Audio Book Read

[Scoot]

I'm not sure if I should post this here or at the Demo Of The Day site. So, I'll post it here. I'm in the process of putting together a demo for Audio-Books. This will be the Non-Fiction read. So, if people don't mind, I'd like to get a sense from the people here whether I'm on the right track of not. Any comments would be greatly appreciated. As always on a site like this, I'll critique yours if you'll critique mine...

Thanks for your help and your support...

Good voice to you...

[Scoot]

And now for the fiction book I'm working on.

Again, thank you for any and all comments...

[Scoot]

And finally, the other fiction book. This one with lots of dialogue...

Again, thank you for any comments....

[JBarrett]

I'm surprised that nobody has responded yet, so here are my thoughts...

First off, all three reads feel like they have a bit of an announcer feel to them. When reading books, my impression is that it should be more casual and relaxed, even for non-fiction works. It needs to sound like you telling the story, where now it sounds like you're reading the story.

Along the lines of character, there needs to be a little more distinction between the character voices. Also, note the description of how the characters are saying things. One example is near the end of the Princess Bride clip. It says that Buttercup "fairly exploded", but your delivery of Buttercup's lines was quite tame by comparison.

Also, it's important to know the characters' emotional state even if the text doesn't say it. Find clues anywhere you can. If you know the story of the Princess Bride, it is later revealed that when Wesley is saying "As you wish," it was his disguised way of saying "I love you." In your reading of those lines, though, it feels flat, without much emotion. There needs to be that sense of disguise to the delivery, so you can feel a sense of his love for her, but also know that he is unable to show that love openly.

A final note is that it feels like some of the descriptive bits that interrupt character lines -- like "Buttercup fairly exploded" -- feel a tad rushed, like you're eager to get back to the character lines.

Audiobooks are a challenge. I don't claim to have nailed them by any stretch, but these are the elements that stuck out to me in the clips you posted. I hope this is helpful. :)

[Scoot]

I'm surprised that nobody has responded yet, so here are my thoughts...
(snipped for brevity)
Audiobooks are a challenge. I don't claim to have nailed them by any stretch, but these are the elements that stuck out to me in the clips you posted. I hope this is helpful. :)

Justin,

Thank you so much for your comments. I was also a bit surprised that there were no nibbles. Two thoughts went through my head. The first, the reads are sooooooooooo good, people are too intimidated at my greatness to give a simple reply. That's simply not very likely.
The second option. The reads are soooooooooo bad, people are laughing too hard to give a simple reply. Hopefully that's not the case.
Thanks for taking the time to give what I consider an honest assessment of the reads. All comments will be taken into consideration as I keep plugging along in my never ending plot to take over the world of VO.

Thanks again.

[JoeActor]

Actually, I don't feel qualified to comment on audio book reads since I have yet to do one myself...

But I intend to try.

Good for you for forging ahead!

Joe J Thomas
www.JoeActor.com

[Jon Morss]

Scoot - Well, I guess this is a proper thread to post comments. Now, these are only my observations and opinions and not me picking on you. I'm only trying to help.

With that said, you have a great voice. Very resonate and projects well. It has a sort of D. Orkin sound to it. But, a great voice is not everything. For audio books, you really have to be able to keep the listeners attention. Your characters were pretty good, although they seemed to go in and out a bit, but they had a real feel to them. Now, you just need to take that same energy you had with the characters and apply it to your read. When you read copy you should read as if you are talking to a friend, relative or someone you know that may be interested in the subject matter. Don’t just read the words from the script. If it helps, place a picture of the person on the copy stand so you have a reference for the person. Just relax and act as if you are having a conversation with someone and telling them a story. Of course, this is much harder than it sounds, but I think you can accomplish it in no time.

The other thing to watch is your enunciation, which is an issue I have as well. At points you sort of slurred the words and rushed through them as Justin mentioned. This made some of the read hard to understand. There are plenty of books out there with great exercises that can help with this. Also, practicing and warming up with a cork or pencil in your mouth may help this as well. You really want to be sure that you are understood when you read.

If you do not have it all ready, get Pat Fraley’s book “ How to Make Money Reading and Recording Books” or better yet, attend his workshop. Pat is a master at reading audio books. Listen to Pat’s reading of Huckleberry Finn or Tom Sawyer and hear how he communicates his reads and creates memorable characters. Also, listen to readings by Ed Asner and William Shatner. These guys are great readers as Pat points out.

I think you are on the right track and keep working on it.

Good Luck.

Jon

[Scoot]

Scott - Well, I guess this is a proper thread to post comments. Now, these are only my observations and opinions and not me picking on you. I'm only trying to help.

(snipped for brevity)

I think you are on the right track and keep working on it.

Good Luck.

Jon

Jon, thank you for your well thought and complete critique of my audio-book presentations. All points are noted and will be remembered and your advice utilized as I continue "training" to get to my VO goals, which include audio-books.

Thanks for all your help and your support.

[Bret Brizzee]

Scoot - I don't have much experience in audio-books, but I do have some personal training tricks that help me to keep my reads varied, characters versatile, and manner personal.

If you have a public library with a children's section, they'll probably have a volunteer story-reading program. Programs like this tend to occur all throughout the week at varying times throughout the day. KIDS are a magnificent audience when it comes to personalizing and differentiating your voices. You'll find yourself taking on a very specific manner when you're relating the story, and you might even start to initiate some audience participation - always a fun experience. Your skills in exaggeration will definitely improve.

With all the benefits of reading to kids, be warned that kids can be rough critics. Depending on the age and socialization of your audience, you may find the response to be agitated, tired, hungry, annoyed, angry, or any mixture of the aforementioned.

Here's a list of skills you can expect to explore when reading in a public setting:

• Cold reading
• Improvised character voices
• Audience/Producer feedback (in case the librarian quietly confides to you how your Scary Monster frightens small children)
• Emotional interpretation
• Pitch and projection
• Speaking clearly/Enunciating
• Physical/Facial expressions

NOW, if you happen to HAVE young kids, you're already set! Herd them into a room and start reading!

Another trick I've just recently begun to employ (this one is stolen from the internet) is to record my readings of an incredibly boring book for 10 minutes each day. For example, my "day job" necessitates the reading of 15-25 pages from a chemistry textbook daily. After recording my auditions for the day, I sit down with the textbook and start reading from where I left off. As I read, I'm seriously improving my cold-reading skills. At the same time, this sort of reading requires that you read one sentence ahead to keep continuity. To make things even more difficult, try imitating the personalities of your most eccentric teachers from elementary school, middle school, high school, and your crazy professors from college. Be exaggerated. At the same time, balance your reading comprehension. This sort of practice ties together some critical reading skills with presentation and acting skills you might not otherwise explore.

Save about 10 minutes of the recording in a highly compressed format and file it away for later. Do this EVERY DAY, even if only for 10 minutes. Come back in one month and listen to some of your older readings. Chances are, you've improved considerably.

Oh! And as far as your current read - you have a nice resonance, and you're definitely on the right track. Just keep doing it!