Erggo

Karen@KarenCommins.com

Karen Commins

Award Winning

Atlanta Audiobook Share-ratorâ„¢

Audiobooks

Paying attention to James Allen and Harry Potter

When I hear the same thing in quick succession from 2 or more people who aren’t related to each other and have no vested interest in the comments, I feel the Universe is giving me a sign to pay attention!

Such was the case this week with the classic motivational book As A Man Thinketh by James Allen, originally published in 1902. I don’t remember, but I think this work was referenced in The Secret. Since I am vitally interested in the power of our thoughts and words to create our reality, I recently downloaded the free audiobook of this work available from LearnOutLoud.com.

I began listening to it on 13 July. Ten minutes after I started listening, I decided I had heard enough. The audiobook narrator included at least 3 stumbled words, several lipsmacks and an uninteresting method of delivery. With the availability of low-cost and free audio editing software, I am incredulous that someone would choose to leave the stumbles and extraneous noises in an audiobook, even one offered for free. An audiobook is a thing of permanence. I would like to think that people would seek out my audiobooks 100 years from now, just as I was seeking out Allen’s book.

I was showing my new business cards to a friend of mine this afternoon. She said she had a book that she wanted me to see. She and I have had many great discussions about the extreme power of our thoughts, and the book was on that subject. Which book do you think she recommended? Yep, that’s right — As A Man Thinketh by James Allen. Although I had abandoned the free audiobook, the Universe was telling me to give the book another try! I told my friend that I would get the book tonight.

However, I wasn’t the only person who made a special trip to the book store. The store was crowded with people waiting for midnight, when the last Harry Potter book goes on sale. Someone who has been living under a rock or totally new to the country might think that tonight was Halloween, given the number of young people dressed in costume at the mall. Of course, they were flocking to the book store. They were not looking for a title associated with the Law of Attraction to help them live their lives to the best potential. No, all of those young people and their parents were at the book store to buy the final installment about the boy who lived!

I am not still at the store, waiting to get my copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I will, however, buy the audiobook version consisting of 17 CDs sometime over the weekend. (I doubt that I will be wearing a costume when I buy it, though!) I encourage anyone interested in performing audiobooks to listen to Jim Dale’s masterful narration of any book in this series. I would imagine that this final book will be loaded on ITunes in the near future.

Also note the high level of production quality in one of these books. The series is so popular that the audiobook is published simultaneously with the hardback edition. Jim Dale didn’t even have the opportunity to read the entire book before entering the recording studio. He read the book in segments of 100 pages. For a fascinating article about Jim Dale and his role as narrator of the Harry Potter series, you will want to read this feature story published 17 July in the New York Times.

Success leaves tracks,

and you can gain valuable insight about the preparations for audiobook narration, as well as the production, by paying attention to Dale’s comments.

Earlier this week, the GalleyCat feed included a link to a hilarious YouTube video of a Harry Potter parody. Those of you who remember the 70s TV show Welcome Back Kotter will find it particularly humorous.

Many people comment negatively about J. K. Rowling’s immense wealth resulting from the publication of the Harry Potter series. In skimming my new book by James Allen, I see a page that applies not only to J. K. Rowling, but to successful voice-over talent and anyone else who has had the courage and persistence to follow their dreams. Read these inspiring words, and pay attention to the message in the final two sentences:

The thoughtless, the ignorant, and the indolent, seeing only the apparent effects of things and not the things themselves,
talk of luck, of fortune, and chance.
Seeing a man grow rich, they say, “How lucky he is!”
Observing another become intellectual, they exclaim, “How highly favored he is!”
And noting the saintly character and wide influence of another, they remark, “How chance aids him at every turn!”

They do not see the trials and failures and struggles which these men have voluntarily encountered in order to gain their experience; have no knowledge of the sacrifices they have made, of the undaunted efforts they have put forth, of the faith they have exercised, that they might overcome the apparently insurmountable,
and realize the Vision of their heart.
They do not know the darkness and the heartaches; they only see the light and joy, and call it “luck”;
do not see the long and arduous journey, but only behold the pleasant goal, and call it “good fortune”;
do not understand the process, but only perceive the result, and call it “chance”.

In all human affairs, there are efforts, and there are results,
and the strength of the effort is the measure of the result. Chance is not.
“Gifts”, powers, material, intellectual, and spiritual possessions are the fruits of effort;
they are thoughts completed, objects accomplished, visions realized.

The Vision that you glorify in your mind, the Ideal that you enthrone in your heart —
this you will build your life by, this you will become.

