When people ask me about a career in voiceovers, I almost always say in my answer somewhere: “…it’s a marathon, not a sprint…”
What is ALSO true, is that within the voice0ver business, narrating audiobooks is the most like a marathon than any of the other numerous VO genres.
All audiobook narrators are voice actors, but not all voice actors can be audiobook narrators. Chief among the abilities you must have is consistency over the course of the entire narration. Theatrical skills are paramount. No, you do not go into a falsetto voice for the female character if you’re a male narrator… yes, you need masterful breath control…the list of needed skills goes on and on.
In this week’s #WoVOChat, you’ll hear from a pair of pros who know. They know by experience, and they know by their success, what it takes to have staying power in the audiobook field.
Bob Souer is the voice actor almost everybody wants to be. He makes success in all voiceover endeavours he turns his attention to. A good bit of the time, that’s audiobooks. He’s the only guy I know who single-handedly narrated the bible (although I’m sure there are others). His expertise will be invaluable during this @#WoVOChat.
Karyn O’Bryant is our other guest audiobook expert. Karyn works almost exclusively in this medium, and is fluent in the culture, the people, the coaches, and the processes of the audiobook industry. Her enthusiasm and energy within WoVO reflects the level of competency she brings to audiobook narrations.
We know this is a HUGE topic to tackle, and we don’t plan to solve world hunger in an hour, but as always, the #WoVOChat will be a lively discussion, and if you have questions, you’ll usually find answers.
As always, our chat architect and moderator is WoVO pro Pamela Muldoon. The host and organizer for this week’s chat is WoVO executive board member Brad Venable.
Below is a list of the questions that will serve as the outline for the hour-long chat. We like tchat.io or Tweetchat.com as vehicles to see you through the chat. Hootsuite or Tweetdeck work just fine, too. We start at noon Pacific Wed., 8-5-15. Just search for the hashtag #wovochat to find the stream of consciousness.
C ya there!
CourVO
1) How important is it to work with a coach that specializes in audiobook narration?
2) What are some ways to prep before recording an audiobook?
3) Is ACX my only option for doing audiobook work? Is it possible to get work from the traditional audiobook ublishers in today’s climate?
4) How important is it to market the books you’ve recorded?
Q5) Is it possible to make a living solely recording audiobooks?
6) What is the best way to get started in recording audiobooks?
7) Should I be outsourcing my editing and mastering? Or are these skills important when choosing to do audiobooks?
8) Is it important to attend marketing events and industry conferences like APAC?
9) What are some of the industry trends you are currently seeing in the audiobook industry?
10) How important is character development to audiobook narration?
