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Muse from The Booth Covid-19 Post 2 25.03.2020

25/3/2020

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

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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've just spotted this on Facebook posted by Tanya Eby, narrator and owner of Blunderwoman Productions, one of the most generous people I know, who is also feeling the pressure at the moment. Tany writes . . . ​
"​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."

So ... where do you begin that research? . Tanya suggests that you visit 'The Narrators' Roadmap' - created by Karen Commins. This is an absolutely brilliant and comprehensive resource for anyone wanting to know more about Audiobook Narration. I can't recommend it highly enough.

You can find 'The Narrators' Roadmap' by clicking on THIS LINK.
With thanks to Tanya Eby and Karen Commins.
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Muse from the Booth - Covid-19  post 1. 23.03.20

23/3/2020

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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..
This post by Andi Arndt was originally posted on Facebook. Andi writes:
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."

Posted with kind permission of Andi Arndt.  
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2020 - and March already! Tempus Fugit

2/3/2020

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Six monthly check up!

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Goodness gracious me ... how long it's been since I uploaded a new post!  The spirit has been more than willing - but the schedule has been hectic. Not that I am complaining mind you - I am delighted to be busy - and I have always been a little bit of a workaholic truth be told - and I've always enjoyed being politically engaged and active. 

This busier than usual recording schedule, along with all the horrible things that seem to be happening all around us made me consider what pressure I might be putting on myself and my personal relationships by taking on all this work. 

I thought I had the balance about right - but I suspect that my friends and family didn't feel the same!

Image by Peggy und Marco Lachmann-Anke from Pixabay ​
​I like to think that I am pretty well organised - I have a timetable in my head, I know my deadlines and what I need to complete each day to meet those demands; but my schedule over the past six months has been pretty punishing.  I have been working more hours than were good for me, and my weekends and eveningswere being sacrificed.  Some things have slipped under the radar ... housework and gardening being just two of them - and my poor long suffering husband has had to put up with some pretty uninspiring meals!

I love my work - and I love working. Doing what I love is extremely rewarding and I am immensely grateful for the opportunities that comes my way ... but I also love my family, my friends and my dog  and I don't want them to feel neglected, or to resent the fact that I am working so consistently because it reduces the quality of my time with them. 

I think this is an issue that effects many people - especially those working in the arts where work is irregular and where there so many people chasing the few jobs that are available. I know so many colleagues feel unable to say no when work offers come in, so they are adding more work to an already full schedule  - and though financial uncertainty is sometimes a factor, in many cases it is more to do with fear. If you turn down a job, you'll never be asked to work again! I know that I have gone through that scenario in my head many times - so I have spent quite a lot of time over the past few months trying to put things into a clearer perspective, enabling me to work as much as I want to ... but to not overload my schedule to the point where I am no longer enjoying what I do. You do your best to build in 'downtime', take time off for holidays and special occasions but then - because you're tired and stressed, when you do take a break, some lurgy or other strikes and leaves you feeling more exhausted, more stressed - and more behind than ever.

So ... my New Year Resolution (only three months behind its deadline - the only deadline I have ever missed) is to take time for myself - to be kinder to myself and to be more productive when I am actually working. So to this end ... I have disabled the internet in my studio when I am recording, thus removing the temptation during a long session to just pop onto Twitter or Facebook for a quick look at what's happening in the world!

Goodness ... I get so much more done in far less time and feel much happier too.

I realised that at least half of the stress I was feeling was actually down to fury and frustration about things going on in the wider world - things that I can do absolutely nothing more about. I have voted, I have protested, I have supported, I have written letters and  achieved? Nothing! Terribly things still happened and go on happening - and I am still angry, but I am also more pragmatic than I have been for the past four years.  I no longer read newspapers or articles or blogs, I no longer watch the news or listen to it on the radio.

This is for the sake of sanity rather than being overcome by apathy all of a sudden - it's a case of recognising what I have no power to change - and letting it go. Perhaps for the first time in the last four years, I am seeing what is really important. 


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News from the Booth - May 2019

13/5/2019

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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! 
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The Acceptance Speech I wish I'd made 

 "Thank you so much for this wonderful award - it seems that after a career spanning fifty years during which time I have undergone several re-incarnations - actor to TV continuity announcer to TV researcher to TV programme producer, to voiceover, to video director, to tutor, to director, to theatre producer,  and then full circle back to acting and voiceover - and finally I've found my way into audiobooks.  At last I've found my niche - Thank goodness! 

