Introducing Lesser Known Works

published: 

A photo of me, wearing all my favorite fall items, plaid beret, fair isle poncho, while sitting in the guest bedroom in late September.

It is no secret that I want to write a book. It is no secret that I love reading, like the whole bookshelf. And I suppose it isn’t too much of a surprise that I want to illustrate my own work.

But this might surprise you, I mean... maybe.

I’m creating audiobooks derived from various novels, short stories, poems all hidden in the word jungle of the public domain. And I’m loving it. Of course, there are lots of pros (reading new material, advocating for classics, playing with tone, just really it’s all a bit silly feeling) and one mini con (listening to the sound of my own voice for hours on end can kind of get annoying, ya know).

It all started with Arbor Fall Festival. I began recording Birdie and Rosie’s story so that my dad could read my work during his morning commute. I actually had a lot of fun creating those recordings for him. So naturally that grew into recording other works. I auditioned via ACX for a beautiful nonfiction piece about an English garden, but my British accent was, well, laughable. I definitely didn’t snag that commision, but I really wanted to learn the craft. So, I dug through the public domain and practiced at home. (Plus, I can avoid all types of lawsuits and such by using the public domain)

I’m far from an expert, and I have so much more learning to do. But I think I’ve reached a sharable level of quality in audio production. And so, without further ado, let me introduce to you Lesser Known Works.

A beautiful fall leaf I found while taking Bryan and my morning walk around the neaborhood.

Lesser Known Works is a small production of public domain literature venturing across all genres. It’s a free, no purchase, no ads exploration into classic literature. We’ve stripped lesser known stories from favorited authors hanging out in the public domain just waiting to be read (like LM Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott, Oscar Wilde, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Charles Dickens, Edith Wharton, goodness and so much more).

We aim to provide an easy access and free experience for you.

If you’re a student with 800+ novels to read this semester, or learning English for the first time and want to immerse yourself into the language (uh, a more refined version of the English language. The classics represent us well. Modern vernacular is, well, less refined), or perhaps you’re just a fan of audiobooks and classics like me, then this was made for you.

Not just audiobooks - we’re creating ebooks to accompany each audiobook, in case you want to switch mediums or use both simultaneously.

Soooo..., if this sounds like something you’d like, I want to invite you to the Lesser Known Works newsletter. We’ll notify you of any new releases and current projects we’re working on. You’ll also get a chance to voice your opinion on upcoming projects, win treats as a thank you, and sneak into some behind the scenes on each project.

We’ve already begun several projects. Our first release is a short story from the lovely LM Montgomery, The Letters. Keep your ears peeled for that one.

May you find endless exploration in learning something new,
~JH