CDs: RECORDING, DUPLICATING / REPLICATING AND PROMOTING A CD
(excerpts from posts to Storytell)

1) Should I introduce myself on the recording? IMHO, no. Keep in mind that you hope folks will listen to this CD over and over. Don't include anything that won't be needed for 2nd 3rd etc hearings. They can read your intro material at leisure on the card that lines the jewel box. Likewise the titles and sources of your stories. (For folktales, I recommend giving good thorough source cites.)

How many stories should I put on the CD? My average story is between 8-12 minutes. I think folks feel cheated if they get 45 min or less of material on a CD. Nice thing about CDs is that it's easy to skip to a favorite story, so a long program is not a problem.

Any general advice I should know about recording? Since you are accustomed to using visuals (your cartoons) and getting a lot of audience response, the recording situation is going to feel really freaky. Keep reminding yourself that all you're selling here is your VOICE -- no gestures, no lifted eyebrows, no significant glances (but see note below). I strongly recommend rehearsing in a dark closet! And save yourself some studio time by making a trial tape at home (in that closet). You can do a lot of troubleshooting before you start paying by the hour.

BTW, talk with CD wizards about putting some computer-readable graphics and extra text onto the disc while you're at it. There's a heap more room on there than a 60min concert consumes. Monty Harper's CD TAKE ME TO YOUR LIBRARY even has videos of his sign-language numbers!

2) Easy answer first.
ISBN - yes. The studio will probably be able to arrange that for you.

More difficult answer last.
An Austrian friend recently sent me a studio-recorded CD - and this made me consider a few points about studio work.
Introduction: His format was quite clever; he framed four tales with the notion of four men coming from the different corners of the world to pay court to a girl who lived with a unicorn. Any more "introduction" on the recording would have distracted me. (That is the sort of thing you CAN do with a live audience which is audible on the recording.) So perhaps consider what information to leave to be printed on the cover. I liked his voice and style, but did find it rather similar in all the tales although three were Maerchen and one was a rather enjoyable bawdy trickster tale. I suspect that with an audience to work off, that tale would have sounded quite different to the others. So you might try to allow for that missing effect of the live listeners. Our longer recordings have all been with a live audience, but that is just an individual prefence. It is certainly a high-risk strategy; two years ago we recorded and decided that it just wasn't right. Without the audience in the room the accoustics are completely different - no chance of a retake. So mistakes are expensive!

One other point. All recordings are going to sound less than perfect at first, so don't be too disheartened. The technicians will be able to do marvels on their Macintosh computer screens, cutting and stitching with such precision that it will soon sound MUCH better.

3) There are at least two big challenges in this kind of project: (1) you are working audio-only (quite hard on a chalk-talker, but also very hard for all of us who use a lot of visual paralanguage) (2) the audience is not there with you in real time and space, and (if we're any good) we are accustomed to getting lots of energy and much of our timing from audience rapport.

My own early efforts at recording were greatly enhanced by two middle-steps, each of which helped accustom me one of these challenges. One was video recording without an audience, which I guess you've done. This helped give me experience in going back to redo bits and pieces, and in a time-shifted audience-- the audience is real, and reactive, but in a different time and space. You have to learn to reach through time and space to get at them. I did a bunch of TV for Vermont Public Television in the eighties. Very early on, I took a cab to the bus station at 11:00 pm, and the cabbie said, "You know who you look like? You look like that storyteller guy on TV." After that, it was much easier to get a sense of the camera as something a little friendlier than a howling vacuum sucking out my soul.

The other was live radio. I strongly suggest you do this, if you have not, and to do it again if you already have. College radio is fine, public radio is better (bigger audience = more performance juice.) It will specifically address the issue of working without visuals-- naked voice-- while still giving you access to the helpful energy of real-time performance. You can't go back and fix things, you have to concentrate on the microphone and do everything now, and there's a creative flow with that which helps push through obstacles.

I have found it easiest to work a mic in the absence of an audience with my eyes shut, and with headphones on, giving my full energy to the microphone. It's a mistake to tell to the engineer, or the show's host, or anybody you can see. The engineer is fully occupied with his job, or should be, which is not following the nuances of your presentation, but rather making sure that the audio sounds as good as it can. Everybody who's apt to be there as their own agenda, which is not the same as your real audience-- concentrate on your real audience, whether it's the person listening to the radio, or the person who will have bought your CD. They are sitting in the car, or in their living room, or where-ever, hearing your voice in their ear.

I've always told my engineer, make me sound better than I am. Don't worry about what you look like while you're working-- use your body and face as a spring to propel the tale through the mic. Use more vocal inflexions than you ever have in your life-- it's all you've got, so go all-out. There's a reason why radio people sound so intense when you are in the same room with them, and just sound normal when they're on the air. Play, discover what you can do. Don't be afraid to take the time to edit out pauses & glitches to make it sound the way you want it to-- flow is everything, and you know how it should flow better than anybody else. It is worth the money to get it right. It's better to put pieces together than to re-record and re-re-record in an effort to get a perfect performance. When there's a bit that doesn't work right, back up quite a little way and take another run at it; leave a couple of pauses to make "splicing" easier. This kind of stuff the engineer should be able to help you with.

Go with energy rather than precision. Juicey and flawed is much better than dry and clean. You may hate the result for awhile, and it may still be extremely good. There is no way you can have perspective on it. I have done several projects that were unusable. They were learning experiences. It would have been a mistake to release them. There are a couple of others that may come out some day.

3) Should I introduce myself on the recording? I'd say no. All that will be on your insert.
How many stories should I put on the cd? My average story is between 8-12 minutes. At least 60 minutes. I think cds handle up to 70 or close to that.
Any general advice I should know about recording? IMO, practice edit practice edit practice edit before you record. Take a producer with you even if you want to be your own producer. A good engineer will know some technical things to listen for but a friend who knows you and storytelling will listen with a different ear.
I am doing a run of 1000 CDs, any advice on designing the cover (which I will do)? Should I get a UPC? ISBN number? Yes to the UPC code. I think most duplicators include those if you ask. Mine does and it did not cost extra. It will allow you to put the recordings in stores if you ever want to do that.
Those of you who have recorded CD's in studio, I know there are many of you out there, what do you wish you would have known? My first two recordings were done at a studio that had no experience with storytellers. IMO, big mistake. Find one that does work with tellers. I recommend Wooden Nickel in Washington Illinois. Don Rosser has done my previous cassette and my two latest CDs. He has recorded Dan Keding, Kevin Strauss, Janice Delnegro and I think Elizabeth Ellis.
Things I wish I'd known when I did my first recording:
IMO, it is best to read/tell for a recording. Mistakes happen and in live performance they are here and gone and often forgotten. But on a recording, one mistake gets played over and over and over. I write everything out with double spaces between each line. Each line is numbered as well so that the engineer and producer can simply say "Go back to line 6." Or I can tell them "I need to go back to line 6." I can also make change notes in the spaces. (Number and tittle the pages too in case they get dropped on the floor.) Standing is best when you record. It took me a lot of practice to figure out when to breathe so as not to gulp into the mic or slow down my pace. I have also learned to stop talking, stop the engineer, take a breath or swallow and then have the engineer back up and pick up where I left off. A good engineer will make the recording sound flawless. Some flaws are good too. Makes the recording seem human but as I said before every time a person listens to the recording you don't want them saying "There's that awful mistake, noise, gurgle whatever again."

4) Do a considerable amount of recording at home beforehand, and listen to yourself, ideally along with someone who knows your work. You can't take a general comment like "use lots of inflection" without actually trying it. For one person, that makes sense, but I've heard recorded storytellers who sound - precisely because of over-inflection - as if they're selling used cars to kindergarteners. Audio is a more intimate medium than any other mode. Very slight inflections, pauses, changes of timbre register strongly if you're working close to the mike and trust it to land. But again, that depends on your style. People who push energy out are best recorded live in concert; pepole who draw the audience energy in do very well on a studio mike - certainly Garrison Keillor is the master of drawing the audience in, even in a large auditorium. But in any case, do some practice variants for yourself to see how "more inflection" sounds, or less. Also, experiment with who you're talking to. Again, that's dependent on your voice, your style, your material. On radio, sometimes I'm speaking directly across to Elizabeth on the other mike; sometimes I'm speaking close to the mike and directly into myself; sometimes it's to an audience of one. But try different focal points and see how it affects your telling before you go into the studio, if you possibly can. And make a decision on the basis of what it sounds like.

Introducing yourself? Depends on what kind of ambience you want. If you want your "bridge" material to have a presence to it, maybe it would work to say something at the outset. On the other hand, it's probably going to be best to let your first story be your intro or grabber, and then follow that with whatever bridge you want into the second. But as in a live performance, I think it's almost always best to make the intro to a
piece a part of the piece. If you do launch directly into the first piece, make sure you're "close" to us. It's really easy for spoken word stuff to sound distant and canned.

How many stories? As many as you can without rushing anything. Give us max value for our money.

On the UPC & ISBN? I'd check further on that. My last "survey of the field" was that an ISBN is really essential, but not a UPC, unless you're looking for marketing in drug stores & places that aren't generally selling books & records. Take a look at the Amazon website and see what they say, and call up a couple of stores in town.

The absolutely most important thing is to have a helluva lotta FUN. If you need to, just forget ALL this advice and have the same kind of relation to the mike that little kids do when they have a chance to start farting around with a mike, when they can hear themselves through a speaker. It's just so much fun to make love to that sucker.