Being nominated for an award for something you love is amazing. Winning an award really is the icing on the cake! 

What makes this award particularly sweet for me, is that the audiobook submitted for consideration was one that I self-directed and recorded remotely from my personal studio, delivering chapters as clean audio to the publisher for final editing and mastering.  This is not the way audiobooks in the UK are generally produced as many of you will know. The vast majority of UK publications are recorded in a mainstream recording studio with a producer or engineer sitting on the other side of the glass. But for this book, I was flying solo!  This means that the tech stuff and the sound quality was down to me. My personal studio and I rose to the challenge successfully and though I had obviously discussed the overall feel of the book, the characters of the people within it with the author and publisher,  essentially, the choices I made about the overall tone of the read, the narrative voice, the ambiance, the pacing, the characters, their accents and their relationships and reactions, were my decisions.

I know that remote recording is a somewhat contentious issue, with some voicing concerns that it's impossible to achieve high quality audiobooks when narrators self-record.   Of course, not all 'home studios' are equal, but superb audiobooks with the highest possible production values can be, and are, regularly narrated by performers who are flying solo.   I, and many other UK based narrators work regularly and successfully with major publishers in the US (Brilliance, Blackstone, Harper, Tantor, Audible, Macmillan, Disney Audio and many more) as well as with a few pioneering publishers in the UK and these productions regularly get fantastic reviews in Audiofile Magazine and elsewhere, are awarded Earphone Awards and Audies - and now a One Voice Award - so are being acknowledged for their technical and creative quality.

I am not knocking mainstream studios. Many extraordinary audiobooks are created in the traditional way, and  it is a real treat when I am cast to record in a mainstream studio  - but working from home gives a flexibility which makes the whole process more relaxed - but believe me - I am much tougher on myself than any director or producer I have ever worked with. 

 I'd like to congratulate all the nominees and winners this evening, particularly all my audiobook colleagues. I know the quality of your work and how tough the competition for this award has been. I'd like to thank the One Voice Awards and Gravy for the Brain and their teams for pulling all this together, and to Penelope Rawlins for presenting this beautiful thing to me ... it will be in pride of place. I'd like to thank Equity - particularly the Audio Committee for the support they give to everyone working in this industry. And thank you to the publishers and producers of audiobooks who keep raising the bar; to the listeners who keep on listening; and to the authors who create the words and people - before bravely hand over their babies. And finally, I'd like to thank my long suffering husband. It can't be easy living with a woman who spends much of her life shut up in a small padded room talking to herself."

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PS - and I was so flumoxed, I didn't have my celebratory photo taken at the end of the evening! 
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Muse from the Booth - April 2019 no 2

26/4/2019

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What's In A Name . . . ? 

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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?
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You - a voice actor, a voiceover, the talent - call yourself what you will - want to have your profile and voice reels included on an on-line casting site, that is are advertising itself as 'An Agency' and opening its books to voice artists looking for representation.  All fine so far - but they're asking their represented artists to use a different name from the one they are known by. This rings alarm bells. I don't get it - and I find it a really worrying trend. Why would a voice agent ask a voiceover to be listed under a different name from the one they're known by and recognised by in the industry.

Some audiobook narrators do have a nom-de-voix that they use for certain genres  - but such pseudonyms have their own persona - their own website, twitter account and social and on-line profiles;  this isn't quite the same thing.The name on your website, your business cards, you social media profile, is your name, your professional persona. It matters that there is consistency as your portfolio grows and you become more recognised.  

We are all working in a vastly overcrowded professional - so to make our voices stand out from the crowd, our voices combined with our names and our reputation are what get us every enquiry, every job and every repeat job. We're a package - and if you have an agent, then they should, in my opinion, market you under that persona. To force an actor to use another name is surely counter productive. 

I know the argument is that having a nom de vox on an online casting site means that potential clients can't search for you directly and book you direct, thereby cutting out the middle man; but surely it's about trust.

As voiceover and impressionist Darren Altman says: 


"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."
​Surely a true agent works in your best interests. They actively seek work on your behalf, have a great network of contacts and are known as professional and trustworthy. They negotiate on your behalf and you pay them commission on your earnings, this is how they gain their reputation as an agent. Surely its in your interest as an artist, to refer any direct enquiries to them, they take all the pressure of negotiation and invoicing off your shoulders, and as this is how they earn their money, its in their interest to negotiate the best possible rate on your behalf. Any other way of working seems to me to do nothing to enhance the reputation and credibility of either the artist nor the agent. After all, in an agency has even a moderately recognisable name on their books - they want everyone to know that the artist has chosen to be with them, not their competition.

