B is for ...  As actors we use our bodies to express our mood, our thoughts and emotions - and of course the essence of the character we're playing. Gesture, posture, the way you walk, the speed of your general movement is a powerful way of expressing yourself. The way you use your body speaks volumes to the observer showing your age, your personality and even your outlook on life without you having to speak a word. The way the body works is an essential part of character creation - let's face it, Charlie Chaplin's whole career was linked to his unique walk. We are all increasingly aware of the value of exercise and keeping fit and while many of us are interested in improving our physical appearance and stamina, traditional keep fit and gym training doesn't necessarily give us the kind of workout and body training that fulfills our needs as performers - needs which are quite different from the kind of physicality needed to be an athlete. For an actor the emphasis is on flexibility, stamina, expressiveness, characterisation, on motivated movement with purpose as well as on posture, relaxation, stillness and control. But what relevance has this for a voice actor? An actor’s body is on show and under scrutiny and unless the intention is to draw attention to a character’s particular physical attributes, then the ability to move in an easy and fluid way that doesn’t distract the audience’s eye is a valuable attribute. An actor needs to develop a healthy body and maintain it in good working order - a actor's body needs to have an extraordinary level of control and stillness and be flexible and expressive. For an actor, any exercise regime is targeted on a different set of goals than simply gaining strength or losing weight; strength and stamina are obviously important; acting can be physically challenging – dancing and fighting occur in a great many plays and films! Movement training for an actor will normally include dance (incorporating period dance), gesture, fencing, stage fighting and tumbling.
Dancing, fencing and tumbling have no immediate relevance to voice acting; indeed you may wonder whether 'the body' and its fitness and flexibility has anything at all to do with voice acting. When you're in a small padded room in front of a microphone, you can't move around very much, you can't gesture and no one can see your posture or the physicality of your character. However - especially for long form narration, stamina is vital - so is the reduction of physical stress which affects the voice, so body training and awareness combined with specialist forms of movement and relaxation such as the Alexander Technique and the Laban method are relevant and play a significant role in a regime that helps to build stamina, good breath control and vocal flexibility - all vital requirements for voice actors. Your body is part of your vocal equipment and you owe it to yourself to stay generally in as good a shape as you can manage. Being generally fit is a great blessing and an asset to all performers and aids stamina and the ability to breathe properly. Let's delve a little deeper. . .
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 | 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. |
I think most people have a variety of voices and regularly adopt a slightly altered voice for different occasions. If you’re chatting with your friends, you're likely to speak differently from the way you would speak if called upon to make an after dinner speech, or recite a poem. The 'telephone voice' is a phenomenon witnessed all over the world in all communities from Tiverton to Timbuktu.
I became ‘bi-lingual’ within a few days of starting school because I knew that if I spoke at school the way I spoke at home, I would sound too different to be accepted by my peers. So I am left struggling with the concept of one voice being more authentic than another - particularly within an audiobook, or any other kind of vocal performance.
I became ‘bi-lingual’ within a few days of starting school because I knew that if I spoke at school the way I spoke at home, I would sound too different to be accepted by my peers. So I am left struggling with the concept of one voice being more authentic than another - particularly within an audiobook, or any other kind of vocal 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'.
My vocal training was perhaps rather old fashioned when viewed in retrospect. It was focused on clarity and pronunciation; on developing a wide vocal range and extending my natural pitch and tone to make my voice more flexible and expressive. My 'natural' voice was honed to make it more responsive, my vocal technique was tweaked so that undesirable noises such as sibilance, nasality, 'vocal fry' and repetitive inflections were reduced. And my flat Midland vowels were definitely discouraged.
Does this mean that I lost my ‘authentic’ voice? Does the fact that I (and many other actors and narrators) speak with a neutral ‘RP’ accent, make our voices less authentic than someone a voice with a regional dialect?
I don’t believe so … and actually I am inclined to think that applying the word ‘authentic’ to a voice is just so much gobbledygook!
Does this mean that I lost my ‘authentic’ voice? Does the fact that I (and many other actors and narrators) speak with a neutral ‘RP’ accent, make our voices less authentic than someone a voice with a regional dialect?
