To test this feature, visit your live site.

What would you like to see on The Audiobook Guy?

We would love input on the kind of articles, tips and information you would like to see! What questions do you most need the answers to? What advice would you like to have? What industry news would you like to read about? Just let us know what you would like and we will try to make it happen!!!

Thanks,

Kev

6 answers0 replies

6 Comments

Marie Sinadjan

Aug 18, 2023

•

Hi Kev, me again 😄

As someone still trying to get into narration and voice acting, these are some of the other topics that I think might be useful for those like me, haha!

Rates - There are industry standards, but any particular advice for newbies? I honestly won't feel comfortable charging the industry beginner rate considering my utter lack of experience... but if I don't do that, that might impact established narrators?
Samples - Any tips? How long, what kind of text, can we just read off other people's works etc.
Finding Work - I've seen general advice on this ("look around in Upwork, Fiverr, ACX, Findaway etc") but maybe you can share some insights that are a bit more specific? Things can get overwhelming fast and some people (me, I'm those people) could use a little focus hahaha
Auditioning - Any tips on this too?

Thank you!

Kevin Kemp

Aug 22, 2023

•

Replying to

These are alll brilliant ideas!!! Thank you!!! I will get on it!!!!

Kevin Kemp

Aug 17, 2023

•

Ok cool!!! I'll add that to the article list!!!!

Ohhhh I would love a rec for a full cast too! I haven't listened to one of those yet!!!

Marie Sinadjan

Aug 16, 2023

•

Hi Kev!

I haven't listened to a lot of audiobooks yet, and I'm very new to narration, so I'm curious - are there any genre trends? Say, duets for romance novels, doing voices for fantasy... I'm just thinking that if authors can write to market, maybe I can also narrate to market, so to speak, and right now I don't know where my voice might fit. I have a very theatrical way of reading (because I have a theatre background) and that might work in some genres more than others? Any inputs in that topic will be great, thank you! 🙂

Kevin Kemp

Aug 17, 2023

•

Replying to

Totally!!!

I would say listening is a good way to start getting an idea, so just start listening and finding the narrators who's work you enjoy! That will help!

I think rather than genre, think about the tone of the book!

If the book is funny and the characters read quite large on the page GO FOR IT!!!

If the book is more of a straight drama, and the tone is more muted I think it would be jarring if you put on a big voice and accent and things like that! So maybe a more gentle touch is better. A lean to the characters rather than a full radio play if that makes sense?

You may find that certain genres tend to have similar 'tones', for example Fantasy tends to have larger than life characters, but it is good to follow the book rather than the genre, because I think then you can make more interesting and truthful choices!

Overall, read the book and trust your talent. How does it feel? Does it feel it needs a gentle touch for the prose to breathe? Or does the action need to be driven and the characters lifted? You got this!!!!

Maybe I should right an article something like "Building Character for Audiobooks" or something? What do you think?

Cheers,

Kev

Marie Sinadjan

Aug 17, 2023

•

Replying to

Oooh I would LOVE an article like that 😍 That would be very insightful! It didn't actually occur to me to think of it that way, to think about the tone of the book. Fantasy does lend well to that. I'll just have to learn more accents, and get over my fear of difficult names 🤣

If anyone here also has recs to full cast (is that the right term?) audiobooks, I'd love to take down notes. I might finally cave and get an Audible subscription - I didn't yet because I haven't been listening to audiobooks a whole lot, but that's going to change now, haha!