Karen@KarenCommins.com

Karen Commins

Award Winning

Atlanta Audiobook Share-rator™

Marketing

Creating promo videos with public domain components part 1

Recently, I had a wonderful e-mail exchange with up-and-coming voice artist Linda Velwest about creating a promotional video. Linda kindly gave me permission to repost her messages here on the blog so that others can benefit from this discussion.
 

Hi Karen,

I’ve been following your blog and I’ve been voluteering at librivox. My name there is lindavw. I just finished recording my first solo project and I’m waiting for it to be PL’d. I saw the trailer you made for your Alaska book and it inspired me to think about doing one for the book I just did! I hope you don’t mind me stealing your idea! It’s a good one. 

The book I read is a short YA book from the 1930’s about these girls who are in college and their adventures during their sophomore year. I was going to make a video with me talking about the book, maybe taking some lines from the book, and having a slideshow of colleges and college students from that time as the visual on the video.

I looked up on the internet and found a bunch of pictures of college students from that era. I found some great pictures from a variety of sources – some college handbooks that have pictures of their history, some pictures of movie starts of the time, some cool old pictures I also looked up the legality of using pictures in a video. And I’m kind of confused so I was hoping you could answer my questions or point me in the direction of sources that can. 

I am not a voice actress at this time. I’m taking classes, getting coaching and practicing all the time. But I’ve never actually been paid for anything. If I do make this video, I’ll post it around and use it as a way to promote myself and get my name out there. But I have no intention of getting paid anything for the book or the video. 

I think of it like a school project where I’m preparing to enter the workforce by dong things as similar to how a professional would do it as possible. I don’t want to do anything illegal or unethical and I don’t know what the boundaries are. 

Thanks for your inspiration and any help you can give me.

Linda Velwest

Here’s my response, with some formatting and highlighting added for readability.

Greetings, Linda! Thanks so much for the nice note; you made my day! I love the line in your last paragraph about preparing to enter the workforce. So many people dash off the question to me “I have been told I have a nice voice. How do I get started in voiceover?” without any thought or perusal of the wealth of info on my web site. It’s so refreshing to hear from someone who is working at building her skills and taking a methodical — and wise — approach to starting a new career. Bravo!

I’m delighted that you liked my book trailer and want to create one of your own. Not only do I not mind that you are using this idea, I expected and encouraged people to do so in this blog post.

As you’ll read in the comments, one voice talent used the idea to create a trailer for a local art exhibit and landed inquiries about creating a similar one for pay. Video is a very effective marketing technique! 

Also, take some cues from that article about ways to spread the video, as well as publicize your book. My book has been in the catalog for 1 week and has already been downloaded more than 500 times because I have been promoting it.

Think of the target audience for the book or how it might relate to a group of people, and you can figure out some places where those people hang out on-line. For instance, I posted the info and link to my book in the Alaska forum on CruiseCritic.com because it’s Alaska cruise season, and many people like to take audiobooks on a trip, particularly if it relates to their destination.

I really don’t have a lot of specific info I can share about picture copyrights. Generally, pictures on the Internet or in magazines, books, and papers are protected by copyright. You wouldn’t be able to use them or a derivative of them legally without permission of the owner. In gaining permission, you might have to pay a usage fee or royalties.

The same is true of music. You couldn’t use something from your own CD collection or off the web. I’ll come back to the music in a minute.

Most of the pictures in my video were from the public domain book I narrated, along with 1-2 that my husband took on our Alaskan cruise. As the photographer, he owns the copyright to those pictures and kindly granted me usage of them.

However, I also used some images from iStockPhoto.com, which is one of many on-line sites of stock images that you CAN use in your own work. Photographers and videographers upload their work to these sites. You purchase a picture or video clip, and a usage license comes with it. I’ve also bought and used these pictures in my blog.

The music in my video was from a royalty-free collection of CDs that I have purchased. You can buy royalty-free music on-line by song, CD, or collection. As with the images, it may take some time to hunt down just the right thing.

Since you’ve found images that you like, you can always write to those people and request their permission to use it. They may say yes or no, or they may ignore you completely.

