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  • What does it take to be an Audiobook Narrator
  • Liz Drury Funding Article
  • Healthy gut, healthy mind: The Gut-Brain connection, Written by Lena Christou
  • Creating Epic Performances Every Time, Written by Fiona Maguire
  • Promoting Wellbeing During Unprecedented Times by Dr Jane Oakland
  • 'A Whole new World of Voice Acting' with Jennifer Trujillo Interview by Alan Shires
  • Working From Home by Roger Woods
  • Advice For Voiceover Artists Right Now
  • Game Changing Insights by Marc Guss
  • Inner Demons by Andrea Toyias
  • The Psychology of Narration

  • Liz Drury Funding Article

    Who would like some free money? Everyone right?! Well, did you know that you might be eligible for grant funding for your voiceover business? 

    Read more

  • Healthy gut, healthy mind: The Gut-Brain connection, Written by Lena Christou

    We hear a lot about the mind-body connection, but what about the gut-mood connection? Recent studies show that the adrenal stress response is triggered by not only stress and/ or trauma, but also a pattern of eating. 

    Read more

  • Creating Epic Performances Every Time, Written by Fiona Maguire

    So what prevents actors from being able to tap into their emotions? It is the same thing that stops people feeling and expressing their emotions in everyday life. 

    It is the unconscious mind’s belief that taping into the emotions is scary, harmful and even life threatening. This belief has been embedded into your unconscious mind by numerous ways that I explain below

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  • Promoting Wellbeing During Unprecedented Times by Dr Jane Oakland

    When life is disrupted by events which are out of our control, we have two choices. We can become a victim to these changes or we can find ways to adapt to our current environment. The way we perceive change has a direct influence on the way we respond to change. Adopting a proactive rather than a passive approach is key to promoting physical and mental wellbeing. 

    Read more

  • 'A Whole new World of Voice Acting' with Jennifer Trujillo Interview by Alan Shires

    Alan Shires: What is your favourite part about your job?

    Jennifer Trujillo: My favourite part of my job is working with new talent, that is an exciting thing to do, giving someone their first job in animation or in Disney, these are really cool things.

    Read more

  • Working From Home by Roger Woods

    As voice actors/artists we’ve been able to work from home, in isolation and at a distance, since it became technically possible some 30 years ago and today more people are voicing projects, podcasts and broadcasting from home, in these unprecedented times, than ever before because the technology has never been so affordable; but are you really properly equipped to meet the demand for your vocal talent?

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  • Advice For Voiceover Artists Right Now

    So, the world is in crisis right now. The coronavirus is affecting everyone, every walk of life, every continent and every industry. There is a lot of fear right now and here at The VoiceOver Network we want to help our wonderful voiceover community. In times of crisis like what we are currently experiencing coming together as a voiceover community is incredibly important.

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  • Game Changing Insights by Marc Guss

    "Talent who are thoughtful about their reads and reflect that in their audition tend to book more on average. They are great storytellers who keep true to the uniqueness of their natural voice without letting their delivery get in the way. The most commonly booked talent are those who deliver the 'message' most effectively. Also, the difference in who books a lot or who is struggling can be simply that the actor's voice and approach doesn't match the current 'flavour of the day'."

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  • Inner Demons by Andrea Toyias

    "I know all the orcs in Los Angeles,” I casually said to a friend over a recent weekend brunch. She stopped, looked at me and we both erupted in laughter over the fact that not only was my sentence accurate….but in my line of work, it was entirely and fantastically true. I do, indeed, know all the orcs in Los Angeles. And most of the demons. Some of the goblins. And certainly, a large smattering of super heroes and mouthless space aliens, all across the California southland. For I make video games. And I spend more time with ghosts, ghouls and grizzly soldiers than I do my own family. And I know and love each of these characters as if they ARE my own family….for they are real, grounded, and birthed from the life experiences of the actors who voiced them.

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  • The Psychology of Narration

    Like everything in the perceivable Universe, vocal communication is vibration. If we don’t generate the right frequency within the body, it won’t transmit through the voice and, subsequently, won’t be there to reach the listener.

