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.

​

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?  

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?

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.
​
Yours sincerely

A jobbing actor! 

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!

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!​

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

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!

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. 

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? .