{"id":2172,"date":"2023-07-28T10:23:19","date_gmt":"2023-07-28T10:23:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/?p=2172"},"modified":"2025-01-24T16:32:02","modified_gmt":"2025-01-24T16:32:02","slug":"preparing-for-an-audiobook-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.spotlight.com\/news-and-advice\/the-essentials\/preparing-for-an-audiobook-job\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Prepare for an Audiobook Job"},"content":{"rendered":"

Skills needed to become an audiobook reader and 11 top tips to prepare for an audiobook narration job.<\/h2>\n

I adore working on audiobooks. It offers the opportunity to play a huge range of characters stretching far beyond your usual casting, and allows for plenty of experimentation with your voice. However, in my experience, audiobooks are the most challenging form of acting work. It\u2019s hard to become an audiobook narrator, and not just anyone can do it without the correct preparation and skillset. It requires focus beyond anything I\u2019ve ever experienced, but challenges are what keep us on our toes, and audiobook narration can be a hugely rewarding experience.<\/p>\n

1. Read the Book Beforehand<\/h3>\n

Reading the book you\u2019re going to narrate seems obvious, but it cannot be stressed enough. Even if you\u2019re given a short amount of time to prepare for the recording, it\u2019s important to carve out time to read the book as many times as possible beforehand. If, like me, you\u2019re a naturally slow reader, I would encourage you to learn some speed-reading techniques. There are\u00a0lots of videos on YouTube<\/a>\u00a0and \u2018how to\u2019 articles online<\/a>, and it\u2019s an invaluable skill when preparing for an audiobook job.<\/p>\n

2. Practise Breath Control<\/h3>\n

Practise your diaphragmatic breathing<\/a>. Books aren\u2019t usually written to be read out loud, meaning there might be some long compound sentences. These are hard to get your head around and extremely difficult to read in one breath. Also, think about tactical snatch breaths in places which don\u2019t break up the flow of the sentence. If you have time, highlight these points throughout the book so they aren\u2019t surprises when you get to them in the studio.<\/p>\n

3. Differentiate the Characters<\/h3>\n

When you\u2019re only using your voice, you\u2019ve got to get creative when changing between characters. If it\u2019s a chapter with heavy dialogue, it can get confusing for the listener if you\u2019re reading all of the characters in exactly the same tone, timbre, pitch or accent. You\u2019ll usually have a lot of freedom to create each character\u2019s voice, but it\u2019s important to keep these in line with the tone of the book – if it\u2019s an intense crime drama, a cartoonish voice probably won\u2019t suit, but if it\u2019s a kids book, you might be completely on the money.<\/p>\n

4. Research Unfamiliar Terms<\/h3>\n

It can only aid you to know what you\u2019re talking about. If there are terms in the book you don\u2019t know how to pronounce, or what they mean, it\u2019ll show when you\u2019re in the studio and time is limited. Whilst doing your prep work, figure these words out and write them down phonetically if need be. Make note of the definitions of certain words too, to ensure you\u2019re making sense of them in the context of the story.<\/p>\n

5. Eat Before You Record<\/h3>\n

Voice over mics can pick up every\u00a0small noise in a sound booth, and I mean\u00a0every\u00a0noise. There was once a session where I\u2019d skipped breakfast, meaning my belly was rumbling profusely, and it was caught through the mic. Cue numerous retakes until an assistant brought in some biscuits for me to chomp on. That said, it\u2019s important to eat the right kind of food. Things like peanut butter, chocolate and dairy will make your voice sound claggy, and it takes a while for that to pass. Try to eat something filling but light, and not too greasy. You want to keep your voice sounding clear.<\/p>\n

6. Practise Cold Reading<\/h3>\n

No matter how much you prepare, or how many times you read the book, there is no way you\u2019ll be able to remember the whole thing. You can practise particularly difficult sections, mark up parts of the book, etc., but you\u2019ll likely be cold reading the majority of it. As you\u2019re reading the book, take it at a steady pace and scan a few words ahead.<\/p>\n

7. Visualise the World of the Book<\/h3>\n

In order to believably inhabit a world, I find it important to visualise every environment portrayed in the book – to see it actually happening around me. You\u2019re creating a world for the listener, and if you can\u2019t personally visualise it in the booth, it\u2019s going to be very hard for the listener to do so. It\u2019s hard to explain how this manifests through your voice, but there is an authenticity which naturally occurs when the reader is really living in the world of the book.<\/p>\n

8. Moisturise Your Lips<\/h3>\n

Keep your lips moist. You\u2019ll likely be saying tens of thousands of words and dry lips are not helpful. Get your chapstick out!<\/p>\n

9. Take Breaks<\/h3>\n

Time constraints often mean you\u2019ll be trying to race through an entire 500-page audiobook with very little time, and the temptation can be to capitalise on every minute by taking as few breaks as possible. However, this is not conducive to a productive session. Studies show that the average length of time the brain can fully focus on one thing is around 50 minutes (it varies from person to person), and it\u2019s important to take frequent breaks to reset. Even if it\u2019s just a three minute stretch and breath of fresh air, it will do you good.<\/p>\n

10. Get an Early Night<\/h3>\n

Audiobooks are mentally exhausting (in a great way), and I always find it important to not make any social plans on the nights between sessions, for the following reasons:<\/p>\n