From Idea to Air: A Field Guide to Audio Storytelling

Inside the information-packed 80 pages of this e-book you will learn everything you need to know to be successful selling stories and short documentaries to public radio.

for just $29

The Story: Finding and Telling a Winning Radio Story

• Where Do Great Stories Come From?
• The Seven Keys to a Compelling Story
• The Secret of Community Newspapers and Cultural Wallpaper
• How to Avoid Being Predictable
• How to Avoid Being Earnest
• Finding Your Focus
• Characteristics of a Good Focus Statement
• Creating “Audio Onramps”
• Finding the Universal Truth
• The Classical Three-Act Structure
• Alternating Emotional Charges

“Concise, breezy, and interactive. Perfect for the beginner, and valuable for the more experienced producer who wants to hone their storytelling skills.” — Adam Schwartz

The Pitch: Getting Past the Door and Winning Your Story

• The Basics of Pitching
• How Should I Pitch
• The Other Side: What Your Producer Experiences
• About Repurposing Existing Material
• Stage 1: The Secret of the Billboard Pitch
• Stage 2: The Expanded Outline format
• How Long Should I Wait To Hear?
• About Contracting and Payment
• Three Surefire Ways to Mess Up Your Pitch

“Highly readable and accessible, entertaining even, and answered every question I had about preparing freelance documentaries.” — Sheryl Spencer

The Audio: Interviewing, Voicetracking, Field Audio, and More

The Art of the Radio Interview

Preparation

Calming Your Subject Down / Beside Manner

Tod’s Eight Commandments of Interviewing

Avoiding Mic Noise

About Phone Interviews

The Secret of the Double-Ender

Doing Streeters: Tips from the Pros

Recording on Private Property

The Art of the Ten Hour Interview
- Using Hidden Microphones
- Repurposing Audio from Videotape
* Collecting Field Audio
- The Importance of Roomtone
- Capturing the Extra Sounds
- What’s That Buzz?
* Recording Your Voicetrack:
- Do I Have a Good Enough Voice?
- Using Your Natural Voice
- How to Record Your Voicetrack
- Making Your Own Pop Filter
* Minidiscs Demystified
- Which Minidisc Recorder Should I Buy?
- Can I Borrow One From the Station?
- Problems to Avoid: The End-Search Bug and the Flimsy Mic Jack
- Line Out vs. Headphones
- The “Automatic Levels” Trap
- Tod’s Two Best Minidisc Tips: Trackmarking and Packratting
- Minidisc Alternatives: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
* Microphones
- Behold the 635A!
- Using Lapel Microphones
- All About Patterns
- Working With Two Microphones

“Your summary of the mechanics of putting sound on tape is masterful and you’ve covered all the bases. Your clear descriptions of recording and scripting have definitely introduced on-air writing to my list of potential creations.” — Stephen Moyse

The Words: Logging, Scripting, Recording, and Filing

* Logging Your Tape
* Scripting Your Piece
- How to Start the Piece
- Leave Some for the Host: Writing the Bills and Intro
- Getting to the Point
- Writing for the Ear
- Selecting and Integrating Your Clips
- About Profanity
- Naming Your Subjects
* Documentary Script Format explained
* Scripting Music and Sound
- Background (scoring) Music
- The Problem with Lyrics
- Abusing Irony
- Clearing Music
- “Needledrop” Production Music
- Using Sound Effects Properly
- Directing Sound in Your Script
- Reading It Out Loud
- Timing Your Script
- Submitting It for a Vet
* Package. Lather. Repeat.
- Writing the Host Script
- About Talk-Tapes
- Delivery Formats
- Getting Paid / Contracts
- Airchecking

“Even better than I expected! I’m already learning new things, and I’ve only had time to read the first four or five pages.”  — Connor Holenski
The Mix: Desktop Audio: Putting the Pieces Together

“Engaging, enlightening and empowering — a compelling read. Excellent!” — Al Czarnecki
Free Bonuses Limited-Time Offer

* Free Bonus Chapter: How to Be a Dream Contributor

* Free Bonus Chapter: A Quick Guide to Public Radio Slang

* Free Private Access: Access to a special subscriber-only web site where you can listen to audio examples referenced in the e-book.

“Thanks Tod.  Finally got to reading chapter 3.  It was excellent!  I got a ton of useful pointers and reminders from that one.” — Heather Kitching

About Buying

It is perfectly safe to buy online. I will never know your credit card number. Your order is processed by a secure payments server (PayPal.com) and it simply emails me a confirmation that your payment has gone through. I’ll then email you the e-book and password within 24 hours (usually within an hour or two though!). The e-book is an Acrobat PDF file which you will be able to print out or read on-screen.Inside the information-packed 80 pages of this e-book you will learn everything you need to know to be successful selling stories and short documentaries to public radio.