OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
I just did a fantastic event in Auckland, New Zealand, so a big thanks to everyone who came! Plus a big thanks to BookTrack who sponsored and organized the event, as well as Auckland Libraries who hosted it.
So what is Booktrack?
First up, watch this quick video to get the idea about what it is – watch below or here on YouTube
In order to learn more about this, I interviewed Paul Cameron, CEO and co-founder of Booktrack about the service. In this video, we talk about why he and his brother started the company and what they want to achieve, as well as the benefits for authors and readers. You can watch below or here on YouTube.
Highlights of our discussion include:
- People often read in public accompanied by a soundtrack of some kind – either to shut out ambient noise, or to accompany the story.
Books are (currently) one of the only entertainment choices that doesn't have synchronized sound.
- Authors often choose soundtracks as they write, and share it with readers. For example, check out the Undercover Soundtrack on Roz Morris' blog
- Booktrack takes a movie style soundtrack and synchronizes it with individual reading speed via apps. You can create these yourself for free – and it's super fun!
- Booktrack has a LOT of music and sound available to use – you can't just use any music because of copyright
- I mention how soundtracks on film are designed to underscore emotional elements, and no film is complete now without a soundtrack. Booktrack is aiming to get to this point in the future.
- Readers can find Booktrack on the app stores or online Booktrack.com – it's free to use and try at the moment.
- The company's aim is to become something similar to Audible but without words – selling books with soundtracks direct to consumers.
Book marketing is a constant challenge for us all and one way to stand out is by having more than just text available. If you can add sound to your words, it brings another atmospheric dimension to the reading experience, and may be enough to draw people into your book.
The easiest thing to do is to check out a few books. Here's my prologue for One Day In Budapest, and Hugh Howey's Sand
You can easily share the Booktracks on social media and email, and you can also use embeddable widgets on your website.
In terms of monetization, you can add a link to all the platforms where people can buy your book as part of the free aspect of the platform. In 2015, Booktracks will be available for sale, so could provide another revenue stream.
Five useful tips for using Booktrack
I asked author D.C.Grant to share her tips for using the service. You can check out her book, Where the flag floats, here on Booktrack.
Dawn also has a book for authors, The Booktrack Author User Guide, which will help you if you want to do DIY.
- Treat booktracking time like writing time – block off a period of time with no distractions, switch off email/ text message/social media notifications. Also limit or exclude other sounds, or work using a headset so that you can concentrate on the tracks.
- Booktrack short sections at a time. Don’t attempt to do too much all at once.
- Keep pen and paper handy, or a note-taking app like OneNote, to make a note of the tracks that appeal to you as you go through the results of your search criteria. It’ll be a certainty that you won’t remember the track that you liked on page 2 by the time you get to page 6.
- If you find the diversity of music tracks overwhelming, search for a composer whose music suits the genre/theme of your book and make that your ‘go-to’ composer when choosing tracks. For a showcase of composers and the type of music they produce, use the Booktrack Music Showcase.
- Layer your sound – start with music, then layer on an ambience track and finish with sound effects. Or layer two ambience tracks and then sound effects. Or a music track and two ambience tracks and no sound effects. The choice is up to you. You can layer on as many tracks as you like, but too many and things may get muddled! Play it back to make sure it’s not too much and that the sound effects don’t get overwhelmed.
Booktracking can appear daunting but there’s no better way to learn that to just jump in and do it! Have a go today.
BIO: D C Grant writes books for boys because she reads books for boys. Her favorite authors are Lee Child and Bernard Cornwall and with these influences she was never going to be a romance writer. D C Grant currently lives in Auckland, New Zealand but was born in Manchester, England and lived for twenty years in Durban, South Africa. She currently lives in a New York style loft apartment with a slightly psychotic cat called Candy.
Here's how to make a Booktrack
You can find out more at Booktrack.com or on twitter @booktrack
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1 2 Next »Hey Joanna, what an intriguing concept. I thought the booktrack matched your prologue quite well :-)
I usually don't listen to music while I'm reading, but probably because the music I choose most likely to NOT be a good match to what I'm reading and becomes a distraction. But reading your prologue I found the music to, like a music soundtrack, enhance my immersion into your story.
