Penguin Books
Penguin Books was founded in 1935 and revolutionised publishing by bringing high-quality paperback fiction and non-fiction to the mass market. Today, it’s one of the world’s biggest publishers and is part of the Penguin Random House group. They champion the world’s most brilliant voices, bringing them to life in compelling and dynamic ways for audiences everywhere.
The Opportunity
Penguin Books were looking for a trusted audiobook production company who could support them outside of London. This would mean that Northern authors, and narrators located near Manchester, wouldn’t have to travel to record audiobooks. Not only would this make the production process easier for voices, but would also be more efficient. They also wanted to work with a partner who could manage all parts of the production process, from recording to delivery, with exceptional attention to detail across many hours of audio.
Audio Reaction Strategy
Studio Hire
It’s important that authors and narrators have a comfortable space when recording many hours of audio. That’s why we adapted our Studio B facility at MediaCityUK specifically for Penguin’s audiobook projects, ensuring that voices had lots of natural light, were in an air conditioned space and were positioned ergonomically. Dedicating a space for audiobooks also meant we were able to block book long, interrupted amounts of time, helping make the recording process more efficient.
Audiobooks
Our team worked with the Penguin Audio department to understand their process and delivery requirements. We then managed audiobook production all stages. This included preparing text, engineering recording sessions, technical management, a dedicated audiobook producer to feedback and proof, all audio editing, pickups, final mastering and delivery of audio in the required formats.
Remote Recording
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we helped Penguin Books adapt their recording process and supported them with remote recording. Across a number of titles, and for authors including Tyson Fury and Dr Amir Khan, our team provided professional audio equipment to be used at home. From technical setup through to remote engineering, we ensured that high quality standards were upheld throughout an incredibly challenging time.