I voiced my first audiobook, and it was quite an experience. I created over 33 different voices for the 11.5 hour book and honed my process to become significantly more streamlined by the end. I feel that what I learned by doing my first book can’t be explained as easily as it is heard. I also understand why some audiobook publishers won’t hire a narrator until they’ve completed their first book – I’m sure some people are scared off after working on one! I started this project as a shiny new audiobook narrator, and came out of it now a bit more battle-weary but knowing first-hand what it takes and that I can do it and enjoy the process.

There are hundreds more experienced narrators out there to give tips and tricks and tell you how to do it, and since I’ve only done one I really can’t contribute much to that conversation at this point. There were a few things though that were SUPER helpful to me that I think are worth sharing. The most important of those things was the training I had to prepare me for audiobooks. That credit goes to Pat Fraley. I took his Billion $ Read Audiobook workshop in L.A. 2 years ago. He taught more than just skill, he taught the mechanics of the audiobook industry and how to find your place in it. But I’m not dismissing the skill part, no! I’ve studied with him in person 3 times in the 2 past years (so glad Phoenix is on his occasional travel list!) and have worked on audiobook selections each time, and every time my read is elevated by his coaching and perspective. I’m sure I’ve mentioned him on my blog before, but he is the person I refer any interested voiceover talent to check out, contact, and learn from. When you study with Pat, you may also be able to benefit from other amazing talent and producers who drop in for part or all of his workshop – my L.A. workshop included Hillary Huber, Scott Brick, Stefan Rudnicki and Kathe Mazur.

So, go study with Pat. He’s amazing and is the most generous teacher and among the most generous people I’ve met in my entire life. If I’m not convincing enough, here’s a 15 minute video from Pat where he gives away some bigger concepts and lays out some of the workshop content you’ll get in detail when it comes to audiobooks.

The next thing I wanted to share about is way off in a different area. So coaching and having training to be able to approach an audiobook is definitely the most important thing for audiobooks. Next up, I’d say is what’s in your actual studio to help you get the job done. Of all the pieces of my setup or mic chain, I found my iPhone to be invaluable. Remember I said there were over 33 characters that I created different voices for? Well, the iPhone (and I’m sure most smartphones have an equivalent) has an app called Voice Memos. I’d recorded about 10-15 seconds of dialogue from each character – something good, telling, revealing, very true to the character – and renamed the file for the character’s name, and that’s it. That’s how I kept my characters separate. I know that there are a lot of narrators who choose to not make such distinct choices with their character voices, but for this book it seemed appropriate. It won’t be appropriate for every book, and could even be distracting in others, but my choice meant I had to really know what Ramsey sounded like versus the other 15-18 year old boy characters who came in and out of the book. Voice Memo was great in helping refresh my memory as I started a chapter and found who would be showing up in it.

Many publishers will provide researchers, audio proofers, editors, or even their own equipment for you to work from. This situation, I was responsible for everything except the final mastering, done to the publisher’s requirements by their hired engineer who I sent all my raw .wav audio files. So, here’s a little about my process for the book.
1) Read the book, mark it up for emphasis or make notes to clarify scenes; take notes on my characters and their relationships
2) Contact the author with questions – pronunciations, any parts of the book that don’t seem clear
3) Prepare my character voices before recording each chapter – like I said, for some books bold differences would be a distraction, this is something that I did as I prepared to record each chapter. Only rarely did I have to spend a significant amount of time researching a particular dialect or accent, but I did when I felt it needed to be more exact
4) Record!!! I became better about not critiquing every line as I worked through the first 2-3 chapters, and as it wasn’t my first time through the book, my markings in it were helpful guides
5) Send chapters off for review – My very patient, long time friend Kristin happily volunteered for this unpaid position, and she painstakingly listened to my audio while following along in the book
6) Corrections – this happened simultaneously while I continued to record more in the book. Kristin would tell me if I swapped out words, misread something, where and what page, or if something sounded ‘off’ to her as a listener. Having her ears on my first book was invaluable, and she was much more confident in my storytelling ability than I was! It was so nerve wracking to email off those first few chapters and not know what kind of feedback I’d get, but as my friend for over 10 years she’d be able to tell me if I needed to overhaul my read. She said she always enjoyed listening, even though she was ‘working’ at the same time.
7) Edit in corrections – pre-roll is your friend in ProTools, I used a 3 second pre-roll at every stage of audiobook work and it helps edits fit in perfectly
8) Bounce out my audio and upload! Here, I’m a huge fan of Dropbox, since we’re working with at times 45 or 50 minute wav files, the file size can get out of hand.

