Anthony Wood of Nettle Media is a lighting cameraman and audio producer who works across news, features, current affairs, documentaries and drama for clients including the BBC, CBS and Olympic Broadcast Services.

Anthony was new to voice-first writing and scripting, and wanted to learn some radio writing techniques for his project with a professional concert pianist and wonderful storyteller about her life and passions as a musician. Her subject was a combination of history, musical techniques, anecdotes and musical interludes. Anthony and I worked together to understand the target audience for the podcast, establish an engaging tone of voice for a wide audience, and structure the script for audio flow. I also edited the script for voice-friendly reading, using radio techniques and signposting.

You can hear the first episode of the podcast here:

The Piano: Episode 1

I have to say I think Anthony’s capture of the grand piano and his and the pianist’s voices in the space is wonderful – it’s technically a huge challenge, and the audio quality makes listening to the podcast all the more compelling.

In the meantime, I’ve also been working with super-inspiring US change leader and author Dr Elizabeth Moran on the audiobook version of her new book, Forward, which is due out in January 2023, and will be recorded by audio engineer and voiceover artist Peter Acker in his beautiful New England studio. As part of this, we needed to adapt some of Elizabeth’s visual material into audio equivalents, and use techniques such as forward flagging to help with audio flow and engagement. Non-fiction books often have extra ‘translation’ challenges for the audio format – what do you do with bullets, numbers, charts, urls…? So it was a meaty project to work on.

I’ve also been working with Gaelic theatre company Theatre Gu Leòr, on their forthcoming BBC Radio Alba production, Spins, with two terrific Gaelic TV writers who were new to radio-specific writing techniques. Radio pictures, sensory detail and signposting were just some of the topics we covered during development on this new radio drama series set on the isle of Lewis.

If you’re interested in getting the most out of your scripts or optimising your book for audiobook format, get in touch! You can also find useful voice-first writing tips in my book, Writing for Audiobooks.

The post Listener-friendly writing for audio – how to write for the ear appeared first on Texthouse.

Texthouse was delighted to be part of the project team, working alongside the web designer Kris Kubicki, web developer Richard Bruce, photographers Marc Guerriot and Alasdair MacFarlane, and SEO/UX strategist Scott McBay from Balanced Impact. Our role was to tell the Cocoa Black story, provide website and packaging copy capturing Cocoa Black’s brand tone of voice, incorporate SEO elements, and help optimise user flow and UX in the interactive areas of the website. 

The chocolates are absolutely gorgeous and, as you’d expect from the UK’s top-placed chocolatier in international competition, they taste exceptional – each one a perfectly balanced gem of tastes and aromas. It’s hard to imagine a lovelier product and more dedicated team to work with! Enormous thought has gone into the detail of the product, including the individual recipes, seasonal collections, gift box design and unboxing.     

Congratulations to Cocoa Black on their fabulous new range! Do visit their site for super-special gift ideas, and don’t miss the Cocoa Black chocolate and patisserie shop if you’re passing through Peebles. They have luscious cakes, hot chocolate, a chocolate and patisserie school – a fantastic Borders company. Here’s Ruth’s story if you’re interested in knowing more. 

The post Cocoa Black gorgeous chocolate and website launch appeared first on Texthouse.

SOSE’s previous site had grown fast and organically, along with the fledgling organisation, which began life early during the Covid-19 pandemic. But after a busy period of recruitment and with most staff now in post, the site had become too unfocused, and no longer met the Scottish Government’s Digital First requirements. In particular, its UX and content needed to be more user-friendly and access-friendly, and site visitors needed a clearer steer on SOSE’s amazing (and growing) range of services.

We worked with the lovely Communications team and Umbraco web design specialists I-finity, to deliver content for a clear, user-focused website showcasing SOSE services, and encouraging people to get in touch. We spoke to inspiring businesses and communities around Dumfries & Galloway and the Scottish Borders, and wrote some case studies on successful enterprise projects supported by SOSE. We also provided training for some talented interns, and a style guide to help with future writing on the site.

We were particularly delighted to be considered for the public tender as a local company with practical experience with local small business clients and community groups, as well as being target users ourselves, as a rural small business in the South of Scotland. We felt this background and user interviews gave a crucial external user perspective which is hard to achieve when you’re deep within an organisation and its terminology. Plain English and accessibility experience from writing Open University courses also helped with language and style choices.

We’re excited to see what’s next at SOSE, with ground-breaking initiatives happening around Net Zero, Tech Scaler, innovation and entrepreneurship around the South. The organisation has been set up to help the region to thrive, so get involved!

Visit the SOSE website
If you’re a South of Scotland business or enterprising community, find out about SOSE’s free advice services!

The post South of Scotland Enterprise website launch appeared first on Texthouse.

Miwa’s lyrics were inspired by the Borders ‘bondagers’, the hard-working female farm workers who were hired annually at Kelso Corn Exchange during the 19th and early 20th centuries. As Texthouse is based in that very building, it seemed highly appropriate to record the songs here!

Bondagers were once a unique aspect of South East Scotland and Northumberland farming life. They were hired by local ploughmen as part of their team each year. The number of bondagers declined when their labour was replaced by farming machinery in the early 20th century.

Texthouse’s recording facilities are ideal for voice artists, singers and musicians who don’t need a full studio set-up. For Miwa’s visit, Texthouse provided the sound booth, audio equipment and studio set-up, while producer Seán oversaw the recording of the songs, which also featured guitar and shruti box accompaniment.

