Matthew Speak

How to Narrate Audiobooks on ACX

Last Fall, I was looking for a narrator for my first novel, Devils Glen. Like most people, a quick Google brought me to ACX, Amazon’s audiobook creation service that hooks authors up with voice talent to create and produce audiobooks to be sold on Amazon/Audible and iTunes.

I went to ACX and set up my book for auditions and waited. Within a day or two, auditions began to roll in, and I would be generous in saying that the quality of some of the performances left a lot to be desired. The one or two great auditions I did receive, asked for a considerable amount of money up front.

As I thought about it, I decided–hey, I’ve got a pretty good voice, a theatre background, and I’ve always liked to read aloud. Why don’t I just do my own audiobook? Crazy, right?

Well, after a bit of a learning curve, and a lot of trial and error, I can honestly say I’m glad I did it. I was able to produce a pretty dang good audio version of my novel and I may have found a nice little side career to boot. I even booked a narrating gig for a steamy romance novel, which was just released on Amazon and iTunes, Hot Shade by Tamara Lush.

I’m going to share with you the most helpful information I found online. With very little money up front, you too can get going turning your own novel into an audiobook. Who knows? You may even start up your own narrating career. And remember, we’re keeping it simple. Continue reading

Crow Creek is Here!

May 28, 2018 / Matthew Speak / 0 Comments / Sticky

Finally, after almost a year and a half of writing, editing, changing, rearranging and re-writing, Crow Creek is available for your reading pleasure. It feels like I’ve been working on it forever, so it’s hard to believe there’s nothing more to do. Oh, I’m sure I’ll look through it and find a missing period or some other excruciatingly frustrating mistake, but overall I feel like it’s where it needs to be and there shouldn’t be anything major to deal with…though you never know. UGH!

For the time being, the Kindle and Paperback versions are not connected together on the Amazon website. For now, you can click here for PAPERBACK, here for KINDLE.

What’s it like to be on the cusp of releasing a book?

It’s harrowing and exciting…but mostly frightening. Terrifying. When you’ve been working and living with a book for this long, you start to lose perspective, if you ever had it to begin with. Still, and I know I’m biased, I think it’s a fun little book and it’s the kind of story I would enjoy as a reader. There are some twists and turns–some creepy stuff, some magical stuff, and some comedy relief. Or at least that’s what I’ve tried to do. Hopefully, you think so too. Let me know what you think, please.

And write reviews on Amazon and Goodreads!

So, order your copy on Amazon today! The Kindle version is 3.99, currently, but if you buy the paperback (15.95) on Amazon, you can get the Kindle version for only .99 cents! You will be able to order Crow Creek at bookstores like Barnes and Noble too, so if your local store doesn’t have it, order it online or ask them to get it. Continue reading

Pre-order Crow Creek!

April 19, 2018 / Matthew Speak / 0 Comments

Crow Creek, book 2 of the Bettendorf Tales, is now available for pre-order for the Kindle version. Get over there to order your copy today, and it will be delivered to your Kindle account on May 29th. It would be great to see a massive surge in pre-sales to drive those Amazon algorithms crazy. Go HERE to pre-order your copy! Spread the word. The more pre-orders a book gets, the higher chance it has of winding up on Amazon/Kindle promos and emails.

Paperback pre-orders will begin within the next couple of weeks. For the time being, Crow Creek is Amazon-exclusive, but I do intend to expand distribution in the coming months. If you are with a library, message me, and we can work out getting your library some copies in the meantime.

EDITING

I continue to work with my editor on the final finishing touches, and it’s looking good. I think this book moves along briskly with some good action and a nice pace. It really sets up the storyline for book 3. There’s still a bit of work to be done, but I can say I’m starting to get excited about releasing Crow Creek. We’re not there yet but getting close, which is a good thing since I have a deadline now!

DEVILS GLEN .99 CENTS TODAY

Today is the last day to get a Kindle version of Devils Glen for .99 cents! After today, it goes back to 3.99. It’s been a nice promo from Kindle Press with a good increase in sales this past week. Continue reading

Pre-orders Coming Soon!

April 12, 2018 / Matthew Speak / 0 Comments

Sorry for the confusion, but I wanted to fill everyone in on the Scout campaign. I have officially withdrawn my submission of Crow Creek to Kindle Scout. It was a difficult choice, but I feel it’s what’s best for Crow Creek and the rest of the series in the long run. Devils Glen will continue to be published by Kindle Press, but the rest of the Bettendorf Tales will be entirely in my own hands. So, I need all the help I can get from all of you to promote and share the books, especially once the pre-orders begin.

PRE-ORDERS

Finally!! Pre-orders for Crow Creek will be starting within the next week or two, at the latest, and I’m looking at a May 31st release date. If you’re thinking you will buy it, do a pre-order so it will be delivered to your Kindle first thing on the day of release. I think paperbacks will arrive at your home on release day too if I’m not mistaken.

Pre-order sales numbers do A LOT to help a book rise in the Amazon algorithms, which helps land it on Amazon emails and other automated advertising. So PRE-ORDER! (When it’s available)

DEVILS GLEN ONLY .99 cents!!

Now through April 19th, the Kindle version of Devils Glen is only .99 cents!

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Crow Creek Cover Reveal!

