Karen@KarenCommins.com

Karen Commins

Award Winning

Atlanta Audiobook Share-rator™

Press Room

Press Page

Last updated 19 January 2024

 

 

Interview Key on computer keyboard

 

To learn more about me, my narration, and audiobook production, please check out my comments and interviews on other sites:

 

Narrators Cup of Joe with host Daniela Acitelli

1/18/24 If Not This, What Else? You Never Know How Close You Are To What You Seek! with Anne Flosnik

10/5/23 10 Minutes with Joc with Jocqueline Protho

Audiobook Lovin’ Podcast with host Viviana Izzo

9/29/23 Season 5, Ep 3 Narrator Karen Commins

Narrators Cup of Joe with host Daniela Acitelli

12/8/22 People Spend More Time Planning Their Vacation Than They Do Planning Their Lives!

Clubhouse Narrator Focus with hosts Danielle Gensler and Alex Picard

10/27/22 Time Management

 

 

The Audiobook Club podcast with host John York

10/22/22 Karen Commins, Chief Cartographer of Narrators Roadmap & Audiobook Narrator

 

 

Clubhouse 

9/16/22 My Ask Me Anything

 

 

Audiobook Reader’s Review podcast with host Sarah Bacaller

8/1/22 Episode 2

 

 

Clubhouse Audiobook Industry Chat with hosts Stephanie Németh-Parker and Amanda Stribling

6/21/22 Public Domain Audiobooks

 

 

Clubhouse Ask an Audiobook Pro with hosts Hillary Huber and Vikas Adam

3/14//22 Narrator’s Roadmap

 

 

Narrators Cup of Joe with host Daniela Acitelli

10/5/21 What You Focus on Is Important So Focus On What You Want, Not What You Lack

ACX blog

6/8/21 Celebrating 10 Years of Storytellers: Narrator Karen Commins

 

The Journal

12/11/20 I was mentioned in the article Instructional writer reads, reviews all 940 bestselling novels of 20th century.

 

 

Wall Street Journal

11/1/20 The Secrets To Success as an Audiobook Narrator by Kate Murphy
The journalist quoted producers, publishers, and several narrators in this piece. Since I’m not a WSJ subscriber, I can’t see beyond their pay wall. I therefore researched ProQuest at my library and saved this PDF of the article.

 

VoyageATL 
4/29/20 Meet Karen Commins

 

Audiobook Narration For BeginnersAudiobook Narration for Beginners Podcast
Fellow narrator J. Rodney Turner hosts this podcast to help newcomers learn about audiobook narration. Audiobook narration is my favorite subject!

 

7/1/19 Episode 26: Karen Commins – Part 1
7/8/19 Episode 27: Karen Commins – Part 2
7/15/19 Episode 28: Karen Commins – Part 3

Georgia Radio Reading Service
4/17/19  I’m honored to be highlighted in the April 2019 newsletter as Volunteer of the Month.

ACX University
11/2/18 Acting With Intention
In this 16:31 video, I talk about setting career goals and staying motivated as you continue on your path. In the concurrent chat, I offered resources and answered many questions. You can find all of that ancillary material in this post.

The Audiobook Speakeasy Podcast

7/23/18 Episode 26: Karen Commins
Host Rich Miller is also an audiobook narrator, so it was a special delight to have a drink together and discuss all things about audiobooks in this 1:03.51 show.

The Postcardist

The Postcardist Podcast

6/22/18 Episode 22: Greetings From Karen Commins
In this fun and interesting 59:11 show, host Frank Roche and I talk about how I use postcards in marketing my business and so much more!

Build Book Buzz
4/4/18 How To Promote Your Audiobook
In this guest post, I answered 8 questions about audiobook marketing.

Spin Sucks
12/18/17 The Big Question: Audiobooks vs Reading
I explain 2 factors I use to determine whether I listen to or read a book for pleasure.

Animatron
11/29/17 4 Awesome Examples Of Social Media Contests (+ Tips How To Run Your Own Contest)
Hint: I entered a contest for a reason other than the prize.

Acuity Training
9/12/17 Adobe Productivity — 69 Experts Reveal Their Top Tips
I always say technology is my friend, and I offer 2 tips here: 1 on Photoshop, and 1 about Adobe Export PDF

Business News Daily
6/15/17 Evernote: 7 Features You Should Be Using

FanGirlNation Magazine
5/24/17 Interview With A Narrator: Karen Commins

The Author Biz podcast

1/30/17 Marketing and Promotion for Audiobooks, episode TAB104
Author and host Stephen Campbell and I talk about ways authors can promote their audiobooks.

Stacy Juba, author of Fooling Around With Cinderella
1/5/17 Part 1 about me as a person
1/7/17 Part 2 about the audiobook production process

The James Altucher Report, Dec. 2016 (private subscription)

Amy Metz, author of Murder & Mayhem in Goose Pimple Junction
10/14/16 part 1 about me as a person
10/20/16 part 2 about the audiobook production process

East-West Audio Body Shop webcast with hosts George Whittam and Dan Lenard
6/22/15 EWABS Episode 193 Audiobook Roundtable

Wendy Pitts, fellow narrator
3/5/15 Monthly Mentoring column

April Holgate audiobook listener/reviewer
12/30/15 Update
12/28/14 Original Interview

Advertising Age Magazine

2/15/10
I responded to an editorial about Super Bowl ads and noted that those without voiceover were not as effective.

