/adaptation

Audiobook

Narration Script

story build . --format narration --out adaptations/audiobook/narration-script.md

The script has a pronunciation guide table built from every pronunciation field, then each chapter with its estimated finished runtime at 155 words per minute (about 9,300 words per finished hour), scene breaks as [pause], and the total runtime. Actual pace varies by narrator and genre; thrillers read faster than literary fiction. Use the total to budget, not to promise.

Rebuild after every manuscript or pronunciation change. The file is generated; keep narrator notes in production.md, not in the script. --out never replaces an existing file under adaptations/, so delete the old script before rebuilding it.

Pronunciation

Add pronunciation to any character, location, faction, artifact, or glossary term whose name a stranger could misread:

name: Seersha Vale
pronunciation: SEER-sha VAYL

• Respell in plain syllables with the stressed syllable in capitals. Avoid ambiguous spellings (th in thin or this? write TH as in thin).
• Include invented words, made-up units, non-English names, real places with local pronunciations, and any name with a silent letter.
• For real places and names, record the source (a local speaker, a pronunciation dictionary) in a research note; do not guess.
• Aliases that sound different need their own guide entry in the character body.

Read-Aloud Review

Mark each for a narrator note or an author decision:

• Dialogue runs of four or more lines without a tag: the listener loses track of the speaker. A narrator can voice characters, but an added tag may still be needed.
• Visual devices: text messages, letters, lists, tables, maps, chapter epigraphs, unusual typography, footnotes. Decide how each is read (a voice change, "a text from Mara:", or cut).
• Homographs whose meaning depends on context (lead, read, wind).
• Scene breaks that rely on white space: the [pause] marks them.
• Front and back matter: most audiobooks replace the copyright page and also-by list with spoken opening and closing credits.

Production Routes

Check each platform's current terms, royalty shares, and exclusivity rules before choosing.

• ACX (Audible, Amazon, Apple): the author posts the book, holds auditions, and pays the narrator per finished hour, shares royalties with them, or a mix. Exclusive distribution pays a higher royalty than non-exclusive and binds the audiobook for a set term.
• Findaway Voices by Spotify and other wide distributors: distribute an audiobook the author has produced to many retailers and library platforms, with author-set pricing.
• Hire a producer or narrator directly: the author owns the files and can distribute anywhere.
• Audio rights sold to an audio publisher: the publisher produces it. See the publishing skill's rights inventory.

Narrator Auditions

1. Write a casting brief: genre, tone, POV and tense, the narrator's voice (gender, age range, accent), the main characters with accents and ages, and the pronunciation guide.
2. Choose an audition script of 2-5 minutes that covers narration, the hardest dialogue scene, at least two main characters, and a name from the pronunciation guide.
3. Judge on: pace, character distinction, pronunciation, emotional range, and clean audio. Listen at normal speed on ordinary headphones.
4. Agree in writing: rate or royalty share, schedule, rounds of corrections, and who owns the files. Not legal advice; see the publishing skill's contract checklist.

Files And Audio Checklist

Platforms set strict technical specs. These are typical of ACX and similar platforms; check the platform's current spec:

• One file per chapter, plus separate opening credits, closing credits, and a retail sample
• Opening credits: title, author, narrator; closing credits: "The end", title, author, narrator, copyright line
• Retail sample: a few minutes, usually from early in the book, with no explicit content and no credits
• Consistent loudness and a low noise floor within the platform's range; peaks below its ceiling
• Room tone at the head and tail of every file, within the platform's range
• Mono or stereo consistently, at the platform's required format and bitrate
• No mouth clicks, breaths cut mid-word, or edits audible
• File names in order (00-opening-credits, 01-chapter-01, ...)
• Square cover art at the platform's size, reformatted from the book cover
• Pronunciations spot-checked against the guide

Map chapters to files from the narration script's chapter list: runtimes there estimate each file's length.

AI Narration

• Some platforms accept AI or synthetic narration, some restrict it, and some offer their own synthetic voices. Check the platform's current policy.
• Disclose it: platforms and listeners expect synthetic narration to be labelled. Add it to ai-disclosure in story.md and to the retail description.
• Voice cloning of a real person needs that person's written consent.
• Synthetic narration still needs the pronunciation guide and a human listen-through for errors.

Production File

---
type: audiobook-production
story: {story-id}
updated: YYYY-MM-DD
---

# Audiobook: {Title}

- Route: {ACX | Findaway Voices | direct | audio publisher}
- Narrator: {name, as supplied by the author}
- Estimated runtime: {from the narration script}
- AI narration: {none | details}

## Narrator Notes

| Chapter | Note |
|---------|------|

## Files

| File | Chapter | Status |
|------|---------|--------|