[COMPLETE] An Authentic Narrative of Some Remarkable and Interesting Particulars in the Life of John Newton - tg

Solo or group recordings that are finished and fully available for listeners
InTheDesert
Posts: 7358
Joined: August 20th, 2019, 8:25 pm

Post by InTheDesert »

An Authentic Narrative of Some Remarkable And Interesting Particulars in the Life of John Newton, by John Newton (1725 - 1807)

This project is now complete! All audio files can be found on our catalog page: https://librivox.org/authentic-narrative-by-john-newton/
John Newton, best known for his hymn "Amazing Grace", for his former life as a slave trader and as eventual opponent of the slave trade in Britain. These 14 short letters cover his early life to about 1755 and are filled with his Christian reflections on the events of his life. Letter 5 contains Newton's description of his life under Amos Clowe, an enslaver, who gave him to his wife as a servant. It is worth noting that this collection was published in 1764 and Newton did not publish his scathing pamphlet Thoughts Upon the Slave Trade until 1788 and thus his letters focus on his life as a "an infidel and libertine"(Newton's own description) than on the institution he later condemned. (Summary by InTheDesert)
Source text (please read only from this text!): https://archive.org/details/worksofrevjohnne01newt/page/n11/mode/2up

Deadline: Please submit your recording within 2 months of placing your claim. If you cannot complete the recording within this time, please post in the thread to relinquish your claim or to ask the BC for an extension. If your recording is not completed by the deadline, your claim may be reassigned at the BC's discretion.

Claiming sections: Look in the Magic Window below for the list of available sections. Post a reply in this thread asking for the section you would like to record.

New to recording? Please see our Newbie Guide to Recording for further instructions. A quick guide to our required technical settings can be found here. When you post your file, please tell the BC what name you would like to use in our catalog.

Prooflistening level: Standard
Prospective PLs, please see the Guide for Proof-listeners.

Please don't download or listen to files belonging to projects in process unless you are the BC or PL. Our servers are not set up to handle the greater volume of traffic. Please wait until the project has been completed. Thanks!

Magic Window:



BC Admin
========================================
Genres for the project: *Non-fiction/Religion/Christianity - Biographies
Keywords that describe the book: Christianity, biography
========================================

LibriVox recording settings: mono (1 channel), 44100 Hz sample rate, 128 kbps constant bit rate MP3. See the Tech Specs

Intro to recording:
Leave 0.5 to 1 second of silence at the beginning.

Say:
"Letter# of An Authentic Narrative of Some Remarkable And Interesting Particulars in the Life of John Newton. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit librivox.org." [Optional: "Read by your name."] "An Authentic Narrative of Some Remarkable And Interesting Particulars in the Life of John Newton, by John Newton. Section Title."
End of recording:
Say:
"End of letter #." [Optional, and if not stated in the intro: "Read by your name, city, date."]
If you are recording the final section of the book, add:
"End of An Authentic Narrative of Some Remarkable And Interesting Particulars in the Life of John Newton, by John Newton."
Leave 5 seconds of silence at the end.

Filename: authenticnarrative_##_newton_128kb.mp3 where ## is the section number. (e.g. authenticnarrative_01_newton_128kb.mp3)

Upload to the LibriVox Uploader: https://librivox.org/login/uploader
Image
(If you have trouble reading the image above, please contact an admin)

MC to select: TriciaG

Copy and paste the file link generated by the uploader into a new post in this thread along with the file duration (mm:ss). Watch this thread for prooflistening notes.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! Just post in this thread.
Last edited by InTheDesert on May 22nd, 2021, 9:58 pm, edited 5 times in total.
Medieval History Volume 02 The Rise of the Saracens and the Foundation of the Western Empire 99% 1 left! "The Carlovingian Revolution, and Frankish Intervention in Italy Part 3 by G. L. Burr"
DPL DPL 27 19 43
InTheDesert
Posts: 7358
Joined: August 20th, 2019, 8:25 pm

Post by InTheDesert »

I intend to BC this but ideally not to DPL it.

To be honest, I find myself finishing most of the sections of the projects I BC and I can't for the life of me figure out what kind of projects will get ready volunteers. The current state of Creeds of Christendom tells me that what people seem to want is...short, so we'll give this a try.
Medieval History Volume 02 The Rise of the Saracens and the Foundation of the Western Empire 99% 1 left! "The Carlovingian Revolution, and Frankish Intervention in Italy Part 3 by G. L. Burr"
DPL DPL 27 19 43
philchenevert
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 24587
Joined: October 17th, 2010, 9:23 pm
Location: Basking by the Bayou
Contact:

Post by philchenevert »

Hi In the Desert. I read your summary of this project and just want to pass on some personal observations that may help attract more readers. After reading the summary as posted, I still have no clearer idea at all of what this is about and so little desire to jump in. It just sort of rambles about how it was written, nothing about what it is about. I presume you took this from the intro. Who was this amazing John? What happened to him, why were things interesting? Why would i find him fascinating enough to want to read about him? you know, stuff like that. Did John have visions? start a colony? Become a leper? Father a famous pirate? Write a dictionary of Catalan?

