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AUDIOBOOK CAREER, PART 1 Is Audiobook Narration Right For You? 5 'Tough Love' Realities To Consider ...  By Tom JordanVoice Actor & Audiobook Narrator It's no secret that audiobooks have been
enjoying impressive and steady sales increases for several years now. Year
after year, double-digit growth has spawned an onslaught of people looking at
audiobook narration as a new, potentially profitable voice-over opportunity. A
substantial number of new audiobook narrators have migrated from the voice-over
realm, and some have found a comfortable home here. But others were shocked
by the severe contrasts between these two art forms and struggled madly through
their audiobook production, only to swear off ever trying to narrate a "whole
friggin book" ever again.
So... where would you land if you took the
leap? WHAT TO KNOW FIRST ... Here's where setting expectations is crucial. From the pool of over 500
members of my Facebook Orange County Voice Acting page, I've
consulted with dozens of people who want to learn more about moving into
audiobook narration. Here are some of the points I make as part of my "tough
love" advice:
1. Don't quit your day job. Audiobook
narration is NOT the road to riches. Yes, you can make money, and yes, some
people make a decent living at it, but don't confuse available work
opportunities with unlimited profit potential. Aside from sharing some common
hardware - a microphone, audio interface, a computer, a quiet space, voice-over
and audiobook narration are entirely different beasts with very different
approaches at monetization.
2. Get used to the idea of not making much
money for a while. Continuing on with the theme from #1, as glamorous as being
an audiobook narrator might sound (cough), for the first couple of years, your
rewards will chiefly revolve around self-fulfillment and the pride of watching
your new art form blossom, rather than anything tangible that could be used for
such practical purposes as paying rent or putting food on the table. One quick
note here: Do NOT charge less than industry minimum standard rates ($250 per
finished hour, as of November 2019), simply because you're "new" to narration. Get yourself the training you need and build the confidence necessary to hit
the ground as a working professional before
recording your first project. It's how the industry works, and will
greatly benefit you in the long-term. If doing royalty shares, there are many
strategies to, and reasons for, choosing the right projects from your very
first one. There's much more to discuss regarding monetization and choosing
projects that I'll talk about in other articles soon. Contact
me if you need info before then (see links below).
3. Expect to spend a lot more time in your
recording space. This is one of the most difficult transitional elements for
most VO folks. While it's not always necessary to spend eight hours a day in
your recording booth, there are times when that actually might happen. A more
realistic schedule for most full-time narrators is three hours in the morning -
broken into two 90-minute sessions with a one-half hour to hour break in between,
and the same for the afternoon. Depending on deadlines and other factors, booth
time is a moving target, and you simply have to do what works best for you and
your clients. If you are recording, editing, and proofing your own work, then plan on starting out with about
an 8:1 ratio of production hours vs hours of finished audio. This also loops
back to numbers 1 and 2, above. Time is money, and you'll be spending a LOT of
time producing audiobooks.
4. Hone your acting chops. I believe all
voice-over work involves acting. From recording and delivering a single word to
the most demanding commercial, video game, or animation VO - we're all actors. Audiobook narration will take this to the next level. Stepping in and out of
characters thousands of times during the course of a 15-hour audiobook is very
challenging work. It requires fluidity of thought, quick and delicate decision
making, and adroit acting abilities. And don't think nonfiction is any easier. Ask audiobook coach Sean Pratt about how non-fiction is often even more difficult than fiction,
and you'll be convinced there are no easy paths where acting and superior
narration skills aren't essential components. "So what if I'm not an actor?" Sorry, this is a profession where some skill is required, and mad skills are
greatly rewarded. Acting classes can be found at your local colleges. Check
with your local community theater groups for their recommendations, as well. Also, improvisation classes are very useful for audiobook narration, and are readily found in most cities of moderate size. Can't find anything
local? Online acting and improv workshops will be your new best friend.
5. Be ready to work with authors and rights
holders (independent publishers). This applies specifically to being an
independent audiobook narrator, as opposed to narrating a project for a
publishing company, where you likely won't have any contact with authors. Just
as VO work is based on building relationships, audiobook narration requires a
similar customer-first approach. The main difference between a VO client and an
author comes down to the often deep personal interest that an author has for
their art. The trick here is that you, as the hired, responsible talent, need
to guide the author's expectations and point them gently to the fact that you
will do everything you can to help bring their work to life; but they will need
to allow you to do this without ongoing guidance. In so many words, I let
authors know that I understand their books are their babies and I will take
care of them. There is no need for them, in turn, to babysit me along the way.
------------------ ABOUT TOM Tom Jordan is an award-winning audiobook narrator and Audible Approved
Producer who
entered the world of professional voice acting in 1994. He has worked for
hundreds of clients in a broad variety of voice-over genres from commercials to
E-learning, and everything in between. A few years back, Tom steered his
talents toward audiobook narration and has found his true calling with this
creative and infinitely-rewarding endeavor. Tom is a 2018 RONE Audiobook Award
Finalist and 2019 Independent Audiobook Award winner for his performance of Gutter Medicine: Twenty-six Years
as a Firefighter Paramedic, by Roger Huder. He will also be speaking on audiobooks at the VO Atlanta 2020 conference in March. Email: tom@tomvoiceover.com Web: www.tomvoiceover.com |
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8 to 1 actual work to finished hour? Yup: that’s been my experience.
Thanks again