Karen@KarenCommins.com

Karen Commins

Award Winning

Atlanta Audiobook Share-rator™

Away From the Mic

Voice artist and (future) Scrabble competitor

I blame the cake.

You would think that a person who has always loved words and makes money as a voice-over talent – a career built upon interpreting words — would have started playing Scrabble in childhood. I can remember the first time I ever played Scrabble. Almost unbelievably, I went through my life without playing Scrabble until last May, as Drew and I finished a cruise and wanted to do something on the last night on-board the ship.

I lost that first game but won a new hobby. We bought a Scrabble game when we got home, but we didn’t play it often.

Studio/Voice Over/Jobs Scrabble board

While watching the Ace of Cakes show on the Food Network one day, I saw a Scrabble cake designed for a person who is a tournament Scrabble player. It was the first time I ever heard of Scrabble tournaments. At that moment, I decided I would win a Scrabble championship.

I have an extensive vocabulary. I used to whip through the find-a-word puzzle magazines, and I always liked to play Boggle. Once I decide upon a goal, I achieve it. With my intrinsic love of words, I thought a Scrabble tournament win couldn’t be far away.

 

I’m sure this same kind of thought process goes through the minds of many people who suddenly decide to get into voice-over work.

 

Sometimes they see a celebrity on TV who gleefully recounts how voice-over jobs allow them to dress casually, go without make-up and pick up a massive check for an extremely small amount of time. Maybe newcomers read an interview about a voice talent talking about how great it is to do work in their pajamas from their home. In any case, so many starry-eyed newcomers seem to think, “I know how to talk. I’m going to be a voice-over star making millions of dollars while still in my pajamas!”

I wish I had a dollar for every time someone approached me with the line: “People always say I have a nice voice and that I should work in voice-over.” I always advise that folks interested in learning any new skill start with a book because it requires a minimal investment of time and money to learn whether you want to pursue the topic. I direct people interested in voice-over to my recommended list of books and previous blog entries like this one.

In my mild-mannered quest for Scrabble dominance, I didn’t take my own advice about getting a book, at least at first.

Another cruise at Christmas caused my Scrabble interest to grow, primarily because we couldn’t find a board to play all week. I decided to get serious and learn more about the game. No, I didn’t contact a Scrabble master and ask for free advice and shortcuts to Scrabble success. Instead, I bought some page-a-day calendars this year with Scrabble words and puzzles, and I also bought the book Everything Scrabble. After all, I need to get ready for my future tournament.

 

Like establishing a voice-over career and everything else worth doing, though, if it were easy, everyone would do it.

 

I admit that unscrambling the words and making the best plays on the calendar pages are sometimes impossible for me. I also confess that I have played probably fewer than 20 games in the last 9 months since this Scrabble fixation took root.

I thought maybe my score would improve if I just had a different kind of practice material. I was looking at the Scrabble-related books in a bookstore the other day and saw Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players by Stefan Fatsis. I immediately obtained the book and started reading it.

I’m still reading this eye-opening account, but, by page 30, I had changed my mind about entering a Scrabble tournament, at least any time soon.

I discovered several things. First, the tournament games are limited to 25 minutes. I am always acutely aware of my time in voice-over as the runtime is always critical. Playing a board game under a time constraint would be a new challenge.

More importantly, I don’t have the desire – much less the spare time — to put forth the tremendous effort necessary to become a Scrabble champion. The people in Scrabble tournaments spend major chunks of their discretionary time memorizing word lists, anagramming words out-loud, studying strategy books, and analyzing every rack’s play following each game.

And playing Scrabble games is something they do relentlessly. They play against others in the park every weekend and against themselves in their living rooms everyday. They play against computer programs. They plan their lives around the next tournament even though tournament prize money and prestige seems in short supply. Think about it — how often do you see news coverage of a Scrabble championship? The serious players are members of the National Scrabble Association and eagerly look forward to receiving competition rankings in the mail. In short, they eat, breathe, speak, live, and dream about Scrabble. I think those in Scrabble tournaments must play the game for the sheer love of it.

