Audiobook Narration

Voice Over Genres

Musings at the Mic

 – BY SCOTT THOMAS

 

Have you ever run a marathon?  To narrators and voice actors, audiobook narration IS the marathon of voice overs.  On average, we’re talking around five hours of continuous recording every day – day after day, possibly week after week…and that’s just to complete one project.

Finish one, start another.

Audiobook narration is not for everyone.  For one thing – narrating a book is definitely not a case of someone just going through the motions and spitting out words from a page.

Audiobook Narration is Storytelling.

In the history of the world, how important is storytelling to human beings?  I mean, who doesn’t love a good story, well told??  I think I read somewhere that the earliest form of entertainment for us humans was sitting around in a group with someone telling tales of hunting and gathering and barely escaping saber toothed tigers and what not.  Ya’ know…storytelling!   

Obviously, audiobook narration is storytelling, but more specifically, it’s reading the words on a page.

That’s different.

Know the words, tell the story…

Fiction and Non-Fiction.

Even non-fiction titles have elements of storytelling.  All good narrators engage the listener by truly connecting with the script.  Even if it’s a non-fiction account of the history of paint drying, your job as a narrator is to speak the author’s truth, and make it compelling.  However, I’ve heard it said that there’s a fine line between truly connecting with the story, and overacting – so beware.  Gotta’ find the sweet spot.

More on that down the road…

Generally, there are two categories of books:  fiction and non-fiction.  Bear in mind, most audiobooks are read cover-to-cover by one narrator.  Yes, that means performing all the characters in fiction stories. You could be looking at a 100,000 word story containing dialogue with several dozen diverse characters, possibly with many different accents and dialect…plus, opposite gender characters, young or old characters, human and superhuman beings – you perform them all.

If you think you can handle that, then fiction might be in your wheelhouse.

If you lean less towards acting, and more towards narrating, you may be more comfortable with non-fiction.  Either way, though, one thing you have to have is stamina.  Not just with your voice, but with staying connected to the script.  Can you endure recording for five or six hours in one session, all while being focused and engaged with the script?  Yes?  Then, read on…

Audiobook Narrating – Next Steps

First, you should know upfront that audiobook narrating is not the highest paying form of voice over.  At least not starting out.  Making $500 per finished hour is a good rate, but it’s rare to hit that mark early on in the game.

Next, I highly recommend finding a reputable voice acting coach who specializes in your category of narration.   She or he will be able to guide you in the finer details of audiobook narrating (and there are many).   Having multiple coaches and mentors is likely to happen as you navigate these waters.  This is good.  It’s what’s supposed to happen.

Finally, check into ACX, which is the author-to-narrator “match-maker” owned by Amazon.  There are others that you’ll soon discover during your search, but ACX is a good place to start.

Unlike other forms of voice over, narrating audiobooks is a labor of love that endures through the ages for all to see and hear.  I think it’s pretty cool to imagine that one day, my great-great-grandkids will be able to hear the stories I brought to life.

Makes those long hours acting like a marathon runner seem kinda’ worth it.

 

 

Finding Your Voice in Voice Over

Starting out

Musings at the Mic

 – BY SCOTT THOMAS

 

There are a lot of factors that come into play when considering what genre (or genres) you’re going to pursue on your voice over journey.  One of the first questions to ask yourself is:  What makes me stand out?  Sometimes, an accent or vocal trait does the trick – like a melodic Irish accent, or a deep baritone voice.  Maybe long-form narration comes easy to you.  Perhaps you’re fluent in multiple languages.  There are any number of traits, talents and abilities that might separate you from the pack.  Knowing your strengths and playing to them is what finding your voice in voice over is all about.

Voice actors are everywhere.

Make no mistake:  there’s a lot of competition in voice over – and it’s not just local, not just national –  you will be competing with voice actors across the entire planet! – so it’s best to have something that sets you apart.  It’s also crucial to know what to do with it.

Let’s say for a moment that Charles is a budding voice actor.  He’s really good at character voices, impersonations, and he also has a knack for performing a host of accents and dialects.  To do all this, Charles has to alter his voice in one way or another, which is a skill not all voice actors possess.  This of course, sets Charles apart.  If he’s really good at it, this could be his ticket.

If this happens to be your wheelhouse too, the next thing to identify is what voice over genre plays to these strengths?  In Charles’ scenario, being versatile with his voice could put him on a path to narrating audiobooks.  He might also consider pursuing roles as characters in video games or animation.  Of course, each path has its own unique challenges, so it’s best to learn as much as possible as you find your voice in voice over.

Hire a voice over coach.

A good, reputable voice over coach working with you one-on-one is not cheap.  It’s also one of the most important career investments you can make.  Keep in mind that most seasoned voice actors continue to work with coaches throughout their careers – to stay sharp and be the best they can be – so the sooner you embrace the idea of coaching, the better.

A good voice over coach will give you direction right out of the gate.  Of course, giving feedback on your reads is job one, but they’ll also be able to gauge your strengths, and guide you toward genres that play to those strengths.  As you start out, having someone in your corner who’s been there, done that in the world of voice over, and has your best interests at heart, can really be a difference-maker in finding your voice in voice over.  If you think you know what avenue of voice over you want to pursue, that’s great…but have a professional confirm it, because in the world of voice over, there is no substitute for a good ear, or for good advice.

Different voice over genres have different buyers.

Okay, so you’ve confirmed what it is that sets you apart.  In finding your voice, you now know what genre(s) of voice over you want to pursue.  When the time is right, you’ll need to do some research and identify who the buyers are.  For some voice over genres, you’ll go directly to the buyer.  For others, it’s best to have a voice over agent who has the connections to land auditions for you.  There are also times when you’ll be contacting content creators, such as video producers and eLearning developers.  The list is vast and varied.

Researching online is all part of the discovery process…and just one of the skills in which you’ll need to be proficient.  After all, this is a business…so you have to approach it like one.  The actual speaking into a microphone part is the icing on the cake.  The fun part.  GETTING the job is a whole ‘nuther matter.

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