Following the worldwide pandemic, a lot changed in consuming literature. The bookstores had to shut down, and the readers had to look for alternatives to quench their urge to read. That is when the hype about audiobooks skyrocketed.
Since then, its popularity has only increased, and more and more authors have hired talented voice artists to narrate their scriptures.
Today, several top-rated celebrities are amusing us with juicy content in their voices—Meryl Streep reading Charlotte’s Web, Michelle Obama narrating her own biography, The Handmaid’s Tale by Elizabeth Moss—you name it!
What is so enticing about these books that production houses are ever so ambitious to create them with ensemble casts, soundscapes, 3D sound effects, and other technological gimmicks?
The Rising Popularity of Audiobooks
The authors prefer launching their books in audio format for a lot of reasons, one of which is accessibility. It is not always people with visual concerns who resort to audiobooks. Sometimes, people find it an easy way to stay in touch with literature while on the go or running some errands. So, it is excellent for authors to spread their work across the masses.
Some other reasons why publishers hire audiobook narrators include:
Generation of Revenue
Audiobook production can benefit publishers and authors in terms of generating revenue. While many authors might have a genuine love for storytelling, no one would turn down some extra profit.
In today’s world, turning your book into an audiobook is like opening a whole new sales channel. Adding voice to your book is a one-time thing, whereas publishing it in hard copy is a continuous process. This, paired with the fact that an audiobook costs less than publishing a batch, implies you can save and earn more simultaneously.
Audiobooks Never Go Out of Stock
An audio narration, being digital in nature, can never be out of stock, unlike hard copies. People who are in touch with literature must have struggled to find a hard copy of a book but never an audiobook.
Audiobooks are preferable for many because they are always only a click away from purchase. Several self-published authors buy copies of their books and resell them to make a profit. In short, they spend money to make more, but that is not the case for audiobooks.
Enhance Reputation
Many authors have handed over their books to voiceover artists to enhance their authorial reputation. It establishes them as adaptable and eager to make their chronicles accessible to the public.
The writers who increase the accessibility of their work attract a bigger following, thus becoming more known than before. It is one of the modern approaches to reaching celebrity status in your industry.
But what makes someone the right audiobook narrator for your book? Are there any specificities you need to look for while choosing the right voice? The following section will clear up most of your ambiguities regarding this, so stick around.
Criteria for Shortlisting the Right Audiobook Narrator for Your Book
A large number of voice actors providing amazing services have emerged on the block due to the increase in the popularity of audiobooks. Whether you log in to a freelance website or a content agency, you can find thousands of creative people ready to narrate your book.
In a way, it is a great thing, but it also makes choosing an audiobook narrator as hard as finding a needle in a haystack.
There is a lot more to the art of narrating a book than just reading it out loud in a fancy accent. In order to increase the odds of the audience connecting to your content, you must choose the right voice for it. Here's how:
Experience and Skill of the Artist
An artist might have a natural skill for storytelling, but experience and practice can seamlessly enhance it.
Skilled audiobook narrators know how to keep listeners hooked throughout the story. They can create a unique atmosphere and bring your words to life with just the right intonation, pacing, and characterization.
Therefore, before hiring a voice actor, you must not forget to check how long they have been in the business. You can also ask for samples of their previous dubbings and narrations to be sure of who you are handing your book over to.
Accent and Narration Style
If you want your audience to burst into fits of laughter, a voiceover artist will know precisely how to do so. Not only that, but they can make them cry one moment and send shivers down their spines the next.
You might want a certain narration style or accent for your book’s audio, and you have to keep that in mind while choosing the voice for your words. Now, choosing an artist with a playful style wouldn't be such a great idea, would it?
The audiobook narrators at The Urban Writers are skilled enough to add the accent and narration that will suit your content the best. In addition to the right skill and experience, they have all the crucial components of a good narrator. They can switch between dialects seamlessly and adapt different tones to fit the personalities of characters in your content.
Vocal Pitch of the Narrator
The vocal pitch seems like a no-brainer when we talk about choosing the right voiceover artist for your audiobook narration. No matter how skilled or experienced someone is, you cannot hire them if they sound too young or too old for the role, too shrill, or too grave.
Some narrators might have a flair for playfulness or drama that might not sit well with a horror story. So, pay close attention to their available audio or have them read a few lines of your text to gauge if they can breathe life into your story.
