Becky Parker Geist

Spend the Day with
Becky Parker Geist,
Founder and Owner of Pro Audio Voices

 (General meeting begins at 9 AM, speaker presentation is at 11 AM, after Q&A, networking time, introductions & announcements). Then afternoon workshop from 1-3 PM. Scroll down for details and to register.

(Click here for the schedule for the day)

Current BAIPA members must log in first to get a free ticket to the morning session and a discounted ticket for the afternoon workshop. Then come back to this page.

MORNING PRESENTATION:
What You Need to Know to Make Sound Decisions About Audiobooks: Whether to Do Them, How to Do Them, How to Leverage Them for Success

Audiobooks have been the fastest growing segment of the publishing world for years now, and with so many great titles available in this format, many people have switched over to audio as their primary way of consuming book content. Authors who do not have their book in audio are missing out on an expanding segment of their audiences.

But where do you begin? What do you need to know to get started? We’ll discuss the essentials of what you need to know in order to make sound decisions about your audiobook – whether to go for it and what to do when you’re ready to get it done.

We’ll answer questions such as:

• How expensive is it?

• What is the process like?

• How do you market the audiobook once you have it?

• Can having the audiobook help your other book sales?

• What if you have some other business/career/services/products you are using your book to help promote?

• What if you have visuals in your book (photos, charts, illustrations)?

• Is audio appropriate for children’s books?

• What are the royalty structures?

• Where will my audiobook be available for sale?

• Can I get it into the libraries?

• Do I need to have CD sets made?

• What makes for a great audiobook?

• How do listeners make audiobook selections?

• Should I narrate the book myself or have a professional do it?

You’ll also have the opportunity to ask your specific questions about audiobooks and get answers from an expert who has been in the audiobook industry since 1981 and runs her own very successful audiobook production company, Pro Audio Voices.

Whether you have not even started thinking about audiobooks or you’ve already delved into the audiobook world, this presentation will provide valuable information about the audiobook process, decisions regarding audiobook preparation and production, and marketing your audiobook.

1. Steps to take in preparation for audio
2. What the audiobook production process involves
3. Key ways to leverage your audiobook for success
4. How to guide your audiobook production process

AFTERNOON PRESENTATION (1-3 PM)
First Steps Into Audiobooks: Diving Deeper

Ready to take your first or next steps in the audiobook process? We’ll dive deeper to answer your specific questions & get you started on your next steps toward audiobook production and/or marketing.

Whether you are just getting started in the audiobook world or already have an audiobook but have not figured out how to market it, this workshop will provide information and tools to help you along the way. We’ll address your specific questions and dive deeper into the ways and means of production and marketing.

Many authors aren’t even sure what questions to ask when just getting started. Hearing the questions others have, as well has having an in-depth introduction into the process helps make things clearer. Many wonder whether they should really incur the expense, and if it will pay off – we’ll address those questions – and the answer will not be the same for everyone.

We’ll look at what to do when you have a more complex audiobook project such as when you have:

• visual elements that are important for the listener to understand

• multiple narrative voices

• a screenplay or dramatic script

• songs in the context of the book

• exercises that you want your listeners to do in the moment or later on

For children’s authors in attendance, we’ll cover how to create a thoroughly engaging audiobook edition of your book.

This workshop will be like having an audiobook mentor for 2 hours, to help you get started on your path towards audiobook success.

1. Find out how long your audiobook would be, likely retail cost, and royalties for your audiobook
2. How to treat complex elements of your book
3. Music and sound effects: find out if they are they appropriate for your book and why
4. How to specifically use the best marketing tools for audiobooks

About the Speaker

An audiobook narrator and producer with over 36 years of experience in the audiobook industry, Becky Parker Geist is the founder and owner of Pro Audio Voices and over her career has narrated hundreds of titles spanning virtually every genre. She fell in love with narrating audiobooks in 1981, when she began narrating for Library of Congress after receiving her M.F.A. in Acting.

As a theatre professional, Becky has performed internationally and works bi-coastally in New York (Off Broadway) and the San Francisco Bay Area, with a passion for new and developing works. She brings her theatre skills – acting, directing, producing, and marketing – to bear in all her audiobook production work.

Committed to leadership and building strong, long-term relationships, Becky serves as President of BAIPA (Bay Area Independent Publishers Assn) and is a member of IBPA (Independent Book Publishers Assn), APA (Audio Publishers Assn), SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators), TBA (Theatre Bay Area), and is also currently President of Professional Connections, a chapter of BNI (Business Network International).

Becky is an independently published author of five books, including Audiobook Toolkit for Authors: Your Comprehensive Guide to Recording Your Own Audiobook, now available at authortoolkits.com. Helping authors succeed in the audiobook world, she is dedicated to excellence in production as well as marketing the audiobooks she produces. Becky’s great passion is to help great stories come alive!

Questions about registration: Please reach out to [email protected]g.