I can relate to that kind of thinking. I have wanted to be a voice-over actor since I was in 5th grade, and I do this work because of the sheer love of it. I already eat, breathe, speak, live and dream about my voice-over career, which means I have no room to add another obsession to my life. Besides, becoming a Scrabble champion looks like a lot of WORK! 🙂

 

I couldn’t help but wonder how many newcomers to voice-over take the time to read one or more books on the field.

 

Does obtaining work in voice-over seem as easy as pulling letters from a bag and making words?

If the equivalent of an E tile was running through my previous entries, it would be that success in voice-over requires persistent training and marketing. Like any business, being a voice-over artist requires on-going expenses for classes, equipment and marketing materials. Just thinking about the potential marketing decisions and expenses in voice-over could be daunting to a newcomer:

  • demo production (after the expense of appropriate coursework in script interpretation)
  • demo duplication
  • web site construction
  • web site hosting and maintenance
  • memberships on casting web sites
  • memberships in professional organizations
  • collateral material for mail-outs

Championship Scrabble players and professional voice-over artists have more in common than just words. In both cases, those who are dedicated to their endeavor constantly practice their skills and look for every opportunity to learn something new about it. It takes time and work to become known as a player and even more of the same to stay in the game. Those who are truly successful are in it for the love of the thing.

I am reminded of the words of Charles Schwab:

The man who does not work for the love of work but only for money
is not likely to make money nor find much fun in life.

I will continue to play Scrabble at home and on vacation. I will do my puzzles and read the books because I enjoy the game and want to improve my scores. However, I guess I won’t ever be the recipient of a cake shaped like a Scrabble board. Might I suggest instead a cake that looks like a microphone?

 

To the parents of aspiring voice talent

Since Drew and I love to travel, it’s no surprise that we enjoy watching The Amazing Race on TV each week. The show routinely starts late during football season, so we sometimes catch part of 60 Minutes while waiting for the Race to start. A story from 60 Minutes a few weeks ago has been on my mind because I have noticed a growing trend among the questions I receive about getting started in a voice-over career.

Morley Safer reported on the work habits of the generation known as the millenials those born between 1980 and 1995. The following direct quotes are points raised in the story:

  • They were raised by doting parents who told them they are special.
  • They have climbed Mount Everest. They’ve been down to Machu Picchu to help excavate it. But they’ve never punched a time clock. They have no idea what it’s like to actually be in an office at nine o’clock, with people handing them work.
  • Zaslow says that the coddling virus continues to eat away even when junior goes off to college. “I heard from several professors who said, a student will come up after class and say, ‘I don’t like my grade, and my mom wants to talk to you, here’s the phone,'” he says. “And the students think it’s like a service. ‘I deserve an A because I’m paying for it. What are you giving me a C for?'”
  • And dear old mom isn’t just your landlord; she is your agent as well. “Career services departments are complaining about the parents who are coming to update their child’s resume. And in fact, you go to employers, and they’re starting to express concern now with the parents who will phone HR, saying, ‘But my little Susie or little Johnny didn’t get the performance evaluation that I think they deserve,'” Crane says.

I’m sure every generation thinks that it is the one with hard-working folks, and everyone younger is lazy. I also believe that 60 Minutes targets an older crowd. Many of the statements are generalizations that don’t apply to an entire group of people. Still, I found one kernel of truth in the report: some parents are entirely too immersed in their adult childrens’ lives.

I receive a steady stream of e-mails and calls from people who want to start a career in voice-over. I frankly was shocked when I received the first message from a mother who asked for advice for her son, who was in college. It was the first such message, but it wasn’t the last.

My first thought when receiving inquiries from parents is:

Why doesn’t Johnny or Susie contact me on their own, or, better still, read a book about voice-over?

I am a firm believer in doing your own research and making your own way in this world. If you’re not motivated to discover and learn those things essential to advance yourself, why should I or anyone else be inclined to help you?

