copyright still remains with them.

How long will my AudioBook be?
This is difficult to calculate as it depends on the number of words and the speed of the produced narration. We have calculators to estimate this, but it is only an approximation. If necessary, we can produce a tighter edit to fit into a specified duration.

How long does it take to produce?
Depending on workload and book size this can vary from a few weeks to a few months.

What format will I receive it in / how do I receive it?
We produce it as a 32bit audio file and can produce it as high as 96bit, however, there are no commercial CD players that can achieve this level of quality and therefore we downgrade the audio to CD quality (16bit).  Additionally, we can produce it into numerous other formats such as mp3 for personal audio players or CD audio for CD duplication.

Your audio can be sent to you on Audio CD or CD/DVD ROM or as a download using our file transfer service.

Will I be able to sell a download from my website?
Yes, you will be able to sell your audio book as a download from your website, however, the technical infrastructure for hosting and selling large audio files is still relatively expensive and you will require the services of a web programmer. As a business that already sells music downloads, we are currently looking into the feasibility of developing an audio book download platform.

What kind of quality can I expect?
Our AudioBook production quality is much higher than many commercially available audio books  in the marketplace. I have heard our productions compared to the BBC, which I think is high praise indeed.

Why not decide for yourself

The Siege of Scarn – Sample 1

Thanks Lee – if you have any other questions about audiobook production then you can contact Lee by visiting MediaMusicNow.co.uk

Feel free to comment below

Filed Under: Resources Tagged With: audiobook, Audiobook production, MediaMusicNow, Publishing

November 30, 2009 By Catherine Cousins Leave a Comment

Trance Warriors – The Siege of Scarn – AudioBook

Author : Robert C Auty
Reader: Gerard Fletcher
Produced: Lee Pritchard
Release Date: 2nd December –  IN STOCK
10 CDs (Audiobook)/10 hours approx.(Unabridged) / ISBN 978-0-9562368-3-8

Meet Connor, an outlaw on the run from an evil oppressor for a botched assassination attempt. Like most modern heroes, Connor has a mixture of controlled brutality, deep-rooted integrity and subtle humour. Add a band of diverse individuals, including a dwarf, a loyal warrior and Connor’s love interest – the enigmatic Janice, which help him on his journey, and you’ve got all the ingredients for a thrilling tale. Paul Cave, Author of ‘Cold Light of Day’.

This fantasy fiction book is the first novel by Robert and the first edition was a runner-up in the Spinetinglers Award for Dark Fiction in 2007. With this audio production, both publisher and author set out to create an audiobook that gave the listener a powerful and intense audio experience with the inclusion of sound effects and original music. Working closely with the reader Gerard Fletcher, and producer Lee Pritchard, this audiobook has surpassed all expectations with Gerard’s characterization and dramatization of the story and Lee’s excellent production quality and artistic input.

Not convinced?  Listen to the sample demos below and try before you buy!

The Siege of Scarn – Sample 1

The Siege of Scarn – Sample 2

Robert has the sequel to The Siege of Scarn – Connor’s Folly –  due out March 2010. To read more about Robert and to buy a signed copy of his book you can visit his website on www.trancewarriors.com

Latest news on this title:

‘… Auty skillfully developed the characters in The Siege of Scarn. He gave them depth and dimensions. Auty has developed an unusual warrior, one that readers will love. His companions add great dimension to this tale. I did not want this audio book to end. I can hardly wait to listen to the next book in this series. The plot is well done with enough twists to keep this reader eagerly turning the pages. Auty is a fantastic writer. His words paint a vivid picture. From the moment I began listening to this book I was enthralled. I hope this book is made into a movie; I will be the first one in line at our local box office!’

Reviewed by Anne B. for ReadersFavorite.com

The winners will be announced on the 1st September 2011 so we are hoping for a winning spot.  Part of the prize will be to be featured at their exhibition stand at Miami Book Fair International – not sure whether he’ll be able to attend in person though!

More information about readersfavorite.com  can be found at http://readersfavorite.com/2011-award-contest-winners.htm

Filed Under: Audio Book & MP3 Download, Fiction (Inc Fantasy), Publications Tagged With: 2QT, Audio Book & MP3 Download, audiobook, Audiobook production, Fantasy adventure, Fantasy Fiction, Robert C Auty, Siege of Scarn, Trance Warriors

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