I don’t believe so … and actually I am inclined to think that applying the word ‘authentic’ to a voice is just so much gobbledygook!
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? |
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!
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?
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!
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?
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! |
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?
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?
Apac 2018
I have recently returned from a wonderful few days in New York, where, for the second time, I attended The Audio Publishers' Association Conference.
APAC, hosted by The Audio Publishers' Association (The APA) and sponsored by Audiofile Magazine, is held at the same time as Book Expo America. APAC is totally centred around Audiobooks and there were over 500 attendees; narrators, tech folk, casting directors, producers and publishers - authors, audiobook reviewers, and listeners as well. There were workshops, panels, and break-out sessions on performance related issues, industry developments and business and marketing strategies - and lots and lots of opportunities to meet fellow professionals in informal settings - at a cafe on edge of the Hudson River, the roof garden of an Irish pub in Manhattan and various other bars, cafes and restaurants. venues - and at the AUDIES Gala, (the audiobook equivalent of the Oscar ceremony) and the now equally important NAUDIES (Not the Audies) where those not nominated, or not able to get a ticket for the gala, socialised and waited for the glittering nominees and their guests to arrive in their finery after the gala was over. For narrators there was also a worksop day of performance related coaching and advice hosted by Johhny Heller held the day before the main conference and a technical workshop examining the technical side of audiobook production hosted by Amanda Rose Smith.
The whole thing was loud, enthusiastic, invigorating, exciting, inspirational, surprisingly 'ego-free' - and utterly exhausting - and it was over all too quickly.
There were half a dozen other UK based British narrators who also made the journey - as there were last year and in previous years - and we were all genuinely and generously welcomed by everyone involved. Every one of us, no matter what our level of audiobook experience, felt that we belong to a community who values us and acknowledges us as colleagues and friends. It was an extraordinarily heartening experience that all of us will cherish.
APAC, hosted by The Audio Publishers' Association (The APA) and sponsored by Audiofile Magazine, is held at the same time as Book Expo America. APAC is totally centred around Audiobooks and there were over 500 attendees; narrators, tech folk, casting directors, producers and publishers - authors, audiobook reviewers, and listeners as well. There were workshops, panels, and break-out sessions on performance related issues, industry developments and business and marketing strategies - and lots and lots of opportunities to meet fellow professionals in informal settings - at a cafe on edge of the Hudson River, the roof garden of an Irish pub in Manhattan and various other bars, cafes and restaurants. venues - and at the AUDIES Gala, (the audiobook equivalent of the Oscar ceremony) and the now equally important NAUDIES (Not the Audies) where those not nominated, or not able to get a ticket for the gala, socialised and waited for the glittering nominees and their guests to arrive in their finery after the gala was over. For narrators there was also a worksop day of performance related coaching and advice hosted by Johhny Heller held the day before the main conference and a technical workshop examining the technical side of audiobook production hosted by Amanda Rose Smith.
The whole thing was loud, enthusiastic, invigorating, exciting, inspirational, surprisingly 'ego-free' - and utterly exhausting - and it was over all too quickly.
There were half a dozen other UK based British narrators who also made the journey - as there were last year and in previous years - and we were all genuinely and generously welcomed by everyone involved. Every one of us, no matter what our level of audiobook experience, felt that we belong to a community who values us and acknowledges us as colleagues and friends. It was an extraordinarily heartening experience that all of us will cherish.
So looking back with nostalgia at the amazing three days, at the various audiobook related workshops bracketing the main conference day, the numerous social events, the early mornings and late nights, I wonder whether that feeling of camaraderie was just an ephemeral thing that vanished into the clouds as everyone boarded their flight and returned to their padded cells? I don't think so. Despite the many miles that separates people in that vast country - and there were folk flying in from all corners of the US - I believe that the community spirit and contact continues once APAC is long over.
Perhaps I am looking through rose-coloured glasses, but I truly felt blessed to be there. I have never come across anything even remotely similar in the UK, though of course there are various organisations that host social events, webinars and workshops geared to the more general voiceover fraternity - Gravy for the Brain and The Voice Over Network for example. There are many voiceover performers belonging to these organisation who also read audiobooks and both VON and GFTB hold the occasional audiobook related event or workshop, but audiobooks are not why either of those organisation exist. There is no equivalent to The APA, no UK based professional organisation whose raison d’être is audiobooks.