5) It will be a mix of folktales and original stories. I will introduce each story by stating the origin and whether it is folktale or original.
As a rule, I heartily dislike any introductions that aren't made into a part of the story. I find that they tend to break the "fictive dream" and get in the way of people falling into the tale. Besides, with a CD you can discuss all that on the insert. The exception is that I've found that I like a brief statement of the title before each story. It helps the listeners stay oriented when they're flipping from piece to piece, and makes a nice, formal "Here we go!" that actually helps the listener to enjoy what comes next.
Should I introduce myself on the recording?
Same answer. Is anyone going to be hearing the CD who doesn't know already? Kids? If that's the target, I wouldn't so much "introduce yourself" as do something to create that bond you usually enjoy with the audience.
How many stories should I put on the cd? My average story is between 8-12 minutes.
At that length I'd say six or seven. The real answer, though, is "Enough so everyone who buys it feels like they got a good deal, but not so many that they're tired by the end."
Any general advice I should know about recording?
I found it much harder than performing for a live audience, and I also found myself obsessed with edits. If you end up doing more than one session, make sure to have them write down the exact settings so your inserts will match up to what was recorded before. Finally, I was warned before and didn't take it well enough to heart: Practice each piece you want to record until you have it down to automatic. The tape is like a camera; it "adds 10 pounds" to whatever you're doing and you want to make sure it gets your best side. Have you considered the possibility of recording before an audience? You interact with a crowd as much as anyone I know, and it might be tough to carry the stories off as well without having the oohs, aahs, giggles and laughs that form your normal background noise.
Should I get a UPC? ISBN number?
Why wouldn't you if you can?

6) Having an audience or not seems to be a matter of taste; most recordings I've heard are without but I like the additional atmosphere an audience gives. Of course it makes it difficult (though not impossible) to cover mistakes (assuming that we all make those slips at times). In our last recording there were a couple of times I was unhappy with my phrasing or I even heard an aeroplane and it was not particularly obtrusive to simply repeat a sentence. Then a good sound technician can do a LOT with editing. (Nancy gave me the word for part of it last week - room tone or ambient sound.) I have done a couple of short recordings without an audience - but always prefer doing it with. Generally there is less control over what happens - and perhaps the worst thing you want is to have a recording which sounds over-controlled. And I don't mind hearing that the finished product is not 100 % polished to an unnatural perfection.

7) I have recorded both live and in the studio. I definitely prefer live as I am more alive and it is easier for me to "come alive" in front of an audience. However, live performances are full of pitfalls: the screaming kid, the forgotten section of the story, coughing, etc. When recoding live I tend to schedule several shows and record them all. This gives you some choices as to the version and audience you want to use. If you choose to record in the studio (which has a lot of benefits including starting and stoppong in a story), I have found trying to create an audience by inviting in friends and family members just adds an unreality and forced situation that can come acrooss on the CD. As far as a title, I would use the title of the story you will tell most often from the CD. Maybe shorten the title of it is long. THis story title will give the buyer something to focus on when they go to buy at a resource table. Something like "Animal Stories " is a bit generic in my mind. But the title of the story they just heard you tell is what the kids will pick up.

8) Priscilla gave some excellent advice. I just received my ship of my new CDs, Jambalaya - Stories with Louisiana Flavor, today. So this process is fresh on my mind. I had my graphic artist, who has been doing all my promotional materials, do the layout and graphic design. Joe Wos did the artwork. Take a look http://www.storyconnection.net
It's on the front page. Since my graphic artist is now familiar with my taste and preferences, he captured the essence of "me" perfectly. My photo is part of my artwork on the CD. I hired a professional photographer to take my picture. It really makes a difference.

I have a 2 page, 4 panel liner. The liner is full color on the outside and black and white on the inside. When you open up the CD, there is another full color photo of me with my logo beneath. I have an "intro" note from me with my contact information. I also left room for autographing. When you offer autographing as part of your CD sales, your sales generally increase. In my liner notes, I included notes on my family's Cajun heritage, "Louisiana Fast Facts," story sources, credits, and thank yous. My contact information is on the back of the jewel case, on the backside of the liner notes and on the face of the CD.

I opted for a clear tray, which allowed me more artwork underneath the CD. My CD is full-color screened, which makes a stunning impact. On the CD itself, I included the stories, times, copyright info, contact info, and "All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication is a violation of all applicable laws."

The back of my CD contains full color artwork, my logo, the story tracks with times, the barcode, contact information and the "All rights reserved" clause. There is also a "compact disc digital audio" stamp. My spine has the code SCP-01, which stands for "Story Connection Productions 01", meaning the first recording.

My replicator is Omni Disc, a company out of Canada. They did a FANTASTIC job and I paid US $978 for 1000 CDs, the cheapest price I have ever found. http://www.omnidisc.net. In addition, their turnaround was phenemonal. Because my graphic artist did such a fantastic job, there were no changes to the final proof. I received personal attention from Omni Disc and their customer service was just incredible. The printed colors were exactly like my proofs.

When you work with a replicator, be sure to ask a lot of questions, read over their forms, follow their specs, and understand their terms. Ask for your shipping costs in advance so that you know what to expect. UPS ground and FedEx ground are very reliable.

One of the things I found helpful was having my own FedEx account. You can easily register for one for free online if you have a credit card. When you ship a FedEx using your account number, it is automatically billed to your credit card. FedEx supplies are free.

When you are creating your CD, here are some things to consider:

1) Overall cost - Add up your costs - recording, editing & mastering, $$ for producer if you hired one, replication costs, shipping, marketing, award submissions, and subtract the cost of promo copies (the copies you give away, send to the media, and submit for awards) . Add all your costs and divide by the total number of CDs that you ordered (minus the number set aside for promotion). This will give you your cost per CD. Now that you know that number, it's easier to set prices when dealing with retailers, wholesalers, distributors and selling them on your own.

2) Order 1000 CDs or cassettes. 1000 CDs or cassettes is usually where you get the best price break. Ordering less will increase your per unit price.

3) For promo copies, hole punch through your bar code. This is industry standard to prevent people from trying to return your CDs to you when they didn't even pay for them. Can you imagine how much $$$ you would be out of pocket then?

4) Keep an inventory. Setting up a spreadsheet can help you tabulate and track your profits and losses. Keep track of the number of promo copies as well as the number you sell.

5) Set up a rate sheet. What is the retail price for your CD? Will you offer bulk discounts? Before you begin negotiating with stores to carry your CD, be sure to have a rate sheet ready so that you don't falter when quoting. 30-40% discount off retail is about the going rate for retailers. They will try to negotiate buying your CDs at the upper end of the discount scale. Be sure to suggest a retail price to retailers who purchase your CDs for resale.

6) Purchase cardboard displays. Having a cardboard display for your CD will allow it to stand out in the store. Check out
http://www.cdstands.com

7) Set up accounts with Amazon.com and CDBaby.com. Amazon.com is not artist or author friendly. They take 60% and you get 40% BUT millions of people will go to Amazon first before anywhere else. There is "prestige" in listing with Amazon. CDBaby was started by Derek Sivers and he is a musician. He looks out for indie artists. CDBaby.com is easy to sign up with. There is a $35 one time processing fee and they ask for five CDs to begin with.

8) Set up a store on your own website so that you can offer your CD for sale. Don't forget shipping and handling. And don't forget to offer sound clips. That can make the difference between a visitor and a customer.

9) Use media mail. Speaking of shipping and handling, the US Post Office offers media mail. If you are sending out a CD, media mail rates are significantly lower than regular rates.

10) Set up a nice table display with your CDs for sale after every show. Don't be shy about announcing it at the end of your program. If you stay quiet, so will your CDs because no one will hear them.

11) Create printed order forms. "Back of the room sales" can boost your performance income by as much 100 200%! When you are performing at a school, offer them enough order forms so that each student takes one home. If you offer the school a percentage of your sales as a fundraiser, they will push your product(s) for you. http://www.brochureplace.com offers 2 sided full color brochures/flyers for the incredible price of $395 (+shipping). That's $.08/copy. Can't beat that for full color!!!!

12) Have a CD release party. I am having several. I am having a holiday CD release party for friends, family, and SUPER clients. I am also having public CD release parties at the children's museum and at a couple of libraries. Provide snacks (and mention food in your invitation) and people will come. Since my CD is "Jambalaya," naturally, I am serving jambalaya.

13) Send out press releases to local, statewide, and national media outlets. Here are a couple of links for FREE press release distribution.
http://www.prweb.com and http://free-press-release.com

14) Send out postcards advertising your CD. Full color postcards are affordable now. I get mine from http://www.vistaprint.com
I have my graphic artist design them and Vistaprint prints them.

15) Submit your CD for awards. There are all kinds of national awards available for recorded media. If anyone is interested, I have a chart available for sale ($10) with 16 different audio awards and reviews. The chart contains information about the award, submission deadlines, fees, submission requirements, and contact information. I have spoken to many of the reviewers personally so the list is pretty accurate. For awards, your release date (the date it "officially" hit the streets) is important. This will determine which award cycle you fall into. Be warned that submitting for awards is not cheap. There are fees involved - anywhere from $75 to $200. If you win an award, most of the awarding organizations will offer you stickers to purchase in addition to licensing. If you want to use their logo or image on your product or promo materials, you have to pay for the rights. But winning an award does give you national credibility and sets you apart.

16) Submit your CD for reviews. Most reviewers (ALA Notable Recordings, Booklist, etc.) want a review copy of your CD upon release. Reviews do not require a fee, usually just a copy or two of your product.

17) Get advance reviews. If you know someone famous or noteworthy who is willing to give your CD an advance review, go for it! A superb advance review can be included in your artwork, before your CD is replicated.

18) Extras like offering to giftwrap and autograph copies can make all the difference in the world. There are beautiful flat paper bags that CDs can be inserted into and the flap folded over and sealed with a sticker. My daughter does this when she sells her handmade jewelry and it is sooo impressive.

19) Reward fans with a little freebie with a CD purchase. A sticker or a tattoo makes all the difference in the world to a kid!