Sometimes the copyright owner will surprise and thrill you with their response. In chapter 12 of my book, the author included the chorus lyrics from a Stephen Foster song “Old Black Joe”, and she described the setting for it. I first planned to sing the song in the narration (I did that with another Victorian song in the book), but I didn’t know the melody.

In researching it, I found a rendition on iTunes that captured the scene to perfection. While the song is in the public domain, and therefore free of copyright restrictions, the performance of it is NOT public domain. The artist has the copyright on the performance.

It was so perfect, and I really wanted to use it in my book.

I found the artist on Facebook and sent a message to him. Not only did he immediately grant me permission to use the snippet, but he offered to help me promote it with Facebook ads! He quite clearly told me that he didn’t care of someone lifted the song out of the book and used it for something else. His purpose in recording it was to reawaken interest in these old songs.

[Important note: Since LibriVox dedicates all recordings to the public domain, anyone could lift your free book and sell it without sharing the revenue with you. See the excellent discussion on Some Audio Guy’s blog about this potential downside to volunteering on this or any other site that leaves your recordings in the public domain.]

[I uploaded the pertinent 1:08 section of the chapter with music if you’d like to hear it.] I am proud of the way it turned out!

I hope these thoughts are helpful. Send me the link to your video when you finish it; I’d love to see it! Best wishes for your health, success, and prosperity!

 

Linda responded with a great list of sites where you can obtain images and music that are in the public domain for use in your own creative pursuits. She also shared her very cool audiobook trailer. All of these goodies will be in part 2 of this topic, which I’ll post tomorrow. Hope to see you here!
 

Reasons to Create Your Own Stuff — Part 2

Earlier this year, I wrote a popular article titled Reasons to Create Your Own Stuff. In it, I described the audiobook that I narrated for LibriVox and included a link to the book trailer I created to promote the audiobook. I also listed some of the marketing plans I had for the audiobook and trailer among my reasons to create my work in this way.

Two bonus reasons to create your own stuff prompted me to circle back to this topic today:

1) My FREE, 10.5-hour audiobook of A Woman Who Went to Alaska is now available for download from LibriVox or through iTunes as shown on this page.

Bonus reason #1 to create your own stuff:

Copywriters have known for years that the word FREE is one of the most powerful and compelling words in the English language. If you can give away something valuable for free, you can get the widest range of potential buyers to sample your products, which in this case, includes my voice and interpretation, my audiobook production skills, my ability to write an effective script for a video, and my creativity in video production.

2) Rajkumari from Mumbai, India, left a comment on my post 10 ways to get work in audiobook narration, noting that an audiobook culture is not prevalent in India. When I responded, I said, “If the audiobook culture doesn’t exist there, perhaps it’s up to you to create it!”

As I wrote that sentence, I was reminded of the important passage quoted below from Eckhart Tolle’s incredible and highly-recommended book A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose:

Bonus reason #2 to create your own stuff:

If the thought of lack — whether it be money, recognition, or love — has become part of who you think you are, you will always experience lack.

Rather than acknowledge the good that is already in your life, all you see is lack. Acknowledging the good that is already in your life is the foundation for all abundance.

The fact is: Whatever you think the world is withholding from you, you are withholding from the world. You are withholding it because deep-down you think you are small and that you have nothing to give.

Try this for a couple of weeks and see how it changes your reality: Whatever you think people are withholding from you — praise, appreciation, assistance, loving care, and so on — give it to them. You don’t have it? Just act as if you had it, and it will come.

Then, soon after you start giving, you will start receiving. You cannot receive what you don’t give. Outflow determines inflow.

Whatever you think the world is withholding from you, you already have, but unless you allow it to flow out, you won’t even know that you have it.

I have found this passage to be true of past voiceover jobs. In fact, Tolle’s message was an underlying reason I decided to spend time narrating an audiobook as a service project. You see, I hadn’t narrated an audiobook in a while. So, rather than feeling like an audiobook gig was being withheld from me, I gave this one to the world.

It feels great to be able to give!

What do you think of Tolle’s assertion that you should give that which you think is withheld from you? Does it apply to your voiceover career or any other part of your life? I’d love to get your comments on the blog!