It is sad to say that even LibriVoxers are kinda shallow like this and need to have their curiosity piqued a bit by the summary. I know I am! Just a thought.
Peruvian owls always hunt in pairs because they are inca hoots.
89 Decibels? Easy Peasy ! https://youtu.be/aSKR55RDVpk
TriciaG
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 60512
Joined: June 15th, 2008, 10:30 pm
Location: Toronto, ON (but Minnesotan to age 32)

Post by TriciaG »

I'll MC this.

Phil's comments are good ones. :)
Serial novel: The Wandering Jew
Medieval England meets Civil War Americans: Centuries Apart
Humor: My Lady Nicotine
silverquill
Posts: 28724
Joined: May 25th, 2013, 9:11 pm
Location: Southern California

Post by silverquill »

I have room for another DPL project so I'd be glad to join the team.

And, if you can PL a couple, I would like to read 1 and 2.

Sometimes interest in any particular project can be unpredictable. I've had ones that I though would go quickly languish; others that I thought more obscure have gone quickly. Phil's comments, as Tricia says, are good. A good, short summary, will help draw people in. Also, remember that this is what appears on the catalog page for the book, so it should also appeal to the potential listener.

Topic of the book is a factor as well. We have a lot of people interested in religious topics, but probably fewer interested in deep theology or ancient creeds. Still, hard to predict. And, it's okay if some of those projects take longer; it is just the nature of the undertaking. Sometimes, what other projects are ongoing can affect things, Maybe moon phases. :P

Section length, as you observe, can also be a factor. My general observation is that shorter sections will indeed get taken before longer ones. I like to keep them around 3,000 words, depending on the project. So, longer chapters or sections get divided. Even in solo projects, I see a lot of people who will divide chapters and keep them around 30 minutes or so, This also makes it easier for the potential public listener.

Because of this, it also helps to have word counts in the Magic Window, even if it is an estimate. This book seems to have about 350 words per page, so it is fairly easy to come up with a figure.

We so appreciate the contributions you're making to LibriVox, bringing to life some material that fills a void. Good stuff! :)
~ Larry
NOTE: Traveling without internet until March 17
InTheDesert
Posts: 7358
Joined: August 20th, 2019, 8:25 pm

Post by InTheDesert »

philchenevert wrote: May 20th, 2021, 6:34 pm Hi In the Desert. I read your summary of this project and just want to pass on some personal observations that may help attract more readers. After reading the summary as posted, I still have no clearer idea at all of what this is about and so little desire to jump in. It just sort of rambles about how it was written, nothing about what it is about. I presume you took this from the intro. Who was this amazing John? What happened to him, why were things interesting? Why would i find him fascinating enough to want to read about him? you know, stuff like that. Did John have visions? start a colony? Become a leper? Father a famous pirate? Write a dictionary of Catalan?

It is sad to say that even LibriVoxers are kinda shallow like this and need to have their curiosity piqued a bit by the summary. I know I am! Just a thought.
I totally take your point - I just feel so uncomfortable writing an advertisement for books. It doesn't feel... objective. But I'll see what I can dig up that will be more exciting than the preface. The title could certainly do with some 'show not tell'!

Thanks for the comments all (including Larry). Alas, the kinds of books I want to exist more in the free audiobook world tend to be the ones I want to listen to myself which happen to be what some would call 'deep theology', listened at 2.5x speed. Horses for courses! I wonder if my energies would be best spent focussing on pushing out solos as I notice some very committed members doing for specific topics.
Medieval History Volume 02 The Rise of the Saracens and the Foundation of the Western Empire 99% 1 left! "The Carlovingian Revolution, and Frankish Intervention in Italy Part 3 by G. L. Burr"
DPL DPL 27 19 43
TriciaG
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 60512
Joined: June 15th, 2008, 10:30 pm
Location: Toronto, ON (but Minnesotan to age 32)

Post by TriciaG »

Larry added in as DPL. Moving to Readers Wanted!
Serial novel: The Wandering Jew
Medieval England meets Civil War Americans: Centuries Apart
Humor: My Lady Nicotine
silverquill
Posts: 28724
Joined: May 25th, 2013, 9:11 pm
Location: Southern California

Post by silverquill »

A couple of more thoughts:

A summary doesn't have to be totally objective! Factual, but with something to pique interest.

