Hello!
I think this is a super cute gift to make for someone you love. I am sure you know there are lots of ways to do this. You could just get an old school tape recorder and cassettes and do it that way. Or you could plug a microphone in to your computer and record yourself like that, too. BUT I did it with my laptop and my iPhone, the digital Pip way. I am recording the chapters of James and the Giant Peach for Ari. Here is how I am doing it ::
Don’t worry if you make some errors, or if the dog is barking a tiny bit. Those things will make your recording more personal and capture the time and place you were in when you read it!
AND don’t forget to join our Retro Readers Club, if you want to get a bit Jamesy too!
xx Pip
PS : You can then upload the file via Soundcloud so that you can embed it on the internet! (For personal use only, of course!) Or email to a favourite cousin or niece or boyfriend!
* This file is an AIFF file. It works in iTunes, but if you want to convert it to MP3 later go here.
Here is my very own dodgy audio book chapter… complete with mistakes, croaky voice and page turning disjointedness! Just to show you what you can do. Don’t be a goosey and record copyrighted material to sell. Okay? I know you won’t do that. This idea is for gifting and sharing the love of books only!
Listen here!
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Love it! What a special memory and gorgeous gift this would make. I might wait until after hayfever season though so I don't sound blocked up!
What a beautiful idea. I will be doing this as a Christmas present for my Little Miss.
This is so so so so cool! I would never have thought of doing this. I am totally going to do this for my baby, even though she is too tiny for audiobooks right now. I know she will like it one day!
Oh my goodness Pip, you read my mind! I have been thinking about reading my daughters favourite Molly Molly Mandy books onto a recording for awhile now just in case, god forbid, something happens to me, or for if I want a night out, or for her children one day. Thanks for giving me the tools to do this! You rock! 🙂
Hi Pip,
Thanks for sharing this lovely info. Where was itunes 6 years ago when the only way my 2 year old would go to sleep was to listen to me count. Some nights I would get well into the 400s. If only I could have put on a CD ….
I will definitely be recording stories for my little ones now though. My nieces and nephews who live interstate too …
Thanks so much for this fabulous idea Pip. I read to my little girl every night and it would be so good to record a few especially favourite books for her to read in her own time. We haven't read James and the Giant Peach yet, but we have read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at least 5 or 6 times. That might be the first book I will record! I found your blog on Melissa's lovely blog – TinyHappy. Lovely to meet you 🙂
Hi Pip,
What a superb idea. I wish I'd thought of this longer ago while my mum was still around. She loved to read stories to me and lastly my kids (now 2 and going on 4). This is a thing that I'll do soon for my kids, as life sometimes doesn't play the way we want it to.
Thanks ever so much!
Hi Pip,
That was just gorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing it, and truly being such an inspiration! I adore your blog and trying so many sweet little projects you bring light to!
I love this. I made an audiobook for my mum last Christmas, because her eye sight is getting a bit weaker…although I kinda left things a bit late and was up recording till like 3am the night before I saw her…and I recorded through garageband without using iTunes which was frustrating because I couldn't just 'burn to CD' I had to chop it all into chunks that fitted onto single CDs. But she LOVED it. (It was a book about Francis of Assisi. Gonna try another one this Christmas but START EARLIER!
Pip, you have a fantastic recording voice. I love this blog. I have been wanting to do something like this for my MIL who is legally blind and listens to book recordings all the time. I've been thinking how nice it would be to give her a book read by me or the kids (um if they would do it). I can't thank you enough for this idea. You are a star.
What a wonderful way to share stories. They could also upload it to their iPod – especially nice if they go away to camp and want to hear a voice from home 🙂 Thanks for sharing this.
PS, it's also fun to hear your voice!
(Get caught recording it for the recipient, that is- not sneaky in a copyright way!)
Oh my, this is such a sweet gift idea! I want to race home and get started Right Now! I just have to work out how to be sneaky and not get caught!
Oh this is just too bloody cute!! I am so keen to get started on this. It's so funny, I just watched 'The Reader' yesterday. Have you seen it Pip? I love how Ralf Finnes character makes all those audio tapes for Kate Winslet. One of the sweetest things you could do for someone in my opinion. Thanks so much for the idea and info! xxx
Oh me Oh my! This is gorgeous! I love everything about it.
My mum made us a tape recording of a couple of our favourite books to listen to when we were road tripping. She made it in the middle of the night & her voice was sleepy and crackly and scratchy from packing well into the night.
It's one of my favourite memories.
Good on you for always seeking out the good stuff & learning how to use it!
Super effort mate – soz about the essay. x