AUDIOBOOK FORMATS

Solo Narration

So. You wanna go solo. Well, we do solo narration, whether or not “solo” refers to he or she. He said? Or is that she said? We do ’em both.

Of all audiobook formats, solo narration is certainly the most widespread. Why? Well, think about it: one narrator plays all of your characters. In nonfiction, one narrator plays all of your anecdotal “from-the-therapy-couch” anecdotes. Solo narration doesn’t require the higher level of scheduling and coordination called for in other formats. But more about those later.

When the solo narrator hits the booth, everyone shows up!

And by the way, in our line of work Multiple Personality Syndrome is not a disorder. It’s an art form.

Solo narration is also the easiest to produce. For veteran audiobook narrators such as the narrators at Squeaky Cheese Productions, solo narration often comes with the quickest turn- arounds.

The Solo Narration Turnaround

Typically, a 300-to-400-page novel takes less than two months to produce as does a 250- to-300-page nonfiction book, like self-help, how-to, personal psychology, relationships, and biography. “Two months” means from the preliminary, pre-production read-through to the mastered deliverable audio. Not bad!

Ready to Get Started?

Then now’s the time to reach out! Squeaky Cheese Productions is here to narrate and produce any format—solo, Duet, Dual, Dual-hybrid, and Mini-Multicast™ narration is what we love to do most.

We look forward to working with you on your first — or next — audiobook!

Duet Narration

Duet Narration almost sounds like a romance, although sometimes it’s a sword fight. Squeaky Cheese Productions loves producing Duet Narration audiobooks as they give us a chance to play Director for each other, which we do out of our pro-grade studio.

As the name implies, a Duet Narration incorporates the talents of two narrators, usually a female and a male, although we have been known to include Gandalf the dog and Merlin the cat, but that’s an audiobook story for a podcast.

Duet Narration borrows from its sister, Solo Narration, in that only one of the two narrators serve as the sole narrator for the duration of the audiobook. But here’s the difference between the two: If the female voice talent is the sole (main) narrator, our male voice talent will play the male characters while the female voice talent also plays any and all additional female characters. On the flip side, if the male voice talent is the sole (main) narrator, the female voice talent will play the female characters, while the male voice talent also plays any and all additional male characters. We also have voice talent for non-binary characters.

Unlike its other sister format, Dual Narration, Duet Narration doesn’t emphasize point-of-view (POV). The point of view in Duet Narration tends to be omniscient or third person, and sometimes third person limited. For example, the main character in a novel is named Isabel, but every so often the listener gets into Isabel’s head. Mega-bestselling author Dan Brown uses this technique effortlessly, relying on italicized text to let us know when one or more of his characters, including the protagonist, is allowing only the readers into any given character’s innermost thoughts.

The Turnaround

So what’s our turnaround? Depending on the published book or unpublished manuscript’s length, Duet Narration can take anywhere from two to three months — 60 to 90 days — to produce.

“Three months” means from the preliminary, pre-production read-through to the mastered deliverable audio. Not bad! This timeframe suits novels as well as nonfiction. We narrate ’em both.

Ready to Get Started?

Then now’s the time to reach out! Squeaky Cheese Productions is here to narrate and produce any format — Solo, Duet, Dual, Dual-hybrid, and Mini-Multicast™.

Narration is what we love to do most.

We look forward to working with you on your first — or next — audiobook!

Dual Narration

Don’t pick up your 18^th century flintlock pistols just yet. It’s ‘Dual’ not ‘Duel’ Narration. Though, depending upon your point-of-view, the story might seem to suggest that two characters (presented by two different narrators) are taking shots at each other from chapter to chapter.

Not always the case.

In Dual Narration (unlike Duet and Solo), one Narrator, let’s say ‘She’, narrates an entire chapter or sometimes an entire scene, only from her perspective. And she plays all of the characters – female and male – who speak inside that chapter. When the POV changes to male, ‘He’ narrates the entire chapter (or sometimes an entire scene) only from his perspective. And he plays all of the characters – female and male – who speak inside that chapter.

Dual Narration is very popular on the Romance novel circuit. It’s also used extensively in crime fiction. Not sure there’s a connection there, but, hey…you never know. At least not until a body turns up. Which probably means that relationship went south.