In my BC projects, I dabble in a lot of genres, but most of us find a way to pursue those books that are of personal interest to us. And, solos are not a bad way to go, especially if the work seems as if it is one that might not have such a wide or popular appeal. I think this one should do well.

And, thanks for the word counts. Helps the poor DPL to. :wink:
And, I promise not to listen at 2.5 speed. :lol:
~ Larry
NOTE: Traveling without internet until March 17
silverquill
Posts: 28724
Joined: May 25th, 2013, 9:11 pm
Location: Southern California

Post by silverquill »

I see Sections 1 and 6 Ready for PL.

The are both okay in reading, but they are exported at 64 kbps instead of 128.
So, they will both need to be re-exported and uploaded again.

This will be a fascinating book, so I hope it does draw some interest.
I love this phrase of his, "The exuberant goodness of God!"
~ Larry
NOTE: Traveling without internet until March 17
InTheDesert
Posts: 7358
Joined: August 20th, 2019, 8:25 pm

Post by InTheDesert »

silverquill wrote: May 24th, 2021, 7:51 am I see Sections 1 and 6 Ready for PL.

The are both okay in reading, but they are exported at 64 kbps instead of 128.
So, they will both need to be re-exported and uploaded again.

This will be a fascinating book, so I hope it does draw some interest.
I love this phrase of his, "The exuberant goodness of God!"
Reuploaded! I've also written a new blurb in the hope that it will draw more interest :)
Medieval History Volume 02 The Rise of the Saracens and the Foundation of the Western Empire 99% 1 left! "The Carlovingian Revolution, and Frankish Intervention in Italy Part 3 by G. L. Burr"
DPL DPL 27 19 43
Kazbek
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 6466
Joined: April 24th, 2019, 12:06 pm

Post by Kazbek »

I'd like to read section 12.

Michael
InTheDesert
Posts: 7358
Joined: August 20th, 2019, 8:25 pm

Post by InTheDesert »

Kazbek wrote: May 24th, 2021, 1:40 pm I'd like to read section 12.

Michael
Assigned!
Medieval History Volume 02 The Rise of the Saracens and the Foundation of the Western Empire 99% 1 left! "The Carlovingian Revolution, and Frankish Intervention in Italy Part 3 by G. L. Burr"
DPL DPL 27 19 43
silverquill
Posts: 28724
Joined: May 25th, 2013, 9:11 pm
Location: Southern California

Post by silverquill »

InTheDesert wrote: May 24th, 2021, 12:21 pm
silverquill wrote: May 24th, 2021, 7:51 am I see Sections 1 and 6 Ready for PL.

The are both okay in reading, but they are exported at 64 kbps instead of 128.
So, they will both need to be re-exported and uploaded again.

This will be a fascinating book, so I hope it does draw some interest.
I love this phrase of his, "The exuberant goodness of God!"
Reuploaded! I've also written a new blurb in the hope that it will draw more interest :)
Now PL OK

Excellent introduction!
Well, you might want to revise the opening sentence. It needs a verb in there somewhere.
~ Larry
NOTE: Traveling without internet until March 17
JaybirdSummers
Posts: 5
Joined: May 24th, 2021, 10:24 am

Post by JaybirdSummers »

Hi ! I'm very new to this and still trying to find my way around... I would like to read section 8. To do so, would I just find a copy of the book on LibriVox to read it from? Sorry if that seems like a dumb question.
InTheDesert
Posts: 7358
Joined: August 20th, 2019, 8:25 pm

Post by InTheDesert »

JaybirdSummers wrote: May 24th, 2021, 11:32 pm Hi ! I'm very new to this and still trying to find my way around... I would like to read section 8. To do so, would I just find a copy of the book on LibriVox to read it from? Sorry if that seems like a dumb question.
Hi!

Before you get started with recording, we need to check your recording equipment to make sure the final files meet the technical specs. I noticed that you posted your 1 minute test in someone else's thread - you'll need to create a new thread in that forum (posting the same file) to get feedback for it. The first thing I noticed was that it was a .wav file but we need mp3s! Many people have found recording on a CHromebook hard but you might find some usefl information here: viewtopic.php?f=23&t=84473&p=1883093&hilit=chromebook#p1883093 (especially the post about the audacity extension for Chrome). Once your test is OKed, you're welcome to take a section in this project!
Medieval History Volume 02 The Rise of the Saracens and the Foundation of the Western Empire 99% 1 left! "The Carlovingian Revolution, and Frankish Intervention in Italy Part 3 by G. L. Burr"
DPL DPL 27 19 43
Post Reply