Creating an audiobook hub!
Bing Turkby and Riley Chance - the new Goons?
This is a running blog in which I will be updating our progress towards successfully delivering two audiobooks and then getting the council to support the work going forwards - exciting!
Feb 2025 - the original plan!
Goal: To develop a sustainable process that produces audiobooks using resources based in and around Palmerston North
Photo by Dan LeFebvre on Unsplash
Run a pilot project to produce two audiobooks written by local authors, recorded and produced in local recording studios using local voice artists as narrators
Access funding from PNCC Creative Communities Scheme to ensure voice artists and facilities recording the books are remunerated fairly.
At the end of the project we will
a. run a workshop for authors and team up with Centrepoint to run a workshop with voice artists
b. launch the audiobooks with the Palmerston North library
c. know how much it costs to produce a commercial audiobook. We will work with stakeholders to create a sustainable process for 2026 that will create X audiobooks (X being the unknown variable)
The future development of audiobooks for local authors will embed a pay-it-forward ethos into the scheme. In other words, if this helps you establish yourself as an author and makes lots of money, don’t forget to return the favour for future authors
The funding application
Photo by Bing Turkby
The two audiobooks to be produced have been written by local authors Bing Turkby and Riley Chance (that’s me). There are three reasons for this blatant self-selection.
These are the two characters doing the work
It’s problematic to invite other authors into a process that is being developed on the fly
The two hard-working authors will be paid zero, nothing, zip, nada
A funding application has to be submitted by the end of February to the PNCC Creative Communities Scheme funding. This is 75% complete and just waiting for a cost estimate for voice artists.
Meeting the PNCCCCSP - 18 March 2025
Step 1 done. We met with the Palmerston North City Council Creative Communities Scheme Panel (the PNCCCCSP for those in the know).
I can report that the meeting went well and the panel were excited about our project. At one point we were accused of sharp practice because a panel member had calculated that we intended to pay voice artists $5/hour. Blushes all round when, on rechecking, he had missed a zero - $50/hour.
Bing and I have committed to documenting our project better than we did at the meeting. Video, audio, images will be forthcoming … of successful in securing funding!
The letter - 31 March 2025
The vast majority of writers are used to hearing the words - unsuccessful on this occasion! I’ve heard them so often that, like sticks and stones, they bounce of as an irrelevance. So when the following came through …
… I almost deleted it!
Now we have to get stuck in. In my fake life (being an agitating author is my authentic self) I’m a business consultant so I’m used to running projects. I will put everything into as plan and it’s off to the races!
Stay tuned….
The project plan - May 2025
In what feels like a different life, I’m a business consultant used to running projects (and keeping them on time and budget and all that other good stuff). So I’ve taken the same approach to this project and created a project plan so make sure everyone is on the same page.
Logically the project divides into three phases
Phase 1 - Audiobook workshop and narrator selection
Phase 2 - Record and produce audiobooks
Phase 3 - Launch, celebrate and nail down next year.
Phase 1 is rocking along an we have secured the brilliant Hilary Norris to run the workshop and we have a date, time and location nailed down.
The tasks for this month are to generate interest in the workshop and getting potential narrators to read a couple of sample chapters. Bing is in the process of creating a submission page on his website.
To be continued 😎
