THIS IS PART TWO IN A TWO-PART BLOG POST
TO READ PART ONE, CLICK HERE
(REBECCA ROBERTS, IN HER OWN WORDS) I’ve been a professional audiobook narrator (yes, that’s what we call
ourselves) for about three years. However, I also refer to myself as a voice
actress because my areas of work include audiobooks, poems, children’s
characters, and commercial work. I consider myself an actress. Of all of my
voice-acting experiences, I must say the audiobook is, by far, my favorite
genre.
Within the world of audiobook narration, the variety of materials
available for audition is amazing. Authors tell me all the time, “no
one will audition for my book!” Well, that’s not because your work
isn’t interesting or worthy. It’s because there is SO much
writing going on out there just waiting to be recorded. The dawn of the
independent author has created a deluge of work for narrators.
However, it is not easy work and many narrators don’t stick around for
more than a few books. It doesn’t get you rich. It doesn’t get you noticed, and
it doesn’t exactly lend itself to an incredibly active social life (it can be
lonely in the studio).
So, why do I do it? Why do I spend 5-6 hours a day alone in a small room
barely making enough to put food on the table? There are many reasons. First, I
am a passionate person and never do anything without complete commitment. And
that is easier when what you are doing is something that you are already in
love with.
I have been an avid reader since I was a tot—a goofy, skinny, red-headed,
freckle-faced girl with a terribly odd sense of humor and a pretty distressing
family life who found escape in her books. I don’t read to achieve a goal. I
read like I’m breathing. It’s just part of what I do—like breathing. So, this
makes it a bit easier to love being a narrator despite the lack of glory.
Also, it’s wonderful to have a job where I can immerse myself for several
weeks at a time in everything from reading about ancient religions, diet tips,
children’s fantasy stories, romance, or espionage. Plus, I get to actually
take part in creating material in some way.
My job provides a stage for constant learning. With each book I read, my
own personal views of the world and the people in it are given the opportunity
to assimilate AND accommodate new perspectives, ideas, and concepts. I don’t
always agree with my authors’ opinions or aesthetics, but I do practice a sense
of gratitude that I am privileged enough to have exposure to so many individuals’
ideas and great loves.
I try with each book to look for nuggets of wisdom, warning signs,
revelations, and/or confirmations. And yes, I also greatly enjoy the laughs and
glorious characters.
My favorite genre, if I absolutely had to pick one, would be First Person
Contemporary Fiction. I find it easier to immerse myself into the text when the
words are describing real emotions and subjective experiences rather than
physical actions and observations. I hope that makes sense.
I know narrators who feel just the opposite. Their strengths lie in the
ability to paint a scene or portray action in the physical realm much better
than I do. My strength is in dialogue, emotion, and creating characters—two different
types of storytellers, and also, two different types of people, I have
discovered.
My favorite book so far involved the story of a jaded, young woman who
moved back to her hometown to face the demons of her past and get answers to
some very destructive family secrets. It was set in North Carolina, and the
characters ranged from New York City attorneys, Hillbilly police officers,
teenage boys, depressed elderly women, and on and on. By far my favorite
character was the narrator. She was what one would call in the author’s circles
an “unreliable narrator.” I LOVE doing these. They are complicated and
delicious as you get to hint to the audience and show the development of the
narrator’s own understanding of the story. I really enjoy complex characters. Again,
a lot of narrators prefer the omnipotent narrator with a clear consistent voice.
Call me crazy!
I have recently discovered the joy of Young Adult and Children’s books. They
are a welcomed diversion from my sometimes darker or complicated work. Growing
up, my family was… well … unique. I know every little kid has a “voice” for
their puppy or kitty cat. That, in and of itself, is not unusual.
However, our family had ongoing relationships with not only our pets but
pretty much every animal we ever came across. They ALL talked to us (we for
them). I remember being at the petting zoo as a teenager helping out at a
birthday party and my mom and I, without hesitation, began conversing with the
goats.. and yes… they would talk back in funny goat voices. I was 17 years old
and probably scared the poop out of those kids and their parents. What was
scarier was that my mother was speaking “goat” too!
So, it’s not much surprise that this type of work has very quickly become
a favorite of mine. Frankly I didn’t even try it out until very recently as it
does take a kind of confidence in your performance to just let go and make
crazy noises that could get you laughed at. But ever since I began, I find a
kind of bittersweet joy while doing it. I am brought back to some very happy
occasions that were blessed distractions from some very ugly times.
I’ve got a GREAT CHICKEN… you should hear it! (and Rebecca makes characters like a grumpy donkey, a youthful bunny, a
wicked crow, and other animals sound even more awesome; Seventh Dimension– The Door, a Young Adult Fantasy, Book One.)
Lorilyn mentioned that some of you have questions about how to get a book
narrated. I’ll give you guys some basics, but to be honest, there are actually
quite a few more options and opportunities to get your books produced than is
most commonly thought. I have relationships with a few major audiobook
publishers that offer distribution channels that are all a little bit different.
So, these specifics I can provide to anyone who asks after I have a quick look
at your book. Then I will be able to advise you on your best options. Believe
me, you do have them.
But, here are the basics.
MONEY:
Authors can elect to offer a Royalty Share program to their narrators. It
is usually half of total royalties earned. However, with some publishers, this
number can be divvied up any way that is agreed upon.