I know the audiobook industry is significantly smaller over here than it is in the US - but if the articles in the US and UK press are to be believed, it is growing apace. It seems to me therefore that there is a real need for an UK based, professional audiobook-related organisation which welcomes audiobook producers, narrators, editors and engineers. The question as to whether that would be viable is already being asked - Neil Gardner of Ladbroke Audio posted an article on LinkedIn recently asking whether it was time for a Professional Organisation to represent those of use who earn our living from creating audiobooks.
I think the time is absolutely right.
We are constantly being told that Audiobooks are 'saving' the publishing industry, but few people within the industry are seeing any benefits of this alleged 'boom', in fact for most of us rates are falling. Our Union, Equity, though it has an audio committee, is unable to set audiobook rates, or even to suggest them, and in the competitive world in which we live, cost becomes an overarching consideration for audiobook publishers. We are all. whether producers, voice actors or technical folk therefore increasingly competing on cost rather than on the quality of the product we create and ultimately, surely that is something of an 'own goal' with disastrous results for the industry and the listener.
A UK based professional organisation might just be able to steer audiobook production out of the chasm it is in danger of falling into and give us all a sense of professionalism and unity such as appears to exist among our US colleagues who are fortunate in having the APA (and a strong Union) to support them.
Perhaps I am looking through rose-coloured glasses, but I truly felt blessed to be there. I have never come across anything even remotely similar in the UK, though of course there are various organisations that host social events, webinars and workshops geared to the more general voiceover fraternity - Gravy for the Brain and The Voice Over Network for example. There are many voiceover performers belonging to these organisation who also read audiobooks and both VON and GFTB hold the occasional audiobook related event or workshop, but audiobooks are not why either of those organisation exist. There is no equivalent to The APA, no UK based professional organisation whose raison d’être is audiobooks.
I know the audiobook industry is significantly smaller over here than it is in the US - but if the articles in the US and UK press are to be believed, it is growing apace. It seems to me therefore that there is a real need for an UK based, professional audiobook-related organisation which welcomes audiobook producers, narrators, editors and engineers. The question as to whether that would be viable is already being asked - Neil Gardner of Ladbroke Audio posted an article on LinkedIn recently asking whether it was time for a Professional Organisation to represent those of use who earn our living from creating audiobooks.
I think the time is absolutely right.
We are constantly being told that Audiobooks are 'saving' the publishing industry, but few people within the industry are seeing any benefits of this alleged 'boom', in fact for most of us rates are falling. Our Union, Equity, though it has an audio committee, is unable to set audiobook rates, or even to suggest them, and in the competitive world in which we live, cost becomes an overarching consideration for audiobook publishers. We are all. whether producers, voice actors or technical folk therefore increasingly competing on cost rather than on the quality of the product we create and ultimately, surely that is something of an 'own goal' with disastrous results for the industry and the listener.
A UK based professional organisation might just be able to steer audiobook production out of the chasm it is in danger of falling into and give us all a sense of professionalism and unity such as appears to exist among our US colleagues who are fortunate in having the APA (and a strong Union) to support them.
An open letter from an Actor to Casting Folk
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!
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!
Where are the Working Class Voices? 
"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. |
| 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. |
“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! |
A helpful tip!
I know that there is a huge ongoing debate in the voiceover community about online casting sites, commonly known as Pay to Play (P2P) sites. I am not a fan ... though I have used P2P sites in the past and have made some good contacts and many repeat clients who still use me, even though I no longer have a paid for membership of any pay to play site.
One little tip:
Never ever share a link to you P2P profile on your own personal website.
Imagine you're a voice seeker for a moment and you've just found Fred Voice Actor's website ... he has just the voice you're looking for. You're reading through his client list, his experience, his home studio details and yes ... he is perfect! But wait! but wait, what's this link at the bottom of the page? Oh, it's a link to his online profile on a casting site. Out of curiosity, you click on it, and it immediately takes you away from Fred's personal website and into a whole other world where there are lots more voices to choose from. You decide to have a quick look around ... and you find lots of people who sound a bit like Fred - and some whose rates are lower as well. Then, because it's nearly lunch time, and because you haven't actually bookmarked the link to Fred's own website, you just pick the first Fred soundalike and book him instead. It's easier.