 

Words and pictures from APAC and BookExpo

We’re finally replacing the windows in the kitchen so that all the windows in the house will be triple-pane. With the installer banging on the side of my house right now, it seems like a good time to post my pictures and news from my recent trip to New York for the Audio Publishers Association conference and BookExpo.

The Doubletree Guest Suites Time Square is my favorite hotel in New York. I was pleased to get a BookExpo rate and thrilled with my incredible view of Times Square from the 16th floor.

My view of Times Square

On my free day in the Big Apple (Wed., 30 May), I walked around and boosted the local economy as much as possible. Since Drew was unable to make the trip with me, I bought some presents for him. I first stopped at the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue.

The big APPLE in the Big Apple

I bought a Remote Radio for Drew to use with his iPod. He is delighted that he now can listen to FM radio while riding his motorcycle. I’m sure that Apple Store will be packed tomorrow with the first sale date of the iPhone. I’m going to get one….but not tomorrow!

Love was in the air in New York, but it was also on the ground. Somewhere on my walk, I came upon a sculpture of the Love logo associated with the 1970 film Love Story. In a web search, I learned that the sculpture was created by Robert Indiana and located on the corner of 6th Avenue and 55th Street in Manhattan. Just like I give a different read when voicing scripts, I look for the unusual shot when taking pictures.

Love in New York

The Audio Publishers Association conference was held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center on Thursday, 31 May. I like to attend sessions aimed at both audiobook publishers and their narrators, especially since I am planning to start my own audiobook production company. This year, I went to the sessions on alternatives to CDs, technology and a narrators’ panel.

I appreciated hearing from Audio Publishers Association, a literary agent at Inkwell Management. Alexis said it has become increasingly important for agents to retain the rights due to the proliferation of digital downloads. She also said it “makes sense” for authors to have sound bites prepared for podcasts, YouTube, etc. (If any authors or publishers need professional voice talent to assist with these types of endeavors, call me!) Alexis was also kind to speak with me personally following the session and answer some questions about the rights process.

If you’re wondering whether digital downloads have killed the interest in CDs, know that books on CD are still viable. Theresa Thompson is a buyer for Barnes & Noble, who stated that her audiobook business in the stores is still strong. Her expectation is turn inventory, so she doesn’t want to create proprietary titles.

The technology panel was extremely interesting and informative. Where the iPod connector is proprietary to Apple, David McLaughlin at Microsoft told us that his group is working to define a standard, universal connector that would connect a variety of devices, including MP3 players, to cars.
Some of the discussion also centered around getting younger people interested in audiobooks. Dave Carnoy, an executive editor at C/Net and all-around gadget guy, said he thinks that the market for audiobooks is with an older crowd. He commented that young people don’t read any more and wouldn’t listen to a book. Carnoy said that the price of audiobooks seemed too high to him. He pointed out that the consumer thinks someone is just reading the thing and that audiobook creation wouldn’t be difficult or costly, especially since so many people create podcasts. Carnoy said that an audiobook is potentially a single-use application, where music is used many times.
After networking with publishers at lunch, I exchanged a few words and a hug with my friend, narrator Barbara Rosenblat. I somehow missed connecting with my friend and teacher Hillary Huber at both APAC and at BookExpo. My friend and teacher Alan Sklar was signing audiobooks at BookExpo, but I didn’t get to see him, either.

In the afternoon, I attended the narrators’ panel moderated by Grammy-award winning audiobook producer Paul Ruben. The topic under discussion was Maximizing Your Search for Employment. Panel members were (left to right in picture below):

Eric Conger, Narrator
Jacob Bronstein, Executive Producer, Audio and Digital Media, Random House Audio
Dennis Kao, Producer, Hachette Audio
Sue Mackewich, Executive Producer, Audio Publishers Association.

Richard Ferrone

APA Narrator Panel: Audiobook 202

The casting process varied with each person. Ruben does read reviews and remembers them when casting audiobooks. Bronstein said he typically contacts talent agents or has a relationship with narrators. He emphasized that he wants someone who can take direction. Kao said it’s helpful to know the producers and mentioned that opportunities exist to perform wrap-arounds (intro/outro), podcasts and in digital downloads.

