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Karen@KarenCommins.com

Karen Commins

Award Winning

Atlanta Audiobook Share-rator™

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Voice-Over

A Voice Actor’s Business Address Won’t Be on Easy Street

30 June 2006

Two events happened this week that are tied together. First, as I frequently do, I received a call from someone who wants to get started in voice-over. As is so often the case with these types of phone calls, the person told me that other people have told her that she should do something with her voice, so she is eager to start her career in voice-over. She wanted to know if I could recommend teachers in Atlanta. I gave her my referrals, and the call concluded.

People ask me this same question so often that I have created an advice page and a recommended book list on my web site to address the answers. I never discourage anyone from pursuing their interest in a career in voice-over. I think if something interests you that you owe it to yourself to explore it. You don’t want to go through life with regrets wondering how your life could have been different if only you had [fill in the blank].

In addition, it’s not my place to tell you the challenges and pitfalls that await you in this career. If you are serious about voice-over (or anything else, for that matter) and have a passion for it, the challenges along the journey won’t matter to you. You will view them as opportunities to grow and experience new things.

However, I also believe that you shouldn’t do things just because other people tell you that you are good at it and should do something about it. People tell me all the time that I am a fantastic marketer and that I should work for an advertising agency. While it’s true that I love marketing, I only love it when doing it for myself or when I can offer unsolicited advice to someone else! If I had to depend on my marketing skills to earn my living, I doubt I would enjoy it so much.

I also am great at math, and I have a natural aptitude for logic. I spent years working as a programmer and LAN administrator because I fell into it easily and then thought it was the right path for me. I wonder why I would think it was the right path when I always felt stressed out and miserable. I knew that I was not being true to myself. Only when I listened to my heart and realized my life-long dream of becoming a voice-over actor did I find peace and fulfillment.

Sometimes I hear from people who say, “I’ve wanted to do this all of my life!” Unfortunately, a more common theme that I hear when people call and e-mail me about going into voice-over is that they want to escape from their current circumstances. I often hear desperation in their voice, which is not an attractive quality. They see voice-over as a glamorous and easy way to make money. This business looks as easy as talking, and hey — they already know how to talk….sign me up!

In my first sentence, I promised that this post would discuss two related things. The second thing was that I read Stephanie Ciccarelli’s excellent article on her VOX Daily blog. Stephanie pointed out that the newcomer’s misguided sense of the industry is fed by our media, which portrays celebrity voice actors having an easy life of working minimum hours for maximum pay.

Stephanie’s comments centered around the voice-over sessions that TV viewers are shown. A viewer may think that a voice-over actor suddenly creates a new character voice on the spot. The best character voices are those for which the actor has been practicing and knows the character’s entire history. Trust me – after studying character voice development with Pat Fraley, a man of 4000 voices, I can tell you that truly memorable character voices don’t just come out of nowhere because you can’t replicate them, and you couldn’t sustain the listener’s interest in them.

The VOX Daily post did not address one very crucial aspect that is also overlooked by the wannabes who call and e-mail me for information in starting their new exciting career. Voice-over is a BUSINESS like any other. As a business person, I am responsible for the success of my business. In addition to being the sole commodity of the business (which is a lot of time and energy in itself!), I am in charge of all executive decisions and implementation plans regarding advertising/marketing/public relations, purchasing, accounting, information technology, publishing, art and legal matters pertaining to the business. In my copious spare time, I help out in the mail room.

I have also noticed that newcomers tend to request information and contacts without performing their own research. They are eager to start making the BIG bucks and don’t want to waste time doing mundane things like listening to demos of established talent, reading books, taking classes, practicing and developing their cold reading and interpretation skills, studying the marketplace, creating a business plan, etc.

My husband Drew is a senior software engineer for a large HR/payroll company. In the 2+ decades that he has been in the computer industry, no one has ever asked him how to get started in that profession. People realize that certain educational requirements must be met to gain an entry level position. Years of experience are necessary to move up in salary. In addition, Drew isn’t in the public eye when he’s working, so people can’t SEE him at work. I guess sitting all day at a computer screen wouldn’t look exciting anyway.

Of course, now that most people have a computer, many people seem to think they could do what he does just because they have a computer at home. Even when I was a LAN administrator, people would ask me questions rather consulting the help screens in their software. I usually had to read the help screens in order to find the answers. People would then ask me how I knew so much!