If you get a great gig then you have the right to claim that work as your own, to use a clip (with permission of course) on your website - you earn bragging rights, but if that work appears to have been recorded by Felicity Flybynight, then you can't add that work or that client to your portfolio - without giving the name away which totally defeats the object - so in effect, you're giving away the right to claim that work as yours. 

Of course, if the middleman, whether it be a Pay to Play site or an online casting site purporting to be 'an agency',  is charging the end client huge fees for booking us, then there is something very wrong.


It's your choice of course - and I know many people sign up for this without thinking beyond the possibility of earning some money as a voiceover - but for me it's not an option, and I can't help wondering whether this rule applies to everyone listed on such an online agency. Do any even moderately well-known voices on there have to chose a different name too? I wonder. 
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Muse from the Booth - April 2019

18/4/2019

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Re-inventing yourself.

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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!
Re-inventing yourself from time to time leads to a fulfilling and continuing working life. It's easy for actors and voice actors - and I guess for artists of all kinds - to get stuck in a rut and just repeat and rehash whatever has brought you success, to play safe and to concentrate on whatever brings in the pennies. But experimenting in new areas of work, changing your perspective or finding new ​outlets for your abilities,  is something I have found to be rewarding emotionally and professionally and also to be lucrative.  You change - your skills develop - and if you have the ability to be flexible, to accept and build, to continue developing new threads and honing your craft, you realise that all of the skills you have picked up along the way help you to stay relevant and employable  - even in a young industry such as audiobooks. 
My first visit to the theatre was a Christmas treat in 1954.  The play was 'Toad Of Toad Hall' (designed by Voytek I know now) at the old Nottingham Playhouse in Goldsmith Street - with Michael Hordern playing Toad. It was magical. I left the theatre on a cloud and announced to my astonished parents 'that is what I am going to do when I grow up!', and really, I never wavered from that ambition - and I still haven't. Every job I have ever had of any meaning has been connected to that one desire. To be an actor, to interpret language and emotion, to bring words to life.

It wasn't an easy journey to begin with. My father was of the impression that being an 'actress' was akin to walking the streets! He insisted that I went to secretarial college before drama school - and though I hated every moment of it, the touch typing has come in very handy! Fortunately, I won a scholarship to Guildhall, and got a grant as well, so with the financial burden out of the way, and the unwavering support of my half-sister and my mother, he was eventually persuaded that I was actually going to drama school, not into some den of iniquity! So - at the age of eighteen I headed for London and the start of the greatest adventure of my life.

At about the same time, my oldest friend, whom I first met at primary school at the age of seven was also embarking on a career in the theatre. She had a similar passion and though our journeys were different, our careers ran a parallel path - these paths crossing surprisingly often during a friendship spanning more than sixty years. We did drama classes together as children, were in numerous plays together, did public speaking and poetry exams. We both went to a summer school at Rose Bruford college when we were fourteen - and we were both bitten by the acting bug. I went to college, she joined the local repertory theatre as an student acting ASM, then after I graduated from Guildhall, we both ended up in the same repertory company at Nottingham Playhouse for several seasons.  When she was pregnant, I stepped into her role in Stuart Burge's production of 'Sons and Lovers' for the BBC, when I was pregnant, she was my maternity cover at Central television - and when I returned from maternity leave, she and I worked together at Central for several years.  We both had young families by this time, so when Central stopped  in vision live continuity, our options were a little limited - going back to treading the boards wasn't really viable for either of us, but we both found a way to use our skills in different ways and we stayed in touch, meeting when we could. I went into television production, she retrained as a drama teacher (some years later, I directed a student production at the school where she was head of drama). Latterly she travelled the world as a LAMDA examiner - I got into audiobooks and voiceover - and so it continues.

We have re-invented ourselves yet again. Both returning to our roots!

The day after my birthday - we went to our monthly 'Speakeasy' voice and accent class at our local theatre.  We are years older than the vast majority of participants, two silver haired women with a few creaking joints - both of us once again jobbing actors - quoting passages from Shakespeare to each other (from memory I may add) loving what we do, supporting each other and enjoying ourselves while continuing to explore and discover. My pal Evadne Fisher and I, developing our skills, honing and practising our craft - and acknowledging that re-inventing yourself every now and then is a really good idea - and that we are both very lucky! 
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Muse From The Booth - Feb 2019

13/2/2019

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​AUDIOBOOK NARRATION - TOP-TIP

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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!
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Happy New Year

5/1/2019

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

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​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. 