OK Got it?
When people find you on your own website - you want them to stay with you and book you to do the job, so why are you helping them to go wandering off to another website where there are literally hundreds of other voice actors for them to choose from? Don't give them the chance!
One little tip:
Never ever share a link to you P2P profile on your own personal website.
Imagine you're a voice seeker for a moment and you've just found Fred Voice Actor's website ... he has just the voice you're looking for. You're reading through his client list, his experience, his home studio details and yes ... he is perfect! But wait! but wait, what's this link at the bottom of the page? Oh, it's a link to his online profile on a casting site. Out of curiosity, you click on it, and it immediately takes you away from Fred's personal website and into a whole other world where there are lots more voices to choose from. You decide to have a quick look around ... and you find lots of people who sound a bit like Fred - and some whose rates are lower as well. Then, because it's nearly lunch time, and because you haven't actually bookmarked the link to Fred's own website, you just pick the first Fred soundalike and book him instead. It's easier.
OK Got it?
When people find you on your own website - you want them to stay with you and book you to do the job, so why are you helping them to go wandering off to another website where there are literally hundreds of other voice actors for them to choose from? Don't give them the chance!
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! |
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.
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!
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!
Narrators and Producers discussing Audiobooks
This is one of the best podcasts I have ever heard about audiobooks. Hosted by The VO Meter and progressing voice actors, Paul Stefano and Sean Daeley.
If you're already a narrator - or would like to be, if you're already working on ACX and wondering how to make it work more successfully, if you're looking for a coach to work on audiobooks with you or if you're thinking of dipping your toe into the water, then this is something you need to listen to.
It takes a while to get going, but has so many insights as to how things work in the US - where it seems that producers and publishers are much more open to being approached directly - and how narrators are increasingly taking control and creating their own opportunities.
The discussion is between Andi Arndt, Scott Brick, Steven J Cohen, Sean Pratt and Debra Deyan. I can't recommend it highly enough: the interviewer asks the right questions of the right people and leaves them to answer in detail, rather than jumping in and taking over. This 'taking over' happens all too often in podcasts and webinars which many interviewers seem to think is about them rather than the people they're talking to. Those are the folk the listener is really interested in.
Just click the link HERE and settle down for a fascinating discussion. (NB. You might want to fast forward to around 17 minutes to get to the nitty-gritty.)
If you're already a narrator - or would like to be, if you're already working on ACX and wondering how to make it work more successfully, if you're looking for a coach to work on audiobooks with you or if you're thinking of dipping your toe into the water, then this is something you need to listen to.
It takes a while to get going, but has so many insights as to how things work in the US - where it seems that producers and publishers are much more open to being approached directly - and how narrators are increasingly taking control and creating their own opportunities.
The discussion is between Andi Arndt, Scott Brick, Steven J Cohen, Sean Pratt and Debra Deyan. I can't recommend it highly enough: the interviewer asks the right questions of the right people and leaves them to answer in detail, rather than jumping in and taking over. This 'taking over' happens all too often in podcasts and webinars which many interviewers seem to think is about them rather than the people they're talking to. Those are the folk the listener is really interested in.
Just click the link HERE and settle down for a fascinating discussion. (NB. You might want to fast forward to around 17 minutes to get to the nitty-gritty.)
The narrator's view
 | 'Acting ... Audiobook narration is all about acting'
|
Image by Shutterstock
| Performing Audiobooks is a whole different ball game from doing any other kind of voice work - and you might think that 'performing' is an odd word to use. Most people use narration or reading - but to my mind - audiobook narrators are performers in exactly the same way as actors, dancers and singers are performers. There is so much more to reading an audiobook than just reading aloud. 'Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning'. There is absolutely no doubt that performing an audiobook is a huge challenge - and it is little wonder that so many voice over artists balk at the idea of being shut in a padded room for days on end for such small reward - for there is absolutely no doubt that financially at least, audiobook narration is the poor relation. A thirty second network commercial shown across all networks at peak time for a major brand can command a higher fee than a ten hour audiobook ... and the work will be completed in hours rather than days. People do make money in audiobooks - but we generally don't make very much - and we certainly don't make it quickly - and we earn every penny. In this article, I am going to look at what's involved in creating an audiobook from scratch from the performer's point of view. |
 | How audio is changing the way we read books - and even how they are written. |
I came across an article in The Independent - and it explains exactly why I love narrating (and listening) to audiobooks.
