What is a Narration Guide?
A narration guide is a document that explains how to pronounce names or foreign words so that your audiobook narrator can say them properly. Doing this can set your hair on fire. Trying to find the exact right pronunciation online, or record a file, or just write the word phonetically, is really hard. And on top of it, you have to read your own book again–which is truly, the absolute worst. You always find something you wish you’d done differently or find a typo or discover you hate your main character. It is maddening.
Can You Give Me An Example?
As an example, in the Summoner’s Mark series, I have a character named Anastasia. Many people would pronounce that Anne-a-stay-sha. But my character says her name is Ahna-STAZ-iah. I had to make sure my narrator knew how to say the name properly and that is where a narration guide comes in.
What Other Words Do You Define?
Unfortunately, in that same series, I used a lot of Gaelic and Old Irish terms. I had to define most of those and even had a lovely woman who lives in Cork, Ireland give me audio files for how to say some of them. My audiobook narrator has done a great job. Going forward, I will be cautious about using so many foreign words.
A Wrinkle & Crime
The latest narration guide is for A Wrinkle & Crime. My narrator, the fabulous Ryan Reid from Soundbooth Theater asked me not only to provide pronunciations but to also provide a fake casting for the book. So for example, I said a young Brandon Frasier could have played Waylon Jenkins. He honestly would have been perfect. I couldn’t think of any of the young actors today, but that is more about me than them. 🙂
So, What is a Narration Guide?
It’s a torture device for writers that is absolutely necessary to turn your book into an audiobook, and that is the main focus of 2025 for me because I want my readers to be able to consume my books in whatever format they desire.
Wow. I had no idea but having this for a reader makes perfect sense! Thanks for this!