2018 was the year in which I was fortunate to get represenation from one of the UK's top voice agents, Suzy Wootton at Suzy Wootton voices. 

2018 was also the year I began my personal studio upgrade - purchasing a new mic and interface and investing in a Kube isolation booth. I also attended more coaching and audio related workshops than ever before and invested in new headshots and new voice reels. I am blogging more than ever and have joined Instagram and You Tube as well as being on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.  

A 'silver surfer' grasping the nettle with a vengeance! 

As far as audiobooks are concerned I have been so lucky and have performed some really wonderful titles in 2018 including several for publishers and producers I hadn't worked with previously. I am so grateful to them all  - existing colleagues as well as new ones -  for casting me and giving me such great books to read. 

Looking forward into 2019 - I have, as many of you may know, been considering offering audiobook narrator coaching for some time.  I spent several years running BeeAudio's highly acclaimed Audiobook Narration Studio Certification Course - and when that came to an end, the material I created for that course was sitting on my laptop doing nothing.  Several friends and colleagues approached me last year asking me to work with them, so using my existing material as a starting piont, I developed it into a comprehensive and detailed coaching package designed for trained actors wanting to get into audiobook narration and for narrators who want to raise their game and find out about working remotely.   

I'll be sharing more information about this exciting development shortly - and adding some coaching content to my website in due course - so watch this space.

I'm still going to be narrating of course - so am limiting the number of students I take on at any time to six - so will still have lots of time to collaborate on more wonderful books. 

In the meantime - I wish to thank all my blog and social media followers, my friends, coaches and mentors, my fellow narrators, actors and voiceover colleagues; all the people I have worked with and for - authors, collaborators, producers, proofers, audio engineers, directors, casting directors for their continued support - and wish you all A Very Happy, productive and creative year in 2019.


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Muse from the Booth - #21 - Money well spent?

4/11/2018

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


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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!
When I am out shopping in the real world and am tempted by an impulse buy, I take a break - I leave the store and have a walk around, get a coffee and talk to myself very severely! If I haven't convinced myself not to buy whatever it is within half an hour, I go back and take another look - a very critical look and I ask myself some questions:
  • Can I afford it?
  • 'Will this new thing be compatible/work well with what I have already?' 
  • 'Does it suit me and my lifestyle?' 
  • 'Will its value last and will I get good use from it for years to come?
If the answer to any of these questions is 'No', then it goes back on the shelf. 

If I can honestly answer 'YES' to those questions - then I ask myself
  • 'Have I already got something that does more or less the same thing and is still working?
​ If the answer to this questions is 'NO' then I buy whatever it is, guilt free, because I know that I've made an informed decision rather than an impulse buy.  And of course ... I can go through a similar process when buying something  online:  I can pop it into my shopping cart - then walk away and think about it for half an hour before pressing the pay now button. 

But what about shopping online for stuff I need for my business, whether that be equipment, software, coaching, mentoring, support - or membership of an industry related organisation or group? 

​I know that on more than one occasion I have been swept along on a wave of optimism and have pressed the 'buy now' button without a second thought.  It's so easy to do - maybe I've succumbed because colleagues are posting on social media about joining this or that amazing organisation; signing up for this fantastic course; taking classes with this wonderful coach; or how simply doing X, Y and Z has transformed their career.

Sometimes it's a persuasive sales pitch or an hefty discount 'upgrade to the latest version of 'A' and save $100 dollars ... offer ends on Friday' that convinces me that my life and career can be transformed. Why am I tempted to buy a new mic, or the upgrade to the latest version of my editing software rather than sticking with the tried and tested version that I already have - and which works perfectly well? Why on earth do I find myself being tempted into signing up for this, that and the next thing? 
Why and how is usually-cautious-me being so easily seduced?  

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Muse from the Booth - # 19 UK Audiobook Rates

11/10/2018

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UK Audiobooks - Competition, Cost  & Quality?  

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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? 
According to US figures provided in 2016 by The Audio Publishers' Association over 55 million Americans listened to audiobooks and more than 35,000 audiobooks were published in the States - and those numbers continue to increase.  Figures recently released for 2017 indicate that total net sales of audiobooks were worth $757 million US, a rise of 22.7% on the previous year - and I read another report estimating that $900 million US would be spent on audiobook downloads and CD purchases this year (2018). In the US at least it's a growing and profitable industry.  Why are things in the UK so different?