In one case, the language of the e-mail made me wonder if the child was old enough to be making career decisions. If the young person is of an age to work, s/he should make the decisions about the course of their life, including their work. However, if a parent is asking about voice-over on behalf on a young child, I question whether the parent is trying to live their own dreams instead of pursuing something that the child has wanted to do.

Johnny and Susie also need to face the cold reality that voice-over or any career in the performing arts is tremendously competitive. In fact, I think all career paths are extremely competitive among the people interested in that type of work. Voice-over has the added perceived attributes of glamour, simplicity and wealth to incite even more people to flock to it as a career choice.

Most people have no idea of the amount of training and equipment needed to become financially successful in this career. Dedication and perseverance are essential character traits. Through countless auditions, you will hear ‘no’ exponentially more than you will ever hear ‘yes’…if you even hear anything. Like any profession, it can take years to go through the appropriate education and become fully established.

In addition to the performance aspects, the voice talent must become proficient with managing a business. Even when you hire staff to perform duties such as accounting, engineering, IT support, marketing and shipping, you are the CEO of the business and must make all decisions related to your business.

Finally, I can’t imagine any scenario in which queries from mom and dad present a professional image of the prospective voice talent.

If you’re a parent who is eager to help your child start a voice-over career, the best help that you can give is to cut the cord and step out of the spotlight.

Johnny or Susie should be the one to investigate their chosen field. It’s a perpetual cycle to contact people, take classes, make a demo, and perform the marketing activities needed in this career.

The Amazing Race is like voice-over in that people must use their wits and skills to overcome obstacles and challenges while competing with others who are after the same prize. While the show observes the competition between 2-person teams, voice-over by its nature is a solo competition. Certainly the aspiring voice talent will need and want a good support team which may include mom and dad. However, the aspiring voice actors are the only people who can take the steps necessary first to become a working voice talent and then to sustain a career.

 

A page from my book

I treated myself to an early Christmas present by purchasing Rodney Saulsberry’s book Step Up To The Mic. It was a present in more ways than one. Saulsberry is a well-established voice actor who attributes his success to a positive attitude. It’s the sort of uplifting book that I would have liked to have written.

A positive attitude is not just about thinking nice thoughts or being nice to people. As Saulsberry explains, a positive attitude encompasses all of your thoughts about yourself and your abilities in voice-over work. While The Secret brought the ideas of the Law of Attraction to the masses, it’s an age-old principle that, to quote Ralph Waldo Emerson,

We become what we think about all day long.

Chapter 8 is my favorite chapter in the book because Saulsberry presents “Empowerment Exercises”. I particularly enjoyed the affirmations on page 82-83, perhaps because I used one and was delighted when it came true!

One thing that I don’t recall seeing in this book is the firm advice to write down your goals although Saulsberry does mention the steps used in goal-setting. I am an advocate of writing down goals, especially after reading the book Write It Down, Make It Happen: Knowing What You Want And Getting It by Henriette Klauser. Klauser wrote about dozens of examples of people writing their goals as a roadmap to their lives.

However, with multiple computers, journals, a smartphone and various scraps of paper in both the studio and office, it wasn’t always easy for me to remember my great ideas and plans. I had wonderful ideas for marketing my voice-over business, but I couldn’t find them.

After listening to David Bourgeois on the Voices.com Voice Experts podcast a few months ago, I decided to follow his method for creating a business plan. I bought a Moleskine notebook and tabbed it with headings about everything related to my voice-over business.

I currently have 10 sections in my voice-over planning book. If I see a promotional product that I want to send to people, I clip out the picture from the catalog and put it in the Marketing Ideas section. If I have an idea for a blog entry but don’t have time to write about it (as is so often the case), I make notes in the Blog Ideas section. I also have ideas for podcasts and e-books that I want to create. I carry the book with me everywhere and find myself constantly adding to it. Just looking at my voice-over journal makes me happy!

Given the books that I read and the one I am now writing in, it’s easy to maintain a joyful outlook and positive attitude about my voice-over career!

