New Member Spotlight - Cory Verner
Cory Verner, Verity Audio ProductionsCory Verner began in the audiobook industry in 2003 when the market was 90% cassettes. In 2004, he founded christianaudio, a niche audiobook publisher focused on thoughtful Christian audio content. christianaudio's first sale was a download on christianaudio.com, one of the initial few audiobook download sites. He and his wife Crissy began an audiobook production company in 2005 – Verity Audio Productions – which works with all of the major publishing houses as well as niche Christian companies and ministries and produces hundreds of titles a year though that name and ONE Audiobooks. Verity has two studios in San Diego.
APA: What are you hoping to gain from your APA membership?
Cory: I have been involved in the APA since 2004. I find the industry data APA gathers to be extremely valuable in making decisions for the companies I have managed. I also enjoy the many deep relationships I have formed with publishers and narrators in the audiobook community. It's such a great group of folks. I was so sad to miss APAC this year!
APA: What cool projects are you working on?
Cory: We have recorded some amazing projects this year including Grisham's Camino Winds with Michael Beck, a regular in our San Diego studios. We're currently working on a 10-hour (est.) finished, multicast, comic book, audio Bible. The book won a Christian Book Award in 2011 and is being refreshed. We've spent months casting and mapping out the peripheral characters as well as planning our post processes to ensure maximum efficiency when the book goes to what will be a full month of editing!
APA: Tell us why you decided to start Verity/One Audio and how is it different from your venture with Christian Audio?
Cory: Verity, our niche audiobook production company has been producing the highest quality audiobooks for more than 15 years. I started ONE Audiobooks to focus on the Christian market exclusively. We provide flexible options for Christian publishers, sometimes acting as a licensor and other times as a partner. We've launched a SAAS app that makes providing review copies and supporting various marketing campaigns super easy. It makes things like bundling and preorder campaigns possible which have huge advantages for publishers.
APA: Any interesting/fun facts we should know about you/your company?
Cory: Of the first 5 books I recorded in 2003, I threw 3 away. I just couldn't get the quality right so we paid the talent to come back in and re-record them!
One of my absolute, all-time favorite authors recorded in our studio the year we opened. We didn't have air conditioning at that point and there was a major heatwave in San Diego. He was a kind of formal guy and he sat for three days in a sleeveless undershirt recording while both of us dripped with sweat. I was so mortified and apologetic but he was gracious. Years later when I saw him he recognized me and said..."IT WAS SO HOT!"
I've helped maybe 20+ narrators get studios going over the years. It's been great fun, so far!
