I’ve been receiving emails about Amazon’s Virtual Voice program. They appear to have removed the request that we DO NOT discuss the beta program, so I figure I’m okay to blog about my thoughts on it. The program also appears to be out of the beta phase. Here’s an email I received on the subject about a month ago:

Out of curiosity, I did look into it. It reminds me a lot of text-to-speech software. That’s a form of assistive technology I encounter sometimes in my other job (my non-writer one). It helps with accessibility for people with various disabilities. Admittedly, it can sound a bit robotic. I tried listening to some audio samples online from other authors who used the virtual voice program. They all sounded robotic to me. I suspect that they’re using “AI” as a buzz word for a pre-existing software, but that’s not something I’m really qualified to determine.

I have to admit that I thought about it. I’ve been thinking of making audio versions of my books for years. I haven’t because of the cost (I can’t financially justify it). The Virtual Voice program is designed to appeal to writers like me. I took some time to read about other author’s experiences with it, including [this kdp forum thread] and [this reddit thread]. The internet certainly has a variety of opinions on the subject.

Personally, I don’t like how robotic it sounds. I would also have to put some work into editing it in order to make it sound better. Additionally, I don’t like the ethical concerns in charging money for an audiobook made via a program that works similarly to text-to-speech software. That software is an important accessibility feature and I’d rather it remain available as an accessibility feature.

I’ve thought on-and-off for years about potentially recording the audiobooks myself. I’ve generally dismissed that idea due to the fact that I don’t really have experience in recording audiobooks. I also haven’t historically had the time or space needed. I actually have a little bit of experience with audio editing. I used to edit songs together into mashups in Audacity. There’s probably some recordings I made way back when still on the internet somewhere. I know how to run noise reduction. However, there’s only so much I can do when I lack a good environment to record in.

It may be worth noting that I have some theater experience from when I was growing up. I also do a lot of public speaking in my non-writer job, so I know how to modify my voice. I could probably learn how to record the audiobooks. I suspect that it would sound better than the virtual voice options would. At the very least, it would sound less robotic.

In writing this blog post, I’ve thought again about what it would take to record the audiobooks myself. I moved not that long ago to a new apartment. I don’t have a good space to use in the apartment (it’s a studio). However, the area I live in gets quiet in the evenings. The exception to that is the cicadas, but I can edit them out with noise reduction. I can also try to set up blankets and pillows like the [NPR setup] (scroll down if you click the link).

Is recoding the audiobooks myself among my better ideas? I don’t know. But it might be worth taking the time and trying.

I’ve also been thinking about ACX. That may also be worth looking into again.

In the meantime, I personally have chosen not to do the Virtual Voice program.

(By the way, my favorite mashup I ever made was Sixx A.M. “Rise” combined with Drowning Pool “Bodies.” The laptop I made it on broke, so I don’t know if I have a copy anymore.)

I just created and posted a [new trigger list] to this website. I wanted to add some notes about creating the list, but it didn’t feel right to include that in the same post. Therefore, I am making a separate post here.

So, why did I put a triggers list on my website?

1. It’s easier to edit and I don’t have to worry about spoilers.

It’s much easier to edit my list on my website. Historically, I’ve included the potential triggers in a little note under the book summaries on Amazon. That takes more time and effort to edit. I have also since learned more about triggers, including the existence of potential ones I hadn’t thought about. Creating the list on my website turned out to be a convenient time to update the initial list I had created when I published my books.

Additionally, when I initially made the list I included when I published my books, I ran into the problem of how to navigate the inclusion of potential triggers that also may be potential spoilers. That’s not an easy thing to do after a book summary. However, the new list on my website includes a convenient note that the list may contain spoilers.

2. I’ve received too many snarky comments at in-person events. (“Oh, you just HAVE to put triggers on books these days.”) The trolls seem to have become more emboldened over the years. Although I’d rather not feed the trolls, it’s frustrating to me when this happens at in-person events. Moving the list to my website makes it less accessible to trolls and / or bad actors. The people who actually want to read the triggers list can check online. (Yes, I am aware that the trolls can also read the list online.)

3. I saw something in the writing community recently about [this list] that Keri Lake uses. I try to read up on what other authors do in the community, so I went and checked out her list. She does it by individual book. (Her website, by the way, looks great and very professional.) The particular list I linked is for Anathema (a gothic dark fantasy with explicit content). It happens to be longer than the list for any of my books. I’ve been thinking about her list since seeing it. I decided that something similar would suit my needs well.

Why do I bother to include triggers?

A good friend of mine has PTSD. I have seen what happens to her if she is around certain topics without the ability to adequately prepare herself. I would not want to unintentionally cause someone that level of distress. The inclusion of a list of potential triggers allows people like her to review the list and make informed decisions.

[Blog: Establishing a new trigger list]

This list is sorted by book and may contain spoilers. Please review the list carefully. If any of these potential triggers concern you, then you are welcome to pass on reading the book. Please protect your peace.

It Began with a Dream:

This is a horror book.

Gun violence

Some censored swearing

Undead / Ghosts

Chimera

Surgery (off-screen) / Hospital

Will to Speak:

Verbal abuse

Panic attacks

Enslaved being (freed in book)

Into the Unknown:

This is a darker sci-fi book.

Implied suicidal intent

Explosions / Fantasy violence

Drug use (alien)

Victim:

This is a sci-fi horror book.

Cutting

Suicide

Suicidal ideation

Gun violence

Abortion (passing metaphoric mention)

The demonic (Note: this potential trigger was noted by readers. There is a “demon voice” mentioned,  but it is not intended as a literal demon.)

Wing:

Fantasy violence

Undead

Torture (implied)

Y:

Fantasy violence

If I missed any, please feel free to reach out and let me know. You can leave a comment on this post or tweet me @TheRenJDorian.

Yes, I recognize that it’s been a while since I’ve made a post here. I also recognize that I haven’t done as much as I usually do in the writing world for a few years now. There are two main reasons for that.

1. I’ve been in grad school
2. I think I might have burned out

The good news is that I just graduated. The bad news is that I’ve had a hard time maintaining basically anything else in my life. I’ve been informed that this can happen in grad school. However, I think I actually slowly started burning out. I started to suspect this when I had a hard time maintaining my WIP updates. I usually write or edit daily. It’s a great creative mental break from everything else in my life. It’s also something I generally look forward to.

Additionally, I tend to get very emotionally invested in my books (something I’ve been well-informed NOT to do). That’s harder to do when I feel emotionally drained. There’s some family stuff that’s been going on for a while now that I’m not willing to discuss publicly. But that hasn’t helped the situation.

As for graduating, I find that it’s all bittersweet. My grad program is something that interests me. I generally enjoyed it and found my studies engaging. But now I have to engage in the job search (something I find frustrating and, admittedly, overwhelming). That being said, I will figure it out. I always do.

I will continue writing, editing, and publishing my work. Additionally, I will repair my finances. And I look forward to having an actual marketing budget. I have so many plans that I’ve just been stuck with due to reasons I don’t want to get into publicly.

But, yes, I am still here.

(By the way, my website is now officially over 10 years old. That realization makes me feel old.)