The Making of George Sephton Audiobook

The George Sephton audiobook Voice of Anfield and respective hardbook was inspired by a meeting that George had with his close friend Peter Hooton, the musical maestro behind the group The Farm.

Peter, a lifelong fan of Liverpool FC and fellow Liverpudlian felt that George had a great story to tell that people needed to hear.

Obviously George was flattered and had lots of stories from his 50 years at the club. But, where would he start? How would he start, he wasn’t the type to keep a diary and as he was getting older he felt his memory wasn’t what it once was.

So, is there ever a good time to look back on your career and say: “I have an interesting story to tell that I’d like people to know about?” 

The Art of Storytelling

The fact is, we are all storytellers. But can we turn our stories into a commercial success?

This really depends on your audience, and how you help and benefit this demographic. A good example is a social media influencer. They often get followed by people who wish to gain their advice and knowledge. These followers would be your key audience to target.

But What Is Storytelling?

If you look up storytelling online it describes the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, often improvisations, theatrics and sometimes embellishment. At its core, each culture will have its own storytellers. 

In today’s society, it’s often journalists or TV presenters who tell us these stories. But, sometimes great stories come from the people who are not always on our TV screens. These can be military veteran’s, doctors or politicians.

One such person is George Sephton, better known as the Voice of Anfield.

For those who are wondering who George Sephton is or what Anfield is. Anfield is the football ground that Liverpool Football Club play at, George is the chap in the picture above, about to record his very first George Sephton audiobook in our studios.

George has been the Voice of Anfield for over 50 years. Meaning, he’s the chap who you hear making the announcements in the stadium building up to and during the game.

So, he’ll announce health and safety guidance at the ground, he’ll read out the teams and generally give advice to and for supporters about things happening in the ground, including special announcements.

Plus, an even bigger part of his job is to play music. But not just any music, music that creates a great atmosphere and guides people through the day at the game. Something which he goes into great detail about in his book.

Whether you’re a fan of football or not, it’s hard to dispute the love that people have for their football teams. It’s almost like a form of worship, where people attend their clubs each week to sing and preach to their beloved teams.

Crying, laughing and cheering their way to hope and sometimes despair. 

Putting People at Ease

The way to make good audio

Whenever new people come into the studio I’m always keen to put them at ease and make them feel as comfortable as possible. I feel this is really important, as it creates a relaxed atmosphere to work in. And when people are relaxed they work at their best. It’s a simple formula!

When George arrives he’s smartly dressed with a mask on (because we’re in covid restrictions) and he’s got a carrier bag of items with various bits inside. One of them is his new book, his lunch and some other bits and pieces.

We start by talking about everything to do with the world that day and I suddenly realise George is putting ME at ease.

The Voice of Anfield sounds like the 5th Beatle and like many people from Liverpool, George has this endearing warmth and quality about him, which makes him great company.  

When we first took the call about George coming in to read his autobiography, I was really keen to hear his story and spend some time shooting the breeze about football. 

In fact, we spent a lot of time ranting about the whole pandemic nightmare we’ve all been living in.

But, over the coming days we talk off mic about everything that’s been going on in both our lives, from his health problems, our families and lots of interesting stories in his book, some which he had to keep shorter for editorial value.

The Editorial Cull

Words that just have to go

Yes, it’s a thing, believe it or not, lots of detail gets dropped from books for a number of reasons. Either because they want to restrict the book’s length or because of legal reasons.

The biggest gripe I hear is the removal of names to avoid litigation. This is usually required if an author literally name’s people in their book who are alive and who may disagree with the claims made about them.

Luckily, there’s nothing like this to worry about in the George Sephton audiobook, because he’s a super nice guy.

Conclusion

Although it’s an essential read if you’re a Liverpool fan, please don’t assume that it’s not for you if you don’t follow Liverpool.

Personally, I think it’s aimed at all people who love football, including people who just love great stories. Especially autobiographies.

I won’t give too much away, but it’s a gripping read, a book that smoothly categorises the decades, not just about football, but fashion, music, film and TV. Including a raft of who’s who in the world of football and celebrity. 

Yes, George has met them all and has even become close friends with some of them. From lifelong fan Elvis Costello to John Barnes and many, many more.

I have to admit, there was times when the stories were very sad, especially the disasters that the club has endured, but it’s all written from George’s perspective, which deals with the subjects very well.

Don’t get me wrong, George is a scouser, so there’s plenty of laughter in his book that I’m sure you will enjoy chuckling about. 

Little Known Fact

When George recorded his TV appearance on Steph’s Packed Lunch we was in between recording his audiobook at our studios.

So, when he returned the following week, he explained how overwhelmed he was that they had surprised him with Kenny Dalglish and Jürgen Klopp’s appearance, who both wished him well with his new book.

In fact, it was Kenny who wrote the foreward for the book, so it’s safe to say he’s had the great one’s approval.

However, he did tell me that he wasn’t too impressed with how fast the show’s driver drove him to the studios in Leeds. Saying, it was like being escorted by Lewis Hamilton, and felt it was a wise move going to the toilet that morning.

Scouse humour, you can’t beat it