It really was the marathon of voice overs that others say it is, and this book was recorded mostly in the evening and on the weekends. I’m happy with how it turned out, and don’t feel I could have done any better for my first book. From my experience, if you are even daydreaming about recording an audiobook, I strongly suggest you do your research and at the least check out Pat Fraley’s videos on youtube and free audio on his website to get more insight into what is required of you as a narrator and the skills you’ll need to make it happen. And no, I don’t get kickbacks from referring you, but I wouldn’t feel this good about my first book without what he taught me.

If you’d like to check out the audiobook itself, there’s a short excerpt from the Prologue and a handy link if you’d like to download it at Crossroad Press’ website. The book is Blood Angel by author Justine Musk.

My first audiobook is now available for download! It was self-directed, self-produced in my home studio, checked for accuracy by a very generous friend, and finally mastered by Jeff Kafer.

Just coming off the Thanksgiving holiday, I’ve been reflecting more than usual on things I’m thankful and grateful for. There’s a lot in my personal life, but also on the business side. I’ve got great clients and have built strong relationships with cool people; we know what to expect from each other and work well together. While my current clients already know the level of service, creativity and energy I bring to their projects, I wanted to create a few offers for new Radio and TV imaging clients. Choose which special better fits your needs:

- Any radio or TV station that contracts with me for a year of imaging voiceover work will get the 13th month of my voiceover services free.

OR

- Any radio or TV station that contracts with me for at least 6 months of imaging VO will get the last month of that contract at an “unlimited” page limit, regardless of the regular monthly page limit.

These specials are good through January 7, 2011 for new imaging contracts that go into effect by February 1, 2011.

Many stations flip when they come back from playing Christmas/Holiday music, and if an imaging change is part of your New Year’s plan, let’s talk! My rates are fair and scalable based on your monthly copy needs and market size. Quarterly retainers and full imaging VO buyouts are also available in smaller markets.

I’ve read a lot of firsthand stories about the way the voiceover industry used to be. You had a local agent, you cold-called to meet most of your clients, you cut down several trees worth of paper to have your scripts, ISDN was a requirement if you were truly serious, and I’m sure you could find a laundry list of more things the ol’ pros have had to go through to make a living in voice over.

So by comparison, doesn’t that mean that now all of us pursuing and working in the field in 2010 have it easy? I’d say not it’s easier, but different and possibly even more challenging, for a few reasons.

1) Increased Awareness of the Voiceover Industry
The voice over industry has grown into what’s become a $12.3 billion dollar industry (according to Voices.com research). That’s obviously more than just radio and TV ads. While it’s still not a very well understood profession by the masses, there’s been more awareness of what we do – CBS Sunday Morning had a segment that has run several times earlier this year highlighting a few national talent and animation VO actors. There are also a few videos on youtube that were popular beyond just the VO community: 5 Guys in a Limo and Voice Talkers). More people are using audiobooks to enjoy books, and most everyone knows the late Don LaFontaine’s 3 signature words, and many have tried to duplicate them. More people know about voiceover now than they ever have before, partly because voice over work is called upon in various forms more than ever before.

2) Accessible technology
I’m sure professional videographers initially were irritated by the availability of those old, clunky video cameras made for consumers. Fast forward a few decades, and tiny Flip video cameras can even stand-in for pro gear where access is extremely limited or dangerous. I don’t think these consumer-level products or the availability of pro-level gear for consumers takes away from the work the professionals do. However, it certainly makes some amateurs think they’re as good as the pros just because they spend money on nicer gear. Well, to make a longer point short, they’re not.

This certainly applies to voiceover as well. I’m not the least bit threatened by the availability of pro-level gear at the nearest electronics store, and you shouldn’t be, either. If you’ve got a gorgeous sports car in your driveway, but it’s a stick and you can only drive an automatic, what good is it going to do for you? Gear does not make you a professional. Experience, eventually, will. Training and coaching help immensely.

What has been great about our world becoming more geeked out in general is that when you do want to get studio gear, you have no lack of options both in person and online. I can’t say what it was like trying to figure out what mic would be best for your voice 25 years ago, before the internet as we know it, before random strangers can indirectly give you reviews or audio samples to share their experience with gear to sway your decision, or even going back just over a decade, before B&H opened in their current location in NYC with their fabulous microphone room (September 2, 1997, if you’re curious).