I digress a little bit only because I see people stampeding to the voice-over industry because they think it’s a source of easy money for virtually no work, just as people think that writing computer software or maintaining a computer network is easy simply because they know how to send an e-mail message.

Drew is also a professional photographer. When he has been on assignment, many people have asked him questions similar to those that I hear from the voice-over wannabes: How did he get started? How did Drew land the current job he was on? Who can that person call about getting similar jobs?

Drew has a theory about the shortcut mentality that seems to plague the performing arts. He thinks that people see someone else making money at an enjoyable activity that they think they know how to do. A photographer is just taking pictures? I could do that! You mean people actually make money for talking, and that field is called voice-over? What fun! I could do that! Drew thinks that if someone discovered a profession in which people could make money for breathing, walking or sitting on your sofa drinking beer and watching TV, people would be flocking to join it.

Stephanie asked: Can just anyone be a voice actor? In answer, I have quotes from 3 people:

A man is what he thinks about all day long. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart . . . Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens. Carl Jung

A man to carry on a successful business must have imagination.  He must see things as in a vision, a dream of the whole thing. 
Charles Schwab

For me, voice-over is a dream come true, and a business that thrives because of my imagination. I think we are all endowed with special talents, gifts and skills, and we see the world in a different way. Anyone can be whatever their heart truly and deeply desires, including becoming a voice actor. I just wish that more people would make conscious choices and realize that doing things for the wrong reasons will not bring fulfillment.

 

Filed Under: Narrators, Voice-Over

Audiobook Master Class in Los Angeles

24 June 2006

My plane may have touched down in Atlanta, but I’m still flying high following my fantastic Sunday audiobook master class in Los Angeles with my incredible instructors Pat Fraley, Hillary Huber and Kimberly Breault. We had just the right mix of instruction and recording during our 8 hours together. The workshop was extremely well-organized, relaxed and loads of FUN!

The class actually started on 24 May, when Pat sent the participants an e-mail in which he outlined the top 8 categories for audiobooks. For each type of book, Pat indicated the skills (e.g., storytelling, dialogue with character separation, energy) necessary to be successful with that type of read. He also attached a 10-minute .mp3 to that message so that we could hear various styles of audiobook performance. He encouraged us to start thinking of our possibilities in the industry.

The following week, we received another e-mail from Pat with instructions about selecting excerpts for the demo that we would create during the workshop. We were to choose 4 pieces of copy tailored to our interests and talent with the knowledge that we would record 3 of them. He attached Hillary’s audiobook demo so we could listen to a finished product.Hillary’s demo was much shorter in length than I expected. I previously have had 2 separate demos for fiction and non-fiction audiobooks; each one ran longer than Hillary’s demo. I had prepared them based on information I had learned from audiobook publishers and producers at Audio Publisher Association (APA) conferences.

However, as Pat and Hillary discussed during our workshop, longer segments are no longer needed. The audiobook publishers and producers have developed such keen listening ears that they know within a few seconds whether your voice is right for their project. They also can keep your voice in mind for other things. As I have observed with other areas in voice-over, longer demos apparently are also now a thing of the past with the audiobook crowd.

I also appreciated Pat’s pre-workshop guidance about the choice in excerpts. Although I have facility with character voices, he specifically said to take a dialogue piece between only 2 characters. I found his other suggestions about copy selection very valuable because they forced me to examine the skills I wanted to highlight. Even with his advice about other selections, I couldn’t decide on 4 pieces of copy and ended up taking 5 excerpts.

When Sunday morning arrived, I left my lovely room at the wonderful Universal City Hilton and made my way by cab to the recording studio.

Nine other people joined me for the workshop, which was held at the super cool and spacious Buzzy’s Recording Studios on Melrose Avenue.

We initially gave our excerpts to Kimberly, who kindly made copies of all of them for the recording sessions. As we introduced ourselves, Kimberly, who also is a trained singer, carefully listened to our speaking voices and made notes about each person. While Pat and Hillary demonstrated and discussed the performance skills, preparation and research needed to record an audiobook, Kimberly selected the excerpts that each person would record that afternoon.

