What Are the Qualities of a Great Book Narrator?

By

Dora Machado

&

Melissa Reizian-Frank



 
Melissa Reizian-Frank

Dora Machado

 

 

Hello MB4 readers! Let me ask you this: If you were an author looking to make your novel into an audiobook, what qualities would you look for in a voice actress or actor?

 On the eve of my fourth audio-book launch, I've learned what I want in a narrator, somebody who can act the voices in my head and tell a story the way it should be told. I also want a narrator with a strong work ethic and a commitment to quality, who can produce not just a good product, but a great audio-book. I can't wait to listen to the final production of The Curse Giver's audible edition, narrated by Melissa Reizian-Frank.

 

 

Melissa was an easy choice for me. Her voice has a distinct quality, a throaty, silky rustle that enhances any story. She graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she also minored in Theatre, a skill she puts to good use in her narrations.After spending a decade as an award-winning and twice Emmy-nominated broadcast journalist, Melissa started in the business fourteen years ago and has voiced thousands of TV and radio commercials, countless e-learning training narrations and more than a dozen audiobooks, including Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone, Stonewiser: The Call of the Stone and Stonewiser The Lament of the Stone. 

 

  

 

 

I asked her the same question I asked you: If you were an author looking to make your novel into an audiobook, what qualities would you look for in a voice actress or actor?

Here's Melissa's answer:

Well, if I had to make my novel into an audiobook, I would look for this voice chick named Melissa Reizian Frank…I hear she’s good. Kidding! (well, unless you’re an author reading this J) But seriously, I would look for someone who is a good actress, not just someone who has that “typical reader voice” that so many audiobooks employ.

There are many MANY schools of thought out there as to how to narrate an audiobook. Some prefer scarcely any differentiation between characters…maybe raising or lowering the voice only slightly to indicate gender, whereas a full-production best-seller may have a full cast of name Hollywood actors, plus sound effects.

I do like to “Act” in my productions. I like to treat it like a radio drama. That style isn’t for everyone, and I am capable of toning it down to the “teacher read” voice, but I do cry when authors want that. Most of mine don’t, I think because the folks who choose me do so because of what I do.

A quality narrator MUST have a quality studio and know how to use it. I don’t care how good you are reading; if there’s static and noise in the background and dogs barking, it’s not going to be a pleasant listen.

A quality narrator also must know what they’re getting into. It’s not enough to say, “My friend says I have good voice and I like reading to my son, so I’m going to become an audiobook narrator!” This is a LOOOOONG process.

 
Reading the book, with re-reading the parts where you stumble, or a plane goes overhead, takes about 1 ½ hours per hour of finished audio. Then the initial edit takes about 2 hours per finished hour of audio. My husband, John, has become my editor so that I can keep voicing, and he does a great job! After that, I do a quality check that is basically in real time. So add that up. That’s about 4 ½ hours for every hour of finished audio. Curse Giver is just over 20 hours long…that’s two 40-hour work weeks for just one book!

So there you have it, folks. Straight from the narrator's mouth. From voice to studio, quality is fundamental all around.

Have a wonderful week and thanks for reading!

 

*****

 

 

After spending a decade as an award-winning and twice Emmy-nominated broadcast journalist, Melissa Reizian Frank entered the world of full-time voiceover 14 years ago with the aim of having more time to spend with her family. Since then, Melissa has voiced thousands of TV and radio commercials, more than a dozen audiobooks, countless e-learning training narrations (Need to know anything from minute details about cerebral palsy? How to be a good bowling center employee? How to spot a money-laundering scheme? She’s your gal!)

She’s a talking detergent dispenser (in English AND Spanish) at many Laundromats across the country, and will even tell you which cash register to go to at many national department stores! Melissa has been involved in theatre her entire life, and has done some community theatre recently as well. Melissa graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia, where she also minored in Theatre.

