[Ohio-Talk] Article: Behind the Scenes: The Talking Book Studio

[Maggie Stringer]

Have you ever wondered how talking books are produced for people who are
blind and have low vision? An article written by APH, and their
conversation with Studio Director Maggie Davis about how the Talking Book
Studio serves APH and the field.

What does the Studio do?
The Studio records talking books for the National Library Service for the
Blind and Print Disabled (NLS). “Between recording and producing full books
in our studios and converting commercial audio to accessible DTBs (digital
talking books)—all for NLS—we provide about 1,000 talking books per year,”
said Maggie. In addition, the Studio records audio descriptions for
educational videos for the Digital Captioned Media Program (DCMP).
Narrators also contribute their talents to many in-house projects and
products in production at APH.

Department Structure
Maggie has served as the Studio Director for just over a year and been with
the APH for 8 years. She said, “As Studio Director, I manage an incredibly
talented team of Audio Book Editors and professional talking book
Narrators, and I oversee the production of our talking books and other
recorded material. We have a team of 7 full-time Audio Book Editors and
about 15 part-time Narrators. We have a variety of talents in the Studio,
with some of our editors contributing their knowledge of language/research,
some their experience with running audio equipment, and others their
proficiency with creating the finished audiobooks. Our narrators come from
a variety of backgrounds and training as well, including experience in the
theater and as news/radio broadcasters—you’ve likely heard some of our
narrators if you’ve traveled through the Louisville airport, watched the
news, attended a play, or listened to the radio.”

Book Production
In the past, the Studio referenced print books to create talking books.
Today, the Studio works solely with e-books. When the Studio receives a
book to produce, Maggie casts the narrator. She explained, “Casting is one
of the fun, albeit tricky, parts of the job. Familiarity with our available
voices is a must, as every reader has their own unique sound and skillsets.
We have some readers who specialize in nonfiction, some who only read
fiction, and some whose energy is a good fit for children’s books. For the
most part, we only cast one narrator per individual book, although there
are sometimes books which require us to split the narration between at
least 2 appropriate voices.” Audio Book Editors prepare the book for
recording by researching the text and deciding how the finished talking
book will be structured for navigation. Kept in digital file folders, this
research includes scanning the book to locate any content that might prove
challenging for the narrator, researching that content via an appropriate
source, and keeping track of the pronunciation options. For a relatively
simple novel, the research might be only a handful of terms—usually the
author’s name, character names, and any place or brand names that might
appear in the text. A more complex book could have pages and pages of
research to maintain, whether it be a sprawling history book, a
globe-trotting thriller, or a highly specialized nonfiction book.

Originally recorded on records and then on tape, the Studio now records
books digitally. An average book takes about 1-2 weeks to record, depending
on length and complexity. Most narrators read for 1-2 sessions per day, for
a maximum of 4 hours per day. The Audio Book Editor acts as the director of
each recording session, providing information about the text, pronunciation
when needed, and offering feedback on the performance itself.

Proofreaders listen to the audio at high speed and note any corrections
that need to be made. The book returns to the original Audio Book Editor,
who goes back into the studio with the narrator to correct all mistakes.
Afterward, the proofreader creates the DTB by using software designed
specifically for turning the audio files into navigable talking books for
NLS. Maggie said, “Our DTBs are typically more navigable than a commercial
audiobook, in that we mark up the book extensively to make it easier for
the reader to locate content. Our markup can be very detailed, which is
tedious in production, but makes it a far more valuable product for the
end-user.” An average length book goes through the entire process in about
two months. Completed DTBs are submitted to NLS, undergo a rigorous review
process to ensure high quality, and are then made available for users. NLS
customers can listen to these books using a special player designed for
DTBs or via digital download.

Maggie said, “Our recording work offers a vital service as there’s nothing
that levels the playing field of accessibility quite like audio. There is
no learning curve for using audio, whether the end-user is young or old,
sighted or visually impaired, and there’s no comparable replacement for the
human voice—at least in the production of audiobooks. We have a ton of
talent quietly passing in and out of our department daily, and a long,
proud history of audiobook production. I am grateful every day for an
immensely talented team without which there’d be no APH Studio.”

If you’re in Louisville, be sure to stop by for a drop in tour that
includes a visit to the Talking Book Studio to see books come to life.