10 ways to get work in audiobook narration

Like many of you, I love audiobooks and want to make it my major niche in voiceover. A couple of colleagues recently sent me emails asking advice about obtaining more work in audiobooks. As you might imagine, I wrote a rather lengthy reply from which I will add a condensed version later in this post.

At the moment, though, I want to share some hot news with you. The audiobook publishing industry has changed overnight with Audible’s launch today of a new marketplace to connect audiobook rights holders with producers and narrators — the Audiobook Creation Exchange, or ACX.

ACX launched with over 1000 titles, many of which have real budgets associated with them. You can find titles that interest you and submit an audition.

However, ACX does not require a subscription fee from narrators. The thought is that the cream will rise to the top. Narration contracts wouldn’t be awarded to talent who have issues in vocal delivery or sound quality.

You can read the official announcement from Audible. For more details, you may want to read today’s blog article from my friend and fellow voice talent Dave Courvoisier.

As promised, here are 9 more ideas culled from my earlier emails to other voice talent that may help you meet and follow up with audio publishers so you can land work in audiobooks:

1)  Obtain publisher contact info and submit your audiobook demo to them. Marketing your audiobook demo is the tried and true, #1 way of getting audiobook work. You can get publisher and producer info from the Audiofile Audiobook Reference Guide (where you can also be listed for a fee) and the Audio Publishers Association, if you’re a member of it. Note that you should not submit a commercial demo to an audiobook publisher.

2)  If you already have worked for 1 audiobook publisher, how did you get the gig? Can you replicate those steps to bigger success?

3)  LinkedIn searches can lead to work. Have you contacted publishers directly or asked for introductions to them from among your LinkedIn contacts?

4)  Volunteer to improve your skills, for instance at a local organization that reads to the blind. Why not create something because you WANT to, rather than for the money and fame? (The money and fame will come.)  

5)  I went to Pat Fraley’s audiobook class in 2006. One idea he presented to the class was to suggest a title (ideally with a movie tie-in) and send a custom demo to a publisher.

6)  Connect with publishers on social media sites.  Commenting on the publishers’ posts on Facebook congratulating them on Twitter, etc. seems like a non-pushy way to follow up and consistently get your name in front of people who may hire you. Also, are you may want to become an active member on the Audiobook Community Facebook page.

7)  Think about a value added service you can offer to publishers. How much and what kind of promotion do you do for the other projects you have voiced? How are your video skills? I think if I can show added value to a publisher in marketing, such as by creating a video book trailer, publishers may be more inclined to want to hire me to narrate a book.

8)  Start your own audiobook company and sell your offerings as digital downloads through Amazon. With tons of books in the public domain, you just have to look around for suitable books.

9) This last one may sound far-fetched, but give yourself an attitude adjustment every day in the mirror. Tell yourself “this is could be the day that an audiobook publisher offers me a narration contract for an audiobook that will get great reviews.” Things I’ve been speaking into the mirror have been coming to pass!

I know that audiobook work, like everything else in a thriving voiceover career, requires persistence, patience, and an attitude of gratitude. I also know that the more I relax and go with the flow, the more things like lucrative voiceover gigs come to me. I can look back over the last 11 years in voiceover and see where I have tried too hard to make things happen. When you try too hard, you actually push away the good that was on its way.

You and I cannot be denied the good that is on its way to us. If I don’t have something in my reality now, I know it’s on its way to me….like my Grammy for Best Spoken Word after working the ideas in this list!

Can you add some more ideas about gaining work as an audiobook narrator? I’d love to get your comments on the blog!

Trying to get a voiceover agent?

Suddenly, I am receiving a rash of emails with the question: “can you direct me to some Atlanta voiceover agents?”

Many people think that the key to voiceover success lies with an agent. Once you get an agent, you just have to sit back and let the lucrative offers come in, right? Ah, if only it were so easy to make money at your microphone!

This week, someone wrote to me about getting an agent while still enjoying the flush of success from working his first paid gig. He lives in another city and was ready to get on a plane to Atlanta to meet agents. In responding, I explained that I was offering this information in the same spirit of helpfulness that I write my blog.

If you’ve only booked one job, it’s doubtful that you’re ready for a voice-over agent to want to represent you.