Melissa@YourChoiceVoice.com

www.YourChoiceVoice.com
www.VoicerKid.com

*****

Dora Machado is the award-winning author of the epic fantasy Stonewiser series and her newest novel, The Curse Giver, available from Twilight Times Books. She is one only a few Hispanic women writing fantasy in the United States today. She grew up in the Dominican Republic, where she developed a fascination for writing and a taste for Merengue. After a lifetime of straddling such compelling but different worlds, fantasy is a natural fit to her stories. When she is not writing fiction, Dora also writes features for the award-winning blog Murder By Four and Savvy Authors, where writers help writers. She lives in Florida with her indulgent husband and two very opinionated cats.

 

To learn more about Dora Machado and her award winning novels, visit her at www.doramachado.com , email her at Dora@doramachado.com, find her on Facebook, or follow her on Twitter.

 

A Reviewer's Mind

Plus Great Suggestions for Your Audiobook Collection

By

Dora Machado

I love to listen to a good story. I find it comforting, relaxing and fun to hide in a quiet corner, plug in my headset, and bask in the wonders of a great tale. My love affair with audiobooks probably began early on as a child, when my parents shared their love for books by reading aloud to me. I remember thinking that it was such a treat! I then read to my own children and relished our time together. Reading aloud to our children is not just fun; it’s also a loving gift and a lasting legacy. Look at me. I’m still craving the story that the voice tells. Or is it the voice that tells the story?

I am pleased to bring you today my interview with the founder of Audibookjungle.com, Mihail Abadzhiev, Mike, as his online friends like to call him. Audiobookjungle.com is one of only a handful of sites dedicated exclusively to audiobooks. I discovered this new site by accident, when my publicist submitted Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone Audible edition for review. It's packed with helpful reviews, discussions, articles and tips for audiobook addicts. So if, like me, you love to listen to your books as you commute to work, wash the dishes or before you turn in for the night, don’t miss http://audiobookjungle.com.

Hi Mike, welcome to MB4! Tell us a little bit about yourself. How did you become a reviewer, when did you start audibookjungle.com and why audiobooks?

I started my blog just a few months ago and it has been quite fun so far. I just wanted to create a place where I can talk about all the audiobooks I'm listening to and inspire others to read more or find their next favorite book. There's just so much awesomeness in audiobooks. They make reading a different experience and put it in entirely different context. That makes them not only very enjoyable but also useful.

What advantages/disadvantages do audiobooks have over print or e-books?

Reading in general comes down to personal preference, but one undeniable advantage of audiobooks over print or e-books is convenience. I could be listening to a book as I'm typing this answer right now. Well, maybe not, but in situations where my hands are occupied and my mind is free, audiobooks are perfect. Walking in the park, driving, cleaning the house – why not immerse yourself in a good story while getting things done? Can't do that with your Kindle!

Also, the books I've read in audiobook form somehow feel more real. It's like your favorite childhood stories your parents read to you in bed – you still remember them and they feel special and dear to you. There's just something almost tribal and primal about one human telling a story to another and it feels great.

Now, there are some disadvantages to this type of reading. You lose the opportunity to imagine how the characters sound like, is their voice deep or not, etc. Another thing which I discovered when I started writing reviews was, I didn't know how to spell characters' names or places (that's really awkward with fantasy novels) because I only heard the narrator's pronunciation, which results in me having to constantly look up things online to make sure I'm spelling them correctly.

Wow. You are absolutely right! I never thought about that before, but it would take some research to find out the spelling for the characters' names and such. What's the difference between reviewing an audiobook and reviewing a print book?

Reviewing an audiobook is, in my opinion, reviewing an entirely different work of art from the original. I could read a book in print and rate it as mediocre then listen to it on audio and rave about how awesome it is. They're different reading experiences and as such they have different properties I expect to find. For audiobooks, the narrator in most cases makes or breaks the final result. That's why I make sure to mention how the narrator's performance affected me while listening.

Does a great book always make for a great audiobook?

Well, nobody would want to listen to the Encyclopedia Britannica, right? I think that all fiction and a big portion of the non-fiction books are well suited to be read on audio. Then there are the instances where a great book gets done perfectly as an audiobook and it's just magical. No better word for it.

How do you decide which audiobooks to review?