Speaking at Frankfurt’s half-day Audiobook Conference, Michele Cobb, executive director of the Audio Publishers Association (APA), highlighted growth in audiobook output and sales in the US (46,000 titles published in 2017 with sales up 23%) and the UK (3,700 titles produced with sales up 16% in 2017). As a percentage of all sales, Cobb said audiobooks were averaging out at around 4% in the major markets, including Germany. In the UK, 36% of audiobook consumers were new to the market in 2017. 

So - though we're lagging a long way behind - with just 3,700 UK productions as opposed to an amazing 46,000 in the US.  But sales are increasing even in the UK and I can't help feeling that we should be feeling more of this audiobook related golden glow should surely be reflected on this side of the pond?  UK sales are a long way off the figures in the US, but although there is certainly not anywhere like as much work available for narrators, many UK studios seem to keep pretty busy,  but rates for narrators in the UK appear to be static - I am being offered exactly the same rate (or in some cases rather less) as I was being paid four years ago.  
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It  seems to me, that the Audiobook industry in the UK has become obsessed by bringing down the costs - but at what cost to the listener?  
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Muse from the Booth - no 18 - Remote Narration

12/7/2018

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​Remote Narration & Audiobooks - A Viable Option

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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? 
I have been recording audiobooks remotely from my personal professional recording space since 2013.  I have remotely recorded titles for Audible Studios, Harper Audio, Penguin Random House and Blackstone Publishing in the US and for Audible Studios, Lamplight Audio, Quercus, Whole Story Audiobooks, Wave Sound Audio, Rosa, Author's Republic and Ukemi Audiobooks in the UK.   I have also recorded eight titles via ACX: four working remotely with US producers (Push Play Audio and Crossroads Press) and four as an independent producer and narrator. 

​Of the more than fifty titles that I have recorded since 2013, three have been recorded in a mainstream recording studio.  

While remote recording is regarded by almost all US publishers and production companies as being on an equal footing with recording in a mainstream studio, this is not the case in the UK though things are changing slowly. Publishers are slowly recognising the quality that narrators are able to deliver when working remotely and appreciate the added flexibility that remote recording brings. Thankfully, an increasing number of major publishers are beginning to explore the possibility of remote recording.

               Remote recording is not going to lead the Audiobook industry into the jaws of hell! 
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​So what is expected of the narrator recording remotely - and how do those of us who regularly work remotely safeguard technical quality and high production values - how do we ensure that our performances match what we deliver when recording in a mainstream recording studio?  

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Muse from the Booth - No 17                                  Pro Studio 1st Timers

6/7/2018

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First Time Audiobook in a Pro studio? 

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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!
The first audiobooks I narrated were recorded in a pro studio in the early 1980s! Technology has brought about huge changes in recent years, so I feel that a thirty-year-old experience barely counts. Of the fifty plus audiobooks that I have recorded in recent years, only three have been recorded in a professional studio with another person on the other side of the glass - and frankly, I was a bag of nerves on each and every occasion.

Why?  Why is it so daunting to work in a pro studio for the first time - even when you have a shed load of audiobook experience?  What did I learn from the experience?  What is good etiquette in a pro studio?

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Muse from the Booth - No 15

30/4/2018

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​An open letter from an Actor to Casting Folk
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Here is a little story ... it involves a casting director from a fairly large and well known organisation and me ... a humble actor, not a celeb, no one famous, but just a jobbing actor.

Now I am sure that I am sure I am not the only actor to whom this has happened - but it makes be mad!

On Wednesday morning an email pings into my inbox with details of a job: How exciting!  It asks whether I am interested and available, gives me dates and rates.  It's an interesting job that is almost certainly going to lead to more work - and yes,  I am available!  I agree to the rate - and put the dates in my diary.

I email the casting director by return saying thank you, how nice to hear from you. Yes I am available/interested and can do the job within the deadline you specify - I ask a couple of technical questions  - and she helpfully suggests, that since I've not worked with these guys before,  it might be a good idea to chat to one of their tech guys regarding my queries.  He is not available right now, so we arrange a time for me to talk to him the following afternoon.  The tech person and I speak late in the afternoon of the next day. A very useful helpful conversation - and everything I was uncertain about is cleared up.  I email again as soon as we have spoken (though I know they won't pick up the email until Friday morning), to say all is now clear and I am happy to go ahead. 

I have a lovely weekend, happy in knowing that I have a job in the pipeline ... and not just one, potentially a series of jobs. 

