Can I Just Ask ... How Do You Get Into Audiobooks?

As self Isolation and Covid19 become part of our normal (and I hope long and healthy) lives, I and many of my narrator colleagues are being overwhelmed with enquiries about 'how to get into audiobooks'. I am getting almost as many emails asking how to set up a home studio and record remotely.  I'd love to be able to answer all these emails and messages individually but I'm afraid I can't - I have deadlines to meet I there just aren't enough hours in the day to individually answer every email or mesage that comes in.  And in case you're wondering how I'm finding time to write this, it is now 1.30 in the morning! It's been a long day!.

"​I'm getting a ton of emails from people who want to 'bend my ear' and talk audiobooks for a while. They've always wanted to be a narrator and now seems like the perfect time.

It's actually not the perfect time.

The creation of audiobooks and narration is not easy. It seems that way, because we make it appear that way. So, even if you have a home computer and a microphone...there is SO much more you need to know before you're ready to produce an audiobook.

With what's happening in the world right now, the audiobook industry is in flux and the new productions will need to be with established talent who understand the minutiae of producing a book. And there's a lot of detail to it.

I wish I had time to educate people, but every time you ask me for coffee or a virtual meeting, it's an hour out my day that I could use to be working and supporting my family. And I need to support my family more than ever right now. . . ."

" This is not to say you CAN'T do it. You can. There are resources available to you. One of the little known things about audiobooks is that if you're really meant to do this, you will figure it out yourself. It's actually great training in being a narrator. You need to be self-motivated, a problem solver, tenacious, responsible, respectful...and have some talent. You also need to research the heck out of the job."

Image by 'thedarknut' from Pixabay

Working from Home An increasing number of folk are self isolating - and are having to work from home, I thought I'd share this excellent information written by a friend of mine, who runs a successful business from home - and is a wizard at organisation and communication. Her article is relevant to anyone working from home - but particuarly at the moment when there are increasing demands from other family members - who are also isolated at home..

I am posting this here in case it's of any help to people (like me) used to having the house to themselves during the day, who are now surrounded by people unused to structuring their own days. Routines can be so reassuring, without us having to say a word.


In the last week I've gone through what we all have, and noticed how it made my sense of day/time a bit swimmy. Fell into some news/social media habits I don't want. By Friday I realized that I need structure in my work days, and it is going to be up to me to establish it, and ask my family to respect it, or I am not going to get much done.


Some suggestions:
1.      Get YOUR head together first. Do a brain dump, on scratch paper or in a journal or wherever, of all of your thoughts, fears, hopes, big and small, related to this whole situation. Get all that noise on paper and look at it, own it, set it aside. Not a bad way to start or end each day for a while if it helps...kind of like morning pages in The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron.


2.     Look at your work commitments, schedule, etc. and erase the things that were canceled. You've probably already done this.


3.     With the things not happening, do you have more time to meet deadlines? If so, rather than taking on more projects, can you plan a condensed workday / work week? Consider a policy of not working after dinner, not working weekends. You could do 10 hours in 4 days instead of 5.


4.     Consider your family's daily rhythms now. Do you have little ones who are up with the sun, or teenagers who sleep in? When you look at your work day, plan work time that is congruent with these rhythms. Save yourself frustration wherever possible.


5.      Plan your in-the-office calendar. When will you be in your office / studio? How much of the time will be recording, how much time for admin tasks? Build in a couple of stretch / walk around breaks as needed. Set TRT goals for each recording block. Make rules for non-work internet use. Use apps that lock you out of news / social media during certain hours if necessary. This version of your schedule is more detailed and it's for you.


6.     Now look at your detailed calendar and zoom out a bit. What is work and what is not work? This is all that matters to your family. Summarize your workday. For me, it's 8:30-12:30, 1:30-4 with an option to be done at 2:30 if I was super-productive in the morning.


7.     POST YOUR SCHEDULE on the family bulletin board, fridge, wherever everyone sees it. Also post it on your office door. Your detailed schedule can be in your office.


8.     Communicate about it. Your only goal this week is to try your hardest to hold to your plan, and to patiently communicate with your family. It'll take time for everyone to settle in. Emphasize that routine can be helpful for everyone at a time like this, that you are sharing your routine that helps you, and encouraging them to come up with a daily routine that helps them. For younger kids, agree on a few times during the day they can count on to connect with you. When those times come, "pencils down" and keep your promise.


9.     Hold steady and keep your patience. Your schedule is not a battle line, it's not a punishment, it's not a declaration that you are more important than others. For kids, you are setting an example. For a spouse or partner who misses the rhythms of the office, your work rhythms can give them that same sense of the day/week they had at work.


10.     If people aren't understanding the difference between work and not-work time, it might feel silly but you can actually talk as though your office is outside the house. "Ok everybody, heading to work now, I'll see you around x:xx for lunch!" might feel silly but it underscores that you are not going to be available to do household things for a bit. If people are asking you do do household or fun things during work time, you can always Obi-Wan that person: "that sounds really fun! I look forward to doing that with you at x:xx."

Six monthly check up!

What's In A Name . . . ? 

Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay

I spotted a question on social media the other day that got me thinking. A professional Voiceover was applying to be featured on an online casting site and was being asked to use a different name from the name she is known by professionally - to basically go undercover! I know this is common practice on many Pay to Play sites, but it seems to be gaining popularity with the growing number of online casting sites labelling themselves as an 'Agency' and thus offering representation to voice actors and VO folk. ​This worries me ... but why am I concerned?

"One word, trust. Personally I think it shows a distinct lack of trust on behalf of the voice over artist and insinuates that we will take on a repeat client and bypass the source from whence it came. That’s not my style.  I will ALWAYS refer back to the source if it came back from an agency. Personally I’m not a fan of a pseudonym at all."

Re-inventing yourself.

Image by Arek Socha from Pixabay

Having recently celebrated a milestone birthday -  fifty years since graduating from drama school - I can't help reflecting that according to my reckoning, I'm on my fifth major re-invention of myself.  Of course, as a jobbing actor, there were also a selection of 'inbetween-jobs'  jobs  - shop assistant in the lingerie department of Barker's High Street Ken, waitress at the Toasted Cushion on Fleet Street, painter and decorator, office temp, wedding cake maker, knitter, teacher, researcher and medical secretary - but these brief interludes aside - everything I have done in my working life has been related to, and connected with my childhood ambition - to be an actor!

But My Brain Had Other Ideas

'But My Brain Had Other Ideas - A memoir of recovery from brain injury. by Deb Brandon. Published by She Writes Press - and now available as an Audiobook.  ​ ​Winner - Beverly Hills Book Awards Winner - Reviewers Choice Awards 2018 The Indie Book Awards - Finalist The Best Book Awards - Finalist International Book Awards - Finalist

I read a lot of books - both personally and professionally. I always enjoy the challenge of narrating no matter what the genre, but I wouldn't necessarily choose to read for pleasure all of the books that I narrate.  However, occasionally - and joyously - I get to narrate 'a keeper', a book that I will return to again and again. 'But My Brain Had Other Ideas' by Deb Brandon is such a book! ​When Deb discovered that cavernous angiomas - tangles of malformed blood vessels in her brain - were behind the terrifying symptoms she'd been experiencing, she underwent brain surgery.  ​And then another brain surgery. And then another.  ​Three surgeries - two carefully planned, the other, a terrifying surprise - in as many weeks. ​And that was just the beginning!​

'Helen  did a fabulous job narrating my memoir “But My Brain Had Other Ideas.” Not only was her voice and intonation perfect, but she really captured the essence of who I am. She hit all the nuances of my inner self, fear, humour, grief, just right.  As I listened to the final product, I felt as if I was listening to (a better version of) myself telling my story. I can’t be prouder of this audiobook. 
Thanks so much, Helen. There aren’t enough words to express my gratitude'. 

That sinking feeling - money thrown away or a wise investment?

Do you ever get a sinking feeling after you've made an impulse buy that you perhaps couldn't afford, and which, when you get it home, turns out to be a big mistake?  I certainly have a few disastrous impulse buys hanging in my wardrobe  - and it's even easier to buy impulsively online.  However - this post is not about buying a new dress or a pair of shoes. I am talking about spending money on your career and investing in your business - and how to avoid making some costly mistakes. It's important to invest in my career and in the equipment and software that I use. I want to learn how to use my skills effectively, I want to build my business and to expand into new areas of work; I want to make social media and marketing work to my best advantage - and to make the most of my USP in an increasingly overcrowded market.  And it goes without saying, there are numerous individuals and organisations that will take my money and in exchange, will promise to help me with all of these things.  However, it's all too easy to get swept away on a cloud of enthusiasm leading to some very expensive mistakes!

UK Audiobooks - Competition, Cost  & Quality?  

Has the Audiobook industry in the UK  become obsessed with keeping down costs? Judging by the numerous discussions on various Facebook Narrator and VO groups, the answer is 'yes'. Despite being told that Audiobooks are the darling of the publishing industry - the largest growth area in publishing for decades, it seems that rates for all the creatives involved in audiobook production are not showing any improvement. It seems as though a lot of audiobook publishers are asking studios to compete on price rather than on quality? If profits are so high, why are the rates for bread and butter audiobook narrators, not to mention freelance producers, audio proofers, editors and audio engineers in the UK, sinking so low?

Apac 2018

Podcasts & Webinars
An irritation or a Useful Resource?

I have never been overly fond of listening to podcasts or tuning in to webinars; I so often find them  frustrating and unsatisfactory and usually lose interest and drop out of the session. But why?  My antipathy to podcasts and webinars puzzles me because as an avid 'talk radio' listener (BBC Radio 4) :  people talking about what interests them, interviews and radio documentaries are what I listen to most. As far as TV is concerned, I watch far more factual programmes than anything else, so why do I frequently find podcasts and webinars, which are essentially an online version of what I enjoy so much on the radio and television, so singularly unsatisfactory?  Today it suddenly struck me ... a lightbulb moment!

One of the cardinal rules for journalists, interviewers and presenters - it is not about you; it's about your guests. 

Listening to a discussion where the interviewer is following their own agenda is like having a health related discussion with a hypochondriac - every illness, every ache and pain you've experienced, they've had -  not only more often, but more seriously!