Well, I review the ones I find interesting. I don't get them just so I can review them – reading comes first, reviewing is second. I usually read the blurb and if it sounds intriguing I'll pick it up. If I'm on the fence I'll look for reviews online and see what others thought of it so I can get a better idea if it's something I'd be into.

In your opinion, what makes for a great audiobook?

Hmm... You can't have a great audiobook without a great story, so that's first and most important. Second is the narrator, of course – his/her tone of voice, ability to convey emotions, genders, accents. As I mentioned, a narrator can make or break a good audiobook experience but ultimately it's a totally subjective thing. This is something I think isn't mentioned enough but all of this falls as a responsibility on the audiobook producer. He has to point the narrator in the right direction, make them pronounce things certain ways and in general help them do their best. So, yeah, the producer is another vital element.

What makes for a not-so-enjoyable audiobook?

Again, this comes down to personal preference but for me the narration could stop me from enjoying an audiobook. The narrator could be reading too fast or too slow, his accent may be too thick and hard to understand. I've given up on audiobooks before just because the narration is annoying me and it feels like I'm wasting my time.

Technical issues like missing chapters or parts of the story are really annoying as well, but that happens very rarely anymore.

Here come the holidays, and people are going crazy thinking about gifts. Do you have some great audiobook recommendations for us?

I like to read various types of books but my absolute favorite is the sci-fi genre and I feel that's where I can give the best recommendation. For younger people or any sci-fi fan really, I recommend the Ender's Game: Special 20th Anniversary Edition. I've not listened to it yet but everybody says it's amazing. One of my favorite audiobooks ever is Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi and narrated by Wil Wheaton. It has greedy corporations, lawyers, humor and cute fluffy aliens. Just go check it out, it's awesome! Going for a more cinematic feel or, as their tagline is “A movie in your mind,” try GraphicAudio's Vatta's War series. It's a very high quality production and really entertaining. That's three solid gift ideas for you right there!

I'm not sure if this is a fair question, but I'll ask anyway: What's your favorite audiobook of all time?

Oh, man... That's like asking a mother to pick a favorite child! Well, if I had to choose just one, it would be The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfus. In my mind it's one of the best fantasy stories ever written and the narration is flawless.

Thank you so much for chatting with us and thank you also for giving us writers an insight into the mind of an audiobook reviewer. We wish you much success with audiobookjungle.com. 

To contact Mike:

Website: audiobookjungle.com

E-mail: audiobookjungle@gmail.com

Facebook: fb.com/audiobookjungle

Twitter: @audiobookjungle

To Read Mike's Reviews, including his review of Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone: http://audiobookjungle.com/stonewiser-the-heart-of-the-stone-audiobook-review/

****

Dora Machado is the award-winning author of the epic fantasy Stonewiser series and her newest novel, The Curse Giver, available from Twilight Times Books. She grew up in the Dominican Republic, where she developed a fascination for writing and a taste for Merengue. After a lifetime of straddling such compelling but different worlds, fantasy is a natural fit to her stories. She lives in Florida with her husband and three very opinionated cats.

To learn more about Dora Machado and her novels, visit her website at www.doramachado.com or contact her at:

E-mail:Dora@doramachado.com

Website: www.doramachado.com

Blog: http://www.doramachado.com/blog/

Newsletter: http://doramachado.com/newsletter.php

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DoraMachado101

Twitter: https://twitter.com/DoraMachado

For a free excerpt of The Curse Giver, visit:  http://twilighttimesbooks.comthingsTheCurseGiver_ch1.html.

http://amzn.to/13oVu2P

For a free sample of Stonewiser: The Heart of the Stone, Audible edition, visit: http://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Stonewiser-Audiobook/B00F52CJIY/ref=sr_1_1?qid=1379186069&sr=1-1

AUDIOBOOKS: HOW IT'S DONE THROUGH ACX, Part II

copyright 2017 aaron paul lazar

It's been a while since I wrote my first article about how to get your book made into an audio book via ACX. I now have twenty-six books that have gone through the process, and I've learned a great deal as I've blundered through. ;o)

As a listener, I've also been an Audible member for a while now. I love Audible - I get one book per month for $14.99, but it's not enough so I end up buying more credits. I need to upgrade my membership to a higher plan.