After lunch, we had the great fortune to have a Q&A session with Kathe Mazur, an established audiobook narrator who records bestsellers primarily with Books on Tape. She told us that audiobook narration is an intimate profession that starts with having an intimate knowledge and acceptance of yourself and your needs. ‘Treat yourself like a Stradivarius’, she said. She explained that she records for six hours a day. Therefore, producers depend on her to do whatever is necessary so the she is relaxed and can give her best performance.

I was interested to hear Kathe point out that audiobook narration can be a tremendous exercise in self-love. She related the instance of making character choice that you didn’t like or think was the best choice. ‘Don’t end a sentence and hate yourself for how you did it.’ Instead of being critical of her own performance, Kathe thinks positive thoughts such as ‘You made a choice that you didn’t like, but you just created a book with 30 characters that made someone in a car feel like they were read to.’

Kimberly returned our excerpts and told us which ones to read before we were divided into 3 groups for the afternoon demo recording sessions. This set-up was ideal for several reasons:

1. We were able to work in 3 different studios, using 3 different microphones. Each of our segments will naturally sound different.

2. We could listen and learn from our fellow classmates. Not only did we hear their styles and selections, but we could learn from the directors’ and fellow classmates’ comments to improve their performances. I was privileged to be in the group with three very talented folks ‘ Len Brenza, Joan Loven and Craig Powers (who prefers to be known only as Powers) ‘ and I can certainly imagine all of them reading commercial audiobooks in the near future.

3. Best of all, we had the opportunity to take direction from 3 directors. In my case, I could even tailor my copy for each director. I knew that I wanted Pat, Mr. Character Voice himself, to direct me on the story with character dialogue. Kimberly told me that she picked my segment about marketing because she wanted to hear it. During my introduction, I had explained why I brought a highly technical computer-related passage, and Kimberly had chosen it as my third selection. I was delighted that Hillary would direct me on that piece since Hillary and I have voices in the same pitch range. I felt she would be the perfect one to help me if my voice became gravely.

In between our recording sessions, we talked further about the business of audiobooks, especially about the process of obtaining work and bidding a job. I was very happy to have a workbook that contained all of this juicy information so that I wouldn’t need to busily scribble notes! The worksheet that outlines the costs for producing a book will be invaluable to me as I move forward in the audiobook industry.

Even paying travel costs from Atlanta to Los Angeles, this audiobook masterclass was worth every penny! I have been to APA meetings and job markets, studied Audiofile Magazine and taken numerous other actions to obtain work in audiobooks. I have produced 2 10-hour books for a small publisher from my studio, but getting firmly established in the industry has proven difficult. Pat’s class is the only one that ties everything together. I have looked through the workbook several times since I have been home and have found some very clever marketing tips liberally sprinkled through it like parmesan cheese on plate of heaping spaghetti. I already have done some research and have thought of a potential way to get my next helping in my audiobook career. Um, um, GOOD! 🙂

Many thanks to Pat, Hillary and Kimberly for creating such a spectacular event! Thanks also to Andy Morton, chief engineer at Buzzy’s, for all of your help during our recording sessions and to Len Brenza for the ride back to my hotel when the day was over.

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Narrators, Voice-Over

Another masterclass weekend coming up!

16 June 2006

Last month, I was privileged to participate in a Women in Animation masterclass in New York City with Pat Fraley and Hillary Huber. Tomorrow, I’m jetting off to the other coast for their audiobook masterclass in Los Angeles!

The Saturday class filled so quickly when Pat announced it that he opened a session on Sunday. I am grateful to have snagged one of the 12 spots in the Sunday class.

While I’ve completed 2 commercial audiobooks in my studio, I am very excited at this opportunity to learn better audiobook performance and marketing techniques from Pat, Hillary and their guest instructors. In addition, we will be creating a new demo! In preparation for the class, Pat sent an .mp3 which demonstrated numerous styles of audiobook reads, and he gave us guidelines about selecting copy for our demo.

Check back here for the complete updates on this story from your roving reporter, who will soon be on the streets of LA! 🙂

 

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Narrators, Voice-Over

Laziness and voice-over won’t mix

14 June 2006

Last night, Drew and I had to pick up a few things, so we combined all of our shopping at the world’s largest retailer. I think you know its name, so I won’t mention it, much less give it a link. The people parked in front of us walked up to their car as we finished unloading our bags from the shopping cart into our car.