20) Caroll Connolly asked me offlist what to send the replicator. I thought I would respond to the whole list since so many people seem to be interested in this information. First of all, there is a difference between replication and duplication. A replicator will transfer your audio files digitally and the CD face is silk screened. Replication is usually reserved for bulk orders of 1000 or more. You can do replication in less quantity but that means your cost per unit increases significantly. Duplication is transferring your audio files to CD by burning it. You can even do this at home, though not the preferable way if you are producing CDs in any kind of volume. Also, duplicated CDs usually have a label as opposed to having the artwork screened directly onto the CD. There are companies that do short-run duplication. Consider duplication if you are producing a small amount of CDs for promos or demos. Even so, it may still be cheaper to replicate instead of duplicate and it just looks so much more professional. The replication company will generally ask for your artwork files and the audio master. Most companies now accept CDRs as masters and will produce a glass master from the CDR. I sent my artwork on a CD and my audio file on a CD. I sent it FedEx and kept a copy for myself. I have an audio master back up and a copy of my artwork files on CD stored away for safekeeping. I also sent them a color laser copy of my artwork so they could see exactly how the artwork is supposed to appear.
They will most likely ask you to fill out a form specifying:
* type of packaging (jewel case, slim jewel case, double jewel case, paper sleeve, cardboard sleeve, etc.)
* Type of insert (2,4,6 or 8 page insert, color both sides (4/4) or color one side (4/1)
* Tray card (color both sides (4/4) or color one side (4/1)
* Proof
* Barcode
* Shrinkwrap
* Artwork type (Mac, Corel Draw, PC, Photoshop, Illustrator, Quark, etc.)
* CD Face (CMYK [cyan, magenta, yellow, black which are the colors for the four color process], white or silver base [if you are doing a full color screen on your CD face, choose a white base, which will allow the colors to really stand out])
MORE "BACK OF THE ROOM" CD SALES TIPS
1. Bring a friend to assist you when possible. If you have an assistant with you to help handle CD sales, they can handle the bank, open the CDs, and get them ready for your autograph. I have a lot of experience with this and let me tell you, it helps soooo much.
2. Provide a ready-made receipt. If you are marketing to schools and libraries, educators and librarians will need a receipt. Create a simple receipt that has your CD title, date, amount purchase, and the total. You can leave them blank and have them fill it out (like airport taxi drivers do when you ask for a receipt). This will save time.
3. Keep CD openers on hand ($.99 or less at record stores). It helps the autograph line move so much faster. That shrinkwrap is not easy to open!
4. Carry adequate change. Making your CD an even number simplifies banking. Carry $50 - Two 10s, four 5s, and ten 1 dollar bills. If you are selling CDs for $15, you can change those one dollar bills into two 5s.
5. Offer a special - "Buy three and get a five dollar discount. Makes great gifts!!" This will encourage bulk buying.
6. Create an eyecatching display and put CDs in easy reach of the customer. Elevate your CD display when possible so they don't have to stoop to look at it. CDs laying flat on a table are hard to look at and don't get as much attention. You can accomplish this by giftwrapping a tall box with cloth, hot gluing it together. Or use those beautiful boxes they come out with around the holidays - gold, silver and stars are generic. Weight the box down with a bag of pinto beans so it isn't blown over by the wind. Bring your own table cloth and have 2 display signs. One with your CD prices and one with your photo and logo. Merchandising and "window dressing" can make a big difference. If you are performing outside, be aware of the wind. Be sure that your displays can stand up to gusts of wind. Small beanbags can help anchor down those clear plastic display signs.
7. Bring bags for people to put their purchases in, especially if they buy in bulk.
8. Give every customer an order form so that they can pass it on to a friend. Don't forget information about your shows.
9. Have a mailing list sign up sheet at the table. Strongly encourage people to sign up for your mailing list.
AUTOGRAPHING/MEET AND GREET TIPS
1. When autographing, have a prepared "line" that correlates to the theme of your CD. For example, for Jambalaya, my autograph line is "Stories spice up your life! Enjoy listening!" Having a prepared line will help to move the line along so you don't have to think about what to say.
2. Prepare an autograph sheet with numbered blanks for people to print their names. When they get to you, you will have a sheet with the correct spelling of each autographee's name.
3. Be sure to smile and exchange pleasantries with your fans. Ask them what their favorite story or song was, compliment them, talk to them. They remember those things.
4. Keep your show face on. Even if you are just whooped from a 2 hour non-stop set, you were late coming in, you have only had 2 hours of sleep, don't let it show. You can crash in your hotel room or home later.
5. After you autograph the CD, thank your fan by name. It will mean the world to them.
Having product to sell gives you instant credibility and labels you a professional. It also allows you to leave a legacy - a body of work that distinguishes your career as a performer. Yes, it takes an investment of time and money, both of which are always in short supply but it's worth it.
If you are interested in purchasing my CD (someone asked), you may do so on my website at http://www.storyconnection.net/store.htm

21) Having just come off of a major new CD production, my third one, I have been reading this thread with great interest. Of course, and I am serious, anytime Dianne writes something for this list, it's good stuff. Her newsletter is very good and should be crossing everyone's desk, I think. She's offered some really good tips, especially in the area of using your CD's as an important income source. "Working" the back of the room is important and I am glad to see it addressed not as some kind of nefarious evil thing but as a way to financially support ourselves as working tellers. Having a CD for our audiences is a gift for them as well as an
income source.

This time around for my new CD, I just could not afford the traditional way of doing a CD- lots of up front investment, etc. So, I explored some new ways to produce my latest CD, especially with the concept of "on demand" or "just in time" fulfillment. I've put together my article/review of an online service that I think really gets it right. It's a long article so rather than posting the whole thing here, here's the link to find it on our site at Storyteller.net:
http://www.storyteller.net/articles/133

22) One thing I really want with a CD is a listing of the stories for each track -- and I also like it if it tells the approximate time for each one (since I often have to time them to fit into classtime for my students -- can't stay one second past the bell, you know). Graphics to go with that list would be lovely, of course.

23) I have an article on www.storyteller.net that applies here: Alternatives for Producing Your CD.
http://www.storyteller.net/articles/133

24) 'll tell you my recent experience with....should I tell it live VS telling in a studio. Ok, here's what happened. Larry and I were travelling here on that LONG trip to upper state NY. (I'm here at the Adironack College, as I speak) and we listened to some CD's. I really wanted Larry to hear a very funny tall tale teller (not on list, but everyone knows). He was so entertaining and funny at the festival - just the type of humor that Larry would find knee-slapping funny. Well, the teller did the stories in a studio. There were no laugh tracks and quite frankly, his timing was off. He really needed an audience to give him the feedback to build on his humor. The stories were mildly amusing, but not nearly knee-slapping. Then someone gave me a Jerry Clower tape. I've never heard him in person, but I thought what the hey. We laughed ourselves silly in the car. The man is a master....but he did his stories live. He waited and baited his audience and milked every joke. Now, teller #1 did the same thing in live performance...but not in the studio. So here is my sage advice - if you are taping stories and want to elicit laughs, have it taped live. You may a have to do this at several concerts to get the one that is CD quality. If you want to tell stories that are more serious and want the quality of voice and recording top notch - do it in a studio.
Response: I'd say even the serious ones are best live, too. If you tell them after the comic ones, you'll benefit from the audience being there even if they remain silent. I think it is possible to do a reasonable job in a studio (my pop-up story on my website of The Parrot's Prayer HAD to be done in a studio). But it is harder. Don't worry too much about the occasional fluffing of a line. Miracles can be done by a good sound engineer when editing.
http://www.talesandmusic.de

25) As of today, we've been a month in the recording studio and still have at least one more session scheduled. It's sounding great, even though we made the major mistake of working with a studio guy who had NO experience with storytelling. So, it has been a true labor. Now, we are at the mixing and mastering phase, and our studio guy asked if w would consider putting his label logo on the CD. We are reluctant to do so, because 1) we want our own logo on it and 2) it is unclear to us just what this means. does this entitle him to anything?He also mentioned "publishing" the CD through his distributor. BMI, I think. Do we want this? Also, we are planning to use Omnidisc for the replication. They will put the barcode on the CD. But do they assign it, or do we have to apply? And, if we do, how? And what about ISBN? Why would we want it? I googled ISBN and found the application.
Response: BMI is not a distributor, it's a royalty enforcer. If you register your stuff with BMI, you're supposed to get a microscopic royalty payment every time it is played on the air, at a restaurant, etc. BMI stuff collects fees from the places where BMI material is played (your recordings or live covers) and fwd a portion to the original artists. Sounds good, but -- BMI fees have a chilling effect on performance venues, many of which have quit hiring live performers for fear they might do BMI material which would make the venue liable for the fees. When our local storyteller group did Tellabration! at the Community Center theater last November, the site contract included a clause forbidding use of BMI material. (There are websites to check before picking a song!) You probably want a "distributor" or a "publisher" which will market your stuff, handle sales, etc. Let us know if you find one!
Response: We have a set of ISBN numbers which we got for some self-publishing we did a few years back. They come in sets of 10. This makes you a Publisher. ISBNs help book stores keep track of your stuff. We think ISBN is appropriate for spoken word.
Response: Thanks for all your advice. So we just apply and the #s are sent to us and then we send them to the replicator? We've been concentrating on getting the stories and music done, and now on laying down the background music and mixing. We haven't really put much time into these other questions. BTW, we've spent 22 hours in the studio so far. We've mixed 3 stories with lots of music. Next time, we'll mix 2 more and get music behind 3 more stories. All the stories have music integrated into them and we have friends playing background music. I think it'll be great sounding once we're done. But I know understand why folks change so much for a CD!!

