Audiobooks: A Voice Over Job

Some voice actors would find reading for an audiobook a new thing, an unexplored avenue.  Stamina of voice and a skill for narrating become important when reading an audiobook. This time around, voice talents are, most of the time, not pitching to advertising agencies but to authors who have conceived their characters, know their characters by heart and have a firm idea of what their characters sound like and should be like when read by a voice actor.  And when they have a voice talent reading their books, they will know when they like how a voice talent reads it. That’s the thing: all the direction will be coming from the author, and it’s the voice talent’s job to bring the book and its characters to life.

Jeff Steitzer narrates David Rosenfelt’s thriller “Airtight”

Voice actors will already have the skill to do audiobooks for a voice over job, since training and coaching for voice talents includes being able to switch voices to voice different characters. Training in acting, current audiobook voice talents say, also helps with narrating an audiobook. Especially for fiction, where it is a made-up world, acting skills are required. While not all audiobooks are fiction, the challenge with non-fiction is that sometimes it is dry material. Obviously, a voice actor will need to narrate as engagingly as possible and still meet the author’s vision for it.

What’s different about narrating a whole book

There are some things an experienced voice actor who is new to voicing audiobooks might need to pick up, though, like coaching on narration. Some books have plenty of dialogue and some don’t; either way, reading an audiobook is long, hard work. Yes, reading an audiobook is very much unlike reading five to ten lines for an ad. Audiobook reading is hours of reading, and voice actors are actually advised to schedule recordings apart to give their voices time to rest. Editing skills also become essential, as you will need to ensure that cuts are properly done and match the book. It is also a good idea to listen to audiobooks before auditioning for an audiobook casting.

Long sessions call for water, rest and a well marked copy of the book. © The Voice Realm

Choosing a genre and capturing emotion

Audiobooks have the reader as an audience, and that is a distinct difference from viewers, who have images to complete the picture. Readers have the voice actor’s voice in their heads, so painting the picture just right and capturing the emotion is important. There are several genres to choose from, and perhaps a voice talent will have to find their niche. Adult content audiobooks are numerous; however, it appears that voice talents find it easier to read adult content for audiobooks. Children’s books offer opportunities to those who can voice a child or an animal or a monster, so there is plenty of exercise and mastery to be had. And then there are the conspiracy and cloak-and-dagger ones, which call for a different type of voice: plenty for voice actors to settle into.

VOICEMASTERACADEMYTwenty modules, one at a time.Breath controlHome studioCommercial techniqueAuditionsStart module oneNo experience needed.

Compared to voicing video games, now dubbed possibly hazardous to a voice talent’s voice box, audiobooks might be a tamer avenue to add to the list of projects a voice actor can explore.