I actually narrate more than I listen ... I am very picky when it comes to listening and hypercritical - but when I love a narrator's voice and what he or she brings to a book - then I will look for other works they've read and the narrator often leads me to books that I would never have previously considered.
Anyway back to the article ... Theatre of the Mind! Wow.
Click on this link to read it
I actually narrate more than I listen ... I am very picky when it comes to listening and hypercritical - but when I love a narrator's voice and what he or she brings to a book - then I will look for other works they've read and the narrator often leads me to books that I would never have previously considered.
Anyway back to the article ... Theatre of the Mind! Wow.
Click on this link to read it
February 2018 ... Newsletter
February 2018 Update
Crikey it’s been cold here in Derbyshire! We’ve been in the grip of ‘The Beast from the East’ and storm Emma – and have had snow! Proper snow and -10C temperatures if you count in the wind chill factor. Fortunately, I have heat and a cosy and toasty recording space.
Here’s my latest news:
Published in February:
Fern Britton’s latest novel, ‘Coming Home’ – reached no 5 in the Sunday Times Best Seller list within four days of being published. The audiobook, read by me and produced in-house by the lovely folk at White House Sound for Harper Collins UK is now available on Audible.
Coming Soon:
Jung’s Psychology – An Introduction’ by Freda Fordham recorded for Ukemi Audiobooks. Something of a classic this one!
‘The Wicked Wit of Queen Elizabeth II’ by Karen Dolby recorded for W F Howes Ltd
In the Studio:
‘The Allotment Girls’ by Kate Thompson is a WW2 novel woven around the lives of the extraordinary women who worked at the iconic Bryant and May match factory in London’s East End. In production for Lamplight Audiobooks
Crikey it’s been cold here in Derbyshire! We’ve been in the grip of ‘The Beast from the East’ and storm Emma – and have had snow! Proper snow and -10C temperatures if you count in the wind chill factor. Fortunately, I have heat and a cosy and toasty recording space.
Here’s my latest news:
Published in February:
Fern Britton’s latest novel, ‘Coming Home’ – reached no 5 in the Sunday Times Best Seller list within four days of being published. The audiobook, read by me and produced in-house by the lovely folk at White House Sound for Harper Collins UK is now available on Audible.
Coming Soon:
Jung’s Psychology – An Introduction’ by Freda Fordham recorded for Ukemi Audiobooks. Something of a classic this one!
‘The Wicked Wit of Queen Elizabeth II’ by Karen Dolby recorded for W F Howes Ltd
In the Studio:
‘The Allotment Girls’ by Kate Thompson is a WW2 novel woven around the lives of the extraordinary women who worked at the iconic Bryant and May match factory in London’s East End. In production for Lamplight Audiobooks
And in other news . . .
 | I am absolutely delighted to have been nominated in the Best Performance in a Non-Fiction Audiobook category of The One Voice Awards for my read of ‘The Gut Makeover’ by Jeannette Hyde produced by Michael Charzuk at Audible Studios. |
Sun King Media - investigated by Simon Hare on BBC ONE
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
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
 | Audiobook ProductionIf you're under the impression that Audiobooks are created for people with a visual impairment, think again! Audiobooks are the fastest growing segment of the digital publishing industry with the United States being the biggest marketplace with sales of over $2.5 billion dollars. Michelle Cobb of the Audiobook Publishers Association (APA) said that, “26% of the US population had listened to an audiobook in the last 12 months with an estimated 79,000 new audiobooks, published in the last 12 months, a 29% increase from 2016". Major publishers in the US confirm that the only way that their digital units have consistently been in profit, is due primarily to audiobooks as e-book sales decline. Currently in the UK only 12% of the population listen to audiobooks. |
| Audiobooks - producton and narration is a huge topic ... a genre of voice work that I spend most of my time working in and which I am passionate about. Because of the amount of information that I want to share, I have split this article into two parts. Firstly ... lets find out more about Audiobook Production. . . |
January 2018 Update
The first crocuses are just poking their heads bravely through the mud after an incredibly wet January here in the UK. We have had snow too – just a sprinkling. Freddy the pup loved it! Some days it feels as though Spring is in the air – at other times, it’s definitely winter, but the days are lengthening which always lifts my heart a little.