26) Query: I know that we have gone through this before, but I am getting ready to cut CD's. Where do you have your duplication done? On line? Local? Cost for 1000? Any information would be appreciated.
Response: We used Omnidisc in Toronto on the recommendation of Dianne de Las Cases. $978 plus shipping for 1000. We were happy overall. Had a delay in the beginning due to an error on their part, but they made up the time lost and we got our CDs in a little more than 2 weeks. Find them at www.omnidisc.net
Response: Did you have your disks Replicated or Duplicated? What is the difference between CD Replication and CD Duplication? I know that replication they make their own master and they record off another disk for Duplication, but is there a difference in quality with the two? Difference in Cost?
Response: We had them replicated. By the time we finished in the studio, and with artist and graphic designer and photographer, it would not have made sense, cost-wise to go for anything less than 1000. Duplication is more expensive--we were quoted prices of over $3 per disc. So with replication at Omnidisc, we got them for about a dollar per disc. Even with that, we figure our cost per disc at about $3.75 or more--if we keep on submitting it for awards.

27) Query: What is the difference between CD Replication and CD Duplication? I know that replication they make their own master and they record off another disk for Duplication, but is there a difference in quality with the two?
Response: The following applies to both CDs & DVDs: Duplication is usually referred to as "burning" because it uses the heat of a laser to change the reflectivity of a dye layer in a "recordable" disk. This is the kind of copying you do in your own computer, either from files on your hard drive or from another disk. If you send that original disk off for quantity copying, you could consider it a "master disk." Producing professional quality, true master disks or tapes is several rungs up the production ladder. Companies that offer short-run duplication (like Omnidisc), use that same burning principle, but with multi-bay (6+) burners operating at more than 50 times real time. That means a 50-minute audio disk will copy in one minute. For audio CDs, this is adequate because the CD specification has been around long enough, and is simple enough, that MOST audio CD players will play even these duplicated disks. Some very very early players may have difficulty, but they usually only show up in garage sales.
[[ NOTE, this is probably NOT true of DVDs, especially those burned at more than 2X. The DVD specification is ridiculously complex and many set-top players have great difficulty with duplicated DVDs copied at anything more than 1X. AND this will all get worse when the dual-layer burners get popular! ]]

Replication is a complicated manufacturing process that cuts a glass master using the data from your original tapes or master disks, uses that to create a metal stamping master which stamps plastic substrates in a large hydraulic mold. These substrates now have actual physical "dimples" where the data is (as opposed to a variously reflective dye layer in a duplicated disk). The dimpled disk is then coated with a microscopically thin reflective metal layer and sandwiched with a clear, protective plastic layer. Companies like Discmakers
( http://www.discmakers.com ) only do replication. Omnidisc also does replication. If your project requires it, these completed disks are then printed (usually silk-screened for a commercial product) and packaged. The art work for the labels and inserts can be a major project on its own! You usually only go the full route if your market analysis - or unbridled optimism :-> - shows a definite expected profit after expenses and carefully calculated minimum sales.

28) Query: The reason I'm writing is a member of our small but active Ann Arbor Storytellers' Guild, recently proposed that we produce a CD. Her suggestion was met with a lot of enthusiasm by our members. There have been a number of threads on recording CDs over the years, but I don't remember a group project. Has anyone had any experience of this sort? Even if you don't, comments and suggestions are welcome.
Response: We started to do this a year ago at River and Prairie Storyweavers, and met with several problems.
1. The initial cost for recording if you are going to do a professional recording
2. Doing artwork for the jewel case
3. Determining if there really was a market to sell the CD
4. Who do you have on the CD. This may have been the final blow. Do you just have the professional storytellers? Open it to anyone who wants to record? What if the recording is really bad? how do you sell a product like that? How do you keep from hurting feelings? We just dropped the project.
Response: The Jonesborough Storytellers Guild has just completed a CD. I created that guild in 94 but am no longer a member so I'm not "up to snuff" on the details.
Visit
http://www.storytellersguild.org or Email leonpam1@aol.com with questions.
Response: Several years ago I organised the production of a Guild audio-tape (not a CD) but I expect some of the issues are the same. I invited all who were interested in being included in the project to (1) prepare and practice a story they loved (in their own way) until it was the best they could perform it; (2) select a story that would take between 5 and 10 minutes (max) in length.

I was able to make an arrangement with a small community radio station for the group to come into the studio at an appointed time to record the stories. The technician was so delighted in being involved with this exercise that he went out of his way to make it a success. We recorded our stories one after another with minimal retakes. The technician did some minor editting, prepared the master. I then selected the order in which the stories should appear and wrote a brief script for a narrator to use to introduce each story. On a separate occasion, the technician then recorded the narration added some music and/or sound effects that faded in and out between the stories and placed stories in order.

We used our own Guild Logo as the main image for the Audio tape cover along with a simple inclusive title: Stories Old and New. The inside cover included the details of Story Title, Name of Teller, Source of Story ... acknowledgements to the Radio Station ... and a short blurb about the Guild and how to contact it. The cover was prepared on an ordinary computer, taken to a local printeer and was printed in a single colour (green) on 110 gms paper (cream).

He recommended a place that would do copies at a reasonable rate (100 at a time) so that we, at no time, were left with a huge number of unsold tapes. We were all pleased with the final product ... and, in fact, another guild who had produced their tape with much more recording and re-recording and at considerably greater expense ... were most complimentary of our finished audio-tape.

We repeated the exercise a couple of years later using the same technician who (by this time had all his equipment in a mobile van) and was able to do the recording in the home of one of our members with similar success. The way I see it, our success was due to (1) trusting the tellers to come with their story fully prepared, knowing there would be no second chance; (2) having the other tellers in full view so that each teller had an appreciative if silent audience; (3) using an enthusiastic technician (rather than a topnot professional) who charged a very modest fee for his services; (4) having no studio fee; (5) designing our own cover. From memory, the overall cost per tape was around $A2.50. We sold them for $A7.50 ea.

It proved a great exercise for us as a group ... and only last week I met a lady who bought one of our first tapes. She knows the stories by heart and still plays them in her car. I would recommend the process to any group ... not just for the stories but for the learning process involved and the bonding between people that happened along the way.

29) Query: To all of you with CDs, I have two questions.
1. Can you recommend a good place to duplicate/replicate large quantities of CDs? I remember this question was asked recently but can't find the discussion.
2. What exactly is the difference between duplication and replication? which one is preferable?
Granny Sue
Response: We used Omnidisc in Toronto. Their site is
http://www.omnidisc.net
Dianne De Las Cases recommended them. We were pleased with the result. Duplication is good for small numbers. Replication will get you 1000 CDs. As for the technical differences, I cede the floor to someone more knowledgeable.
Carol C.
Response:
Do you want packaging for sales at stores and events?
Will you be transporting and/or shipping small quantities?
Do you prefer paper over plastic?
Can you prepay a 1000 copy order?
We answered "yes" to all four of those questions and chose Disc Makers digipak format for our first CD. We were pleased and have gone back to them for our second CD, which will be released next month.
http://www.discmakers.com
Tom F.
Response: I would probably go with duplication just for two reasons:
1. Cost - You may spend less per CD to have them replicated, but the upfront cost is pretty high. I would rather pay a little more per CD than have a couple thousand dollar up front cost.
2.Storage - CDs take up space - maybe not a lot, but space. I get a couple hundred done at a time and store them in a suitcase type thing. I take small quantities with me when I go anywhere.

On another note, I go with the slim jewel cases instead of the regular style. You need less contents for J cards and they take up less space. I would not recommend the cardboard/paper ones. I have seen them after folks travel with them a lot and they tend to get a little scruffy if you are not careful. The plastic jewel cases are sturdier for carrying around as you go from gig to gig.

If you can, be sure and get the art you want instead of settling for your cover. Spend the $$ here instead of replication. Make it attractive so it will sell on the sales table. Get a little color on the cover, make it attractive. Take your camera out and take lots of pictures close to home with you in them. Show them to friends who will give you honest opinions.
Stephen H.
Response: While some prefer duplication, I prefer replication. If you are planning on selling small quantities, then duplication could work for you. But if you are planning on pursuing distribution (my CDs are carried by several institutional catalogs), then ordering a larger amount, which affords you a price break, is better. When you sell stageside, you keep a larger amount of the profit. But when you start dealing with distribution, major catalogs and retailers will ask for a 40-50% discount off retail. Let's say one CD unit costs $5 each ($2 for artwork & production and $3 for duplication). If you are discounting to a retailer for 50% of $15.99, then you are selling your CD for $8. That leaves only $3 profit (out of which your marketing, PR, and office admin budget comes).

I used OmniDisc.net with great success for both of my CDs. I will use them again for my next CD. Their cost is less than $999 for 1000 replicated CDs with a 4 panel insert (color front & back, B&W inside), full color tray card, full color spine, full color silk screened CD face, jewel case, and free UPC code. DiscMakers and Oasis are also reputable and produce quality work (I found them a little more costly than OmniDisc). Many people now are also opting for enhanced CDs, which allow you to add digital files to the CD, making the CD playable in your computer as a video, slide show, mp3 files, etc. A friend of mine went with DiskMakers and had her CD enhanced with 10 minutes of video. Her CD came out so cool. Her CD is now also usable as both an audio and video demo for potential presenters.

Both duplication and replication have their advantages and disadvantages. But I'm with Tom -- if you can afford to put out the larger amount of money for replication, it's worth doing. I hustle to sell my CDs so that I won't have overage in inventory. My Jambalaya CD will go into its second printing very soon. What also drives sales is awards and reviews in national publications.