March 28, 2018 / Matthew Speak / 2 Comments

DUN DUN DUUUUUUN!!!

Here it is! The new cover for Crow Creek. I think it fits well with the cover of the first book and looks good. It’s kinda creepy but kinda magical too, which works for this story.

Devils Glen Audiobook on Audible and iTunes!

February 27, 2018 / Matthew Speak / 0 Comments

The Devils Glen audiobook is available right now on Amazon/Audible and iTunes. I narrated it myself and let me tell you, that was quite the undertaking. The thing was way more work than I had anticipated, but I learned a lot and found something I enjoy doing in the process. Who knows? I might narrate all my future books–and books for other authors too!

Hopefully, those of you who don’t have the time to read but spend a lot of time commuting or traveling will enjoy getting a chance to listen to it instead. If you’ve never done the audiobook thing, check out Audible on Amazon. Of course, if you’re an iPhone/iPad/Mac person, iTunes might be the way to go for you.

New Year News

January 11, 2018 / Matthew Speak / 0 Comments

Hey everyone, and happy new year! I hope you all had fantastic holidays and got to spend time with your loved ones. Our family had a great Christmas, and the break was quite relaxing. Rosie loved having all her peeps home with her!

Speaking of Rosie–she’s adjusting to her new life and seems to be fitting in quite well in our home. Her separation anxiety is calming down as she becomes more confident in her surroundings, which is good news for our stuff. She and the cats are struggling to get along, but gradually they’re coming around. However, I have to say that seeing a little cat chase a German Shepherd out of a bedroom is pretty damn funny. Hopefully, they’ll be fast friends soon so we won’t have to keep them separate all the time.

DEVILS GLEN AUDIO

Good news! We’re putting together the audiobook for Devils Glen, and it’s going quite well. I’ll announce the details on Facebook and Twitter soon–hopefully within the next couple of weeks. It will be available on Amazon/Audible and iTunes. It’s fun, but kind of frustrating at the same time.

It’s interesting to go back now and read it again after all these months–interesting and frustrating too. I see so many things I wish I’d done differently in hindsight. You go through rounds and rounds of editing and re-writing, cleaning up and fixing, checking and re-checking, and still, there’s always room for improvement! It’s been a learning experience, for sure. Continue reading

Devils Glen Kindle Promo!

December 6, 2017 / Matthew Speak / 0 Comments

Hey all, I was just informed by my publisher that the Kindle version of Devils Glen will be on a promo beginning this Saturday, December 9th and will run through December 16th, just in time for the holidays. During that week, the Kindle version will be on sale for only .99 cents! Easy gift for any friends or family who are Kindle users. Feels like a million years since my last promo, so this one comes at a great time.

The paperback will remain at its currently discounted price of $13.95 throughout December.

CROW CREEK UPDATE

I’m almost finished with my initial edits of Crow Creek–might be done in a week or two, hopefully. Soon, I’ll have the book out to my beta readers and then we’ll go from there. It’s been slow-going, but the story is starting to take shape, and I’m anxious to hear some objective opinions. This part of the process is harrowing because it’s hard to be sure exactly what you’ve got. Is it good, bad, boring, exciting? When you’re in the middle of writing it, you start to lose sight of the forest.

And yes, I’m still shooting for a March release, but we shall see how it goes. Continue reading

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 23, 2017 / Matthew Speak / 0 Comments

Hello everyone! It’s been a very hectic Fall, but here we are with the holidays upon us. What a whirlwind year it has been, and we still have another month to go! This year we have a lot to be thankful for–from a new book released to a short story published to Michelle’s pinstripe purses selling to Reznor playing football and getting fantastic grades to our Tahoe honeymoon to our brand new dog, Rosie! It’s been a lot of fun, but now we’re exhausted and need some R and R this holiday season.

IOWA SIGNING

Thanks to all of you who came out for the book signing in October–seems like that was six months ago! We had a nice turnout and sold almost all of the books I brought with me. It was a lot of fun hanging out with old friends down at Sports Fans Pizza in Bettendorf and getting to speak at St. Ambrose and Bettendorf High School. And of course getting to be at my nephew’s wedding was the icing on the cake! Continue reading

Iowa Signing!

September 4, 2017 / Matthew Speak / 0 Comments

Good news! I’m finally coming to Iowa for a book signing on October 14th at the Davenport Public Library on Main Street for their annual Indie Author Day, from 10am-3pm. I’ll be there along with some other authors to sign books and conduct readings. It should be a fun day, so come out and support some local writers.

Actually, it will be more than just a book signing. I’ve also been asked to take part in a panel discussion regarding an aspect of writing/publishing, so if you’ve got a great idea you’ve been kicking around for a book of your own, come on out. Maybe you’ll learn a thing or two in the process. I’m not claiming to be an expert, but I can share my own experience and hopefully you’ll find it helpful.

I will have copies of Devils Glen for sale, or you can bring your own and I’ll sign them. Check here or on Facebook in the coming weeks for more details as we get closer to the event.

I’ve had a few people reach out to me about speaking at book clubs, organizations, or schools, while I’m in town. If you’re interested in that, please send me an email, leave a comment below, or shoot me a Facebook message. Right now, I only have Thursday and Friday available, so get ahold of me as soon as possible, and I will make some time. Continue reading