NNELS creates Human Narrated Audiobooks on demand for Patron Requests. As a Production Assistant you will be assigned to write image descriptions for the narrators.

Tickets for titles will be in the NNELS Narration Production Queue/Waiting Room, and will be assigned to you by the Production Coordinator.

The ticket will include a comment with the following information:

• number of images
• complexity of images
• deadline for descriptions

The deadline is created based on type/number of images and the average time it takes to complete the descriptions. A breakdown of the average time per image and type is as follows:

• Complex image = 25 minutes per image
• Medium image = 10 minutes per image
• Simple image = 3 minutes per image

Each assigned title will have two documents:

1. Original Ebook for reference (for context)
2. Word Doc with images in order (write all descriptions in this file)

These files will be located in the OneDrive folder under the corresponding title. You can update the descriptions in the document without downloading it, and it should save automatically. If you have any issues, please contact the Production Coordinator.

You do not insert the Image Description in the Alt-text box. Simply enter the description below the image under the provided heading.

Begin each description with the phrase: BEGIN IMAGE DESCRIPTION (Location) and end each description with the phrase: END IMAGE DESCRIPTION (Location).

After each description, if there is a caption, transcribe the caption beginning with the phrase: Caption Reads: …

See video on How to Set Up Word Doc for Human Narration Image Descriptions.

Once you are finished pass the ticket back to the Production Coordinator.

The biggest difference between Image Descriptions for Human Narration and Image Descriptions for Alt-text is the length and amount of detail included in your description.

Begin each description with the phrase: BEGIN IMAGE DESCRIPTION (Location) and end each description with the phrase: END IMAGE DESCRIPTION (Location).

After each description, if there is a caption, transcribe the caption beginning with the phrase: Caption Reads: …

When describing cover images, begin with the following: cover: [Title][: Subtitle]. [AuthorName AuthorSuname]. [Image Description]. [Praise quotation by Attribution text].

For example: cover: Awesome Title: Of a Really Cool Book. Sarah Smith. A colour photograph of a single red rose laying in the pale white snow. "You do not want to miss this book that is about cool things!" by Mr. Critic Person.

You want to keep your descriptions between 1-3 sentences long. Human Narration is under time constraints, so the shorter the better.

Since the descriptions will be shorter, your descriptions will sacrifice finer details and be more general than when you are describing Alt-text for an EPUB3.

You will be cutting out details that you would normally include in Alt-text for an EPUB3. To do this:

• Take in consideration the context of the image
• Ask: What is this image telling the reader in this context? What information would be lost if we removed it? These questions help identify the important parts of the image.
• Describe only the core parts of the image
• Remember, adjectives are your friend! They can help condense longer descriptions to be more direct and concise
• Edit it down to be as short and concise as possible
• When it doubt, ask for assistant!

The same guidelines for how to write descriptions for Alt-text apply to writing Simple and Medium Descriptions for Human Narration. You can find these guidelines on the page for Images: Alt-text and Image Description

If you are stuck, or unsure of how to describe any image, please post the image along with your question to the Alt-text Q&A

We do not do traditional long descriptions for Human Narration.

If you have a Long Description, simply write the entire description below the image and use narrative style (i.e. no special formatting such as tables.)

Try to keep the description as short as possible (250-500 words on average).

Since this is significantly shorter than Long Descriptions for Alt-text, a lot of detail will need to be sacrificed. You will need to be more general in your description, and summarize more than if you were writing a Long Description for Alt-text.

It is okay to make short paragraphs (2 sentences) with the description to help the narrator read it more clearly.

The same guidelines for how to write descriptions for Alt-text apply to writing Long Descriptions for Human Narration. You can find these guidelines on the page for Complex Images and Long Descriptions

If you are stuck, or unsure of how to describe any image, please post the image along with your question to the Alt-text Q&A