As I pushed our cart to the cart return area just down the row from our car, I noticed stray shopping carts abandoned all over the parking lot. People rolled the carts out of the store to their cars and just left the carts wherever they stopped. People couldn’t be bothered to walk a few steps to put their shopping cart in the designated area.When I walked back to our car, I noticed that the people in front of us were in their car. As Drew put our car in reverse, the people in front of us started driving forward. In other words, they couldn’t be bothered to put their car in reverse; they had actually waited for me to come back so that they could drive straight through!

Drew and I have made a promise to each other that we would not spread negativity. It may sound like I am breaking that promise to repeat this story now. I admit I was very irritated to notice 2 pieces of evidence of such extreme laziness. Since old habits die hard, I was ranting about the carts and the other driver to Drew.

I’m telling this story now for 2 reasons:

REASON #1 When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. (Wayne Dyer)

In order to stop my wave of negativity over the parking lot situation last night, I had to change my thought process. Rather than think that people are too lazy and irresponsible to return their shopping carts, I had to consciously choose another, better-feeling thought. I decided that having the carts scattered throughout the parking lot provided a necessary job to the strong person who had to corral them and run them back into the store.

Rather than think that the person in front of me was too lazy to put her car into reverse, I decided that maybe her reverse gear didn’t work or she was having transmission problems. In fact, I even thought that if she had put her car into reverse, she would have hit someone, which would have caused us to be a witness to the scene and made us get home at 3AM! Suddenly, it was easy to feel gratitude instead of irritation!

Sometimes it’s very easy to get mired in negative thinking, especially when it’s something really important like your voice-over career. It can be easy to be critical of yourself if you aren’t seeing the kind of break-throughs that you expected or the jobs are few and far between. However, keeping a positive mental outlook and being persistent in your efforts will get you where you want to be. The thoughts you think are a conscious choice.

Former talent agent Wally Amos, who invented the Famous Amos cookies, is credited with this quote:


Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words.
Keep your words positive because your words become your actions.
Keep your actions positive because your actions become your habits.
Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values.
Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.

REASON #2
Without ambition, one starts nothing. Without work, one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)

I realize that I’m the only one who cares about my change in thinking last night at the store. (Okay, Drew cared, too.) However, the trend toward laziness is prevalent in our society, and I notice it constantly rearing its ugly head on all of the voice-over groups that I monitor. Every few days, someone will ask one of the perpetual questions:

“How do I get started in voice-over?” (I also frequently receive this question via e-mail. I always respond by asking people if they have read the information on my web site and suggesting that they start with a book. I refer them to my recommended reading list.)
“What equipment do I need?”
“How do I get an agent?”
“Which on-line casting web site is best? Do people actually make money from them?”
“What do I need to do for marketing?”

We live in the age of information and technology. The archives of all these groups contain an amazing bounty of information from a wide variety of people. In addition, plenty of free information can be obtained from my web site and many others on the Internet. Numerous books on voice-over have been written, and bookstore shelves are overflowing with marketing books that have brilliant ideas ready for implementation by the new businessperson.

My suggestion? READ. Read anything and everything that you can about voice-over, especially if you just getting into the field. Whether it’s an Internet forum on voice-over or some other subject, read the FAQ and the archives to see whether your question has been answered. Chances are excellent that you aren’t the first person to have the question. Don’t just jump in and ask the question because you’re impatient to be on your way and you want to take the easy road to get there.

There are no shortcuts to your success. You not only should do your own homework, but you will have to do some actual WORK (yes, even more than pushing a shopping cart to its designated area in the parking lot) if you expect to have a voice-over career. Even if I and other people told you everything we know just because you asked the question, we can’t do things for you. You’re trying to build a career, not a bologna and cheese sandwich.

If you want the prize, be prepared to work for it. By the way, the people who you think are overnight successes usually have been working diligently for about 10 years.