Authors can also elect to simply pay a Per Finished Hour fee that
includes the narration, the editing, the mastering, and any submission
requirements. I am experienced in delivering final finished audio to several
different companies, and they all have different audio requirements.
Many narrators will record and then send the work out to be edited/mastered.
These authors unfortunately will often charge a bit more than I do as they have
to pay the subcontractor. It does allow them to take on more work at once,
though, which is a benefit to them. I prefer and always will prefer to do my
own. My reasons?
First of all, it’s financial. I do this full time, and right now it is
our family’s sole income due to an injury that my husband has suffered. So,
every penny stays here in my family’s coffers.
Second, I’m a control freak. I have my own tricks, methods, and
preferences that can’t be written down in a series of steps to hand to an
assistant. I feel like this is as much my artistic process as it is for the
author. I don’t feel that editing can be farmed out as it takes a delicate and
perceptive touch. The only exception to this would be in-studio work with a
live director and producer who handle everything from top to bottom.
When narrators work on an hourly basis, it is
PER FINISHED HOUR of audio, not per actual hours worked. It takes AT LEAST two hours
(and sometimes up to four hours if there are a lot of voices, accents, or other
challenges) of studio time to record one hour of finished audio.
Plus any good
narrator first does the prep—reading the entire book, making
notes on characters
and voices, researching any accents, characters, concepts, or whatever else is
needed. This takes an additional 1-2 hours of work per finished hour of audio.
So, the payment per-finished-hour requires
anywhere from 3-6 hours of actual work. PFH fees vary widely in the
industry. The top dogs can earn as much as $500 PFH (which actually
works out to about 100 per actual hours worked.) It goes down from there
based on experience, demand for that particular narrator, whether or not
their husband is out of work (LOL), and the author’s desire for that particular
voice/personality/skill set.
It’s not like a grocery store where
everything has a price tag on it. My peers would hate to hear me say this, but
I charge quite a bit less at this point in my life. It’s not because I
don’t think I’m worth it; it’s because I LOVE the work and want to read what I
WANT to read, and sometimes, those aren’t the big retail titles. They are from
the little guys. So, in short. If you think you want your book narrated,
reach out to me. Nine times out of ten, I’m able to accommodate any
author with good material for me to work with.
THE BOOK:
There are quite a few websites out there that will count words for you
and tell you how long your book will be, but an average 200-page book in paperback
will be about 50,000 words and have a running time of about six hours. This
would be the number used to determine the fee for narrating. It is your FINISHED HOURS.
THE PROCESS:
Some narrators will deliver the entire book recorded and then the author
will listen to it, offering up any edit requests that are errors or omissions
on the part of the narrator. Narrators like to do things this way as it
restricts the editorial/feedback process to verbatim issues
and misspoken words. Many of us have had horrible experiences
with authors requesting a multitude of revisions based
on stylistic opinions or a change of heart about phrasing, etc. Most of us
try to accommodate these to keep in goodwill with the author.
However, it can easily become beyond the scope of the
contracted arrangement. Most authors do not realize that every single edit
takes a significant amount of time in order to ensure continuity of sound,
tone, mood, etc. It is not an easy feat, and I think authors don’t realize
this. So, it is important to have a clear understanding of that before edits
are requested. Is the edit necessary to protect the artistic integrity of the
scene/writing style? It is necessary to prevent confusion for the reader? Is it
necessary because it is an actual mispronunciation or error? The answer to
all of these should be YES. If it does not satisfy these criteria, the narrator
will not be incredibly happy to make them.
However, I like to do it a little differently. I will upload each chapter
as it’s completed, giving the author the opportunity to meet each
character as I begin to voice them and to hear the tone for each chapter
(often each chapter requires a different tone). The author can then request
certain stylistic changes BEFORE I continue on with said character. I
don’t mind this at all. I love collaborating with the author. My only
request is that you keep up with me, or I will just continue reading! I
do work very quickly.
HOW DO YOU HIRE ME or someone like me?
I work with ACX
If you would like to hear a sample of your book, I will happily record a
bit for you. I know authors LOVE to hear their words come alive for the first
time, and it’s such a joy for me to hear their excitement. I can’t tell you how
much I love that. So, please do not hesitate to ask. Even if you aren’t ready
to move forward, and maybe you’re just curious, send me an email and I can give
you a quick sample of the work and a proposal. I fully expect an open dialogue
with my authors. I may even recommend a different narrator who might be a
better fit for your book.
My biggest piece of advice for getting your book produced (and it applies
to most things that are goal-oriented) is to not overthink anything. The companies
that I prefer to work with allow you to keep all of your rights and will allow
for multiple “editions” or releases. The overwhelming feeling that you
pick THE PERFECT narrator, have THE PERFECT cover, and THE PERFECT-ly obvious
signs from above that you should move forward can go BYE-BYE!
Keep it simple. If you want to have a book recorded, take the first step.
Let me do a sample for you and at least point you in the right direction.
Email me at RebeccaRobertsVoice@gmail.com
Follow me on Twitter @Rebeccas_Voice
Follow me on Facebook http://bit.ly/RebeccaRobertsVoiceFacebook
Follow my blog http://rebeccarobertsvoiceblog.com/
