Karen@KarenCommins.com

Karen Commins

Award Winning

Atlanta Audiobook Share-rator™

Archives for 2018

Analyzing the Audiobook Narrator Self-Assessment Quiz Part 4

It’s finally here! Settle in for the 4th and final article about analyzing the questions on my Audiobook Narrator Self-Assessment Quiz. If you’ve missed the previous posts in this series, check out Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.

woman with magnifying glass and Narrator Self Assessment Quiz folder

 

This time, we’ll talk about the Financial Considerations section of the Quiz. I was taught to never discuss money in a job interview until you know you are a good fit for the position. I saved this section until the end for the same reason.

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Analyzing the Audiobook Narrator Self-Assessment Quiz Part 3

We’re halfway through with the questions on my Audiobook Narrator Self-Assessment Quiz! To catch up, start with Analyzing the Audiobook Narrator Self-Assessment Quiz Part 1.

woman with magnifying glass and Narrator Self Assessment Quiz folder

Continuing where I left off in part 2, we’ll discuss the last 7 of the 15 questions in the Personality/Work Habits section.

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ACX U – Acting With Intention

Most of this blog’s readers know about the audiobook production site ACX.com. Each year, ACX produces educational programming called ACX University. I had the great pleasure of being a guest speaker on the topic of Acting With Intention in one of the 2018 ACX University sessions.

 

 

During and after the video broadcast, I chatted with viewers. As usual for the Queen of Links, I shared a number of resources in that chat session. I also answered a number of questions.

While the chat is embedded with the video, I wanted to post all of the ancillary material and discussion here on my blog to make it easier to reference. That way, you can watch the video and not worry about missing anything.

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Analyzing the Audiobook Narrator Self-Assessment Quiz Part 2

woman with magnifying glass and Narrator Self Assessment Quiz folder

After I published my last article, Drew and I moved to a new house! We had lived in our other house for 30 years, so it took 6 weeks to get everything relocated from there to here. We’re STILL unpacking and hanging artwork in between our other activities, including actually doing some work!

Like finding the right place to live and physically moving in, choosing the right career — even if it’s a career change — should start with significant self-reflection about the way you want to structure your life, the activities you enjoy, and your skills. I think most people spend more time planning their vacations than they do in planning their lives!

Many people think they want to become an audiobook narrator until they realize that being successful in this career entails a large number of skills and personality traits they may not have considered. I therefore created my Audiobook Narrator Self-Assessment Quiz.

In the first article about analyzing your answers, I explained the rationale behind the questions in the Baseline and Language sections.

Today, we’ll look at the first 8 of the 15 questions in the Personality/Work Habits section.

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Audiobook Narrator Self-Assessment Quiz

A commenter on my article How to Become an Audiobook Narrator asked me:

I am told that I have a great talent in reading and acting…and for some time I’ve been thinking if I should start doing voice overs as an audio book narrator. What kind of skills do I need to acquire or improve on?

I could — and someday will — write an answer that addresses the part of the sentence that reads “I am told that…”. Today, though, I present my (drumroll)…

 

Narrator Self Assessment Quiz

 

Audiobook Narrator Self-Assessment Quiz

If you’re thinking about a career in audiobook narration, answers to these questions will help you determine if you’re a good fit for this type of work.

Pre-requisites

Do you like to read?
If the answer is NO, stop taking the quiz, and start thinking of some other career option. Seriously.

Do you regularly listen to audiobooks?
If the answer is NO, listen to many more audiobooks in different genres to get a feel for the art form before you continue with the quiz. I’d suggest you’d get a subscription to AudioFile Magazine, which is the industry’s standard for professional reviews, and listen to audiobooks that earned Earphone Awards.

 

Baseline Skills

Have you ever heard the sound of your recorded voice?

Have you ever read aloud?

Do you enjoy telling stories?

Do you have training or experience in acting or oral interpretation?

 

Language Skills

Do you love language?

What is your native language?

Do you know more than 1 language? If so, how would you rate your proficiency in it?

 

Personality/Work Habits

Do you like to work independently or with other people?

Are you a self-starter?

Do you consider yourself organized?

Are you detail-oriented?

Are you adept at time and project management?

Are you thick-skinned when it comes to criticism?

Are you curious? Do you like to learn new things?

How do you deal with constant rejection or perhaps even feeling ignored?

How would you rate your comfort and skill levels with working with technology more complicated than your phone?

How does the thought of learning new software make you feel?

How would you rate your communications and customer service skills?

How do you feel when you need to research something?

Are you able to concentrate on one task for long periods?

Are you patient?

Are you a perfectionist? 

 

Financial Considerations

What are your financial expectations?

Have you ever worked as a freelancer?

Do you have a day job or other monetary cushion to see you through slow times?

Do you have money set aside for start-up and on-going business costs?

How do you feel about constantly networking and marketing yourself to attract and retain clients?

Do you have or can you make a dedicated recording space in your home?

 

I’ll talk about the importance of each section and explain my thinking behind many of the questions in these posts:

Part 1 — Baseline and Language Skills
Part 2 — Personality/Work Habits first 8 questions
Part 3 — Personality/Work Habits last 7 questions
Part 4 — Financial Considerations

For now, take some time to reflect on each question, and be sure to date and write down your answers! To encourage you to spend the time needed to reflect on these questions and write the answers, I’ve created this free, downloadable PDF of the quiz.

If, after reflecting on your answers, you decide to pursue a career in audiobook narration, your first stop in your journey should be my site NarratorsRoadmap.com. You’ll find an incredible wealth of free information from industry pros to help you learn about this business.