If you are planning on selling small quantities, then duplication could work for you. But if you are planning on pursuing distribution (my CDs are carried by several institutional catalogs), then ordering a larger amount, which affords you a price break, is better. When you sell stageside, you keep a larger amount of the profit. But when you start dealing with distribution, major catalogs and retailers will ask for a 40-50% discount off retail. Let's say one CD unit costs $5 each ($2 for artwork & production and $3 for duplication). If you are discounting to a retailer for 50% of $15.99, then you are selling your CD for $8. That leaves only $3 profit (out of which your marketing, PR, and office admin budget comes).
Dianne de
Response: This is so true. We are now selling our CD stageside for $15/2 for $28. We figure the cost (to us) per CD was $3.87. After we pay NYS sales tax, we gross $13.86 per CD. From that you have to subtract the $3.87 initial costs ( which include submitting for 2 awards). and now our net profit is $9.99.

However, we are currently selling the CD through 7 locals book stores. They want a 40% discount, so that brings our net profit down to $8.99- $3.87, or $5.12. We are now also listed in several wholesalers catalogs and on CDBaby.com. They also want a 40% discount ( CDBaby takes $5 and you get the rest).

We started on June 6, 2004 with 20 boxes of CDs. 1000 in all. We had sold or given away promo copies or sent for awards or reviews more than 25% of them in the first 6 months. And we were more that half way to making back our initial investment. And that was before the Holiday Gift-giving push. We are already planning the next CD and will go for replication.

Granny Sue, with your telling schedule and your visibility at festivals and conferences, I'd go for replication. and whoever said the cover art is important--was right! We spent $500 for our cover art--our artist has worked for Disney and Golden Books. Our cover is really eye-catching. We think it helps sell the CD.

Good luck with your decision making. And with your sales!!!
Carol C.

30) Query: I am ready to have my "Scarry Stuff" CD duplicated. I have decided to go with Disk Factory. I can get 100 CD's with 4 side cover, back, tray artwork and printed disk and shrink wrap for $300. There is some reduction for 500 copies. This sounds like the type of thing I can handle without doing 2-3000 copies. Has anyone tried this outfit?
You can check it out at
http://www.diskfactory.com
Response: I have been given the same company as a recommendation from a musician friend. The costs are pretty good. I will probably use them next time too.
Stephen H.

31) I just looked at Disk Makers site (1/27/05)
http://www.discmakers.com
and Omnidisc is still the cheapest around at less that $1000 for 100 CDs.
Carol C.

32) I was asked to provide websites for the replication resources I mentioned.
OmniDisc - http://www.OmniDisc.net
Discmakers - http://www.discmakers.com
Oasis CD - http://www.oasiscd.com
I personally use OmniDiscc but have received information from from the other two. I also have friends who have had good success with both Discmakers and Oasis.
Dianne de

33) I used a local company for my CD replication, and really appreciated being able to go into their office and talk to people face to face. Their prices seemed reasonable, and comparable to other companies. However, I am finding selling the CD's a real drag. Even when I get a rousing, affirmative reaction to my programs, and I announce that I have a CD available, it is rare that I sell any. Sometimes I sell one or two. I have sold two on Amazon.com, none on CD Baby.com, none from my own website. My church has them for sale in its bookstore, and I even did a special performance after church. The performance was enthusiastically received, but no one bought the CD! People who have bought the CD (or to whom I have given one) have said they really like it, and their children ask for it often, so I think the product is good. I have an attractive cover in full color, and when I perform I offer the CD for only $10. I've even won a national award--not the most prestigious one, but one I'm happy to advertise nonetheless.

SO, after all that, my next CD will be duplicated. If I wait until I've sold enough of my current one to pay for my investment, it might be five years before I can make another. I have ideas for a couple of CD's. But I will only get about 100 duplicated and not plan on making a lot of money.
Judith W.
Reponse: You raise a lot of good issues. I've sold enough of mine word-of-mouth to cover my production costs for my first very limited run. So I think I apprached this in a safe way for the first try. I too do not want to have too many on hand. Storage is an issue always at my house. I prefer to do several different ones with limited copies to sell. So I'm looking for a place I can do 250 or so at a time, that way I don't sink a lot into it and I can have a variety of products available. I don't plan to do extensive marketing, prefering to offer at performances, etc. I don't expect to make a lot of money from there, but I do want them available and to be able to give them to schools, libraries, etc where I perform.
Granny Sue
Response: This is why I'm going with the 100-200 runs. I can do them for $3.00 a disk with all artwork, jewel box and shrink wrap and I think that I can make up the cost in the first run.
Response: I thought what you wrote was interesting. Do you think it is perhaps that the stories, once told, now live on in the imaginings of the listener? . . . some listeners, therefore feel no need for the CD.
Who are the purchasers of storyteller CD's and why? I know the answers may seem obvious - but still . . .
Mary K.
Response: What a good, positive thought! Actually I prefer that parents NOT sit their children down with a CD (or worse yet, a video), but instead use the CD as a model to tell their own stories to their children. I even state this on my insert. Most of my CD's have, however, been purchased by parents or grandparents, plus a couple of libraries. One parent told me she uses it as a wind-down activity before bedtime. Several have said they listen to it in the car. Thanks for your suggestion. Maybe I don't realy WANT to sell my CD, and that subconscious thought comes through somehow!
Judith W.
Response: Questions I often ask, too. Do kids ever buy CDs? I don't do that many gigs in other schools but I don't even mention the CDs. Do others sell at school gigs? As for adults, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with the enthusiasm of the audience. After a great performance (he said modestly) I can be surrounded by people clamouring to press their Euros onto me, or I can stand by the stage in splendid isolation as happy faces file out of the theatre with their money still firmly in their pocket. I'm not sure what triggers that urge to buy or not.
One point is probably the finesse or lack of it with which I tell the audience they have the chance to buy a CD. I prefer to sell them myself rather than just from an anonymous table staffed by someone else at the back. I often use a short story-type ad. to do that. I always invite people to come up to talk as well - so it doesn't seem as if my motives are only pecuniary.
Another point is to sell during the interval, if there is one. After the show most people are thinking of going home rather than hanging around.
Any other ideas about bottling? (is "bottling" used in other countries in this context? An old friend, Major Mustard, used to be the bottler for Taffy Thomas.)
Richard M.
Response: Bottling is a bit of a different situation, but it may give some tips. With bottling you are actually going up to individuals and asking for money, needing 'bottle' to do so. Buskers need to bottle because they aren't actually selling things and their audience can melt away, having not bought tickets. Bottling is usually done during the show, while people are still engaged, or so smoothly afterwards that people haven't realised it's finished. But apart from that, there are skills which buskers use to get the money flowing. One is to make it very clear that 'this is how I make my living' (i.e. I'm not just playing around on the street for nothing, and you've just seen entertainment that's worth paying for). That's certainly worth storytellers making clear - that buying a CD will keep me in bread and water for another day. The other obstacle to battle against is the tendency of audiences to chuck a couple of paltry coins at them, but that's not an issue when selling CDs.

Buskers tend to use humour to get these points across, and to 'trick' people into giving money. One classic ruse is while everyone is still involved in the show to ask them to all raise their hands into the air. When everyone has finally joined in, get them to slowly in unison lower their hands, 'lower, lower, into your trouser pocket....and bring out all your money and put it in this hat.' This is relevant for storytellers because of the principle of getting people to participate and experience or imagine themselves getting their money out before realising what they are doing (thereby having the chance to resist). Storytellers can use the same principle by using story to sweep people into the experience of getting money out or having the need to buy a CD. For instance you could, for older listeners, before ending the show or letting people know that it's ending, lower your voice and in a tone of warning announce that 'many recently have told of a monster stalking these very streets that grabs your heart. (gasp!) The only way to protect yourself is to have a shield made especially for your heart and clasp it to you as you leave the building. But how many of you thought to bring one? Don't worry, out of my great desire to save you from a terrible fate I have brought enough shields for you all, and best of all they have a CD inside of me telling stories, to keep your spirits up too, only 12 pounds at the door. Thank you and good night!'

This is like a tall tale or a joke - it seduces people in before they know what is coming and makes them laugh at themselves for being tricked, if the punchline is delivered sharply. You do have to forget about any reluctance or shame about asking for their money - an obstacle many people have, but making it into a joke makes it palatable for both teller and audience. And, as I said, if you do it right you have got people imagining themselves needing/buying/getting the CD before they even know what it is - that is a powerful help in overcoming people's inertia, and the pleasure at the joke overcomes people's hardnosed reluctance to be sold stuff.

It would also help to have the skills of a market trader, for actually manning the CD table, reaching out to people and involving them, creating a buzz rather than just letting them stand in a queue or wander past. The main selling should have been done before they get there, by creating the desire actually in the show, but the job of actually getting them to queue and hand over the money can still involve a bit excitement or seduction. Special offers of course won't go amiss, and they can even be imaginary. You could shout that the price here is cheaper than in the shops etc. But you could also make it part of the story experience and call out to people that these particular CDs are the very ones found in the dragon's lair, King's treasury, whatever was mentioned in your earlier stories.

Of course you could get really dastardly and tell half a cliff-hanger short story in the show then tell people that there's no time to finish it but the ending is on the CD for sale.
Tim S.
Response: "bottling" is a new term to me -- but I like it. I would think that teachers would buy CDs. We certainly did with the Poetry Alive group. I used to staff the book table sometimes for Larry Shles, which left him free to chat and sign autographs on his Squib books. He'd pay me with a free book.

34) I found that cafepress.com offered a good alternative to producing 100's of CD's at a time. Here's the article at storyteller.net:
http://www.storyteller.net/articles/133
Sean B.