On Monday morning,  I email the casting assistant again,  just to confirm everything and to ask her to send me the scripts as soon as possible. It's a big project ... and as I have other work in the pipeline, plus I will be away for a couple of weeks before the delivery day,  I'd actually like to begin doing my preparation as soon as possible, even though the deadline for completion is some way away.

The response comes by return ... thank you, we have gone with a different voice! A male voice! 

Now, I have been around the block a few times and I know how casting works, and I know the final decision is not always down to the casting director - or even the producer; there is normally an end client who calls the shots.  That's quite normal and I accept it is part of the job.

My problem with this particular 'offer' that wasn't an 'offer' was the wording of the email.  Never once was it indicated to me that I was being 'considered'; was being 'asked to audition';  was being asked of my availability for a 'possible' job that might or might not happen. There is an enormous difference between 'we have an upcoming project that we  hope will interest you. Are you available between these dates to record it?'  and 'would you be interested in being considered for a project within these dates? 

Perhaps it was just a fishing expedition to check whether I would work for the rates they were offering - not the greatest, but with the mention of this being an on-going project - yes, I would accept their rate on that basis, though perhaps not for a single job only.  Perhaps they were just thoughtless.  

So ... a weekend spent on a high thinking I might have a lovely job popping into my inbox on Monday morning, giving me a couple of months work at least, has turned out to be a damp squib - a rotten tomato - a nothing!  Plus the fact that I have cancelled several other jobs to make room for this one ... the job that never happened!  Thanks a bunch.

So casting people - I know you're busy, I know you're stressed and working to tight deadlines, just as I am ... and I know the final decision is not likely to be yours, but I beg you,  please consider the wording of your emails and how it reads to someone on the outside. Are you emailing with a firm job offer, or merely an availability. You know us actors ... we're often out of work; we're often up against immense competition. We know the industry is vastly overcrowded and we know how busy you are. We also know it's not you who makes the final decision.  We know all that - and we accept it is just 'part of the job'! But dear casting director, have you ever thought how it feels to receive an email that appears to be a firm job offer - only to have it pulled from under your feet?  How such an event may not actually incline an actor to feel kindly towards the organisation you work for - and how actually, you've been totally unprofessional. 

We actors know we're totally expendable, that there are a hundred others waiting to step into our empty shoes - but that is no excuse for not behaving professionally when checking availability or making job offers. 

Who knows, next time you want me to work with you, with a bit of luck and a following wind, I might just not be available.
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Yours sincerely

A jobbing actor! 



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Muse from the Booth - No 15

18/4/2018

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Where are the Working Class Voices?

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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.
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"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."
My roots are firmly working class, but I grew up in an era when elocution lessons were the norm. Speaking properly was expected, slang was frowned on and grammatical and pronunciation errors were firmly ironed out even in primary school and certainly when I went to drama school at the tail end of the sixties, the remaining traces of my northern roots were definitely and firmly discouraged. Fortunately, they remain in my aural memory and are a useful and much used tool in my work and I am very often asked to use my accented voice rather than my RP one.

Actress Maxine Peak has spoken openly about the prejudice she has found in the industry and the pressure she faced, particularly during the first series of 'Silks' to reduce her decidedly northern British accent with its flat vowels. 
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“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
Does the same prejudice exist in audio work? I suspect it does to some degree - but we are only the voices and  unless we're creating our own content, we can only read what other people write . 

There has been a tradition of working class heroes in fiction, from Dickens to Arnold Bennett to DH Lawrence to Catherine Cookson - but looking back, I think the working class hero is being increasingly neglected. There was a brave new working class world in the sixties with the works of Alan Sillitoe, David Storey, and Stan Barstow changing the face of popular contemporary fiction - and there were still some glimmerings a generation later in the works of Jeaneatte Winterson, and Melvyn Bragg; but since then, it seems to me there is a real lack of quality fiction with a working class setting. There are people working in television and film who are creating ng working class characters in their works:  Ken Loach, Sally Wainwright and Jimmy McGovern to name a few, but though there are lots of novels with a historical setting that are firmly working class, in contemporary literature there seems to be a definite decline. 

So, come on writers ... give us some grit to get our teeth into!

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Muse from the Booth - No 13

17/3/2018

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Podcasts & Webinars
An irritation or a Useful Resource?