3) Competition
Ask anyone who built their career in the 90′s or earlier, and they’ll tell you that they never had this much competition for work. You’re not only competing with people who share your agent, it’s likely that not everyone on the agent’s roster is local (I personally have several agents outside of Phoenix, Arizona), and it’s entirely likely that your agent isn’t the only one casting for the job. Online, you know very well that we’re working in a global marketplace. Because of the rising awareness of voice over as a fun source of income for some or a career for others, plus the availability of gear and user-friendly programs that may even be free, there’s a lot of people vying for work. Are they ALL your competition? Of course not! But there may be 30 other upbeat, smart, friendly, girl-next-door types going up for the same job I’ve auditioned for, whether that’s through my agent or an online marketplace or someone connected with me through my website and has contacted other talent as well.

So what’s a modern voice talent to do to stand out and make a living?

Don’t let these things distract you from your goals if you really want to make voice over your life’s work. It’s simple, and could apply to any creative field. Be unique! Rowell Gorman shared this gem from Oscar Wilde: “Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.” I’d also add a few more specific directives:
- Be educated and always strive to learn more
- Be a good business person
- Be ethical
- Be fair
- Pay it forward
Despite the changes to the voice over industry and what it takes to build a VO career in today’s marketplace, I think all the talent who built their careers ‘back in the earlier days’ would agree that these few guidelines will always be relevant.

Do you have anything to add to this, or you disagree and feel it’s much easier now to work in a creative field with global competition and global clients? I’d love to hear it, add your comment below!

With many projects, I’m not able to discuss what I’m working on until it’s released and open to the general public. In this case, I wanted to highlight the product itself now that it’s gone live, because it’s pretty cool if you have a need for a better conference call and text system. :)

It’s a group-calling system that allows detailed management and contact organization and ties together a conference call system with easy, iPhone controls. No pin numbers or access codes involved. You can also send texts to everyone in your group from this app as well, quite convenient if you don’t have time to dig out email lists and you just have something quick to say to everyone. Callvine was the largest phone system I’ve done and is a very cool product! It has a lot of great uses, for volunteer and non-profit organizations, college classrooms, and even fantasy football organizers are thrilled with the functions. However, I wouldn’t be super thrilled about my FF organizer using it, I’m sitting in last place in our league.

In the App Store on your iPhone, and check out the app from your computer here

I’m happy to announce that I will be recording my first audiobook, a very cool, edgy, hip book called “Blood Angel” by Justine Musk. It will be digitally published through Crossroad Press on iTunes, Audible and several other mainstream channels. I’m very excited to be working on this project and am really enjoying reading the book at the moment. I’m encouraged to see such great reviews of it on Amazon and can only hope that the audio version I’ll be performing will deserve reviews that are just as positive.

Since I’ve been given permission to discuss the book as I’m working on it, I’ll have periodic updates here on the blog and also on my facebook business page, Arielle Audio. If voicing commercials is a sprint, recording an audiobook is compared to a voice over marathon. I look forward to sharing some of the interesting terrain of my 26.2 miles on the way to my largest, most unique and challenging voiceover project so far!

I was the kid in school who LOVED being picked to read the textbook out loud for the class. Seriously, in my head it was the spotlight on me, as I read page 192 in World Civ, and please please when I get to the bottom of the page, have the teacher tell me to continue reading. I can remember feeling like I was performing for an audience. My speedy sight-reading came in handy for the various instruments I played, too, and it was something that I knew I was good at, but never thought it would amount to anything professionally.

Now I’ve really turned my voiceover focus toward narrating audiobooks. That is, I’m reconfiguring gear, and doing lots of practicing and marketing in order to make publishers and producers aware of me, and surely to get myself ready in all aspects to voice any books that I may be assigned. I have found the optimal outlet for that handy sight-reading skill. Reading the book in advance is ideal, but even a 10th time going through any script, you’re still performing it on the fly, in the moment, and you have to know the nuances and curves in the story as you go so you can choose a better performance. The ability to sight-read and see ahead without jumping ahead in the performance, or letting what is about to happen bleed through into your read leading up to it and ruin the moment – that’s the balancing act.

It’s reassuring to be able to look into my past and see the spark – reading aloud to my classmates – that over time and through much introspection, training with experts and practice on my own has become a huge flame for audiobook narration.