35) I buy lots of CDs. As they say at festivals, it's the best way to take the storytellers home with me, or at least the way I can best afford. I do most of my listening in the car, and it makes driving so much nicer! I sometimes listen with the "greats," and they almost memorized Mike Anderson's "Riding Trees." Often, though, the youngest ones would rather be listened to than listen, and that's fine with me as well. Once, when I hadn't put any tapes in the car, Stephen said, "That's o.k. We have a storyteller with us." I pointed out that we had THREE storytellers
Mary G.

36) Carol and Don Connolly have done a phenomenal job of marketing their CD. I receive their wonderful monthly email and they work hard at pushing their CDs. If you want national exposure and visibility, you have to do the legwork. This means actively pursuing retailers, online merchants, and catalog distributors. It also means submitting your CD for national awards and reviews. Every time your CD wins an award or honor, it's time to send out a press release. If you were to hire a PR agent to do this for you, you would spend $1500 or more + expenses per month! I know several people who have gone that route. Storytelling CDs are a harder sell than music CDs because many people are not familiar with storytelling in an audio format. It means you have to hustle twice as hard. This is where institutional sales are great. Libraries and schools are familiar with spoken word audio and will order multiple copies for their institutions. I just boxed a 30 CD order to an online educational catalog distributor.

The great thing about CD sales is that it's residual income. If don't just sell at performances, you have the potential to receive checks in the mail everyday. I love checking my mail box because of that! I also keep CDs in my car. I never know who I will meet. Earlier this week, I met a lady at a store. She bought both of my CDs for her 8 year old son after talking to me. My teen daughter always complains because I constantly tell her, "Run to the car..." She replies, "Mom, I know. Get your CDs." I would carry them in my purse but I bang my purse around too much and they crack.

When selling to schools, I offer schools my CDs as a fundraiser. They sell my CDs in advance and collect the money. They keep 20% and write me a check. I bring the CDs to the school on the day I perform. The awards I have won definitely have contributed to CD sales.

If anyone is interested, I have an Audio Awards/Reviews Chart with over 15 places to submit your CD with contact information, fees, dates, etc. You may order it from my website at http://www.storyconnection.net/store.htm
Most of the award organizations charge a fee but if you win, it's worth it. In addition, stickers and licensing the organization's logo are extra. Submission of a CD is not a guarantee that it will win but you can't win unless you try.

Marketing and selling CDs is another dimension to being a professional performer. Having product to sell legitimizes you and extends your longevity. Long after you have left the stage, your fans will be listening to your CDs. Your stories will live on.
Dianne de

37) I have found someone who will make very small quantities (starting at 1!) for a very small amount of money. (The amount depends on your packaging, whether you want shrink-wrapping, etc.) Her price is generally only a dollar or two per CD higher than you'd pay if you had 500 or 1000 made. Another bonus: she'll make the copies and send them wherever you want. So, if you need 20 sent directly to your next booking, you just email or call her, she makes them and ships them - and that's that!

She will charge you a one-time fee for setting up a master for your sound files and your artwork, which depends on what format you have this all in, etc. If you have a CD master and computer files for the artwork, this fee will be fairly small.

For a very reasonable fee, she also will create a CD from your cassette, and even adapt your artwork for the new CD format.

The only downside is that she's still starting out and doesn't have a really large capacity yet. So she's not advertising for new clients at this point. She's conscientious, and won't take on more clients than she know she can service well.

She's doing all of my duplication and shipment work, and I can't recommend her too highly. She's also been doing some work for Tersi Bendiberg and Jane Cunningham in Georgia.

If you're interested in "applying" to have her take you on as a client, email me off-line at doug@storydynamics.com. I feel very protective of her, and want her to have clients who will appreciate her work.
Doug L.

38) This is not a recommendation. Came as an e-mail. Posted here for info only.
Power Media CD Tech Int’l Co.,Ltd.
8F, NO.17, Lane 174,Shin Ming Rd., Neihu, Taipei , Taiwan R.O.C.
Tel:886-2-87919778 Fax:886-2-27926917
To Whom it concern,
We specialized in CD-ROM and DVD replication in different sizes, and shapes.
Need the lowest price? No problem. Power Media CD Tech Int’l Co., Ltd can offer the most competitive pricing for any CD & DVD duplication project without sacrifice to quality or service. Power Media CD Tech Int’l Co. ,Ltd offers the highest quality.
Search our web site www. Supalife.com.tw for our product and pricing information directly or call us at 886-2-87919778 for more information and a specific quote for the project that best fits your needs.
Jenny Chi
Power Media CD Tech Int’l Co., Ltd
Tel : 886-2-87919778#51
Fax: 886-2-27926917

39) As you all know, I am completing my production of CDs with the third CD being finished in the Art Phase. My Kids Story CD "The Wide Mouth Frog" is in production now.

I am using Diskfaktory ( http://www.diskfaktory.com )to reproduce my disks. The cost is about $3.00 per disk with full artwork and shrink wrap. They have just announced a deal for those who need more than 100, that they will do 1000 for $1490.00. That is just $1.50 a copy and I have been pleased with the work so far. It usually takes only about a week for them to produce the disks.
Steve O. 5/21/05
•••••

39) Recording cassette stories onto CDs
Response: I have just completed mastering a Cd for one of our Toronto storytellers.
Certainly tape is not an option for a professional job. It is difficult to transfer to digital format and time-consuming having to re-record in real time and then having to clean up the artefacts that are introduced into the sound. What I discovered was that, while it is possible to record directly to PC that required a lot more equipment to carry to the site than I wanted. Even a laptop was too bulky for easy use. Also, I found it difficult to achieve the level of control that was necessary for a CD quality recording. I looked at the portable digital devices (like the iPod) but I was disappointed to discover that the iPod (for example) records ONLY in mono mode and not stereo and the sampling rate is far below CD standards. These devices were designed primarily as memo recorders where sound quality isn't really an issue!

Minidisc is the best solution... It is very compact (the recorder will fit in a shirt pocket), it is 100% digital, records in full stereo and is compatible with some excellent microphones. A couple of cautions! There are several generations of MD machines and not all of them have microphone inputs...you would also want the most current models of Hi-MD recorders since they have the best software and utilities to transfer your recordings to your computer when you get home. Two hours of storytelling transferred to my hard drive in seconds where I could edit and burn the CD. After doing the recording during the evening. I had the CD produced before the night was over.
Meryl A. 8/18/05
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Response: The most accessible technology to transfer Analogue audio (voice, instruments, cassette tape etc) into a digital format (CD, MP3, Computer Wave format etc) is arguably a computer. Either a PC or a MAC, it doesn't really matter. Either a desktop (cheaper and more accessible to most people) or a laptop (more expensive and far more mobile/portable).

There are a number of 'shareware' programs one can download from the Internet to do this. This means they're free to evaluate, and have a nominal licence cost to buy. Try Super MP3 Recorder and LAPSAudio MP3 Recorder. Don't let the MP3 in the title put you off, both of these will record to WAV or Wave Format, which is used on std audio CD's.

Then it's a case of hooking up a tape recorder (headphone or preferably line-out jack) to the computer (line-in jack on the soundcard). Open up the recording program - start recording - hit play on the tape deck - and save the files to your computer disk. Once the files are recorded, you'll need a writeable CD drive (CD-R/RW) and a program to write CD's. Here Nero is arguably the best package, although Roxio is well known too. I know that most new Mac's come with an application to 'burn' CD's. Windows Media Player (from version 9) and Apple's iTunes will also do this for you.

Simply arrange the files, or tracks, on the CD window in the order you want them. You should be able to get 74 mins on an average CD. And click the 'burn' button. NOTE: Ensure you use CD-R discs, not CD-RW. The -R (or write once) are compatible with most CD players. However, the -RW's (re-writeable) aren't.

Having said all this, there are three other options available, which although more expensive, hence less accessible, are a LOT easier:
1) Record directly onto computer. Rather than recording to tape, then re-recording (in real time) to computer, you can record with a microphone directly to a computer. This will miss out at least one step, not to mention quality loss due to tape speeds, analogue conversion etc. Obviously laptops are handy here.

2) Record onto a Mini-Disc player. These are players, predominantly produced by Sony, that record onto a 'mini-disc' which is like a CD, but smaller. The benefit here is that the recording is already digital, and can be transferred at high speed onto the computer through a Firewire or USB connection. Although you still need to transfer the file, this step will be a lot quicker than re-recording from tape; far better quality, and can be transferred onto CD without need for conversion.

3) Record onto a portable digital device - E.g. PocketPC, Palm, iPod (with accessory), Archos Gmini etc. Similar to the mini-disc, except that you can burn directly from the device once you hook it up to the computer. (The computer simply sees it as another hard drive) This is the most portable option, and you can do all the things you could with a tape recorder on the devices (edit files, rewind, insert etc).
Roger 8/18/05
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Response: Great advice so far - I'll just add a few points:
There's nothing to stop you have the various people use different methods of recording - those who have minidisc recorders or stereo MP3 recorders could use them and those with cassettes could stick with those. At least that way you save some time by getting some digital files. Once they're on your computer they are all treated the same. Of course the qualities will vary, and that might be distracting but perhaps no more than having mediocre quality all the way through from using cassettes. Or you could find a minidisc and decent microphone and just pass it around to each speaker.

