Hi, Mary Beth! Thanks for the note.

On the home page of NarratorsRoadmap.com, scroll down to the “Connections” section. You’ll find a link to a spreadsheet of vetted coaches.

Most coaches teach via video chat, so they don’t need to be in the LA area.

Many of these coaches have been interviewed on the Audiobook Speakeasy podcast, which is also linked there. You can listen to different episodes to help you make your choice.

I hope this info is helpful. Best wishes for your success!

Karen

Hi, Clyde! I apologize for the delay in my reply.

When I first read your message, I thought you wrote “voice coaches” to refer to the general category of people in this discussion. I see now that a web site exists by that name.

I don’t know the answer to your questions as I couldn’t possibly vet every voiceover coach. It’s my hope that the info I provided in this article will assist you in doing your own research about whether a particular coach is legitimate and reputable.

Best wishes for your success!

Karen

Just one question.

Voice Coaches, is this a legitimate means to further my interest in voice acting and are they reputable?

Sorry, I guess that was two questions.

But the answer might be simple.

Yes or no.

Clyde

Hi, Heath! Thanks for the feedback. The fact that they were offering a Groupon for anything would have sent up a red flag for me. The 1-hour time limit to ponder the deal is a tactic of the information marketer, as I discussed in this post: http://www.karencommins.com/2010/12/beware_of_5_techniques_of_the.html

I’m glad you didn’t fall for the gimmicks! The right coach and demo producer is out there for you.

Best wishes for your success!

Karen

But, I called back, deals and discounts offered but I was given 1 hour to ponder it. Included was a bunch of sales pitches, tactics.

Disappointing.

The biggest red flag to me is that you only have 3 classes before you produce a demo. Since you would be competing against far more experienced people, your demo at least needs to sound like you have the same level of experience. You just can’t obtain any level of mastery of any subject — including voiceover — in only 3 classes.

In comparison, for $3,250, you could have 16, 50-minute private phone consultations ($150 each) with premier LA voice coach Nancy Wolfson going through her intensive coursework and her direction on producing a killer demo for you ($800 in 2009). FYI — The studio time in LA and locally for my demo production were additional costs that I don’t remember at the moment. However, since you’d be taking the classes over time, you could plan and budget for any costs over your available funding at the moment.

I would also recommend hiring someone who specializes in web sites to create my web site rather than buying it as part of package deal. A simple web site can be very affordable. Initially, its role can be limited to being your online business card; you can expand it as your career and budget progress. It’s more important to spend your start-up capital on your education and demo production.

In short, it takes money to make money. Unfortunately, too many people just want to take your money without providing real value in return. You want any money spent on your voiceover business to reflect YOU, YOUR SOUND, and YOUR BRAND. I imagine you are eager to get started in your new career, but it’s like any other career — you need to take your time to do your research to determine the best path for you.

I hope these thoughts are helpful. Best wishes for your abundance, health, and success!

Karen

Just want to drop you a line and say thank you. I’ve recently considered going into voice over and your blog has been very helpful and informative. I was curious if you’ve heard of John Gallogly and Voicecoaches out of Albany NY. Last night I took an introductory voice over course with John at the local community college. His company offers 3 phone classes, 2 hours studio time, demo production, 50 copies of the demo and a website for $3250. Is this something you might recommend? I understand you are very busy so I don’t expect a personal response but I’ll keep an eye on your blog for a possible answer. Thank you for taking the time to read this and thanks again for the great information on your site.

Thanks so much for stopping by the blog!

PS. I’m adding your awesome blog to my roll and look forward to learning more about editing from you.

Karen