When I first decided to record an audiobook version of my fantasy novel, Origin Curse, I thought, “How hard can it be?”
Umm, harder than I expected! 😅
But that’s exactly why I started From the Author’s Chair—a podcast where I narrate my book while also sharing what it’s really like being an indie author. I knew it would be hard (just not that thinglaunching-my-podcast-from-the-author’s-chairs would take this long. And I wanted to challenge myself. To learn new skills in the usual DIY indie author fashion.
It’s been an adventure already, and I’m only a couple of episodes in.
So, let’s talk about:
What you’ll find in these first episodes
What I’ve learned so far (including my 3 AM recording struggles!)
Why this whole process has changed how I see writing
Episode 1: Kicking Off the Journey & Chapter 1 of Origin Curse
The very first episode of From the Author’s Chair was all about starting something new. I wanted to create a space where I could share both my book and my indie author experience in a real, unfiltered way.
In Chapter 1 of Origin Curse, the story begins, and I also got my first taste of recording challenges—figuring out how to narrate my own book without feeling totally awkward. (It took not even a minute. I was totally awkward 😂)
In real life, I could talk for days. But put me in front of a camera or even just a mic and I suddenly freeze up. And words? What are they? My tongue felt weird in my mouth and I forgot how to pronounce words I say every day.
And time? If it takes me, say, 15 minutes to read chapter 1 to myself. It takes like four times as long to narrate. In the time you realise you have to slow down when you speak so anyone can understand you (hard enough as it is. My ADHD brain just rattles ahead.), you then stumble over a word, slip up, or give yourself the wrong cadence to say the next phrase.
Cue starting that bit over again.
But it was all worth it, and episode 1 actually made it out into the world!
If you missed it, you can listen to Episode 1 here on Youtube, or click here for other platforms.
Episode 2: Omens, Unexpected Noises, & Learning the Ropes
By Episode 2, I started getting a little more comfortable. The suspense in Origin Curse was rising—a strange noise on the wind, an entourage of horses approaching the castle, and something Yoshiko wasn’t expecting. Meanwhile, I was learning a LOT behind the mic.
Check out Episode 2 here for Youtube and here for other platforms.
Things I Didn’t Expect to Learn About Recording
🎙️ Recording at 3 AM is the only way to get silence. My house is old, and in Australia, that means paper-thin walls. Recording even a little later means birds singing, tradies revving their utes on the many main roads around my streets, and my toddler deciding now is the perfect time to hang out with Mum. Cute, but not great for audio when he's trying to play with the mic!
🎙️ I used to record intros and outros separately—because they made me nervous?! For some reason, narrating my book felt fine, but recording intros and outros made me freeze up! Now I’m getting smoother at doing everything in one go. Post chapter four, that is. Until then, I'm so sorry for any changes in audio when moving between the intro, main chapter, and the outro. I'm getting used to things!
🎙️ You hear EVERYTHING. My laptop’s mousepad? Yep, the mic picks that up. Something I didn't even realise. Before, I was just scrolling down the page to see the next bit as if it was nothing. Now I have to re-learn timing on scrolling. Me shuffling in my chair? Also heard loud and clear. And in Episode 3, my stomach kept grumbling (!) because I thought I could record before eating. Lesson learned: Never record on an empty stomach.
🎙️ Editing takes SO much longer than I thought. I’ve started using little tricks to speed things up—like the finger click method (click when you mess up so you can find the mistake easily in editing!) and punch and roll recording, which I’ll be using in later episodes. But other than that, it's hours to fix up just 25 mins (finished time) of podcast. I hope I'll get quicker at this or that the punch and roll technique someone told me about helps reduce that.
🎙️ Recording is making me a better writer. I love immersive description, but when reading aloud, long, flowing sentences can make you run out of breath. Now, I want to blend that immersive style with shorter, punchier sentences to make it flow better in narration. How interesting to discover this.
What’s Next? Episode 3 & Beyond!
I’m a few chapters ahead in recording than I am in editing, so there’s plenty to keep up with! From tomorrow, I'll be starting to edit the audio for Chapter 3 of Origin Curse and also for recording the audio for chapter 5—and hopefully avoiding chair shuffles and stomach rumbles. 😂
If you’re enjoying the podcast, subscribe wherever you listen (it's available on Youtube and all major podcast sources) and follow me on social media (@SarahKateIshii) to stay updated! If you have any questions—about indie publishing, writing, or just surviving audiobook recording—let me know, and I’ll try to answer them in future episodes.
Thanks for joining me on this journey—happy reading, stay creative, and see you in the next episode!
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