December was quiet … January less so … and February is picking up nicely.
Recently published:
‘Christmas with the Bomb Girls’ by Rosie Styles recorded for Lamplight/Whole Story Audiobooks. A rollicking good war time romance set in a Lancashire munitions factory of Lancashire.
In production:
‘Jung’s Psychology – An Introduction’ by Freda Fordham recorded for Ukemi Audiobooks. Something of a classic this one!
Prepping:
I am delighted to have been chosen to narrate Fern Britton’s most recent novel, ‘Coming Home’ to be recorded early in February at White House Sound’s Studios in Leicestershire for Harper Collins UK
APAC 2018 is only four months away … my tickets are booked and I am looking forward to connecting with friends and colleagues in New York later in the year.
Helen.
The first crocuses are just poking their heads bravely through the mud after an incredibly wet January here in the UK. We have had snow too – just a sprinkling. Freddy the pup loved it! Some days it feels as though Spring is in the air – at other times, it’s definitely winter, but the days are lengthening which always lifts my heart a little.
December was quiet … January less so … and February is picking up nicely.
Recently published:
‘Christmas with the Bomb Girls’ by Rosie Styles recorded for Lamplight/Whole Story Audiobooks. A rollicking good war time romance set in a Lancashire munitions factory of Lancashire.
In production:
‘Jung’s Psychology – An Introduction’ by Freda Fordham recorded for Ukemi Audiobooks. Something of a classic this one!
Prepping:
I am delighted to have been chosen to narrate Fern Britton’s most recent novel, ‘Coming Home’ to be recorded early in February at White House Sound’s Studios in Leicestershire for Harper Collins UK
APAC 2018 is only four months away … my tickets are booked and I am looking forward to connecting with friends and colleagues in New York later in the year.
Helen.
The Forgotten Age Book 1 - Rise of The Druids
By Wayne M Sefton
'History is not always an accurate record as it was often written by the victor of the events that led up to the here and now. But there is another history, one that is remembered by those who exist only in myth and folklore. A history from the dawn of this world when Man walked with Elves and Dwarfs, a history from the time of magic. But that was long ago and is long forgotten .. Until now.'
 | I was amazed to find that this is Wayne M Sefton’s first full length book – and that he is a self published author. I have read many books from major publishers that are not nearly as engaging and well-written as this one. He definitely has talent. The characters are well drawn and engaging and for the most part the dialogue flows naturally and is believable. The author doesn’t fall into the trap of using attribution (he said, she said, said Kelly, said Jason) after every line of speech which is something that a lot of new authors seem to do … he trusts his readers and his character’s unique voice to be recognised as the dialogue progresses and it works. The fantasy novel is not a genre that I read often, but I found this captivating, even the points where their journey becomes more fantasy than earth bound. – it was imaginative and held me throughout – and I found myself really enjoying the journey - and look forward to reading the next in the series. |
Quote from Carl Jung
This quote cropped up in an audiobook I am narrating - and though the lines were written by Jung (who died in 1961) so obviously not with today in mind, the words seem to me to be so relevant today that I wanted to share it.
 | "At present we educate people only up to the point where they can earn a living and marry; then education ceases altogether, as though a complete mental outfit had been acquired. |
It struck me as heartbreaking that we don't seem to have progressed far beyond this point some fifty years later. The majority of us are still blundering around in our lives looking for something that we hope will fix our feeling of being 'slightly lost'. Literature, theatre, music, the arts can enrich us and might even reveal some of the answers - so keep on reading books - and listening to them for that matter - who knows what you might discover?
Advice on Social Media? - Take it with a pinch of salt!
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!
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!
About me
Photo Credit: Paul Haynes
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!
My opinions are mine and my views are my own!
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