Now we’re at the starting gate of a downhill race. I need final clearance, and then I’ll be off. I just need you to make sure that everything is ready. The “15-minute” audio is a sample I’ll provide of what the final audiobook will sound like.

• How is the overall pace and tone?

• For fiction works, have I captured the correct essence of the characters? Are the features of their voice accurate and effective for the story?

• For non-fiction works, have I struck the right balance between being authoritative, interesting and entertaining?

I will choose a segment of the book that I feel will give you the best sense of how the book will turn out or where I want/need your input on the performance. If there’s some portion of the book that you are particularly interested in hearing, just let me know; I can do that for you.

Just like a downhill race, it’s easiest to make adjustments and corrections at the beginning. Once we get to skiing, it’s hard to adjust. Once we reach the end of the book, we’re limited to making corrections in errors that might slip through the process. Good communication between us will help along the way.

Your careful attention and input at this point help ensure that listeners will enjoy your work.