Currently underway throughout Scotland, Dandelion is a creative event of growing, music and community, following the arc of the growing season. Miwa’s new work will have its first live performance at a Dandelion harvest event in Hawick during September.

If you’re interesting in knowing more about our voiceover, podcast, interview or recording facilities, get in touch!

The post Recording artist Miwa brings ‘Bondagers’ back to Kelso Corn Exchange appeared first on Texthouse.

Jules spoke to the couple in a conference call to capture the details of their unique experience. Her background in radio journalism helped her to get to the heart of the story and use their own words to bring it to life.

If you’d like a case study to help highlight your company’s services, please get in touch.

Read the case study:

From Gold Panning to Beautiful Bespoke Ethical Wedding Rings

An ethical wedding ring made with real Scottish river gold sounds almost mythical – but it’s real! Jacqueline & Edward were delighted to work with Edinburgh couple Elaine and Scott to create the ethical wedding rings of their dreams. It combines recycled diamonds, treasured family rings and panned river gold in a beautiful heirloom that’s completely unique and personal.

What’s more, the couple panned the Scottish gold themselves. Together with owner Mark, they went on a hilltop panning adventure in rural Scotland to find alluvial gold for their ring. Provenance doesn’t come any more hands-on! The gold panning experience turned out to be amazingly special and also gave them a chance to discuss ideas for the final ring design.

The post Texthouse case study – Jacqueline & Edward appeared first on Texthouse.

Self-build is a complex process, and self-builders put a lot of value on the experiences of others who have achieved it before them. It therefore made good sense to speak directly to a self-builder who chose Fleming Homes as their build partner.

With her background in radio journalism, Jules has plenty of experience in interviewing and using verbatim to bring stories to life and get the best from interviewees. She was delighted to speak to local software engineer, Ian Burton – a passionate and straight-talking self-builder who’s just put the finishing touches to his family’s new home with expert help from Fleming Homes.

A short telephone call with Ian brought out all his energy and enthusiasm for the project, as well as the quality of service he received from Fleming Homes and the authentic detail of his experience.

If you’d like a lively case study to help your company’s services to reach a new audience, get in touch.

Read the case study:

Hand-holding for hands-on home builders

When software engineer Ian Burton and his wife Kay began their self-build project in the Scottish Borders, timber frame construction was a no-brainer from the outset. ‘My background is manufacturing, and it was the logical choice from an engineering point of view,’ Ian explains. ‘With bricks and mortar, you can spend four or five months getting to wind and water-tight, whereas with timber frame, we got to W&WT within six weeks. Also, you get the quality of the house being factory built, in controlled, dry conditions, as against builders outside, making it up as they go along. It’s almost like a piece of engineering.’ Read more.

The post Texthouse case study – Fleming Homes appeared first on Texthouse.

Logs – check
Food – check
Mulled wine – check
Cosy jumper – check
Christmas music – check
Pile of gorgeous books – check

Have a good one!

Jules and Michael

The post Christmas bestseller – Dramatic Techniques! appeared first on Texthouse.

Sins of the Father joins our Method Writing titles and Deltic collaboration with Hawick printers Core 3. We’re looking forward to more publishing adventures, including an exciting partnership with visual artist and book artist Felicity Bristow.

Design note: Sins of the Father was typeset in InDesign using the classic French-inspired Garamond book font paired with minimalist Calibri, created by Dutch designer Luc(as) da Groot. Cover art by Lauren Wright, cover and interior layout by Jules Horne/Michael Scott.

The post Book publishing – Tom Murray – Sins of the Father appeared first on Texthouse.

Felicity creates books as part of her practice and is an expert in binding and book construction. She also works with traditional colour processes, including chromatography and cyanotype. Her ButnBenBindery creates gorgeous books from industrial materials, and her work is steeped (literally) in a sense of place. So a perfect partner for Borders-based Texthouse, which is named after the Arts & Crafts house on Denholm green, with a hint of Bauhaus.

Some synergies uncovered:

Texthouse inscription ‘Tak tent o time ere time be tint’ – chromatography in words!

Felicity is a trained architect and inspired typographically by minimalism and classic European book covers. Jules devoured German and French classics and has probably the Borders’ biggest collection of vintage Reclam, Gallimard and Livre de Poche.

We’re both into Bauhaus, Womersley, modernism, typography, visual poetry, colour, Scottish colourists and a rooted sense of place and landscape. And the aesthetic, creative and technical challenge of making books!

So it’s going to be a series. Here’s a first glimpse of sketches, maquettes and designs in progress.

The post Texthouse book publishing with Felicity Bristow appeared first on Texthouse.

The conference is free for three days online and registration is open now. My session is on How to Grow Your Income Working with Friends and Family, together with my Australian friend Mel Hammond of Writer on the Road.

We both run writing businesses together with our families (my partner and Mel’s two daughters), and wanted to share our experiences.

I’m very proud to be included among the top advisors speaking at this conference. People like Joanna Penn, Michael Anderle and Mark Lefebvre, as well as ALLi-approved services like Written Word Media and Kickstarter, are all sharing their very best strategies, tactics and techniques for earning more as an writer.

I’m really excited by the line-up, and if you want to learn from people who have been there, done that and can show you what to do (and what not to do), you’ll love it.

Are you a writer or interested in self-publishing? Register now for the The Self-Publishing Advice Conference (FREE for a limited time).

The post Self-Publishing Advice Conference 2020 for Writers and Indie Publishers appeared first on Texthouse.