LibriVox Community Podcast

12/19/08 Episode 93  Starting at :28, I talk about getting started as a volunteer reader.

The Publicity Hound blog

1/28/07
I advised a voiceover talent who wanted to know actions they could take to market themselves.

 

Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine

June 2006
I was profiled in a story about home improvements after we learned some hard lessons about contractors in building an addition on our house for my studio.

 

 

Recent audiobooks

The new year has started off with a burst of audiobook work! I’m excited to report that 2 books I narrated are now available for digital download on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes.

It’s Never Too Late To Be What You Might Have Been

It's Never Too Late.jpg

This audiobook is actually the perfect title for this exciting, new phase in my life. IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN by the wonderful storyteller B.J. Gallagher is full of inspiring interviews with people aged 40 and higher who have made dramatic changes in their lives in order to make their dreams come true.

Not only are the stories interesting and inspirational, but each chapter ends with some specific tips for making similar changes in your own life.

Recording this particular book was a gift to me because I benefitted from reading the chapters on wealth and fitness. Chellie Campbell was profiled in the chapter on attaining wealth. Thanks to her list of 50 abundance affirmations, my new mantra is “People just love to give me money!” Since I’ve started saying it, it seems to be coming true! 🙂

It’s never too late to have the dream career, attain wealth, fall in love, be healthy, and more! This audiobook may be just the right thing to help you start living the life you were meant to lead!

Dixie Divas

Dixie Divas.jpgWhat could be more fun and intriguing than a murder mystery that starts with a pot of chicken and dumplings?

Award-winning and prolific novelist Virginia Brown has cooked up a delicious tale about a close-knit group of Southern women who call themselves the Dixie Divas. The Divas gather for chocolate, conversation, and carrying a dead body around town. If you want to know what else happens at a Divas meeting, you’ll just have to hear the book!

I loved the characters and vivid descriptions of their charming Mississippi town. My director and I had to stop recording several times because we cracked up over the dialogue! This audiobook is the perfect companion for your spring break or summer trips when you want to entertained while relaxing by the pool or ocean. At almost 13 hours, it’s a terrific audiobook to enjoy on long car trips or while doing housework or walking the dog.

After only 2 weeks for sale, this audiobook is currently the #1 bestseller on Audible in the Chick Lit category! I’m also thrilled and honored that the publisher has asked me to narrate the 2nd and 3rd books in the series. Those titles should be available in early summer.

Speaking of which, it’s time to head back into the studio — the Divas await!

My role on Clark Howard’s TV Show Finding Your Dream Job

The best way to accomplish your own dreams is to help other people accomplish theirs. Since I don’t currently teach classes or workshops, I have found that I can be of service to those wishing to enter the voice-over industry by offering the advice page on my web site and these essays on my blog. Of course, I enjoying discussing the industry when people meet me and express their curiosity.

I usually don’t have the opportunity to directly help newcomers, though, so I was quite delighted when Doug Paul, owner of the wonderful Catspaw Studios, called me recently about an unique collaboration with WSB-TV, ABC affiliate Channel 2 here in Atlanta. Popular TV and radio personality Clark Howard is hosting an hour-long prime-time TV show set to air on Monday, 30 October, titled

Finding Your Dream Job.

The link has useful information about networking and other career resources that may be useful to you if you are in the midst of a career transition.

On the show, Clark is giving 6 participants the chance to step into the environments of their dream job. David McCreary dreams of becoming a voice-over actor and was chosen for the show. Doug thought it would be valuable experience for David to perform a dialogue spot a against a professional voice talent and asked me if I could join them at Catspaw for a short recording session.

I was excited for David that Channel 2 selected Catspaw as the recording studio. Catspaw is one of the busiest studios in Atlanta. It’s a premiere facility, yet you are totally relaxed the moment you walk in the door. Everyone there is warm and friendly, like you’re among family.

In addition, Doug Paul is a leading national voice-over talent with 20 years or more of experience, and he is a fantastic example of living the dream life! After Doug developed his own bustling voice-over career, he built this striving studio. I always love working with Doug because he knows how to give precise direction to get the read he is hearing in his head. A session at Catspaw never lasts very long! 🙂 For David, the experience in working with Doug Paul at Catspaw would be the equivalent to a short masterclass. What a memorable way to jump-start a career!

Even though I met the producer and cameraperson prior to the shoot, I admit seeing a camera pointed at us in the hallway was a little unnerving, as I never do on-camera work. Since David is obviously the focal point of the story, the camera was trained on him while we were in the recording booth. I was proud of him that he seemed able to forget about the camera and have fun with the copy. We did a number of takes on the dialogue piece, and David adjusted well to Doug’s direction.

I don’t know if Channel 2 will use any of my segment in the finished TV show, but I will definitely be watching Clark Howard’s show tomorrow night at 8pm. I want to see the rest of David’s story, and I wish him every possible success in his voice-over career!

I certainly encourage everyone in the Atlanta viewing area to watch the show. You never know what you may learn from David’s experiences and those of the other participants who are working toward making their dreams come true.