In order to land a voice-over agent, you have to show that you are a marketable commodity and can offer them something that they don’t already have among the people they represent. You should listen to the reels of their talent to determine whether and how you might fit on their roster.

You also want to compare the professional sound of your demo against those you hear on-line. Those professionals are your competition for booking jobs. If your demo is homemade, you’ll want to invest in any necessary training with a coach before getting a professionally produced demo.

Hard work, initiative, and knocking on doors does indeed pay off. I just think you need to knock on some other doors to establish yourself before you approach an agent. You can get work without an agent; agents are just one avenue, not the only avenue, of obtaining work.

Check out the advice page on my site and look in the archives of my blog for more in-depth advice and resources on finding and marketing yourself to people who might hire you right where you are. To quote Teddy Roosevelt:  do what you can, where you are, with what you have.

 
I guess my answer above is just another case where I tell people what they need to know, not what they want to hear.

A few other thoughts about agents:

  • Far too many organizations are ready to prey on people’s dreams by taking their money and giving them unfilled promises in return. Modeling/talent agencies that set up in malls, organizations that hold “open casting calls” or regular searches for new talent, and places that run radio ads are probably some sort of school that makes their money from selling classes and pictures, not from booking talent. A legitimate voiceover agent doesn’t need to solicit more talent, and they only charge you when you book a gig through them, usually 10-15% of the gig!
  • If the agency doesn’t have a voiceover department, I doubt they could really help you.
  • You probably don’t want to sign an exclusive agreement with one agent. Many voice actors have numerous agents located across the country and in other parts of the world. To reduce potential conflicts of interest among your agents and clients, it’s best if you only have one agent per city or geographic region. Also, the relationship gets tricky when you receive the same copy from multiple agents. In those cases, I send the audition to whomever sent it to me first.
  • If you are active with your marketing, be sure any prospective agents are not threatened by your efforts. One agent asked to represent me because she loved my clever pieces of direct mail and then dropped me a year later (after rarely sending me an audition), telling me that she felt my marketing competed with her. I have booked most of my work as a result of my own marketing, so I would not sign with another agent who discourages it.

 
If you still worry that you don’t have an agent, you are focusing on what you perceive you lack in your life. Instead, look at and be grateful for all you have. Keep a list of your accomplishments ready for review so that you can maintain your confidence and positive outlook.

A good talent agent can send you auditions and open doors that were previously closed to you. With polished skills, research, and patience, you will be able to attract the right agent representation at just the right time.

Photo: iStockphoto / Talaj
 

Reasons to Create Your Own Stuff

Create your own stuff.

I’ve written about this theme in the past, but today, I want to show an example and talk about the marketing advantages available to voice talent who choose to cast themselves and develop their own work.

As a service project, I’m narrating the audiobook of A Woman Who Went to Alaska on LibriVox.org. May Kellogg Sullivan wrote the book in 1902 to recount her adventures during the Alaska gold rush at the turn of the 20th century.

Obviously, the audiobook itself is a form of creating my own work. Rather than watching fluff TV shows like American Idol, I choose to spend my spare time this way because:

  • I am improving my skills, both in long-form narration and audio editing.
  • I am being of service to others in offering a free audiobook.
  • I can use the credit in discussions with audio publishers about paying gigs.
  • The free audiobook will be helpful in developing a loyal fan base.

Marketing is a HUGE part of any business. It is especially important when the commodity offered by the business is one’s voice. Not only am I creating the audiobook on my own, but I also decided to market it by creating a trailer for it!

Early in my voiceover career, I did a lot of direct mail marketing with imprinted products. While my campaigns were extremely memorable and attracted voiceover jobs to me, they also were extremely time-consuming and expensive to produce.