Thanks Michael - and I agree - I think the right music does enhance the reading experience and one tip - don't be heavy handed with the effects!
Hi Joanna,
I participated in a Booktrack fan fic contest last summer - wrote a story BORN based on Hugh Howey's "Half Way Home" and put together a soundtrack for it using Booktrack's music library.
So far I don't feel that Booktrack's for me as a reader, but creating a story with a soundtrack was great fun. And I'm sure lots of people out there enjoy reading books that way.
I might give it another try, both writing and reading wise.
Thank you for the post,
Sasha
I'm non-musical. We exist! Occasionally I confess this sad fact in public, and sometimes get a "YOU TOO???!!" from someone in the group--it's like finding a long-lost cousin.
To me and other non-musicals, music is a noise. We work in silence, turn off the sound on our computers when watching animal videos on Facebook, back out of websites very fast when a soundtrack plays...you get the picture. We deplore the intrusion of music into every area of life.
So no, I wouldn't personally want a soundtrack on my books. I think this is a very smart idea, though, considering nine-tenths of the human population seems to crave a soundtrack for their lives. If it catches on, I'll definitely consider producing enhanced versions of my books. But I hope there'll always be "silent" ebook versions for my small, sad minority.
Hi Jane, I'm in your camp too :) I listen to Rain on repeat as white noise to shut out other sounds when I am writing - and wear earplugs a lot of the time. I do listen to music at the gym or just before I speak professionally to 'change my state' but it's a rare thing!
However, I am convinced that people who do listen to a lot of music will like BookTrack and it is super fun to use!
I love this so much! Thank you for sharing, I'm really excited to write a story incorporating this. I'm a big fan of soundtracks, just generally and making one for a book sounds amazing.
What a wonderful advertising tool. You put a chapter up of your book, put music to it and this alone will drive people to read it. I want to plan to try it out on one of my short stories.
I think it's a great idea because it's another avenue for an author to reach market penetration. When I told my daughter about this technology, she was ecstatic. As was her friend. I think people growing up post-Kindle, where you can play Pandora in the BG while reading a book, will find this technology far less invasive than others. Plus, once they monetize it for authors, participation seems like a no brainer.
I think it appeals to teenagers in particular, as music means so much at that age! I think all authors with kids can probably employ the younger generation to do the soundtrack!
Interesting concept, Joanna. As an all round creative who enjoys music, I can foresee many hours spent adding soundtracks... Instead of writing. And hey, I know, as well as a soundtrack, i could, you know, add pictures too... Or how about hiring some actors to, like, act it out? Oh, hang on, that's a movie, then... :-D
Hmmm, nice idea, to be used with caution, methinks. There's also the problem that music is so much a matter of taste and whilst I might love an author's words, I might not chime with their sound effects.
Hope you're having a great time down under and envy the thought of Christmas on the beach!
I have added about twenty five titles with sounds on B T. The B T team are always evolving the process. It was a steep learning curve at first, so persistence is required, but true writers have that anyway. One tip would be to start off with a short story first, then build up to longer works.
I have been pleased with the many kind comments from readers and hopefully, some will find their way to my paid work.
Hey Joanna,
I first heard of Booktrack from Hugh Howey's blog earlier this year and have been itching to do something on there since. I had planned to do audiobooks and Booktrack in 2015 when low and behold, Chazz Hill-Hayr contacted me to contribute work to the platform.
The first chapters of Soul Meaning (Seventeen Book 1) and King's Crusade (Seventeen Book 2) went up yesterday and are already generating great feedback, with increased downloads of my free ebook.
It was a steep learning curve but I now "get" it and had SO much fun in the process. I can see how this could become addictive and take time away from the essential business of writing, but I choose to see it as an experiment and adventure that may very well be the next big thing in the reading experience. And I'm a hardcore soundtrack and music lover, so this is just up my street! I will be allocating time specifically to work on adding more chapters in the coming months, as part of my business production plan.
That's fantastic AD! If you enjoy it, I think you can stand out on this type of platform - have fun!
There's clearly a business opportunity here if this soundtrack thing takes off. Non-musical authors like me would need someone to help them choose the right tracks...