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."

Public Lending Right - An annual perk for audiobook narrators  Not to mention authors, illustrators, print editors,  and even ghost writers!  Everytime any one borrows a physical copy of a book (or an audiobook version on CD) ifrom a public library in the UK or Ireland, the Public Lending Right comes into force and the majority of creatives involved are paid a small fee every single time a book to which they have contributed is taken out.  The amount per book is small, but if you've narrated hundreds of books, many of which are available on CD, it can amount to a tidy sum.  So ... how do you go about registering with PLR and getting your annual payout?

Step 1 - Signing up to the PLR website

Step 2 - which audiobooks are eligible?

Step 2 - finding the ISBN number

Step 3 - enter the information on your PLR page

The Author's Voice.

"Just as you dress differently on different occasions, as a writer you assume different voices in different situations! . . . Whatever the situation, the choice you make as you write and revise. . . will determine how readers interpret and respond to your presence." ​(Lisa Ede, Work in Progress: A Guide to Writing and Revising. St. Martin's Press, 1989)

I came across this quote today - and it made me think about how, as an audiobook narrator, I am the conduit for 'The Author's Voice' and how important it is for me to understand which 'voice' the author is assuming in their writing. My voice must match the author's, must be true to the author's intent; so I need to know who their intended audience is and what the overall tone of the book is. That will vary depending on when and where the book is set - and on its genre - so though my voice is always 'my voice' the tone and overall atmosphere that I create with my voice, must match the author's vision. Equally it's vital that those casting audiobooks choose the right voice to start with! Audiobooks - so much more than simply reading aloud!

When your mind goes wandering

When recording an audiobook - or indeed any other kind of narration or voiceover, particularly if you're recording remotely from your personal recordng space, then it's really important that the technical side of things runs itself so that you can forget about it and concentrate on your performance. If you haven't got faith in your equipment and set up, then how can you hope to give your best performance?

One Voice Awards 2019 . . . 

On Saturday 11 May 2019 - I attended the One Voice Awards in London. This is a major annual event in the world of audio and voice overs in the UK, part of the One Voice Conference run by the inestimable Gravy for The Brain.  Awards are given for excellence across all genres of voice work and the judging process is acknowledged as being exceptionally thorough, totally independent and incorruptable! There are only two Audiobook related awards, one for non-fiction one for fiction - and this year I was shortlisted in both categories. To my delight and surprise, I won the One Voice Award for the Best Fiction Audiobook Performance. My acceptance speech was less than impressive - so here, with hindsight, is the speech I wish I had made!

The Acceptance Speech I wish I'd made 

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."

An exciting update!

​AUDIOBOOK NARRATION - TOP-TIP

Audiobook samples Having great samples on your website and various profile pages and they can really help you to get work.  I mark excerpts that I think would make useful clips while I am prepping my reads, and also keep the audio of those sections (if I am recording remotely) or re-record them at home when I'm working in a mainstream studio - that way I have all kinds of samples at hand - featuring dialogue, accents, styles of deliver and different genres to send to publishers - and add to my list of clips on my VoiceZam profile, Sound Cloud and other profiles - having asked permission of the rights holder of course!

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'. 

Muse from The Booth - It's that time of year again

​Well ... what a year 2018 was! Amid the chaos surrounding us all - all the horrors and worries  that were so much part of our lives, professionally it was a great year! I have never been busier - not only in audiobooks, but also in other fields of voice over work. And I am very grateful.

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!

Audiobooks - Telling the story

​In audiobooks, the narrative voice refers to the voice of whoever is telling the story. The most common narrative voice in fiction is the 3rd person narrative, but 1st person narrative is also used; in non-fiction many books are written in the 2nd person narrative - but in autobiography and memoir, obviously the first person narrative voice is used. What does all this mean? And how, as narrators, do we approach these different narrative voices?

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?

Helen Lloyd - Newsletter 2018

 
Your Natural Voice - Is it 'Authentic'?

Your voice is your voice … or is it?  There is a lot of talk about ‘authenticity’ buzzing around at the moment.  Just Google ‘Authentic Voice’ and you’ll see 11,000,000 results. Many of them are about writing, urging authors to find their ‘authentic voice’, but ‘authentic’ also seems increasingly to be seen as a desirable asset for actors. Everyone, it seems, is trying to achieve that ‘an authentic performance’. Surely there can be no such thing!  A performance by definition isn't 'real' or 'natural' or 'authentic' - it can never be. It is a performance.

We are actors … it is our job to make whatever we are doing believable and authentic. When we act, we aim to create something that is credible and convincing even though we may be playing a character light years away from ourselves in age, in experience and in attitude. And the joy of narration is that we get to play all of the characters - many that we would never be cast as in any other genre - and the narrator's skill is to make every single one of those voice sound 'authentic'. 

​Remote Narration & Audiobooks - A Viable Option

In my last post 'Muse from The Booth no 17, I discussed audiobook narrators recording for the first time in a Pro Studio. Today, the opposite - remote recording an audiobook from your own personal studio. Remote recording is the norm when recording audiobooks for the majority of publishers on the US - though not yet in the UK. However, as more British audiobook publishers can clearly hear the quality of the audiobooks that remote narrators are recording from home studios, they're becoming more flexible. ​What is expected of the narrator recording remotely - and what do we need to do to ensure quality and production values don't fall?

First Time Audiobook in a Pro studio? 

The world of audiobook narration has changed immensely even over the past three or four years - and a recent email from a colleague highlighted something I hadn't previously considered. There are an increasing number of established professional narrators who record audiobooks remotely - so despite having a significant number of reads to their credit, plus Earphone awards, Audie nominations and awards - and other significant gongs, there are an increasing number who have only ever recorded remotely. Being invited to record in a professional recording studio for the first time is pretty daunting - but perhaps even more so if you are used to flying solo.  I know it was for me!

Apac 2018

Where are the Working Class Voices? According to an article in the Guardian today. working-class people continue to be hugely under-represented in the arts, and the people at the top – mostly well-paid, middle-class white men – are least likely to see it. This conclusion was reached in a new report published today, billed as the first sociological study on social mobility in the cultural industries. The study used data from interviews with 237 people who work in the creative industries to shine light on a problem that the report’s authors said is a longstanding one. ​ "The percentage of people working in publishing with working-class origins was given as 12.6%. In film, TV and radio it was 12.4%, and in music, performing and visual arts, 18.2%. Aside from crafts, no creative occupation comes close to having a third of its workforce from working-class origins, which is the average for the population as a whole. The research shows that the people most attached to the idea of the arts being a meritocracy – that the best jobs go to those with the most talent – were white middle-class men who occupied the highest-paid jobs and who were most able to bring about change."

“There is only one class in the north, and that’s working class, and if you’re a woman you will be slightly brassy and a bit blowzy; if you’re a man you’re either aggressive or you’re angsty and poetic. That is the entire north in a nutshell."
Maxine Peak - Actress

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!