Behind the Scenes: My Misadventures in Recording an Audiobook

When I first decided to record the audiobook for Purls and Peril, I imagined something elegant and creative. A quiet studio. A beautiful microphone. Me, perched confidently at a desk like a professional narrator, gently voicing Maeve’s adventures in my best “settle in with a cuppa” tone.

What actually happened was something very different.

Step 1: Buy a decent but not too expensive microphone

I tried not to spend a fortune for my first attempt. I bought what I thought was a decent, low-ish-end microphone from Amazon that came with a pop filter and a stand. It was going to be perfect.

Was it?

No. Not even a little bit.

It picked up everything. My breathing. The fridge humming. Random traffic outside. Birds chirping five towns away. I also somehow sounded as though I was in a long empty tunnel, far, far away.

So I bought a different microphone.
Then a different stand.
Then a shock mount.
Then a new pop filter.

At that point, I was one purchase away from needing a storage unit just for audio equipment.

Step 2: Build a “home studio” in my wardrobe

Apparently, wardrobes are perfect for recording audio. And you can make your own wardrobe soundproof using readily available stuff from the internet.

So into the wardrobe I went, armed with foam panels that claimed to create a professional recording environment. I stuck them to the walls. They fell down.

I stuck them back up. They fell down again, faster.

Eventually, I gave up and researched what experienced narrators recommend. Apparently, clothes muffle the echo. I read this somewhere and thought, “Perfect. I own clothes.”

So I dragged half my wardrobe in with me. Dresses I had forgotten I owned. Jumpers. Jeans. A coat or two. Some dodgy-looking cardigans that had definitely seen better years. You could practically read my evolving style in my new soundproofing insulation.

I sat in a tiny cocoon of wool and denim like a very determined, very overheated hermit.

It still was not perfect, but at least nothing was falling on my head anymore.

Step 3: Wonder if I am mad, and then realise I love it

Somewhere around the fifth time I said the word “shenanigans” without tripping over it, I had a moment of panic.

“Am I completely mad for doing this myself?”

But then I heard it. My own Irish voice speaking Maeve’s Dublin world into the microphone.

And it felt right. It sounded authentic. I knew readers would appreciate that extra sense of place, even if it takes me longer to produce.

Step 4: Hire help, because even the stubborn need backup

Narrating is one skill. Editing audio is an entirely different universe.

So I found a brilliant audio engineer on Upwork who now takes my slightly chaotic recordings and turns them into smooth, polished chapters. He also very kindly tells me when I mispronounce my own characters’ names.

We have developed a little clap system. Anytime I make a mistake, I clap twice and re-record. The dog thinks I have completely lost it, but it works. And it is totally necessary at the rate I mess up.

Step 5: Read everything aloud and discover all the mistakes

Reading aloud reveals everything.
Typos.
Strange sentences.
Awkward phrasing.
Moments that make me say, “What exactly was I trying to write here?”

I now have a growing list of little fixes for future editions. I have started calling it the Wardrobe Edit.

Step 6: Debate using Amazon’s AI narration

Amazon now offers quick and easy AI narration. I wanted to love it because it sounded so simple. So I tested it, purely for informational purposes.

The speed is amazing.
The convenience is incredible.
The voice is not for me.

There is something mechanical that takes away the warmth and the Irishness. I know Maeve deserves better, and I know my future listeners do too.

Step 7: Keep going, because it is worth it

It is slow.
It is hard on my voice.
It is sometimes absolutely ridiculous.
It is definitely a learning experience.

But it is also one of the many enjoyable creative challenges I have taken on in this new chapter. Yes, I see what I did there.

If everything continues to go well, the audiobook for Book 1 should be ready early in the new year.

I cannot wait for you to hear Maeve’s world the way I always imagined it.