Another factor, just as important for quality, is recording the voices properly. Recording well requires some care and technical nous. Firstly the quality of microphone available to someone who happens to have an old cassette recorder, especially if it's the built-in condenser mic, is likely to be very poor. The cassette recorder probably won't have been degaussed ever, nor the heads cleaned for far too long, degrading the clarity too. Secondly the position of the microphone relative to the person, the style of speaking and breathing (beware breathing on the microphone), person's movements etc. all make a big difference - it takes trial recordings to find out what works, audio appreciation to know when it works, and discipline to keep positions arranged and voice consistent during the reading. Thirdly the recording level needs to be optimum, which again requires trial recordings and playback to check on. Most portable cassette facilities will have automatic level control that perhaps can't be overridden, which at least prevents recordings being far too quiet but can end up amplifying background noise to a horrible degree if the person isn't speaking closely or loudly enough, and won't prevent a loud voice or suddenly loud words from distorting. Most people have little knowledge about setting recording levels, if they are manually adjustable, but if they are too high or low the recording quality will be dramatically reduced, probably to the point of being unusable. Another factor that will change the sound of each recording is the size and type of room each person records in, especially if the microphone isn't right next to the mouth - the changes will be very obvious when the recordings are all compiled. The microphone should be quite close to the mouth to avoid boomy rooms making the words muddy and hard to distinguish.

It all depends on how much the quality is an issue. The CD will show up all the flaws, but voice recordings can still be understandable and enjoyable when noisy. Distortion from too high a volume is more of a problem though, being uncomfortable to listen to or even rendering the words unintelligible.

Personally I would distribute a sheet of guidelines to all who are recording, calling attention to the problems of being too close or far from the microphone, changing the volume of voice radically, and insisting on a trial recording that is played back (preferably on a hifi) to check levels and sound quality before going ahead. That should at least prevent any recordings being unusable.

If you want to get into basic audio editing to clean up some noise etc. then 'Clean' is a great programme to use and not expensive. It used to be by Roxio but might not be now. It is designed to capture audio from records, cassettes etc and apply automatic cleaning to improve the sound and remove scratches etc. - but not as well as recording well in the first place! It can remove some tape hiss, and also has basic editing for chopping the recording into tracks, snipping off silences etc. This programme's great too for recording your old vinyl and turning it into CDs, so it might be worth having.

Finally, before you burn the CD make sure you have brief silent pauses between each track - some software does this by default anyway. And your final task is to 'normalise' the tracks. This will be especially important if taking recordings from various sources, as you are. It is an automatic way of adjusting the volume levels of each track so that they are roughly equal to each other, which means someone listening to the CD won't have to continually turn the volume up and down for every track. Some CD burning software, including the Clean I mentioned above, has this facility. Or you can use a free high quality utility called MP3Gain from http://mp3gain.sourceforge.net Whatever you use, it must be done only as the last editing task before CD burning.

Oh, one last caveat - if you are dealing with mp3 files, don't edit and save them repeatedly because each time the sound quality is degraded. Convert them to the lossless WAV format, which is what is needed for the final burn to CD anyway. You'll need over 700mb of free disk space to hold the tracks for a full CD, plus at least a couple of times that for editing tasks.
Tim S. 8/19/05
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Response: The one thing no one seems to have addressed is taking the tapes to a studio and having them duped onto a CD master. I pay $75 an hour for studio time and straight duping time should be less than that. It addition if you want to clean up the recording they could do that immediately.
Steve O. 8/19/05
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40) QUERY: Well, I'm about to produce my first two Storytelling CD's, one of general stories and one Christmas Album. I've got the recording studio selected we've done some tests. I've a wonderful guitarist for some accompaniment. I'm going to do an audio track and a music track my recording studio will mix them and arrange the album. So, now I've got a referral on producing the duplicates for sale. I'm interviewing AudioAndMedia.com. Steven's great at customer service, so here's the question.

I can have 1000 CD's made which includes, Glass CD master, 4 page 4/1 Folder and 4/1 clear tray (4-color printing on one side and one color on the inside) Up to 3 colors on the CD, PDF proofs and physical proofs for paper
print, Shrink-wrapped, UPC bar code, that annoying tape at the top that seals CD's with the title and bar code, all for about $1.50 each, but it comes in orders of 1000! 1000!!!!, for each album, xmas and regular.
Is that too many to order, or do they eventually all sell?
Thanks for any advice on this.
John McG. 12/31/05
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Response: When I did my first CD's this year, I found a place on the Internet that would do the same package you got and produce them in lots of 100. The cost is more, $2.99 instead of $1.50 but I did not want to get overburdened with inventory. So far in six months I have sold about 200 out of the four hundred ordered. The turn around time is about six days for reorder, so I would rather spend a little more initially and not have to worry about having them there for my grandchildren to sell. The old order system had 5000-10000 minimums to get a reasonable price. So be prepared for cost cuts again in the future.
Steve O. 12/31/05
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Response: I ordered 1000 of my CD, thinking I could easily sell enough to make back my investment, then the rest would be pure profit. But in order to sell CD's, you need to market them. I have mine at Amazon (I sell about 2 a year!) and CD BAby (haven't sold any through them), at some local stores (have only sold a handful). I sell a few each time I perform for a mixed-age group that includes the parents, but since many of my performances are for schools, I don't sell at those performances. I got my CD two years ago, and still haven't made back my original investment.

I want to produce three additional CD's, and know exactly what I want to put on them, but next time I will get fewer CD's and make less profit on each one.

I don't know if other storytellers have similar experience with selling CD's. I have to admit that I don't work very hard at selling them. I could probably sell a lot more if I had someone sell them for me after performances instead of trying to handle it myself. Also, if I were better known I might have better luck selling them.

I give a lot of mine away for publicity.
Judith W. 12/31/05
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Response: If you are looking for a small run, Cafepress.com can do them in groups of 1's if you wish. Like Steve said though, the smaller the run the higher the cost per unit.

What is your goal: to make some $$$, to get your stories in the hands of people, to pass them out to friends, to use as promotional items, to create that monument to yourself as many do (I think that's why I did it initially - immortality! at least until the technology changes...). Your goal should dictate the number you make. 1000 CDs can be a bunch. Of course you can easily make them into clocks or those thingies you set your cup on. I've even seen performers use them as Christmas Tree ornaments (sorry for being politically incorrect by mentioning the holiday).

The first 100 are easy, the second hundred is more difficult unless you are performing a lot in places that will sell well. Schools are not usually the place to sell; festivals can be. Workshops aren't bad. I have had little success selling through the internet. The sales of my recording through Amazon, CdBaby, Orchard, and even my own website are atrociaous. My sales come mainly through shows and workshops. Granted, I work a lot for a full time teacher.

Good luck. Putting out a product is exhilerating, I still feel a thrill whenever I am working on a project and see it come to fruition.
Mike A. 12/31/05
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Response: Mike is right...know why your are doing this and gauge your audience range for selling. I did a CD called "Fair View From Old Fairview." It had stories about "Smalltown USA." I knew the range was limited. So, I had a 100 made and sold them locally. I think I ran another 50. Fortunately, I had a good graphic artist friend who did the cover on her computer for the insert. I went to St. Louis and bought cheap jewel boxes and stuffed them myself. Unfortunately, the person I had record, also did the repros and he charged a whopping $5.00 each. I think if you can get the master and have someone else do it - even kids know how to repro- you can do it much cheaper. Even though I cut corners, I was very proud of the product and it's "look."

Now, if you want the deluxe model with shrink wrap and all the bells and whistles because you want to sell it at big festivals, etc. And, you are anticipating selling them all and getting enough money for your second run. Then, by all means, make it look as professionally done as possible.

Remember you bookkeeping in all of this. I will admit to being sloppy with this. I took the total income and subtracted my total costs (plus any give-aways) and entered that on the IRS. I will tell you that it wasn't much or may have even been minus. I think there is a more proper way to handle this, but, like I said, my runs were small.

Mike has been at both ends of this recording business. His CDs and other recordings throughout the years have been top notch. He's won many awards and sold hundreds if not thousands of recordings. That's not to say he hasn't been burned (pun-intended) over the years, but he learned and used that infomation to better his sales. He's words are words of wisdom.
Marilyn K. 12/31/05
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Response: <Unfortunately, the person I had record, also did the repros and he charged a whopping $5.00 each. I think if you can get the master and have someone else do it - even kids know how to repro- you can do it much cheaper.>

If you have one CD, you have a "master". Unlike the venerable cassette or the aged LP, the great thing about CDs is there is supposedly no loss of quality with reproduction. Of course if you are using a CD for your master, you can no longer make changes in the mix.

You can easily beat $5 on your home computer. My brother-in-law, a great steel guitar player and the writer of strange songs put out a highly successful CD on his home computer. His on-disk graphic was his autograph and his handwritten title. The insert as done at Kinkos. Like Marilyn, he assembled them himself. If you are even vaguely interested he's at http://www.lonesometom.com. Beware, he's not in the storytelling or family entertainment market, he performs in bars and clubs in Reno. He just put out a new CD, used DiscMakers I believe and got 1000. He's hoping he can sell them all or I expect tp get that same CD for Christmas for the next 10 years!
Mike A. 12/31/05
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Response: You know, authors command a high price to go into schools. They do that by reducing the price for every book sold. Hmmmmmm Couldn't we do something lke that. Okay, I want $1500.00 for coming to your school. I am a storyteller and a recording artist. If you sell my CDs ahead of time thru your school. I will subtract X amount of dollars from that cost. It advertises to the parents that you will be there, it instills anticipation amongst the kids, they have a great product to remember you by. Come on guys! If authors can do it...so can we!!
Added Response: Yeah, I know that but I had an agreement with the recording person to do that. I could have done it and he'd probably never know but I felt funny about it. Aha! but next time I'll make it clear that I plan on repro-ing myself.
Marilyn K. 12/31/05
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Response: I have done something like this before. I offer the school 10% of sales - the Parent Organizations usually handle it. That way it is in their ballpark. I had one school who actually broke even! It was a great day for all concerned.
Mike A. 12/31/05
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Response: I did this at the last school I went to- sold them on the night of the gig. They got 25% of every CD I sold. I totalled the sales and then sent them a "rebate" check after they paid me. It was fun and I sold seven or eight CD's for their small crowd. Good stuff for everybody.
Sean B. 12/31/05
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Response: Random Thoughts. Just my opinions- I am working on my 5th CD and this is what's in my brain right now. I could be wrong. Your mileage may vary:

<> I love http://diskfaktory.com/. Fast company, produces in lots of 100 at a time for about $2.39 each. Extremely happy with them for my last CD at http://www.unvarnishedtales.com.

