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Karen@KarenCommins.com

Karen Commins

Award Winning

Atlanta Audiobook Share-rator™

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Should An Author Narrate Her Audiobook?

27 December 2017

Last updated 3/15/21

 

picture of a microphone

 

One question that I’ve seen and heard repeatedly from authors and listeners is: How is a narrator selected to read the audiobook?

In addition, many authors tell me that they want to narrate their audiobooks for financial and/or artistic reasons.

At first glance, the author might seem to be the most logical choice for the narrator. The author has labored over every word in the book and obviously is the person most familiar with its arc and important points.

However, many avid listeners refuse to listen to books narrated by the author because they have frequently discovered that the writer is not necessarily the best performer. In fact, the annual consumer surveys from the Audio Publishers Association show this consistent finding:

“Audiobook consumers place a high priority on quality of narration. Non-fiction and fiction listeners alike prefer a professional voice actor to the author as a narrator.”

I always advise authors and publishers to select the narrator who can best serve the text. The following 3 questions guide the casting process:

1) Is the book fiction or non-fiction?
2) What narrative point of view (POV) is used in the book?
3) Who is paying for the production costs?

[Read more…] about Should An Author Narrate Her Audiobook?

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Authors Tagged With: audiobooks, author-read

Are You Leaving Money on the Table?

3 October 2017

Each day an author doesn’t have her books in audio, she’s leaving money on the table.

man counts $100 bills and leaves some on table

[Read more…] about Are You Leaving Money on the Table?

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Authors Tagged With: audiobooks, growth, WhisperSync

Links to Help Narrators Research Rights Holders to Books

9 September 2017

Last updated 31 December 2024

I’m not a lawyer, but I have voiced an attorney in multiple audiobooks. Just because an author has passed away or isn’t easily discoverable, or the book is out of print, doesn’t mean you’re free to create the audiobook of her book!

Before you can record an audiobook, you must do due diligence to determine whether the book is in the public domain or still under copyright. When a work is still under copyright, the rights holder is the person or company that owns the audio rights to the book. The rights holder (RH) will receive the royalties from the sale of the audiobook.

If the book is still copyrighted, the RH could retain the audio rights and hire you as an independent contractor to produce the audiobook. You also could license the audio rights and become the rights holder. If you’re interested in this second option, I highly recommend you purchase my webinar with attorney and audiobook producer/director/distributor Jessica Kaye on this topic using the link on my Shop page.

The links on this page will help you understand the copyright laws in the US and UK and do your research to determine whether a book is in the public domain or find the rights holder for books still under copyright. By the way, members of my site NarratorsRoadmap.com have access to an exclusive video where I demonstrate how to use some the sites listed below. I also offer members a number of links not listed here, including some collections of potential public domain books I found on HathiTrust.org.

web research

[Read more…] about Links to Help Narrators Research Rights Holders to Books

Filed Under: Away From the Mic, Business, Links, Narrators Tagged With: audiobooks, copyright, Hathitrust, IMDb, public domain, research

3 Reasons Authors Shy Away From Audiobooks

12 May 2017

It was exciting to attend the RT Booklovers’ Convention here in Atlanta last week with over 25 of my fellow audiobook narrators from across the country. Several members of the group organized and participated on educational panels about audiobooks, and we all contributed for a booth in the Bazaar.

 

Romance Narrators' booth at the Bazaar featured a variety of items from over 20 audiobook narrators.
The Romance Narrators’ RT Bazaar booth was feast for the eyes and a smorgasbord of swag!

In talking with people who came to our booth, I noticed 3 reasons authors shy away from audiobooks.

1) Authors aren’t sure about consumer demand for audiobooks.

One person who never listens to audiobooks asked me the average price for one. When I said it might be $15-$20, the astonished reply was, “for a BOOK?” I explained that many options exist that enable listeners to acquire audiobooks at cheaper prices, including free ones at the library.

More importantly, an audiobook isn’t just a book. It is its own performance art.

