The publishing industry has watched the market fluctuate the
last few years, however, the one thing that is on the rise is the audiobook
market. Long commutes, busy lifestyles,
mobile devices have made this market explode.
For a voice actor, this is a fantastic opportunity to make money
working in this market. Here is a guide
of where to start.
Voice Over Actors as Audiobook Narrators
Voice over actors are the perfect fit as
narrators. We are trained in this
skill.
When you are narrating a book, you have to vocalize what you
are seeing and hearing in your mind.
An audiobook listener relies entirely on the narration,
painting the picture just right. Which
is what makes it different from voice-over work like commercials, where images
and videos complement the narration.
Narrating fiction requires acting skills. They are heavily character-based so you are
going to have to handle different voices.
Nonfiction is a different challenge by keeping the content interesting
even if the content is dry. Whether or
not you enjoy the subject matter is about enjoying the process of producing the
book for readers.
Technique
While voice actors are great narrators, there are
some techniques and practice time until you are a pro at audiobook narration. It is all about practicing and realizing that
it can not be done all at once. It is
exhausting and you need enough energy so your voice doesn’t drop. Your error rate will increase as you become
tired, so take breaks throughout and plan on several days of recording.
Find Your Niche
In voice-over work, in general, it is about finding your
niche, the same is said for voice narration of books. Your voice will naturally fit better in
certain genres and you may prefer fiction or non-fiction style as well. Once you realize what niches are best for you,
the jobs will roll in faster.
Quality Recording
There are specific technical requirements to publish audio
on the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX).
The quality must be excellent for the client and the listener. Whether it is going to a professional studio
to record or if you are like many voices over professionals in your own soundproof
studio at home.
On a side note, you will need to read from an electronic
device, you can’t make page-turning noises.
Also, turn off the wifi on the devices as they can make a static noise
and it will get picked up by the audio when recording. Also, use a microphone that produces a "warmer" more intimate tone as opposed to a very "hot" broadcast mic like the Sennheiser 416. Which is a great industry standard mic but lacks that more intimate sound. Remember, you are often talking to the listener directly into their ear via earbuds or headphones.
Producing and Editing
If you work through ACX, you will have to do the producing
and editing yourself. This might mean
that you need to work on your technical skills if you don’t regularly do it for
other voice over projects.
Audiobooks require hours of editing, making them more labor-intensive. You can also hire audio editors who may work for as little as $25.00/hr to go through your entire file. However, your budget may not be sufficient for using any outside editors.
Note: Although excessive breaths can become annoying when listening to audio book narration, I believe that excessive REMOVAL of every single breath leaves your narration devoid of life. In other words, having NO breaths in the narration can suck the life out of a good performance.
Note: Although excessive breaths can become annoying when listening to audio book narration, I believe that excessive REMOVAL of every single breath leaves your narration devoid of life. In other words, having NO breaths in the narration can suck the life out of a good performance.
A great way to practice your editing skills is to look for
smaller projects like promotional videos or corporate training. It is a great way to work on editing on a
more manageable sized project when starting out. Online course videos are the next step in
project size as they will take a few hours.
Audiobooks range from 10-15 hours of editing.