 

Filed Under: Narrators, Observations, Voice-Over

Women in Animation Master Event

14 May 2006

I have wanted to take a class with Pat Fraley and Hillary Huber ever since I met them in 2003 at the Audio Publishers Association Convention in Chicago. I finally got my chance this past weekend (6-7 May) in New York City, when I attended the 2-day Women in Animation Master Event. What an amazing, motivational, intense and downright FUN time!Before I talk about the class, I wanted to mention that Drew and I spent Friday as a play day in New York. We first went to see my friend Jeff Berman, who owns SoundHound, a premier New York audio production facility. Jeff gave us the grand tour of his magnificent operation, and I can tell you it would be every voice talent’s and director’s dream to work there! The studios are a striking blend of muted colors mixed with several natural textures so that they are an aesthetic delight to behold. You feel such a sense of tranquility from the moment you walk out of the elevator and into his space. It’s no wonder that people were busily working in every suite when we were there.

Attendance at the Women in Animation class was limited to 12 participants, and I signed up as soon as I received the e-mail from my coach Susan Berkley. Pat has given voice to thousands of characters in cartoons, movies and audiobooks. When Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart Simpson, wanted a coach, Pat Fraley is the person who helped her. Hillary uses her character voices in audiobooks, where subtlety is key. They were the perfect complimentary team to each other.

Spending 16 hours over the weekend in Pat’s workshop was like being at a premier comedy club; we were laughing the whole time! However, while the subject matter was fun, all of the attendees were intent on getting as much from the sessions as possible. In fact, we even had homework prior to our meeting! We each received copies of Pat’s 2-CD set Cartoon Voice! and were instructed to listen to them at least once before the workshop convened.

It’s easy to do a silly voice. However, being able to replicate that voice on command and being able to think and feel like the character would is a skill set that takes some time and practice to master. In audition situations, you don’t have the time to come up with a new voice on the spot. You need to be ready to go with a voice that fits the description or picture but make it SEEM like you just thought of it.

Pat said numerous times throughout the workshop that we should be goal-oriented in the class. He wanted us to walk away with usable skills and be on our way to creating character voices that are, to quote Pat, evocative, unique and fully developed. We learned about character archetypes and the elements of a character voice. By analyzing the script, you can determine the archetype being served by the lines, and you may already have developed a voice that fits the archetype. In many cases, the class exercises caused us to invent the basic voice that could be further developed.

We each had the exciting opportunity to work one-on-one in the booth with the incredible and wildly energetic animation voice actor Candi Milo. Under her excellent and fast-paced direction, I discovered that I can do a pretty good voice for a little boy, especially since I naturally have a lower pitch and speak with the right cadence. I was thrilled to have this voice emerge because the market continuously demands women who can perform young boy voices.

In addition to some new voices, I found new uses for some of my existing characters, primarily developed in the audiobooks that I have completed. I was delighted to learn from Hillary that my snobbish old woman character named Aunt Freddy in the 2 audiobooks that I have completed could be parlayed into a mean old woman archetype just by the way I chose to deliver the lines.

Leslie Zaslower, who casts talent for Nickelodeon, enthusiastically spoke to us for an hour and graciously answered a wide berth of questions. Among other things, she explained the production process and gave us advice on structuring our demos. I introduced myself to her and asked how I might get my agents to send auditions to me for roles with little boys’ voices. You better believe that I will follow her suggestions!

All of my fellow participants are extremely talented and funny ladies! I was impressed to see a couple of newcomers in the class. It takes courage to take the plunge and actually DO SOMETHING about following your dreams. I thoroughly enjoyed the warm camaraderie through the whole weekend and feel that I made some wonderful lasting friendships. I’m looking forward to making a new demo and applying my new skills as often as possible!

Filed Under: Narrators, Voice-Over

My First Advice Page

25 May 2002

As you can see in this picture from 2002, I had an Advice page on my original web site. Since the page contained a lot of good information, I am sharing much of it here on the blog.

Karen Commins advice page from 10/13/2002
I looked on the Internet Wayback Machine (www.archive.org) for my original Advice page. This screen shot from 13 Oct. 2002 is the earliest instance of it that I found.

People often ask me how I started in voice-overs or for any advice that I can share. I could really get wound up on this topic since it’s my life’s passion! Instead, I’ll give you the short answer: have a dream; read some books; practice; take some classes; practice; hire professionals to work with you in creating your demo; practice; market, market, market yourself; and follow up with each contact (usually more than once and often 5-7 times) to get gigs!