You could look at it this way: you could spend $15 for a movie ticket that gets you about two hours of entertainment. You don’t own that entertainment and can’t enjoy it again without paying the additional money. With an audiobook, though, you could pay the same or less amount of money for 6, 10, or more hours of entertainment that you’d be able to revisit as often as you like.

Audiobooks are a $1.2 billion industry that has experienced double digit growth for the past 2 years. That trend isn’t likely to stop anytime soon. Both production and consumer costs have come down dramatically as technology has streamlined the process.

2) Authors aren’t already audiobook fans.

A few authors told me that they don’t have a commute and therefore didn’t have time to listen. I know I sure appreciated hearing a good book last week while I sat in abysmal Atlanta traffic going to and from the convention.

While audiobooks are popular companions during commutes, you don’t need to travel to listen to an audiobook. I listen every day while walking my dog. I also listen on the treadmill and while swimming. Audiobooks complement almost any form of exercise! I’ve also been known to listen while eating my lunch. You could listen while you’re in the shower. In fact, there’s no end to the variety of things you could do and hear a great book at the same time.

Once you start listening, not only will you get through more books each year, but you may also start planning your own audiobook. You’ll find that writing for audio will make you a better writer.

3) Audiobook production is too complicated.

Some authors were very interested in creating audiobooks but don’t have the time to learn how to do it. The good news is that you don’t have to spend time and energy to figure it out! The narrators who attended the RT Convention have our own studios and are experienced in working with authors to create independent audiobooks. We know how to get an audiobook done through ACX and other distributors, and we would be more than happy to assist authors with the steps.

You’ll find samples and contact information for over 30 professional narrators on the boutique site RomanceNarrators.com. Don’t worry if you don’t write romance. Most narrators work in a variety of genres.

I hope I’ve gotten you thinking differently about audiobooks and that you’ll soon contact me or one of my fellow narrators about starting production.

 

 

SaveSave

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Authors Tagged With: audiobooks, authors, RomanceNarrators.com, RT Convention

4 Keys to Becoming a Successful ACX Audiobook Producer

16 March 2017

Last updated 8/24/19

 

One of my friends is a well-established and highly successful audiobook narrator with years of experience working in commercial studios for traditional publishers. For the longest time, he had absolutely zero interest in setting up a studio and recording at home, largely because he is not comfortable with technology.

I often talked with him about the many merits of using ACX, including the:

  • ease of finding interesting books on the site and auditioning to narrate them
  • ability to work directly with authors and fill holes in his recording schedule
  • excitement (and sometimes need!) to earn passive income each month from carefully selected Royalty Share projects
  • possibility of creating his own publishing company and performing titles of his choice in his spare time

Futhermore, traditional publishers are increasingly employing narrators who are experienced in home recording.

Once he was finally convinced that establishing a home recording studio would be an empowering career move on all levels, he decided to create one and asked many questions while implementing his plan.

The thought occurred to me that anyone who is new to home recording and working through ACX might benefit from the 4 key areas of practical advice and information that I gave to my friend about becoming a successful ACX producer.

 

4 keys in locks that look like puzzle pieces

[Read more…] about 4 Keys to Becoming a Successful ACX Audiobook Producer

Filed Under: Audiobooks, Business, Narrators Tagged With: ACX, Amanda Rose Smith, audiobooks, calendar, Charles Clerke, Colin Firth, comparisons, Don Baarns, George Whittam, home studio, Lynda.com, narration, Pat Fraley, Paul Ruben, punch and roll, royalty-share, SAG/AFTRA, Scott Brick, Sean Pratt, stipend, VoiceOverXtra.com

Interview with Audiobook Blogger Beccy Stokes

7 March 2016

Authors and narrators greatly appreciate the people who take the time to listen to our audiobooks and then write thoughtful reviews. In this installment in my series of interviews with audiobook bloggers, I’m excited to welcome Beccy Stokes from Audiothing Reviews and find out about her review interests and process.


[Read more…] about Interview with Audiobook Blogger Beccy Stokes

Filed Under: Audiobook Bloggers, Audiobooks, Interviews, Narrators Tagged With: Audible, audiobooks, Audiobookthing, Beccy Stokes, blogger, interview, Overdrive, reviews, WhisperSync

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