    Okay, so how do we take this grand notion of Universal vibration and apply it to our little ole’ narration reads? I’m glad you asked. Let’s start with decisions made in the head and add some funky dials.

    Read more

What does it take to be an Audiobook Narrator

Posted in Members Blog, Blog

 

I’m running late, grabbing the last of my things phone, headphones, wallet, bag …..check. KEYS! Out the door. It’s a beautiful sunny day in London as I make my way to the bus stop. I get out my phone, plug my headphones in and go to my Audible app. I’m midway through a brilliant Audiobook and I can’t wait to get back into it. The narrator’s voice comes into my ears and starts telling me the story. I’m on my way into town for an audition and I am loving every minute of the journey as I am engrossed in a wonderful audiobook.

We live in an amazing time. Technology is moving so fast and we are very lucky to be in the age of the Audiobook BOOM. The Audiobook industry is growing at an incredibly fast rate and is currently worth $3.5 billion Dollars (according to goodreader.com). There are more audiobooks being recorded now than ever before and more and more audiobook narrators are needed to record them.

So, what makes a good audiobook narrator and is it for you?

Being an audiobook narrator is not for everyone. My good friend and award winning audiobook narrator Anna Parker-Naples compares it to Marmite, you either love it or you really don’t. When people ask me   “is audiobook narrating for me?” the first thing I say is do you LOVE reading books? I mean really love reading books. You will be spending hours reading, researching and prepping books so you need to have a passion for them. If the answer is yes, great. The next thing to consider is what is your sight reading like? This needs to be excellent. David Roper from Heavy Entertainment, a leader in audiobook production, says you need to be able to read 3 to 5 pages fluently without making a mistake. So, make sure before you start your first audiobook that you practice, practice and then practice some more. Acting, accents and characterization are also key ingredients to being a great audiobook narrator.

 

A test recording

Sean Pratt’s advice, and he has narrated over 900 audiobooks, is to sit down and read a book out loud and record it. It might take you about 2 weeks to get through your first book. You can use the microphone on your computer to record this test recording just to see what it’s like, you won’t be using this for anything other than for yourself. See how it feels and if it’s for you. Please note that you need to have a proper home studio set up for recording professional audiobooks. Just use the mic on your computer for training purposes.

Training

Next up and essential for any audiobook narrator is training. Listen to webinars and podcasts by audiobook narrators and go to workshops. Get as much training as you can before you start. There are some wonderful coaches out there too who can help you. Sean Pratt and Johnny Heller are two fantastic ones I would recommend.

A home studio is something you should consider if you haven’t got one already, but it isn’t essential straight away. Get the training and see if it’s for you first, then it’s worth thinking about getting a home recording studio set up. This will mean you can work from home on audiobooks. ACX (Amazon Creation Exchange) is a great place to start and get your first couple of Audiobook recordings under your belt. Then you will be able to start approaching publishers and audiobook producers for more work.

"I am passionate about narrating audiobooks as I get to be every part of the book. The heart beat, the characters, the suspense, resolution and emotion. Every voice acting skill you have is required in narration and it is a whole piece of work that you can always be proud of, akin to a work of art."Rachael Beresford, Audiobook Narrator, Voiceover Artist and Actor

 

This is happening in London the first weekend in December

The first weekend of December we are flying over from the US to London two of the top and most experienced Audiobook Narrators in the world- Sean Pratt and Johnny Heller, for an Audiobook Masterclass weekend on 1st, 2nd and 3rd December at Spotlight, London. Sean has narrated over 900 audiobooks and Johnny has narrated over 600. If you are interested in the full weekend tickets are here AUDIOBOOK MASTERCLASS WEEKEND If you can’t do the whole weekend but are interested in learning more about working as an Audiobook Narrator or if you are an Audiobook Narrator already then we have an Audiobook VOND (VoiceOver Network Drinks) night at Spotlight on 1st December. Tickets are available here - AUDIOBOOK VOND EVENT  

By Rachael Naylor

Rachael is the founder of The VoiceOver Network, Voiceover Artist, Actor, editor of The Buzz Magazine, host of The Voiceover Hour and award winning entrepreneur.

www.rachaelnaylor.com 

@RachaelNaylor

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