How to contribute: This is an open collection where you can offer the first chapter of a book of your choice, which means you don't have to pre-claim a section. Just follow the instructions below to record and submit your file. Previous First Chapter Collections can be found in the catalogue here. Duplicate versions of first chapters are fine, though not in the same volume.The first chapter of a book is often the hook to draw a reader in. It could make you eager for more or realize it isn't for you.
Source text: Please choose books that are in the public domain. This generally means works published in 1928 and earlier. If unsure about a book, feel free to ask in this thread. When looking for public domain books, Project Gutenberg is a good place to start. Any language is welcome. If recording in a language other than English, you may also say the opening and closing words in that language too (intro and outro). Some translations of the intro are available here.
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.
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
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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:
End of recording:"Chapter one of [Book title]. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information, or to volunteer, please visit: librivox DOT org" [Optional: "Read by your name."] "[Book title] by [Author name], Chapter One [+ chapter title, if applicable]."
Say:
Leave 5 seconds of silence at the end."End of chapter one of [Book Title]." [Optional, and if not stated in the intro: "Read by your name, city, date."]
Filename: fcc012_[work's title]_[author's last name]_[your initials]_128kb.mp3 (all lowercase and without accents, compressing the first few words of the title with no spaces/articles) (e.g. fcc012_secretgarden_burnett_drb_128kb.mp3)
Upload to the LibriVox Uploader: https://librivox.org/login/uploader
(If you have trouble reading the image above, please contact an admin)
MC to select: Rapunzelina
Copy and paste the file link generated by the uploader into a new post in this thread along with the file duration (mm:ss).
Also include the following information:
- [Book Title] by [Author]
- link to text source
- If this is your first contribution to Librivox, please also include the name/pseudonym by which you'd like to be credited in the Librivox catalogue.
Watch this thread for prooflistening notes.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! Just post in this thread.
I think it's alright to have 1 in 10 or so sections diverge from the standard. Most welcome!