Some other observations from this panel included:
  • Bronstein said self-help/self-development titles continue to be strong. His best sellers are fiction, self-help and business.
  • Conger noted that publishers are reading you when you shake their hand. He also stressed that narrators often go too fast in the performance. Allow yourself to be surprised by the words.
  • Ruben echoed the point about speed, saying that you miss the interpretation by going too fast.
  • Mackewich reminded the audience that people who aren’t even born yet will listen to the recording.
  • While Bronstein has never worked with a talent from the talent’s home studio, Kao said he might employ a talent with a home studio. Conger said he wouldn’t do a book longer than 3 hours from his studio. However, narrator Simon Vance was in the audience and stated that he had performed long books from his home studio.
  • Conger said that the narrator is not the star in non-fiction; the material is the star. Ruben added that you need to be emotionally connected to the author’s point of view in non-fiction as the author is the enthusiastic star. Narrator and audience member Richard Ferrone commented that the narrator is still the storyteller in non-fiction. Finally, Ruben said that if a narrator is reading to him, the narrator is emotionally disconnected to the work.
  • Mackewich suggested that narrators gently follow up in order to approach her. She said you could send postcards and e-mails about your work, as well as get an audiobook agent in New York.

The place to be on Friday, 1 June

Friday, 1 June, was spent at BookExpo, which is the biggest convention for the publishing world. I was told that over 30,000 people were in attendance this year. I walked in the building behind Elvis, and I later saw Captain Jack Sparrow heading toward the exhibit hall. I wished I could have taken their pictures, but you’ll have to be happy with this view of the concourse

Nowhere to sit at BookExpo

I only had the one day at BookExpo due to a somewhat inflexible airline schedule on a Skymiles ticket. Audio publishers exhibited at BookExpo, but I also talked to targeted print publishers about creating audiobooks, commercials and podcasts for them. I researched my prospects as much as possible ahead of time so that I could go straight to the booths I wanted to visit.

I left both APAC and BookExpo with a stack of contacts and great potential to work with a number of new clients. I have mailed postcards and notecards as follow-ups, and I’m already looking forward to both events next year in Los Angeles!

I was unable to attend BookExpo last year and was delighted to discover that many of the educational sessions were recorded and provided to listeners as podcasts. Through listening to those podcasts, I learned valuable information that I could apply in my voice-over business. Podcasts from this year’s BookExpo are now available.

Now that I’ve given you a look at my trip to New York, I think I’ll go take a look at my new kitchen windows.

 

Is audiobook narration hard?

I saw a post on another blog a few minutes ago that compelled me to respond. Someone else had commented that they were wary of authors reading their own books for the audio version because reading aloud is hard to do properly. The podiobooks blog author asserted that reading aloud for audiobooks could not be difficult since that person’s mother read to him/her when s/he was a child. Before I answered, I guess I should have noticed that the post was filed under Rants. Anyway, I’m including my comments about the difficulty imposed by audiobook narration here on my blog for your comments and discussion.

*****
As an audiobook narrator, I agree with the original post and Tim’s reply to this message. Reading aloud is not hard in the sense that lives aren’t hanging in the outcome or the balance of world power won’t shift with every utterance. However, lifting sentences off the printed page and breathing life into them so that they flow effortlessly while maintaining the author’s perspective is an acquired skill.

I know how to write words. I can use a pen and paper to form words, or I can type very fast on my computer in a word processing program. I constantly use this ability to write in order to produce a variety of things: proposals for voice-over projects, blog posts, letters to friends and family, etc.

Yet I would say that writing a novel is hard. (There’s that word again.) Writing a novel that becomes a published work of material seems even more difficult. How many people say they would like to write a novel, and how many people actually DO it? To become a published novelist such as Mr. Gaiman, one must have tremendous energy and focus. One must be able to take an ordinary skill that most people possess, like the ability to write words, and be able to string those words together in a fashion that would interest other people enough to want to pay to read them. I haven’t been able to do it. Writing a novel therefore seems like hard work to me.

I can understand the original poster’s view about being wary of audiobooks performed by the author. Audiobook narration is a performance, that, like the printed book, will last forever. It’s not like a child’s mother reading a bedtime story where the main goal is to lull the listener to sleep. Neither the child nor the mother care about the quality of the reading.

Audiobook listeners, on the other hand, DO care about the quality of the narration. Audiobooks are an intimate medium. The reason people enjoy reading so much is because their imagination is running the movie of the words in their head. A good audiobook narrator can make the audio version of a book seem like a movie, where someone who is not as adept at this type of performance can ruin the experience for the listener.

A good narrator will make the performance transparent and SEEM like the easiest thing on earth….just like talking. However, good narrators usually have completed professional training in voice-over and also have thoroughly prepared the material they are reading by researching pronunciations and determining characterizations before they ever walked into the recording studio.

