But I never did another one till I moved back to NY and auditioned for Talking Books For the Blind with the Library of Congress. After a couple of cheeky auditions where they threw a ton of nationalities at me in their audition pieces (just to see if I could do what I claimed) I was on my way...
JB: Talking Books - I like that moniker! They're a boon for the blind but also hugely popular with the sighted but busy or mobile (or both). I hang out at the Skokie Public Library, which has a large collection of audiobooks that does a booming business. Talking Books are definitely convenient. But there's also something so delightful when you luck out with a really good narrator, which actually enhances the book.
On the other hand, I've also had ruinous experiences, with narrators mispronouncing words that they should not be mispronouncing. Which brings me back to the art of good narration. Tell us please what goes into the prep work. Do you read the book ahead of time? Take notes? Look up words? Study up? Talk with the author? Or do you wing it and hope for the best?
BR: It's not a good idea to 'wing it' in any artistic endeavor. Unless, of course, a great jazz band has asked you to sit in with them and off you go having a glorious musical encounter that can never be repeated. As a jazz singer, I can't resist those opportunities when they present themselves. And they have over the years. I welcome them. I used to do a lot of cabaret while living in London and hope to do so again when the time is right.
But, getting back to your question...as a recording artist, one needs to go into the studio prepared. Preparation, initially, involves 'critical reading' of the project at hand. I read slowly and deliberately and allow the author's intent and methodology to wash over me. By the time I am done, I have a pretty good idea of the audio landscape that I will employ. I jot down all the stuff I can't pronounce or don't understand and send it off to my producer for research. When all my ducks are in a row, I am off to the studio for, hopefully, a pleasant few days.
JB: You're also an actor. Are all narrators actors? If not, in what ways does it help to be one in order to be good at narrating audiobooks?
BR: Storytelling is not just an art form, it is a primal activity that reaches back millenia.
And, as such, the best tellers of tales resorted to more than just words to thrill the assemblage. There was body movement, eye rolling, eye contact with the audience.
All this is 'acting'. Training came later, of course, but the result was always the same.
Rapt audiences hungry for more. A recording artist, like myself, has only one tool with which to engage the listener...the human voice; a startlingly efficient medium to create worlds that cinematographers can only dream about. And if one is an actor who has experienced the classical forms of engagement, it can only enrich the end result. Of course, studio work requires knowing what is in your 'vocal toolbox' in order to best channel the author. I recently published a Kindle eBook entitled 'Audiobook Narrator-The Art of Narrating Audiobooks' wherein I attempt to explain my process from a subjective standpoint. Many of the chapters are a direct response to the many questions I have fielded over the years from assorted panels, conventions, personal appearances and masterclasses. My hope is that I have cut through the chaff and offered sound advice to folks contemplating entering this field.
JB: I haven't yet had the pleasure of reading your book, but I will tell you that judging by the comments on Amazon, you hit the bulls' eye.
Once I started paying attention to who was narrating the books I love, I realized that you have done several series that I read: Nevada Barr and Lisa Scottoline. How does doing a series compare with doing a stand alone? Is it fun to meet up with familiar characters? Conversely, is it hard to get psyched up when there are many books in a series? Does that get old fast?
BR: If the series is really good (and, thankfully, they all have been thus far) revisiting these characters is akin to stepping into a pair of comfy slippers. The fans have come to expect certain voices to return with a new adventure and I am delighted to accommodate. There have been occasions where audiobook rights have changed hands mid series and I did not make the transition. The vocal displeasure was palpable out there. My listeners are avid, smart and loyal and make no bones about asserting their displeasure.
A new novel is an exciting audio journey for me. I relish learning the author's patterns and methods and strive to channel them for my listeners. Authors now understand that the audio rights to their projects will have a great impact on the readership and many of them insist on weighing in when an audiobook is on the front burner.
I still audition for some books. And rightly so. The author has every right to protect the artistic integrity of the work.
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