Please note that I do not teach, and I do not accept demos for critique or casting. I am providing the following information on my web site and in my blog topics as a service. If you want to start and/or maintain a career in voice-over, first recognize that READING is intrinsic to the job. Therefore, I refer you to my blog to read the entry titled So You Want to Get Into Voiceovers?. My history below will outline some information about marketing and finding clients. I have written in greater detail on these and other topics on my blog.

Many folks seem to think the only requirement for voice-over work is having a good voice. Some people even think that becoming a voice actor is as easy as signing up for frequent flyer miles. A good voice is NOT even the most important attribute for work in this business! As in any field, good marketing can beat a good product.

Like many of the people who have contacted me for information, I had wanted to do voice-over work all of my life. After years of letting the dream lurk in the dark cobwebs of my mind, I decided to volunteer to read for the blind and print-handicapped over the Georgia Radio Reading Service. While being a volunteer reader is a worthy cause in itself and certainly wonderful training for the field, I didn’t satisfy the hunger of my dream.

I started reading books by Barbara Sher after seeing her on Oprah.

I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What it Was was the first I read, followed by Wishcraft and Live the Life You Love in 10 Easy Lessons.

I HIGHLY recommend her books if you need help figuring out what is important to you and how to get it in your life. Other favorite books on goal-setting are

Write It Down, Make It Happen by Henriette Anne Klauser and Martha Beck’s Finding Your Own North Star.

One of the Sher books listed a book in the bibliography called Take It From the Top by Alice Whitfield. I ordered it sight unseen because it was about working in voice-over, and it was the only book I knew of at the time that addressed the topic. I now have about a dozen or more. I think it’s important to read more than one so that you will pick up different perspectives and tips for working in the industry. You can look at books from my book shelf about voice-over on my recommended reading list. I expect to create other lists on business, goal-setting and self-development as time permits.

I always recommend that you start with a book on voice-over. It is a small investment in time and money that will give you the information you need to decide whether you want to pursue this career. The books usually provide practice scripts. You definitely will want and need to practice your delivery styles. Some people suggest that you read everything aloud as practice; acting skills are also extremely important. You may want to take acting classes to help you interpret and become the person in the copy.

After reading the Whitfield book, I decided to take an introductory class in voice-over at a city theater, and then I attended a workshop with a local voice-over instructor with dozens of national credits. When I completed the workshop, the instructor felt I was sufficiently ready to make a commercial demo. I rented studio time and hired my voice-over coach as my producer/director. The demo process took dollars and months as we had to choose material, music and sound effects to compliment the selected spots. The demo was sequenced so that it would contain a wide sampling but be no longer than 2 minutes. Most demos now are no longer than 1 minute.

I worked independently for 3 years before an agent would represent me. I’ve determined that the agents want to see that you are marketable and getting work before they agree to represent you. They are busy seeking work for the people they already represent and may be reluctant to take on a new person for any number of reasons, including the economy.

As with any contact you make about voice-over — and I can not stress this point too much — you must FOLLOW-UP after any demo submission. You need to be self-reliant and organized; no one is coming to the rescue. An agent is not your mother or your manager and won’t be the one responsible for ensuring you have publicity. That job falls to YOU.

I found potential clients through the Yellow Pages, the state business directory and organizations such as MCA-I. One mistake that I made was adding leads to my database without first qualifying them. This can be a costly mistake over time if you send mail to people who would never be in a position or have an interest to hire you. I researched and purchased equipment for my studio, and I continue to enhance it and my skills. I market myself continuously with numerous techniques including phone calls, personal meetings, advertisements, social networking, and direct mailings.

Getting work in voice-over is based partly on talent, persistence with demo submissions and follow-ups and sometimes plain ole timing or luck of the draw.

For ongoing advice about becoming a voice actor or expanding your career in voice acting, I invite you to read my blog.

Many people think that the only way to obtain work is through agents, and they probably can’t get good representation without experience. However, the Internet age has put power in the hands of the talent. You can sign up for on-line casting services. For a fee, these sites allow you to post your demo(s) on-line and receive audition notices for a wide range of projects.

You can record the auditions on your home system and send back the .mp3s with your quote for the job. The sites act as clearing houses between the producers and talent; once selected for a job, it’s up to you as the talent to work out the payment details with the producer.

You have to determine whether you want to utilize any of these services and which sites to join as part of your marketing plan. You can read the archives and join the discussions in one of the many on-line groups devoted to voice-overs to assist in your decision process.