We could go further into when Dual Narration is advisable but, to be honest, as professional Narrators, we’re bigger fans of ‘Dual-hybrid’. We produce Dual projects, of course. And they tend to have a similar turnaround to Duet, but Dual can sound a bit weird to the listening audience as, when ‘She’ plays all the female and male characters and then, with the turn to a new chapter, ‘He’ plays all of the male and female characters, the listener might wonder why the story wasn’t simply produced as a Solo Narration  in which one Narrator plays everybody. But Dual Narration should not be understood as Solo (She) + Solo (He). There are actually very good story structural reasons for using two Narrators who ‘own’ the POV depending upon how each chapter’s POV was written. It can, for instance, be very refreshing and insightful to see the same event from two points of view. Just like a mugging in an alleyway witnessed by 20 passersby might lead to 20 different descriptions of the assailant when the detectives flip open their Steno pads, so too in Dual Narration the experience of one event really depends upon the one (or in this case, two) who is/are experiencing it.

Our experience suggests that there is a time and place for Dual Narration. Still, we far prefer to ‘experience’ Dual-hybrid.

Dual-hybrid Narration

No, it’s not two Toyota Priuses being driven at the same time, nor is it a two-headed creature in a 1950s SciFi feature. Dual-hybrid is similar to Dual Narration, using two points of view, only the Dual-hybrid format features a formatting twist.

Dual-hybrid Narration allows the listening audience to experience all of the characters, male and female, and, perhaps a bit more authentically. For us, Dual-hybrid is very enjoyable to perform. We have the artistic freedom — and award-winning ability — to creatively explore each other’s creative process through the characters that subsequently appear in each other’s designated chapters.

The Dual Narration v. Dual-hybrid Narration Difference

Generally speaking, every chapter in a novel is written with a certain point of view. So, what’s the Dual-hybrid element that makes the Dual-hybrid audiobook format stand out? That’s fairly simple. Much like Dual Narration, the female narrator plays the main female character while the male narrator plays the main male character.

Unlike Dual Narration, every female character throughout the book is played by the female narrator while every male character is played by the male narrator throughout the book as well.

Confused? Fret not. None of this is as puzzling as it may sound. And your next audiobook will sounds pretty cool when we nail the performance. Which, of course, Squeaky Cheese Productions absolutely will.

The Turnaround

So, how long will a Dual–hybrid audiobook take to narrate, produce, and master? Typically, a 300 to 400-page novel takes less than three months to produce as does a 250 to 300-page nonfiction book, such as the self-help, how-to, personal psychology, relationships, or biography. “Two months” means from the preliminary, pre-production read-through to the mastered deliverable audio.

Not bad!

Ready to Get Started?

Then now’s the time to reach out! Squeaky Cheese Productions is here to narrate and produce any format — Solo, Duet, Dual, Dual-hybrid, and Mini-Multicast™.

Narration is what we love to do most.

We look forward to working with you on your first — or next — audiobook!

Mini-Multicast™ Narration

We know. We know! If you only had just north of $100,000 you could turn your novel into a gorgeous audio drama, enlisting a 25-member cast. You know: one of those high-production value Audible Originals stories, the kind with just the right amount of Sound Design along with sublime music underscore! Why, there could be Audie-worthy performances by Voice Actors with unlimited talent!

Well . . .

What if you, the author, could achieve the same — or nearly the same — results but for 1/20th of the cost?

Entrance stage left: Mini-Multicast™

Squeaky Cheese Productions suspects we invented Mini-Multicast™ Narration, but we may never know for sure until some producer, thespian, entrepreneur, or, God Forbid, their attorney pops out of the woodwork like a well-versed grub and “insists” that we’re wrong.

Exit stage right: Not a chance.

With Mini-multicast™ Narration, we’re certain that what we have invented is the ideal way to keep high-production-value audiobooks, featuring more than two narrators, priced between $5,000 and $7,000 while supplying up to ten (10!) multi-talented actors.

How do we achieve this seemingly impossible feat? Well, that’s a bit proprietary. But we can tell you this:

The approach is a a quasi hybrid between Royalty Share, Royalty Share Plus, and PFH (Per Finished Hour) that affords you, the author, the opportunity to have your unique tale told, enlisting distinct voices for every character in the story.

The Turnaround

Depending on the published book or unpublished manuscript’s length, Mini-Multicast™ can take anywhere from two to four months — 60 to 120 days — to produce. “Two to four months” means from the preliminary, pre-production read-through to the mastered deliverable audio.

Not bad!

Ask us about Mini-Multicast™ right now. We’ll let you in on the best audiobook secret in town.

And if you’re our competition? You can ask us about it as well because Mini-multicast™ Narration might just rock your suite of services, too.

And we love to pay it forward.

Ready to Get Started?

Are you an author ready to turn your fiction or nonfiction book into a high-production value audiobook?

Then now’s the time to reach out! Squeaky Cheese Productions is here to narrate and produce any audiobook format — Solo, Duet, Dual, Dual-hybrid, and our new offering: Mini-Multicast ™.

Narration is what we love to do most.

We look forward to working with you on your first — or next — audiobook!