V-OJournal.jpg

 

Plugs for a day job and the environment

Al Gore typifies my motto of “things happen for a reason.”

I like Al Gore, and I voted for him in the hotly-contested 2000 Presidential election. While millions of Americans were immensely disappointed and even angered that he didn’t win the election, we can see that it was better for him personally that he didn’t become the 43rd President of the United States.

If Gore had become President, he would not have had the time or energy to lead the crusade for the environment. In 2007, Gore has achieved rock star status. First, he won an Academy Award for his documentary An Inconvenient Truth, and now, Gore is the co-recipient of the coveted Nobel Peace Prize. You don’t have to agree with his assessments about the environment or his politics to be impressed by his monumental achievements.

So what do Al Gore and his push to save the environment have to do with you as a voice-over talent?

Whatever you are doing today
will prepare you for what is to come tomorrow.
Al Gore didn’t suddenly wake up one morning and think he wanted to make a positive difference in others’ lives. Carrier pigeons didn’t deliver covert messages from citizens to him to tell him about environmental issues. I somehow doubt Hollywood executives were camped on Gore’s doorstep, begging him to make a movie of his PowerPoint presentation.

EVERYTHING in Gore’s past – every class he took, every political office in which he served, every speech he gave, every decision he made – helped shape him as a person and give him the knowledge and contacts he needed to move his passion about the environment from his mind to the masses.

I think that we don’t realize and appreciate that every moment has meaning. We waste time moaning and groaning about current situations instead of reacting to them with gratitude. For instance, many voice-over talent complain about having a day job, when that job actually is a great blessing.

I had day jobs on my mind for a topic this afternoon because I listened to the .mp3 from my coach Nancy Wolfson and national voice talent Anna Vocino titled Acting for Advertising part 2. Anna made a point to say that you should not be ashamed to have a day job. It pays your bills, which helps prevent you from sounding desperate in your voice-over auditions and marketing efforts. As I have written previously on this blog, desperation is not an attractive quality!

Rather than feeling like the day job is keeping you from your voice-over activities, I would encourage you to look at the many other ways that a day job can benefit you:

  • It can provide you with health insurance.
  • It can bankroll your purchases for your studio equipment and your voice-over classes.
  • Depending on where you work and your longevity there, you may be able to contribute to a 401K or other retirement plan. If your employer provides a matching donation, be sure to contribute at least as much as the percentage your employer will match. It’s a 100% return on your investment!
  • You can gain computer, time management and networking skills that will help you with your voice work.
  • You may gain subject matter expertise that will make you even more enticing as a voice actor. For instance, I have a MS degree in computer information systems and over 20 years of experience in the IT field. I can perform technical scripts with complete authenticity because the subject matter has been stamped on my brain. Walking out of an employer’s door doesn’t mean that the knowledge is forgotten; you take everything you learn with you.
  • You don’t have to turn your world upside down to start your voice-over business. I think it would be extremely STRESSFUL to quit a job that is providing for your sustenance and lifestyle to embark on a new business venture. Any audition you perform while still employed elsewhere is done without pressure on your part to get the job. You can build your business gradually with the confidence that voice work will always be available.
  • Get accustomed to thinking of yourself as a $100K a year voice actor who occasionally may work at another job. You need to have the mindset of your prosperity and goal achievement in place before it will ever occur in reality.
  • Even if you never make the leap to a full-time voice-over career, your life is richer and fuller because you are following your dreams. No one said that following your dream means you must make any, much less your complete, income from it!

I love life/work coach Barbara Sher’s philosophy about having a day job, or what she calls the good-enough job:

THINK OF THE GOOD-ENOUGH JOB AS SUBSIDY TO YOUR ART!

I chose to use Al Gore as an example in this post because today is Blog Action Day, where bloggers are united to write about the environment. Obviously, his previous day jobs and his experiences have brought him to the attention of world leaders and concerned citizens today.

Since so many voice talent have day jobs, I have 5 suggestions for being more environmentally friendly on the day job:

1) Take public transportation or some other energy-conserving method to your job whenever possible. The money spent on gas could help fund your voice-over classes.