Here is a collection of tips I've thrown together that might help you get started and have a successful audio book project. Please also consider reading these previous related articles to help give you perspective:

Read this first for the nuts and bolts of how to start:

AUDIOBOOKS: How it's Done Through ACX, Part I.

And here are some more articles that deal with the subject. Dora Machado's piece is wonderful, I highly recommend it. 

No Time to Read? Try AudioBooks!

The Making of an Audio Book by Dora Machado

Here are a few tips, and thanks to Christine Amsden for tip 8! Please feel free to add to the list in the comments.

Tip #1: your book must be available on Amazon as an eBook for you to be eligible to sign up with ACX.com, which is owned by Audible, which is owned by Amazon.

Tip #2: listen to a series of professionally done audio books before you select your narrator. I did not do this - and I wish I had. My first few books were recorded by a a wonderful guy with a great voice, but he was a novice, and I realize in hindsight it was a mistake. Now I can't undo it. Fortunately now I have great narrators I adore. But it takes time to learn, so be patient.

Tip #3: listen closely to all preliminary chapter recordings, listen twice or three times if you need to. Don't be afraid to suggest changes in how words are emphasized or pronounced.

Tip #4: Go through the book in advance for names or places that might be hard to pronounce. Record a voice memo with all the pronunciations up front so your narrator doesn't have to struggle or wonder about them!

Tip #5: Don't be afraid to listen to narrators and ask them to audition. There is a search in both directions, and you may find a perfect guy/gal for your book by being assertive and not sitting back to wait for auditions to pour in!

Tip #6: If you sign up for royalty share, you won't have to pay any money up front. You will forever split your profits with your narrator, however. That's how I do it. Unless you have big bucks and want to hire them by the hour, I suggest this method.

Tip #7: You need a square image for the cover - it must be 2400x2400 pixels and you must have rights (or gain permission to use) the original art. Your book cover as is is NOT an acceptable size for the audio book cover.

Tip #8 from Christine Amsden: Make sure to include some dialog in your audition script. I didn't do this originally, and had to go back and edit later because I wanted to know what the female narrators would sound like doing a male voice. (note from Aaron: Sometimes male narrators go too high with the female characters. I didn't want falsetto - I wanted a "softer" tone for the ladies.)

So, authors, go out there and try this! You'll find another new platform to share your work with the public, and have loads of fun at the same time!

Enjoy!

Aaron Paul Lazar

www.lazarbooks.com

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LEGARDE MYSTERIES:

(Romantic country mysteries set in the Finger Lakes region)

1.   DOUBLE FORTÉ

2.   UPSTAGED

3.   MAZURKA

4.   FIRESONG

5.   TREMOLO: CRY OF THE LOON

6.   DON’T LET THE WIND CATCH YOU

7.   THE LIAR’S GALLERY

8.   SPIRIT ME AWAY

9.   UNDER THE ICE

10. LADY BLUES

11. VOODOO SUMMER

& THE LEGARDE MYSTERIES BOXED SET

GREEN MARBLE MYSTERIES

(Riveting country mysteries with time travel and a Native American ghost)

1.  THE DISAPPEARANCE OF BILLY MOORE (formerly Healey’s Cave)

2.  TERROR COMES KNOCKING

3.  FOR KEEPS

TALL PINES MYSTERIES

(Sensual women’s mysteries set in the Adirondacks)

1.  FOR THE BIRDS

2.  ESSENTIALLY YOURS

3.  SANCTUARY

4.  BETRAYAL

5.  TALL PINES BOOK SET

PAINES CREEK BEACH Love Stories

(Sensual love stories by the sea)

1.  THE SEACREST

2.  THE SEACROFT

3.  THE SEADOG

BITTERSWEET HOLLOW

(Romantic suspense involving kidnapping)

1.  DEVIL’S LAKE

2.  DEVIL’S CREEK

3.  DEVIL’S SPRING

WRITING GUIDES

WRITE LIKE THE WIND, volume 1

WRITE LIKE THE WIND, volume 2

WRITE LIKE THE WIND, volume 3