Lots of interesting jobs are being posted on these sites every day. People are doing auditions EVERY DAY — and you can never have too much practice doing auditions! Somebody is getting hired and making money from these sites EVERY DAY. Is today going to be the day that one of those people is YOU?

The most important thing I can tell you about becoming a voice actor — or any dream that you have — is best summarized in the following inspirational quote from my favorite entertainer Barry Manilow:

I believe that we are who we choose to be.
Nobody is going to come and save you. You’ve got to save yourself.
Nobody is going to give you anything. You’ve got to go out and fight for it.
Nobody knows what you want except you, and nobody will be as sorry as you if you don’t get it.
So don’t give up your dreams.

 

Audiobooks

The rapidly expanding audiobook retail market is approaching $1 billion in annual sales, and audiobook narration is a field open to new talent. While any voice-over genre is a story-telling medium, your ability to tell a story and maintain listener interest for a long period of time is absolutely essential as an audiobook narrator. After all, you are literally breathing life into an author’s words, and you must remain true to the author’s intent when telling the story.

If you have facility with accents and dialogue, you may want to concentrate your efforts on fiction books with different characterizations. If accents aren’t in your arsenal, you might turn your attention to non-fiction, instructional and self-help titles.

When preparing for any career, the first thing you should do is research the industry, and audiobook narration is no different. The first thing I recommend is that you actually LISTEN to lots of books by different authors and narrators. You can and should read reviews of audiobooks in Audiofile Magazine, which is the top publication of the audiobook world, and Publishers Weekly. Get a feel for what works and what doesn’t. Listen to the phrasing, pacing and articulation of various narrators. Audiobooks are available at many libraries, but they are also available for purchase and download on-line

One of the best series of audiobooks ever produced is the one for Harry Potter books. Jim Dale has earned Grammy nominations and 2 Grammy awards for his amazing portrayals of 100s of memorable characters in this series. In fact, he holds the Guinness record for the most characters in a single book, with a whopping 134 characters in book four! You may think these books are just children’s books, but I can tell you that I and thousands of adults have thoroughly enjoyed each one in the series and eagerly await each new book.

In order to gain skills and experience, you can volunteer to read for the blind in your area. You may also wish to participate on the http://librivox.org site, where volunteers are working together to voice audiobooks in the public domain. You can listen to a story about that site on NPR. Pay close attention to the sound of the samples aired in the program versus commercially-produced books. Can you hear the difference?

By the way, if you want to download the text of free e-books of work in the public domain, head over to the Project Gutenberg site. Any of this work would be fabulous practice material and could even be something you would want to develop as your own projects!

In preparing your book and if time permits, you should plan to read your book at least twice before recording. The first time, you will read the book to get a feel for the material. I take notes on the characters’ introductions so that I know whether they are major characters with a lot of dialog or have any sort of unusual accents. The second pass is to mark the copy. I use colored highlighters to mark each character’s lines so that I can instinctively flow from one character to another when I am recording the book. I also mark phrasing in the copy and look up pronunciations of unfamiliar words.

As the narrator, you are responsible for ensuring the correct pronunciation of the words. In addition to a good American-based, unabridged printed dictionary, I can recommend these resources for assistance with pronunciation:

Google (enter the word as your search, and click on the definition link to the far right)

Merriam-Webster Online

Voice of America Pronunciation Guide

National Public Radio

Say How? A Pronunciation Guide to Names of Public Figures from Library of Congress

If you really want to work in the audiobook industry, you must concentrate on establishing relationships with publishers. Naturally, we all dream of narrating the Grammy award-winning bestseller. However, you’re much more likely initially to work with smaller publishers, especially if you don’t live in the NY or LA commuting areas and have your own studio.

Don’t send your commercial or narration demo to an audiobook publisher. They want to hear you performing literature, and they are listening for transitions between the narrative and dialog sections in your excerpts. You’ll fare much better if you send a custom audiobook demo that demonstrates you are familiar with the publisher’s product line, such as a children’s book demo for a publisher of children’s book.

Many publishers pay per finished hour. You can easily invest 60 hours to produce a book with a 10-hour run time. A good rule of thumb would be 2 hours of recording time to produce an hour of audio, and 2 hours of editing time would be needed for every hour of audio.

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