2) Ask your employer to work from home. (Ssshhh! Don’t tell your employer, but you just might be able to sneak in some voice-over auditions on those days!)

3) Ask for an alternate work schedule. I know some people who still work 80 hours over 2 weeks, but they do it in a different manner than 5, 8-hour days a week. They might work 10 hours a day for 4 days. Others work 8 9-hour days, 1 8-hour day and have a day off every other week. The days off are days that you can press into service for your voice-over marketing.

4) As a voice talent, you need to stay hydrated. Rather than buying water in plastic bottles that will end up in landfills, you can buy a Brita pitcher with water filter. Not only are you being environmentally conscious, but the money you save could be spent on your voice-over marketing or equipment!

5) Use less paper, and recycle the paper that you do use. Don’t print your e-mails and my blog entries unless you absolutely must. If you are allowed to use your work computer to print scripts for auditions, use recycled paper for that purpose. Also, your employer may have a recycling program for paper, soda cans, etc.

If you have more ideas how voice talent can help the environment from their day jobs or in general, please post a comment!

None of us — including Al Gore — could have predicted in 2000 the kind of year Gore would have in 2007. If you remember that every moment has meaning, including your time spent at a day job, you will have peace. Why be anxious about your voice-over career when you can be happy and actually enjoy your life?

 

Henry Aaron and Barry Bonds teach voice-over actors

Henry Aaron is a class act.

I don’t make that comment because he is one of the most beloved sports figures of all time or because he is a fellow Atlantan. I just saw the news replay of his speech last night as he congratulated Barry Bonds for surpassing him as the all-time baseball homerun champion. I’m reprinting it below in case you haven’t seen or heard it.


I would like to offer my congratulations to Barry Bonds on
becoming baseball’s career home run leader.
It is a great accomplishment which required skill, longevity and determination.
Throughout the past century, the home run has held a special place in baseball,
and I have been privileged to hold this record for 33 of those years.
I move over now and offer my best wishes to Barry and his family on this historic achievement.

My hope today, as it was on that April evening in 1974, is that the achievement of this record
will inspire others to chase their own dreams.

You might think that Barry Bonds’s tremendous accomplishment or Hank Aaron’s scoreboard address would have nothing to do with voice-over. However, I see a parallel between these sports heroes and my voice-over career.

First, I liked Aaron’s line that achieving the homerun crown required skill, longevity and determination.

Those three attributes are required to be a leader in any field, including voice-over!

Aaron’s short message also points out that no matter what Bonds or anyone else accomplishes, no one can ever take away Aaron’s own achievements. This fact is true for those of us in voice-over as well. If we strive to be the best in our niche, we wouldn’t have the time or inclination to be jealous of others because of jobs they have booked or fortunes they have made. Each person’s diligent practice and hard work will reap rewards that will always stay with us.

The last sentence about inspiring other to chase their own dreams is a call to action. If one person has done what you want to do, you know it’s possible for you, too. Whatever you envision as success is possible for you if you are willing to focus your attention on it and take the necessary, persistent series of actions.

Barry Bonds is unequivocally one of the greatest players in the history of baseball. (BTW, I found a nice comparison of Barry Bonds and Hank Aaron. The overall stats are very close between Aaron and Bonds except when you factor in Bonds’s speed.) He can field his position (8 Gold Gloves), he can run (over 500 stolen bases), and obviously, the man can hit.

A while back, I read that despite all of his stellar achievements on the baseball diamond, he found that fans in opposing ballparks booed him endlessly. He said that the tremendous stress from the negativity constantly directed at him was giving him migraine headaches. He finally decided that he had to ignore those fans and concentrate on his game. He would not let booing fans stop him from achieving his dreams.

I also read once that Barry Bonds played baseball for the love of playing the game. I suspect that he might have played even if he wasn’t paid.

This intrinsic love for one’s career is bound to lead to great success. I see so many people wanting to develop a career in voice-over because they perceive it as an easy way to make money. I encourage people to examine their hearts and determine what they really love and not make choices just because of the money.