Here are some immediate marketing benefits of creating this trailer:

  • The book is in the public domain, so most of the images had no cost. I only had to spend a few bucks to obtain the stock images that I used. The music came from my royalty-free library, which requires no residual payment.
  • The video is another method of advertising my voice to people who haven’t heard of me or listened to my demos.
  • The trailer demonstrates to clients and prospects that I could assist them beyond voicing their scripts.
  • We live in culture obsessed by and immersed in video. Tell the truth — when you saw the video in this post, did you immediately click on it before reading any of the text? People say they don’t have time to read. Many would watch my trailer who would never read my description of the audiobook.
  • I cross-posted the trailer on Facebook, some LinkedIn groups devoted either to audio publishing or Atlanta businesses, LibriVox, AudiobookCommunity.com, and BarbaraSher.com. Note that most of these postings are targeted directly to 1000s of members in niche markets who may be interested in hiring me for their projects!
  • I received more responses in a few hours than I ever received from a single mailing.
  • The trailer gave me material to add to my blog, which helps my search engine rankings.
  • Once the book is done, I will update the trailer from “coming soon” to “available now”.

In addition, the subject matter of an audiobook can point to even more opportunities for marketing it on-line. In this case, a flurry of TV shows are about Alaska, so I know the public has a lot of interest in that state. One show is even about a group of people currently mining for gold in Alaska — a perfect tie-in! Fans of these shows gather in discussion forums where I can post my trailer. I also can post it in forums for people who are considering an Alaskan cruise.

Aside from all of these reasons, perhaps the biggest reason to create your own stuff is that it is fun!

I hope that these examples of my spare time projects give you inspiration to create and market your own stuff. I’d love to see your work, so please leave a comment on the blog!

 

10/30/21 Update:

I previously suggested that people volunteer for LibriVox. Be warned that LibriVox releases its recordings into the Public Domain, which means someone else could sell your recording and/or harvest your voice for AI without any compensation to you. For that reason, I no longer recommend that narrators volunteer there.

 

Beware of 5 Techniques of the “Information Marketer”

We live in the Information Age. A dizzying array of information on any topic, including starting and marketing your voiceover business, is freely available on the Internet. For instance, I Googled “how to get started in voiceover” and received a list containing more than 3 million hits!

With so much information freely available, you may find it difficult to believe that one of the biggest ways to make money on-line is through information marketing. However, people are always looking for shortcuts to success, so they gladly pay a perceived expert to guide them through the process. Just for grins, check out the number of hits when you Google “how to be an information marketer”. The number of hits is staggering, to say the least.

I believe in obtaining coaching and mentoring from a more experienced person in order to attain the next level of success. I don’t believe in predatory marketing practices from people who offer those kinds of services. If you’re looking for a coach or mentor in voiceover or any other facet in your life, you should do your own research to determine the best fit for your needs and budget.

Since information marketing on the Internet is viewed and heavily promoted as the quick path to wealth, many, if not most, information marketers are preying on people’s emotions and seek only to line their own pockets. I am growing increasingly concerned about these practices in the voiceover industry as more and more people flock to this field and look for the magic secret to success.

I was thinking about this topic today after attending 2 webinars this past week. One was aimed at a group from multiple industries, while the other was specifically targeted to voice talent. Each lasted about 1.5 hours, but I ended each with widely varying thoughts about the host. I decided to point out a few of their sales techniques in hopes that I can save someone from making a serious financial mistake. (Note that I deliberately will be vague in describing each marketer’s approach and offer.)

1. Like a drug dealer approaching potential junkies, the first sample is always free. They hope to get you hooked so that you’ll shell out money for their program and/or products.

How many offers of “free reports” have you seen on-line? How many free webinars have you seen or attended? You never know how useful they will be to you until you actually commit the time to view the material.

Sometimes these “free” offers contain some very good information. For instance, the first of 2 free webinars that I attended this week showed me all the steps needed to create a particular thing. I now have the confidence to create one on my own, and I had an inspired idea about how I might use the thing in my life. The marketer provided solid content and then explained the benefits of the paid program.

Other times, the webinar is a poorly-concealed and aggressive attempt to market the host’s paid program or product. Such was the case in the second webinar I attended this week. It started with the marketer offering some useful tidbits but progressively degenerated into testimonials from hand-picked participants.

Dont get me wrong — testimonials are vital for your voiceover business. Comments from satisfied clients can help to convince a prospect to hire you to voice their project. You should include testimonials on your voiceover web site, as well as on your profiles on LinkedIn and the voiceover pay-to-play sites. My point is that a webinar should provide some sort of useful content for those viewing it. It shouldn’t be an infomercial for the host’s products and services.

