It’s time to rethink everything you ever knew about books on tape. D.G. Allen’s newly released audio masterpiece, The Black Ledger, provides listeners with an experience rivaling any in a movie theater.
The audiobook, which features Allen behind the microphone as he brings his story to life, is as close to a cinematic masterpiece as you can get without the picture and fancy sound effects.
The tone, pace, sound engineering, and voice acting merge to create an experience that raises the standards for the audiobook industry.
Turning a Novel Into an Audio Book
Although Allen initially self-published The Black Ledger in 2017, he felt now it was time to revisit it with professional editing and a brand-new audio edition.
“It’s a good story that flows well and is very compelling,” he says. “But what the book could never capture, and I thought the audiobook would, is the essence of a white guy being introduced to and experiencing a black life for even a day. And he experienced it every day for two years. He’d go back to the safety of his whiteness, but every day, he’d have to get up and face what the disadvantaged communities in Chicago face every day,” explains Allen.
“Unless you can experience it and hear the emotions, you cannot get the same feel.”
On Narrating His Own Story
Allen says he thought about hiring voice actors but quickly realized that wasn’t an option.
“When I started thinking about the audiobook, I started reaching out to voice actors, and unfortunately, I could not afford them. I’ve had voice acting experience, and if I wanted this book to come to life, I had to do it myself,” he shares.
Allen added that he understands there might be controversy regarding a white man voicing black characters. However, he felt the story was too important not to share and hoped he could honor the characters he portrays, as the real-life versions were pivotal to his personal growth and development.
“I grew up without a father, and when I went to work with this insurance company, I was the only white guy on the staff. Everyone else was black. To a large degree, all the older black men on the team looked out for me. They were each distinctive characters, and I grew to love them, not just as coworkers but as friends. I want to pay homage to these men who were so integral to my growth as a young man,” he shares. “I thought I could do it justice because it became so engrained in me.”
Acting Experience
Allen is a natural performer. From his high school drama club days to his performances in community theater, pleasing a crowd has always been a passion.
“I always wanted to be an actor when growing up,” he explains. “I used to listen to comedians like Rich Little, who did amazing voices. I was a big fan of the Rat Pack, and all the character voices that came from the 40s and 50s, so I started to imitate James Cagney and other famous actors of the time.” Paul McCartney is his favorite celebrity to imitate.
Allen wanted each character to have a unique voice so listeners could identify them easily. As a child, he practiced mixing and matching celebrity voices to bring his characters to life.
A Natural Ear for Pacing
Allen partnered with sound producer Sarah Elizabeth to turn the tale into a work of art. Though it was Elizabeth’s first time editing an audiobook, she has a natural talent for transforming the written word into something that sounds fantastic when read out loud.
“Sarah forced me to redo these scenes a hundred times to get the voice just right. We argued about certain parts for days, but she would not let it go. We spent hours on a single line, and I could not stop until she was satisfied it was perfect,” recalls Allen.
Elizabeth felt honored to work on such a project. “I’m a huge movie lover. When I was listening to D.G. Allen reading the words, I was picturing the story in mind, and it was really rewarding hearing my feedback come to life.”
She demanded perfection from every line. “As someone who loves the story just as much as him, I wanted the project to be as good as it can be,” she adds.
Professional Sound Engineering
Though Elizabeth has a fantastic ear, she’s not an expert sound engineer. Allen hired Matthew Longmire to transform the draft into a professional-level audiobook.
Longmire, who has worked in the industry as a voice actor and audio engineer for over ten years with more than 100 novels under his belt, was shocked at the quality and style of The Black Ledger.
“I love the way the sample sounds; it’s how I wish a lot of narrations would sound,” Longmire commented during processing.
At the end of the project, Longmire offered his personal opinion. “As many times as I’ve listened to this, I really enjoy the story and your narration. You did a great job with the pacing and all the voices.”
A Compelling Story
The best audio and sound engineering are meaningless without a great story behind it, and Allen’s The Black Ledger delivers.
The story follows Ron Pickles, a young, white insurance salesman assigned to hawk horrible insurance policies in Chicago’s deadliest neighborhoods. Although the tale takes place in the 1980s, its narrative, featuring the intersectionality of racism, poverty, and capitalism, remains relevant today.
The story draws inspiration from Allen’s real-life experiences as a young father selling insurance in the Cabrini-Green housing projects to support his family.
When asked to provide a brief statement describing the book, Allen was stumped, saying, “It’s impossible to create a 30-second blurb for a story that takes you through so many parts of life.”
“It’s a gripping crime thriller, a series of events that come together to create an unbelievable story,” he begins. “There’s a web of deception embedded in a coming-of-age love story that opens your eyes to things you didn’t believe existed in America. Every chapter has a surprise that takes you to a new level. You’re a young man starting a new job; you’re falling in love, you’re solving a crime, you’re fighting for your life.”
For him, it’s so much more than a personal story. “It’s a bit of Americana. It’s what happens in the big cities.”
The Black Ledger also offers a snippet into the gritty reality of racism in the United States. The 1980s setting shrouds the harsh truth that similar stories still play out today.
“Everyone hears words like ‘systematic racism,’ but people don’t really see what it means for the people impacted,” shares Allen. “As you read this book, it becomes blatantly obvious that there are two Americas. This book is poignant in articulating these differences from the point of view of a white man who experiences it.”
The audiobook was released at the end of June and is available via Allen’s author website.