Henry Aaron encouraged people to dream. I say

Dream BIG!

Barry Bonds is proof that you can achieve your dreams. Bonds has practiced his skills throughout his illustrious baseball career. Even when he was in a slump, he still showed up for batting and fielding practice. As a voice talent, I also continue to practice my skills, both in performance and production. To truly be a master in your vocation, practice and education are lifelong habits. If you visualize and practice enough, real situations will seem like deja vu. In fact, they will usually be better than you ever dreamed possible!

Barry Bonds didn’t get discouraged when he was ill or injured. He didn’t quit when his batting average slumped. In voice-over, I know that I will experience times where my career seems in a slump. Visualization and written goals keep me motivated.

Barry Bonds never doubted that his dream was attainable. From my reading about the Law of Attraction, I know that constant thoughts of doubt, discouragement, disappointment, fear, worry, anxiety, etc. will impede or stop the flow of blessings coming to me.

Read the biographies of any person you admire, and I’d bet you find commonalities between that person and these legendary sports figures. Successful people in any field create blueprints that others can emulate, adapt and exceed.

Barry Bonds admired Henry Aaron. I admire both of them. I may never play baseball, but through observing and applying the success principles of Henry Aaron and Barry Bonds, I know how to hit homeruns in my voice-over career.

 

Words and pictures from APAC and BookExpo

We’re finally replacing the windows in the kitchen so that all the windows in the house will be triple-pane. With the installer banging on the side of my house right now, it seems like a good time to post my pictures and news from my recent trip to New York for the Audio Publishers Association conference and BookExpo.

The Doubletree Guest Suites Time Square is my favorite hotel in New York. I was pleased to get a BookExpo rate and thrilled with my incredible view of Times Square from the 16th floor.

My view of Times Square

On my free day in the Big Apple (Wed., 30 May), I walked around and boosted the local economy as much as possible. Since Drew was unable to make the trip with me, I bought some presents for him. I first stopped at the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue.

The big APPLE in the Big Apple

I bought a Remote Radio for Drew to use with his iPod. He is delighted that he now can listen to FM radio while riding his motorcycle. I’m sure that Apple Store will be packed tomorrow with the first sale date of the iPhone. I’m going to get one….but not tomorrow!

Love was in the air in New York, but it was also on the ground. Somewhere on my walk, I came upon a sculpture of the Love logo associated with the 1970 film Love Story. In a web search, I learned that the sculpture was created by Robert Indiana and located on the corner of 6th Avenue and 55th Street in Manhattan. Just like I give a different read when voicing scripts, I look for the unusual shot when taking pictures.

Love in New York

The Audio Publishers Association conference was held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center on Thursday, 31 May. I like to attend sessions aimed at both audiobook publishers and their narrators, especially since I am planning to start my own audiobook production company. This year, I went to the sessions on alternatives to CDs, technology and a narrators’ panel.

I appreciated hearing from Audio Publishers Association, a literary agent at Inkwell Management. Alexis said it has become increasingly important for agents to retain the rights due to the proliferation of digital downloads. She also said it “makes sense” for authors to have sound bites prepared for podcasts, YouTube, etc. (If any authors or publishers need professional voice talent to assist with these types of endeavors, call me!) Alexis was also kind to speak with me personally following the session and answer some questions about the rights process.

If you’re wondering whether digital downloads have killed the interest in CDs, know that books on CD are still viable. Theresa Thompson is a buyer for Barnes & Noble, who stated that her audiobook business in the stores is still strong. Her expectation is turn inventory, so she doesn’t want to create proprietary titles.