2. The sales pitch or copy is overflowing with adjectives designed to tap into your emotional response.

People make buying decisions based on how they feel. Who wouldn’t want to achieve success, have whiter teeth, be able to retire sooner, win fame and fortune, and exceed their fondest dream? How would it feel to have all the money, fame, and jobs you could imagine? Wouldn’t you like to know this oh-so-easy method of living your dream life in the shortest amount of time possible?

An experienced copywriter can create such enticing text that it makes you salivate and WANT the product. Once you fall in the trap of imagining all the great and wonderful things the marketer is talking about, you are extremely vulnerable to buy whatever they are selling.

3. They always make the offer seem very limited or exclusive. If you don’t ACT NOW, you may miss out!

This technique surfaces in several different ways:

  • Only a limited number of products remain at this price. It will either sell out FOREVER or be available for a much higher price later.
  • Only a certain number of seats are available for this event.
  • We only accept a certain number or type of people into this program.

Remember, they are counting on you acting due to an emotional response, and this technique adds the avoidance of negative emotions on top of the acquisition of positive emotions promised in the other copy. If you’ve ever sat through a timeshare presentation, you’ll be familiar with this tactic. The marketer knows that if you walk away and think about their offer, you are less likely to buy it with each passing minute.

4. A higher-priced paid program or service often has a salutary effect on the minds of would-be buyers.

I tend to think that information offered as a report or webinar to a group of people is meant to ensnare many unsuspecting people into buying something they previously had not considered. The same is often true when you attend a free seminar in-person, such as when Drew and I went to an event promoted as an Internet marketing seminar.

On the other hand, a complimentary, private, one-on-one consultation with an expert about your specific business needs can be a smart business move. Many advisors provide a free, 30-minute meeting, You need to interview someone to see how well their product or service meshes with your needs, so I’m not talking about that situation in this post.

In Webinar #1 this week where I obtained some good info, I thought the cost of the paid program was reasonable for the time involved. In Webinar #2 which contained all of the testimonials, I was shocked and appalled by the prices of the paid program. I wondered who in their right mind would actually pay those prices.

Sadly, I think a number of people will make undue sacrifices in order to buy that program if they perceive the marketer to be expert. A higher price can indicate to people that the marketer is in such extreme demand that they can command any price. A high price tag is also another way of making the program seem available to only a chosen few. We all like to feel (there’s that word again) that we know things or have opportunities that aren’t available to all.

I’m sure the participants in such a program would obtain some value, but would the program really fulfill all of the amazing promises made about it?

5. If someone is really trying to sell you something, look for the PS at the end of the sales copy.

The sales copy is often several pages long so that every possible benefit can be explored in depth, and testimonials can be seen in every other paragraph. When this copy is sent through the mail in a letter, the common thought is that people may skip all of the sales copy and go right to end to see who sent the offer. On-line information marketers continue to use this ploy and add some final glorious adjectives with a call to action as a postscript.

If you’re considering buying any type of program or service to gain the advantages promised by the expert, I suggest these steps:

A) Don’t make any decision for at least a 3-day cooling off period. Get away from the emotion of the sales pitch to think logically and clearly about the offer and its usefulness in your life.

B) Do some simple math. Figure out how much money you have available for this program or service. Look at the offer and assign some sort of monetary value to each part of it: materials, time with the expert, and other resources provided. Does it require additional costs, such as travel? How does the sum of the parts compare to the price as a whole?

C) Do some research for similar products and services. If it’s something targeted only to voice talent, ask your colleagues on your favorite voiceover chat board whether they have experience with the provider or can recommend other options. Do a Google search for info about the expert and their products. Subscribe to their blog; you’ll get a good feel for how they present information.

In this Information Age, continue to sign up for free webinars and reports. You never know where that next sparkling idea for building your voiceover business will appear! Just be aware that free webinars and reports usually come with a hidden agenda to sell you something. By considering the points outlined in this article, you can make an objective and informed buying decision.

Do you have any thoughts about the methods used to market products and services to voice talent? Please leave a comment on the blog!

Photo: Greg Grieco