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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!
Thinking back over podcasts and webinars I have tuned in to (and tuned out of) recently, I realise that in almost every case (though there are a few notable exceptions) the problem is that 'the host' is more interested in themselves than in their guests and spends too much time talking about their own agenda, even sometimes spending considerable time talking about their own careers, what they have achieved, as though they're actually in competition with their guests rather than being there to highlight their guest and their area of expertise. This leaves their poor guests - who are generally interesting people with something to say (and who are the reason that I,  and assume most of the listeners have tuned in) sitting there like lemons wondering why they have been invited!
One of the cardinal rules for journalists, interviewers and presenters - it is not about you; it's about your guests. 
The good journalist disappears - they introduce their guests, ask the right questions then leave the guest to get on with it. The interviewer is (or should be) the conduit through which the audience gets to know more about the subject and the person that they're interested in.  The interviewer (in this case the podcaster or webinar host) is there to gently probe, to ask the right questions and importantly to listen to the answers, and then probe a little.  If there is more than one guest, it is the interviewer's role to give each of them an equal voice, to control the ebb and flow of conversation, to throw things into the pot that bring the interview alive.

​It is most definitely not the interviewer's role to judge, nor to give an opinion and definitely not to pop in their two penn'orth or their comments - or worse still, to chime in with the dreaded 'Oh yes, that happened to me! I remember when I did .... blah blah blah!'   At this point, I (and probably everyone else listening or watching turns off ... literally as well as emotionally!  Of course this is not solely the province of webinars and podcasts, it occasionally happens in broadcast interviews as well particularly when the person doing the interviewing is in the same line of work as those they are interviewing when it becomes almost a competition.  I can think of several cringe making moments where an interviewer refuses to take the back seat and feels he or she has to 'top' whatever the guest says at every point in the discussion.
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! 
This lightbulb moment happened recently as I listened to a fascinating podcast about audiobooks. The hosts were both voice actors - and both record audiobooks - yet throughout this long round table discussion with several luminaries of the audiobook world, narrators, coaches and producers - the hosts never once mentioned themselves, what they were doing or even what their connection was the industry.  They asked sensible and professional questions of those round the table, encouraged them without leading them and gave each of them a voice is what became a lively and varied discussion resulting in a thoroughly satisfactory and informative broadcast.

Only at the end of a podcast lasting for over an hour, did I find out that those doing the interview were actually in the same business as those they were interviewing.  Their names are Sean Daeley and Paul Stefano and their podcast series, about all things voiceover and audio related,  a series which I thoroughly recommend, is  called 'The VO Meter - Measuring your Voiceover Progress' 

Happy Listening!​
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Muse from the Booth - No 12

1/3/2018

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Sun King Media - investigated by Simon Hare on BBC ONE

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VOICE actors, actors - we appear to be so vulnerable to being scammed - perhaps we're just too trusting - or perhaps it's just that we're seen as easy targets. There are lots and lots of scammers in our industry from people offering voice reels that fail to come up to the mark, to people charging extortionate membership and management fees on Pay to Play sites, to people posing a voice and acting agents - and there's Sun King Media who have been targeting actors and voice actors mercilessly for many years.

This organisation has cropped up in various guises - and they're still at it - I recently saw them advertising jobs for Audiobook Narrators recently on LinkedIn - of course they were calling themselves something different, but a little digging revealed it was good old Sun King. And it sounded very appealing ... audiobook narration at a PFH rate of £300 - in the UK?  The old adage holds true - it it sounds too good to be true - it probably is!

Reporter Simon Hare of BBC One's Inside Out programme has Sun King Media in their sights ... and his report airs this coming Monday on Inside Out on BBC One at 7.30pm across the Midlands and on BBC One HD - also available on BBC iplayer for thirty days. A must watch (and a warning) to every voice actor, actor, and voice artist in the UK. Watch and Learn.

You can find out more here.  HERE


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Muse from the Booth - No 12

19/1/2018

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Advice on Social Media?  - Take it with a pinch of salt!

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Got a burning question? Why not post it on Social Media - ask the advice of your peers - seems like a great idea, particularly in a 'professional group'  which is full of 'professionals' one assumes. 

But hang on a minute - we all know deep down that not all the 'facts' shared on Social Media are well researched, accurate or appropriate ... but when we're looking for answers it's almost as though we throw caution to the wind and believe whatever we read.  It's on the internet ... therefore it must be true. One only has to look at all the hoax posts that are continually re-posted to know that the majority of people don't ever check the facts or look beyond the headlines.