<> 1000 CD's is 1000 copies of a mistake in the printing, recording or labeling that you have to live with. 200 CD's is a chance to make corrections the next time. However, you can sell 1000 CD's if you really want to. So...

<> Get friendly with Borders store and do a CD release party there if you are doing adult "stuff." You will reach a whole new audience and maybe get added to the official Borders catalog. It's very satisfying. Do a release party for sure no matter where you do it.

<> Everyone can get you a UPC number these days. You can even order one from storyteller.net as we have our own number. It's a benefit of membership with us.

<> When you are ready to sell your CD, list it with us at storytellingproducts.com. We're the best deal out there for storytellers to sell their products. I have several tellers who get multiple checks every week from us. I also have tellers who get none. Listing in http://www.storytellingproducts.com is a benefit of membership with us.

<> No one will magically sell gobs of your CD's just because you list them. YOU still need to do marketing. Always always marketing. Make a post card at VistaPrint and hand them out like seeds from a dandelion in the wind.

<>Customer at your event: "I don't have a checkbook/cash/creditcard/clamshells with me right now." You: "Okay, here's my postcard to remind you that you can get them at Amazon.com or StorytellingProducts.com"

<> Get on Amazon.com- it adds to your credibility. I sell several every quarter from their, too. You won't make a living at it from Amazon. but that is not the point. Looks great in the press to see, "and you can get this storyteller's CD's at Amazon.com...."

<> Take DDLC's marketing course. Take it from us (http://www.wildaboutmarketing.com) or take it from somewhere else. Just take it.

<> Market, market, market. Being in the "back of the room" at the end of one of your performances, handling your own CD products is the ONLY place you should be at the end of a performance. Get back there- clean up later.

<> Write or get a good press release about your CD and release it via the $80 version at prweb.com . Worth every dollar you spend.

<> Again, just my opinion: Don't home print your CD unless you have pro equipment. I have one teller at storytellingproducts.com who has professional equipment in his home and produces a competitive product. Otherwise, don't waste your time, IMHO. You be the pro teller and let someone else be the pro cd-printer.

<> The "little tape thing" on the top is cool but not needed, in my experience. A UPC code is a must. By the way, you can always go back and retro-fit your CD with a number and symbol via a label. It's never too late.

<> CD baby is fine and the owner has big integrity. I have sold some CD's there, but you have to leave inventory with them and they are for musicians, not storytellers. However, they are the BEST way to get into digital distribution. Hands down the way to go for digital distribution. I've made about $10 from that, LOL, but my target audience of teenage boys for "Calling Out a Rising Sun" CD thinks it's way cool that they can download me at I-tunes. LOL.

<> You just can't be in too many places for sale. Today's customers want it right now. You can get my CD's at storytellingproducts.com, at Amazon.com, at Cdbaby.com, at Borders and through I-tunes, MSN Music and more.

<> Google Adwords can be your friend.

<>Every CD you make needs its own URL: http://www.1800buymycd.com, http://www.unvarnishedtales.com, http://www.callingoutarisingsun.com, http://www.voicesfromthenoise.com.

<> Get someone to coach you through this. There's me at http://www.seancoaches.com, there is Doug Lipman at http://www.storyteller.net/tellers/dlipman and there is Dianne de Las Casas at http://www.storyteller.net/tellers/ddlc . There are others and I apologize in advance to anyone who I am missing in that list.

<> If you really want to make it work seriously, build yourself a home studio for about $500/$600 plus a good computer and do all your own recording. Two CD's later and your studio will have paid for itself. You can pay for mastering if you need it and you are on your way.

<> Did I mention getting listed with http://www.storyteller.net and then getting your CD's on http://www.storytellingproducts.com? Oh, yes, I did.
Sean B. 12/31/05
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Response: Diskfaktory is the place I used. $2.99 per copy included disk, Jewel Box, four page full color insert, color disk printing back tray in color and back with shrink wrap. I had only one problem with them. They inserted the front cover insert backwards on my last CD, "Potpourri". Then they shrink wrapped it. I had to undo the shrink rap on all the copies to change the cover. They would have done it for me, and re wrapped them, but I was in a hurry and they gave me a discount, so I went with it. I had one person who didn't want a CD without shrink wrap because they don't know if it is new or not. I keep some copies with the wrap on it so that I can give them a "New" copy if they want it.
Steve O. 12/31/05
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Response: 1000 is the minimum number for an acceptable per-unit cost. That's why CD-makers have that offer. It wouldn't cost a lot less for 500, but the per-unit cost would rise considerably. If you don't sell all 1000 in your lifetime, they'll be a welcome bequest to set your kids and grandkids on their road to fortune.
Richard M. Ireland 12/31/05
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41) Query: I'm embarrassed to admit this but I have yet to figure out how to sell my CDs through Amazon. Any advice?
Yvonne H. 1/1/06
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Response: You are my first google of the new year! Here ya go.
Amazon.com Advantage
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/subst/partners/direct/direct-application.html/ref%3Dss%5Fad%5F/104-6261556-4105567
Karen C. 1/1/06
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42) Query: I am planning on making a CD with some of my stories. I would like to add music. Does anyone know about the copyright challenges? I have found lots of music on the Internet, but I can't find out how to get the proper rights to use the music on my CD. Some of the songs clearly have a warning that they are only to be used on a personal computer or for personal use. Mostly the music has no notices and I wonder if the web site even has the right to post the music.
I could sing some folk songs that are in the public domain, but I can't play piano accompaniment.
I would appreciate any incites or sources to learn more about the copyright of songs and securing rights for little cost.
Daniel S. 1/4/06
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Response: When we did our Ann Arbor Storytellers' Guild CD, we worked with one of our tellers, Beverly B, who is also a harpist. Beverly went through her repertoire to find harp tunes that were already in the public domain. Then she and I had a long session in which we listened carefully to all those tunes - rejected some and decided which ones would best fit with which stories. Recording the music took more sessions in the studio than doing the stories, but it was worth it. By time we were done, it seemed as if the CD would be unthinkable without the particular tunes we chose.
Judy S. 1/4/06
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Response: If you are having your recording done professionally, your sound engineer should have a file of music that you could use with your stories.
Steve O. 1/4/06
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43) Query: I know we've discussed this before. Don and I are going into the studio in June to start recording our second CD. I thought I'd check the website for the replicator of our last one--Omnidisc--but their website doesn't seem to exist anymore. www.omnidisc.net and when I call their 877 # it just rings and rings busy. We had gone with them on Dianne de Las Cases' recommendation, and were happy with the results. Now, it seems, we are going to have to find a new replicator. Any suggestions?
Carol C. 4/6/06
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Response: I use Diskfaktory.com. I picked them up from Musicians Friend and the quality for the price is fine. The real advantage is you only have to order 100 at a time. You can get 100 disks with 4 page front cover, printed disk, tray art and back for $2.99 a disk at the rate of 100. Cheaper for bigger runs, but I don't have the storage space for 1000 of each of my CD's. You have to have someone who knows Artwork setup. Their formats were hard for me to understand but the guy who did my artwork said it was normal.
Steve O. 4/6/06
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Response: Yep, a big "me too" on Steve's suggestion of Diskfaktory.com. I refer my coaching clients there and use Diskfaktory.com myself for runs of 100. Very happy with them They also just did our thermal print, repro on the Storytelling 101 CD that we produced from a TeleCourse. Even this really short run got the same excellent attention.
Sean B. 4/6/06
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44) Query: I have been doing storytelling in southern Indiana the past 13 years. I now want to make the leap in producing a cd. I would like suggestion on cost estimate such as recording, cost of cd supplies, estimate art work. how much does an ISBN number cost and where do I find that on the web? Cost of bar codes in order to sell the product.
Gary W. 10/23/06
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Response: Recording is NOT cheap! It cost me $75 an hour for recording and production time. I think it was worth it. When you get a recording engineer who knows what he is doing it takes less time and the production comes off as smooth as possible. I averaged three hours of studio time and two hours of "rework" for each 70 minute CD. My sound engineer had also done storytelling recording before, so he knew what is was all about. The artist who did my cover art worked for one of the local advertising firms and he did it free lance for about $300 per CD. He also did all the set up for the production of the artwork. I went on line to Diskfaktory.com to do the actual production. a four page full color front cover book, printed disk (not a label) tray art and back cover with shrink wrap cost $2.99 per disk when you order just 100. The ISBN cost me $30 for each disk from Diskfaktory. Storing disks is a real problem and it was worth it to me to be able to not have to sit on 3000 copies. I just reordered and got the finished product back in about 10 days. My first order has paid for everything and now I can look for profits. I was told early on that you will sell many more disks if you have more than one to offer. This also comes into play with multiple types of stories. I have a Scary stories CD, a Kids CD and a general set for adults. I sell them for $15 each and offer a "special" of all three for $40. It is amazing how many people will buy the third recording when they can get it for $10.
Steve O. 10/23/06
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Response: We'd been telling ten years longer than that before we decided to record.

ISBN [International Standard Book Number] - go to http://www.isbn.org/standards/home/index.asp for information. They come in blocks of ten for about $270 US. Larger blocks are powers of ten. Buying a block makes you a publisher. Originally each ISBN was ten digits: region/language-publisher-product-checkdigit. Our first CD is 0-9647614-1-6. Soon all will be expanded to 13 digits. The bar code of an ISBN-10 always starts with 978 and has a different check digit. There are programs or Internet sites tha