 

Susan Berkley’s inner circle and upcoming masterclass

Whether you are just beginning or a professional, I cannot recommend too highly my voice-over coach Susan Berkley for training classes. Susan is the voice of AT&T, Citibank and other companies. She holds teleclasses, voice-over bootcamps and specialized workshops throughout the year to meet the needs of voice-over students.

I am a member of Susan’s inner circle coaching program and have taken several classes that she sponsored. One reason I like the Inner Circle so much is because we have a monthly teleclass. We usually speak with someone in the voice-over industry, but we also have branched out and talked with experts in business areas like marketing. I was excited last night because we spoke with my friend and teacher Hillary Huber about audiobooks.

Hillary was just nominated for an Audie Award by the Audio Publishers Association (I linked to the complete list of finalists). The Grammys only have 2 categories for spoken word, so the Audie awards were established to recognize excellence within the audiobook industry. Hillary’s nomination for this prestigious award was in the mystery category for the book A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Reed.

Hillary talked with us about her process of researching the book prior to recording it. It’s not enough for her to simply look up pronunciations of words. Whenever possible, she contacts the author to glean insights about the characters.

She also talked about how she obtained the work. The audiobook industry is burgeoning, and voice talent can independently obtain work without an agent.

Next month, Susan is sponsoring a very specialized workshop in NY on obtaining work in audiobooks. The class will be taught by Pat Fraley and Hillary Huber, and it will be limited to 12 attendees. Special guests in this upcoming class will be multiple Audie-award winner Barbara Rosenblat (who is once again nominated this year) and Grammy-winning producer Paul Ruben, who will direct you in the studio. You will produce your audiobook demo while you’re in the workshop.

I took this class with Pat and Hillary in LA. They are lovely people and fantastic teachers. You can read about my experiences in that class on my blog. As marvelous as the LA class was, I think this upcoming New York class will be even better due to the presence of these particular guests. I almost wish I could go again!

On-going training is a necessity in this business. If you call Susan’s offices, please tell them that I referred you. You will always receive excellent value for the money with her programs.

 

Audiobook Producer/Narrator Kate Fleming Passes Away

I was shocked and saddened to open my e-mail this evening and find this message from Michele Cobb, president of the Audio Publishers Association:

We are sad to report that Kate Fleming, award-winning audiobook producer and narrator passed away Thursday, December 15, after being trapped in her flooded basement studio. She was a proud member of the audiobook community and will be greatly missed. We offer condolences to her loved ones, colleagues at Cedar House Audio and to all of the members who worked with and were inspired by Kate. Information regarding where you may send condolences will be forthcoming.

Sincerely,

Michele Cobb, APA President

and

APA Board of Directors

I was privileged to meet Kate at an APA conference a few years ago. I remember her as a smart, kind and funny person who generously shared her knowledge with others. She impressed me that day with her precision in pronunciation, and I frantically took note of the various dictionaries that she mentioned using in her work. She was a shining role model to me as she excelled as both a narrator and a producer. Words are inadequate to describe her loss not only to the audiobook industry but to the world.

I found an article in the Seattle Times that provides more details about Kate Fleming’s illustrious background and this tragedy, which actually occurred on Thursday, 14 December.

I have experienced loss in my life, and I send my deepest empathy to Kate’s partner, family and friends during this dark time.

 

Curl up with some good audiobooks this holiday weekend

The Audio Publishers Association reports that many people get audiobooks when they are traveling. With Thanksgiving a couple days away, you may be thinking of picking up an audiobook for your trip, and, as an audiobook narrator, I applaud your wisdom! 🙂

If you would like some help in making your selection, you will enjoy reading Stephen King’s recent column in Entertainment Weekly titled Hail to the Spoken Word in which he listed his top 10 audiobook recommendations. The discussion from readers is equally lively.

While I record in my studio, a fascinating post on Sarah Weinman’s GalleyCat blog titled An Audiobook In the Making described the audiobook recording process to the world. Sarah takes us all behind-the-scenes with her to a studio session of Jonathan Lethem recording part of the audiobook version of his new novel YOU DON’T LOVE ME YET.

By the way, if you’re interested in audiobook work, I cannot recommend too highly Pat Fraley’s audiobook class. He has another session scheduled in Los Angeles on 2-3 December. If you contact him about it, please let him know that I referred you.

If you’re an American, I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving on Thursday. I give thanks that I am married to the love of my life, live in this great country and can do voice-over work for clients around the world from my home!