The technology panel was extremely interesting and informative. Where the iPod connector is proprietary to Apple, David McLaughlin at Microsoft told us that his group is working to define a standard, universal connector that would connect a variety of devices, including MP3 players, to cars.
Some of the discussion also centered around getting younger people interested in audiobooks. Dave Carnoy, an executive editor at C/Net and all-around gadget guy, said he thinks that the market for audiobooks is with an older crowd. He commented that young people don’t read any more and wouldn’t listen to a book. Carnoy said that the price of audiobooks seemed too high to him. He pointed out that the consumer thinks someone is just reading the thing and that audiobook creation wouldn’t be difficult or costly, especially since so many people create podcasts. Carnoy said that an audiobook is potentially a single-use application, where music is used many times.
After networking with publishers at lunch, I exchanged a few words and a hug with my friend, narrator Barbara Rosenblat. I somehow missed connecting with my friend and teacher Hillary Huber at both APAC and at BookExpo. My friend and teacher Alan Sklar was signing audiobooks at BookExpo, but I didn’t get to see him, either.

In the afternoon, I attended the narrators’ panel moderated by Grammy-award winning audiobook producer Paul Ruben. The topic under discussion was Maximizing Your Search for Employment. Panel members were (left to right in picture below):

Eric Conger, Narrator
Jacob Bronstein, Executive Producer, Audio and Digital Media, Random House Audio
Dennis Kao, Producer, Hachette Audio
Sue Mackewich, Executive Producer, Audio Publishers Association.

Richard Ferrone

APA Narrator Panel: Audiobook 202

The casting process varied with each person. Ruben does read reviews and remembers them when casting audiobooks. Bronstein said he typically contacts talent agents or has a relationship with narrators. He emphasized that he wants someone who can take direction. Kao said it’s helpful to know the producers and mentioned that opportunities exist to perform wrap-arounds (intro/outro), podcasts and in digital downloads.

Some other observations from this panel included:
  • Bronstein said self-help/self-development titles continue to be strong. His best sellers are fiction, self-help and business.
  • Conger noted that publishers are reading you when you shake their hand. He also stressed that narrators often go too fast in the performance. Allow yourself to be surprised by the words.
  • Ruben echoed the point about speed, saying that you miss the interpretation by going too fast.
  • Mackewich reminded the audience that people who aren’t even born yet will listen to the recording.
  • While Bronstein has never worked with a talent from the talent’s home studio, Kao said he might employ a talent with a home studio. Conger said he wouldn’t do a book longer than 3 hours from his studio. However, narrator Simon Vance was in the audience and stated that he had performed long books from his home studio.
  • Conger said that the narrator is not the star in non-fiction; the material is the star. Ruben added that you need to be emotionally connected to the author’s point of view in non-fiction as the author is the enthusiastic star. Narrator and audience member Richard Ferrone commented that the narrator is still the storyteller in non-fiction. Finally, Ruben said that if a narrator is reading to him, the narrator is emotionally disconnected to the work.
  • Mackewich suggested that narrators gently follow up in order to approach her. She said you could send postcards and e-mails about your work, as well as get an audiobook agent in New York.

The place to be on Friday, 1 June

Friday, 1 June, was spent at BookExpo, which is the biggest convention for the publishing world. I was told that over 30,000 people were in attendance this year. I walked in the building behind Elvis, and I later saw Captain Jack Sparrow heading toward the exhibit hall. I wished I could have taken their pictures, but you’ll have to be happy with this view of the concourse

Nowhere to sit at BookExpo

I only had the one day at BookExpo due to a somewhat inflexible airline schedule on a Skymiles ticket. Audio publishers exhibited at BookExpo, but I also talked to targeted print publishers about creating audiobooks, commercials and podcasts for them. I researched my prospects as much as possible ahead of time so that I could go straight to the booths I wanted to visit.

I left both APAC and BookExpo with a stack of contacts and great potential to work with a number of new clients. I have mailed postcards and notecards as follow-ups, and I’m already looking forward to both events next year in Los Angeles!

I was unable to attend BookExpo last year and was delighted to discover that many of the educational sessions were recorded and provided to listeners as podcasts. Through listening to those podcasts, I learned valuable information that I could apply in my voice-over business. Podcasts from this year’s BookExpo are now available.

Now that I’ve given you a look at my trip to New York, I think I’ll go take a look at my new kitchen windows.