Unicorn Music

October 21, 2023 · by sybrinapublishing

Learn How To Create Your Own Theme Song

Article By Sybrina Durant

I like to write songs to represent the essence of each of my books. For Magical Elements of the Periodic Table Presented Alphabetically by the Metal Horn Unicorns, I struggled to find a suitable way to present the accompanying song. I tried writing an ABC-type song at first, but nothing felt quite right. Eventually, I realized that I needn’t limit myself to a typical counting or alphabetical type of tune and the ideas suddenly began to take shape. I am pleased with the ultimate result as it captures the spirit and character of this book quite nicely.

The theme of “No Metal, No Magic” flows throughout the entire book. This sentiment is echoed in the song’s lyrics, too. Ultimately, if there’s no metal, there can be no magic. Any metal-horned unicorn will tell you that. Without metal and all the other elements of the periodic table there would be no technology for us modern people, either. Here’s the No Metal, No Magic album cover.

For this book, I created a special advertisement-style book trailer comprising of a variety of visuals and a narrator. Unfortunately, the entire song isn’t featured widely in the video but the full version is available on Youtube. If you would like to listen to it, go here: https://youtu.be/tcB8KDWAd8w The lyrics are below.

Are you interested in creating a song for your book?

Here’s the process I typically follow. First, I write lyrics and devise a melody that fits those words. Don’t let the term “lyrics” scare you. If you can write a poem, you can write lyrics. For help with this, it’s useful to have access to a metronome; luckily, many voice recorder apps come equipped with one of these! As you record the lyrics and vocal melody into the recorder app, it’s important to convey as much emotion in your performance as you can — because that is what the future vocalist will aim to imitate. If you sound blah…they just might as well.

In step two of creating a song, you’ll want to find a composer for your music. If you’re not musically inclined, the internet offers numerous outlets where you can source musicians, such as Fiverr. Listen to several samples prior to making a decision. Some composers sing. Some don’t. I usually select one whose entire focus is instrumentals and then hire a vocalist later. With this approach, you can find fantastic musicians at affordable prices.

Step three – Send the composer an MP3 file of just your vocals that you saved from the recording app. Tell the composer the style of music that you’d like for your song. Send samples of other similar songs if you wish. Let the musician know you expect the deliverables to be two finished tracks: one with scratch vocals (to provide to the vocalist you will hire) and one with with music only.

Step four – Once the music is ready, you ( or a hired singer) can record the vocals. If hiring a singer is necessary, be sure to search Fiverr or other service provider for one who will sound best for your project and who fits into your budget. Once found, provide them with the lyrics, the scratch vocal from the composer and the instrument-only music track.

Creating a song based on your book is a great way to promote it. Such a song can be used in book trailers uploaded to Youtube. That link can be promoted on Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and all of your other social media. You can also upload the song with or without the video as a stand-alone on music streaming services like Spotify (use a distribution service like Distrokid), and more. Have fun with this unique opportunity to bring your story alive in a new medium.

Bio:

Sybrina Durant is a unicorn author/entrepreneur. In addition to books, she offers unicorn-themed activities, t-shirts and more. Plus, she has pulled together a collection of nearly all the unicorn books available today from hundreds of authors. They are categorized on her website by Little Kid, Middle Kid and Teen Unicorn Books.

Social Media Links:

Book Page On Website – https://www.sybrina.com/muapt

Interactive Unicorn-Themed Periodic Table – https://sybrina.com/muapt/inter-active-unicorn-themed-periodic-table-from-magical-elements-of-the-periodic-table-presented-alphabetically-by-the-metal-horn-unicorns/

Sybrina’s Unicorn Book Store – https://sybrina.com/sybrinas-unicorn-book-store-main/

Book on Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/Magical-Elements-Periodic-Table-Alphabetically-ebook/dp/B0BTVC1R62 – free with kindle unlimited

Get The Book Activities – https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Sybrina-Publishing

Book on Goodreads – https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/100022768-magical-elements-of-the-periodic-table-presented-alphabetically-by-the-m

Amazon Author Profile – https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B009K3WGMS

Sybrina Publishing Store on Amazon – https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/686BB824-052C-4B4E-99C3-CD2B8FCFBA8D

Book Song on Youtube – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLybqF-7D4W3FTbEZF_rZ45b7A1xJdubni – Listen to No Metal No Magic

Twitter – https://twitter.com/Sybrina_spt

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/TheBlueUnicornBookStore