Ageism in Audiobooks

Is it a thing? Do I need to worry about getting older and getting work?

Like many things in audiobooks, the idea of ageism and if it’s an issue in audiobooks is a complicated question, and the answer has a lot of nuance. So, I’m going to talk frankly. Please don’t mistake my confidence as gospel. This is just my perspective on what I’ve noticed over the years and from different sides of production. I welcome any comments that disagree or add to this conversation. I think it’s an important topic and it’s something we should be talking about and aware of.

Is there ageism in audiobook casting? The answer is Yes.

And No.

And for Some People.

Dammit! Why can’t any answer be easy?

Because. Life is high maintenance.

Here’s what I’ve learned: ageism exists. Of course it does. We are all influenced by conscious and subconscious biases. I think casting tries really hard not to be affected by it, but it does happen.

It's not just ageism though, it’s also appearance. Are narrators now judged for appearance too? Do prettier/handsome narrators get more work? Maybe. (But isn’t that true in all industries? We are influenced by appearances, whether we want to be or not.)

Here’s what I’ve noticed:

AGEISM IN AUDIOBOOKS

What I’ve noticed is that ageism happens more for women than men in audiobooks (but not exclusively), and it happens more in some genres than others, and it happens more with romance and erotica genres that are heavily reliant on social media posts. Here are the points broken down:

1. There are around 5 times more women than men in narration, maybe more. So, casting can be pickier with casting women just because there are so many women vying for jobs.

2. The average age of a heroine in a book is 27. I’d heard this statistic at a romance writing conference. Most romance books with heroines over the age of 35 struggle to find readers and aren’t profitable. (See this great article by Christine Farrell: AGE DIVERSITY—State of Age Diversity in Romance Novels.)

3. Authentic casting has extended to age as well as heritage. If you have a main character who is 25, then casting/the author wants the narrator to sound 25.

4. TikTok has changed the landscape of getting cast. TikTok (with many exceptions) is a younger person’s platform, and very influential.

Casting is under a lot of pressure to cast narrators who ‘sell’. Authors want their books to sell, so they want narrators who are popular. Most of the popular narrators are now popular first through social media and social media is increasingly a platform for younger voices.

5. Narrators who think they sound young, might not actually sound as young as they think. This is where things get sticky and yucky and all the things. What exactly is a ‘young’ voice? There is such a variety in voices that this seems unfair, and it is. But I’ll explain more in a moment.

SO OLDER NARRATORS ARE DOOMED?

No. Here’s what happens in casting that you might not know:

When I was in casting, I tried very hard to give authors a variety of choices. I usually included four narrators for each title for the author to choose from and I offered narrators who were younger in age, older in age, and tried to vary with experience (number of books performed) and diversity.

If someone has grey hair and doesn’t do Botox, would I stop sending them auditions? No. Of course not. Because what matters is THE SOUND. How does the narrator sound? Does the narrator click with the piece? That’s all that matters.

I think narrators can set aside the concern about their appearance with casting teams. They really are listening to your voice.

To help them in this, make sure you share your audiobook samples, state the kind of books you like, and audition for things that you are appropriate for. Don’t just coast on what you’ve done before. Show what you can do NOW. This will help train casting on how to think of you. Additionally, working directly with a casting agent through a workshop is a way for them to hear you and get to know your voice.

What if you’ve recently gone grey and you’ve stopped getting auditions? Is this coincidence or something more nefarious like casting thinking you’re suddenly too old?

Before jumping to conclusions, I would encourage you to listen to your voice. How do you sound? Do you sound like an authentic twenty-year-old? What’s your cadence? What’s the clarity in your voice? Has your voice changed over the years of performing? Are the same books you’ve been recording, still what you should be recording?

I suspect that it’s not the greying of hair that stops auditions from coming; it’s the sheer number of talent available.

Casting can get very close to choosing a narrator who fits the main character. A 20-something will sound different than a 50-something, even if the 50-something has a ‘youthful’ voice. Why? Because every generation has speech patterns, so sometimes it’s not just how your voice sounds, but also your inflections, your musicality, your grit, your whatever.

Consider these two samples. Here is a sample I recorded from early on in my career. I’m in my early thirties here:

Now a recent sample.

I’m 51 here. Over the years, I’ve worked on lowering my register, but there’s also some change to the clarity in my voice. It’s still higher pitched, but it’s also rounder, fuller, different. I have more life experience (aka I’ve Been Through Some Shit) and I think you can hear that life experience in my voice.

Can I play younger characters? Absolutely!

Will I be the first person casting thinks of for a romcom starring a girl in college? Probably not first in mind, but I might still be able to ‘win’ an audition.

BUT WHAT ABOUT SOCIAL MEDIA?

What about it? If you love it, do it. If you hate it, don’t do it. When you hate something, it still comes across. Posts might be awkward or just not connected. When you love something, you naturally dial into it, lean in, and have a sense of excitement.

If you like social media but don’t want videos of yourself, that’s fine. Create sharable posts where you tag the author, the casting team, the production house, etc., with a cool image and just your voice. Young, old, or whatever age, you don’t need to appear in the videos.

HOW DO I FIGHT THIS?

If you’ve found that you’re not getting auditions anymore, take a holistic approach to viewing your career. Try to look at it in an entirety. Where did you start and where are you now? Be honest with yourself and analyze your voice or get colleagues or coaches to help you with this.

Ask yourself questions like:

Has my voice changed since I’ve started? Have I outgrown a genre? Can I re-brand and re-direct my work? If I’ve recorded college romances forever, could I shift to women’s fiction or cozy mysteries or thrillers? Could I tell casting my new preferences? Can I post new samples showing my range in a fantasy with creatures and wizards, etc.? Or can I double down and share what I’m really great at and remind people that I can play these roles with confidence and authenticity?

Trust that casting is doing their best to get you gigs.

You can give them input on your availability and your interests. Know that they give a variety of choices to authors for casting. There are many variables in who authors choose, and unfortunately, we don’t get feedback on the Why They Went In Another Direction (aka they cast someone else.)

See if there’s anything you can do to sharpen your skills, energize your auditions, and keep at it.

REMEMBER

Competition is fierce now and there are tens of thousands of narrators searching for work. (Not lying. Ahab has over 14,000 narrators on their system, and I don’t even know what ACX is at now.)

It is harder to get work. With more people, authors can find narrators who perfectly ‘match’ their books instead of narrators who can ‘play’ their books.

Casting wants to share your best work and put the best talent forward. If you’re one of the best, your age doesn’t matter one whit. (I’m pretty sure I used that phrase right. Am I showing my age? Ha!)

Women narrators have more competition than male narrators, but there is still competition for male narrators also.

All things change with time: our bodies, our careers, and what we want to eat at mealtime. (I used to love eating Cap’n Crunch. Now, I’d pass out from all the sugar.)

Everything changes.

One of the ways to have longevity in any business or career or life, really, is to be open to trying new things, pushing yourself, and evolving. Move into new spaces if you want to with narration. Be open. And keep auditioning. (see previous article on pivoting, although as the talented narrator and coach Ann Richardson pointed out, a better word for it is ‘diversifying’.)

IN SHORT:

It might feel like it’s ageism, but chances are, it’s just that things are fiercely competitive. Keep trying. The next book could be a perfect fit for you, just as you are.

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Next week: Tanya will talk about audiobook awards. Do awards and nominations matter?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tanya Eby is a writer and narrator. Take a look at all the books she’s written HERE. Her birthday is on the 30th, and it would be a great gift if people shared the link to her books on social media, or purchased a book for themselves or a friend.