Spirit of Prophecy by VF author J.J. Hughes Wins Award
The debut self -publishing road in 2018 was truly a roller-coaster ride with many speed bumps, steep drops and sharp learning curves along the way. However, after a few hair -raising experiences the Audio book creation was by far the most exciting and enjoyable version by far. For any of you thinking of embarking on the Indie road may I suggest that you launch the e-book version first, then the Audio version and finally the paperback. No matter how many times you proof and re-proof, a kind of word blindness creeps in so you miss things, however when you listen to your work being read out loud that highlights things that previously slipped through the net, and whilst the e-book version is relatively easy to change [relatively is my go to by-word-with all things Amazon- so don’t even get me started on that one!] the paperback version is not so readily tweakable. Another suggestion for the paperback would be to obtain and add your library catalogue details at the onset and think about your spine design being easily visible and identifiable on the shelf so your book is easy to find.
For the Audio there were some 85 applicants on ACX, and after an extensive and exhaustive search for a voice talent suited to my Metaphysical and Visionary crime novel, Spirit of Prophecy, the candidates were whittled down to 12, then further to the final 3. From these a team of us chose talented and professional narrator Matt Addis as the voice of our story. This was quite an ask as the main characters are two strong female leads, Rosetta, Psychic CID working undercover for the Elite Paranormal Intelligence Services [EPIS] and American Olympic event rider Juliet. As if that wasn’t enough for him to contend with Matt also had to cover a wide range of accents- Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Indian, East European to mention just a few.
Interestingly, I had initially thought I’d go for a female narrator however it has to be said I’m a paper and quill kind of girl, and don’t really listen to books. I only reluctantly succumbed to a kindle to keep the suitcase weight down on the low- cost airlines! However, the first time I listened to Matt bringing my words to life in audio, I was entranced by his style, his diction and most of all the passion and excitement he brought to my written word. Moreover, Matt was an absolute joy and total professional to work with. I decided to pay the sound producer an outright fee and keep 100% of the royalties rather than enter into a royalty split. I also went for a non-exclusive deal with ACX- which pays lower royalties but allows me to publish and promote outside mighty Amazon’s orbit – the Audio book is also for sale with Authors Republic. On completion I knew immediately he had produced an audiobook of award-winning calibre and so it has proven. Meanwhile, marketing, as many authors can testify, is a marathon rather than a sprint- and next on my ever-long plan is to create SoundCloud snippets from the Audio to post on Social Media.
The audiobook version of Spirit of Prophecy has recently been awarded first place in the Audible category of the Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, this was against all entries across all genres – so a round of applause for us Visionaries, eh? We are thrilled and excited by the win but not surprised, given how superb Matt’s narration truly is. Listeners have commented to us that Matt’s narration reminds them of the brilliant Orson Welles in his seminal radio broadcast from the 1930’s, War of the Worlds.
You can hear a sample here on our @SoundCloud account: https://t.co/0BSFkiJGFn
If the sample enthuses you to buy the audiobook it’s available from ACX here: Spirit of Prophecy
We’re of the intention [aka Law of Attraction] that this award is just the first of many, it’s entered in the Readers Favourite awards, so fingers and toes crossed we manifest a win : win. Please do have a listen and don’t hesitate to let us know what you think of Matt’s fantastic interpretation. Equally if you have any queries about Indie publishing we’d be delighted to assist. [‘We’ being myself and fellow Indie author Grant Leishman.]
In Love and Light
J.J. Hughes
About the author
J. J. Hughes was born in Cottingley, a quaint little village in West Yorkshire, UK. A mother of three, J.J. is a former investment banker, having spent 23 years working both in the City and on Wall Street. After leaving the City she trained as a Life Coach and Passion Test Facilitator. She went on to co-author a No 1 Best Selling Spiritual self help book called Inspired by the Passion Test in the vein of giving back all profits go to charity. Today she is a leading international authorpreneur and wealth mentor.
For book information, visit her website: MoneyMagnet
Congratulations! Thank you for sharing your experience in producing an audio book with ACX. Sounds encouraging. Matt’s voice paints vivid pictures of your words. I look forward to listening to your story on my next long airplane flight.
Thanks for this contribution with the details on your audio creation, JJ. I took a listen and Matt does an excellent job. My best for the contests and keep us posted on the results.
You are so right: reading material aloud is crucial. I do this as a rule! It helps discover both subtle and not-so-subtle flaws that I would otherwise miss. I’m so happy you had a good experience with ACX. I, too, was impressed with the service. Maybe paying the reader works best. I hired an ACX reader on a royalty-split basis. He worked through a first draft then refused to do edits. So, after months into the project, we parted ways, and the project was left unfinished. Thank you for sharing your experience, and good luck with the contests!