The Artist’s Compatibility With Your Content
The whole idea behind adding a voice to your words is to bring the text to life and make it sound as convincing as possible. For more authentic audiobook production, the voice actor must be familiar with the requisites of narration unique to your text.
Every narrator you will come across will have a different scope and strengths. Some might be better candidates for genres other than your book, so choose the right voice for your project.
Homework is one way a narrator can perform their job effectively, as they familiarize themselves with the text beforehand. At The Urban Writers, our artists ensure the smoothness of the process by doing some legwork and reviewing the text in advance. By clearing ambiguous pronunciations in advance, they rarely stumble through the narrations.
Reading Speed of the Professional
Reading speed is another no-brainer that can make or break the quality of your audiobook narration. Someone who speaks too fast for people to understand or too slowly for the audience to lose track is a no.
The characters in your book might need to speak at a certain pace, but bear in mind that maintaining the audience's attention without visual stimuli can be tricky.
Another consideration when deciding the pace of your book's narration is its length. However, the pace must still not impact the cadence of your book. Most of your listeners will immerse themselves in your audiobook while taking a stroll or doing routine chores. The Urban Writers' audiobook narrator will set a pace they can easily catch up with alongside other things.
Availability of the Artist
You cannot sign up a voice artist for a project without checking their availability. If you overlook the importance of coinciding schedules, you will find yourself on the hunt for another narrator later. A narrator with an occupied schedule might not be able to deliver the standard of work you require. Your project might get stuck or become subject to unnecessary delays.
So, it is always safe to discuss your dates and deadlines with the narrator and confirm whether they can manage them or not.
Besides, narration is a tedious task requiring physical stamina, patience, and decent control of breath. Our audiobook narrators ensure all kinds of devotion to help you meet your deadlines without any hassle.
The Narrator’s Professionalism
Another crucial criterion for choosing the right voice actor for the task is their professionalism. A professional candidate is easy to work with and communicate with, and they make the process so much easier.
No matter how skilled a person is, you will end up frustrated if they take forever to respond or do not adhere to deadlines.
A candidate's professionalism will also be evident in how they conduct themselves during the recording sessions. The Urban Writers' professional audiobook narrators ensure a positive collaborative relationship with the authors and are always willing to make necessary revisions when required. They assure no delays in your audiobook production while maintaining the quality of their service through and through.
The Audiobook Production Quality
A good audiobook narrator will ensure consistency in the quality of their performance from the start until the end. By quality, we imply clarity, absence of background noise, speed, frequency, and volume.
Listeners can detect even the slightest changes in an audiobook’s sound quality. Consequently, it impacts the rating of your book, no matter how well-versed it is. Samples of their previous work will give you a fair estimate of how consistent they are in terms of quality.
In addition, a great voice artist demonstrates a thorough understanding of microphone techniques. During your meetings with your potential candidate, you can discuss their approach to delivering professional-sounding performances.
Equipment and Software of the Narrator
Choosing the right voice for your book's voiceover is not only about finding the perfect candidate; the audio tools and software have a fair bit of a role to play too.
Your narrator must have relatively new equipment, modern software, and an up-to-date understanding of voice editing. In addition, they must record in a noise-free zone for clear and smooth audiobook production.
If you prefer a specific type of equipment, you should arrange it for the voice actor. Likewise, you can consider hiring an audio engineer for more complex audio editing that is out of your narrator's scope. Partnering with The Urban Writers will let you escape the additional costs of renting equipment and hiring audio engineers.
Charges and Rates of the Voice Actor
Lastly, you need to consider your budget when choosing the right voice artist for your audiobook. Narration is tiresome and requires a lot of technique, so it has to come with a price.
You might come across flat-rate payments with little to no margin for negotiation when hiring the best in the business. Likewise, a celebrity might have you sign a royalty-sharing contract claiming a specific percentage of the revenue.
At The Urban Writers, our narrators will provide services at easy per-finished-hour rates. The professionals will produce an audiobook for you without any extra costs associated with renting special equipment, software, or a studio.
Wrapping Up
It is not debatable that the audiobook industry is a growing market, and the right narrator will get you recognition and build you a loyal fan base.
Whether you write fiction, non-fiction, self-help, or business books, converting your text into an audiobook will open a world of potential for you. Hence, it only makes sense that you put careful consideration into choosing a voice that narrates your text.
The Urban Writers team will be happy to embark on this journey with you and contribute to your success. Falling flat is not even the last thing our narrators would want for your exceptional story.