Read it all and at best you'll end up confused - just a quick glance at the advice on eating a healthy diet and you'll see confusion at its most chaotic. There is just so much information that is downright misleading and inaccurate. There are folk who have little knowledge and even less experience blithely posting their two penn'orth - not deliberately to mislead - but often because they're trying to sell something and because on Facebook or Twitter everyone can be 'an expert' - though in actual fact, a lot of the information posted is just plain wrong. If you're looking for answers - don't accept what's posted on social media at face value, you need to do a more research - if someone offers advice, look at their profile, are they qualified to give an opinion, what is their experience? There are all kinds of people with all levels of experience selling their services, offering advice and support.

I have noticed that certainly in the field of VO, there are literally hundreds of people offering technical and performance related advice - and even 'coaching' - and of course some of them have a lifetime of experience, and are truly expert ... but this doesn't apply across the board. Some are more expert than others. I spotted some audiobook advice posted online the other day, by someone, who a little research revealed, had recorded three whole audiobooks ... not sure they were really qualified to offer their 'expert' advice.

You know you owe it to yourself to check out the accuracy and validity of advice online.  The person posting may have have vast knowledge and experience and may truly be an expert in their particular field ... or maybe not!   Buyer beware!
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News from the Booth. 01 2018

2/1/2018

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End of Year Review 2017

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Despite all the horrors of 2017 political and social,  professionally, 2017 was pretty good to me - and I am extremely grateful for that. 
  • The year's undoubted highlight was attending The  APA (The Audio Publisher's Association) Conference in NYC in May. It was such a pleasure to meet so many colleagues and friends from the US, many of whom I have collaborated with on various projects over the past five years and to make many new friends from the Audiobook community. It was great to put names to faces and to catch up with the fellow Brits who were there, and to be inspired by some amazing narrators and performers at Johnny Heller's 4th Splendiferous Workshop. Of course APAC is about networking too and I met many audiobook producers and directors, some of whom I have subsequently worked with or have joined their roster of narrators. APAC (and New York itself) were extraordinary and I shall be returning in May this year - I have already booked my conference tickets, flight and hotel and look forward to making more friends and gaining more knowledge and inspiration later in the year.

  • Alongside the jaunt to the US,  I also attended  The Voice Over Network Audiobook Weekend in London in early December, taking another opportunity to meet colleagues and to make new friends – as well as working in depth with Sean Pratt and Johnny Heller.  I look forward to being my continued involvement with VON over the coming year.

  • Alongside all this gadding about, I have also been busy recording audiobooks for many major publishing houses and producers in the US and UK including Harper Audio, Audible US, Avon, BeeAudio, Clipper Audio, Lamplight, Quercus Publications, Rosa, Whole Story Audio, W F Howes Ltd., and Blackstone Audio – and received glowing reviews for ‘An Affair with a Notorious Heiress’ by Lorraine Heath recorded for Harper Audio  and   ‘Lady Osbaldestone’s Christmas Goose’ by Stephanie Laurens, produced by Blackstone Audio in Audiofile Magazine.
  
  • Another memorable moment from 2017 was being interviewed for the Talking Audiobooks Podcast by Casey Trowbridge. If you missed it, or want to listen again, the link to the You Tube version is HERE
 
Thanks to everyone, producers, publishers, colleagues, coaches, friends - and readers of these blog pages - who helped to make 2017 so memorable.
 
I wish you all a productive, creative and very happy year in 2018. 
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Muse from the Booth - No 10

29/12/2017

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New Year Resolutions

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In 2018 I will . . .

I hate New Year's Resolutions. They always feel like a millstone round my neck. It's almost as if the fear of not succeeding, stops me from even starting. No matter whether its a personal NYR  or a business related one, I rarely achieve the results I am hoping for - probably because I set the bar too high, or look at the end goal rather than the steps needed to get there. 

The only NYR that I have ever succeeded with is stopping smoking. I kicked that habit way back. What was different about that one? How did I make that NYR work, when so many before and since have failed? . 

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Muse from the Booth ... Festive Greetings

20/12/2017

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Winding down . . .

Professionally, 2017 has been a wonderful year. I recorded more audiobooks this year than ever before, and made my first ever trip to New York for the Audio Publisher's Association Conference, where, as well as making many new connections with authors, publishers, coaches, narrators and producers; I also met many 'virtual' friends and colleagues face to face for the first time. 

I feel so grateful to be able to do all of this - and look forward to narrating more wonderful books; and to sharing my voice-related musings and experience with you all during 2018. 

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    About me

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    I've gleaned quite a lot of knowledge over the years, knowledge that might be of interest to others, especially authors, actors and voice actors.  Because I read so much, for pleasure and professionally,  I also occasionally write reviews of what I read - so they're here too. 

    My opinions are mine and my views are my own! 
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