Best Practices For Co-Narration
Some pointers when working with another narrator on an audiobook
The audiobook industry has grown so fast, and there are many new people working as narrators. In the beginning—hard to write that without hearing it in a GOD VOICE—in the beginning, there were unspoken rules of etiquette in audiobook narration, mostly because the community was so small and we worked in studios, etc. so we just understood best practices and what was expected.
But now with working from home and everything being online, the industry is largely unmonitored in terms of behavior, and has grown so large that the things we thought were Known have either been forgotten, or just pushed aside.
I asked some colleagues about tips/best practices to share with co-narrators that would help them feel safe, secure, and honored.
What is Co-Narration?
A co-narration occurs anytime there’s more than one performer. This can be a duet read, a dual read, or a multi-cast read. Multi-cast reads are usually organized by a production director, so in this article, I’m mostly addressing performances where the co-narrators work on an audiobook together, making choices as a team. In many books, chapters switch POVs and narrators are assigned characters to play or specific chapters to record. There are crossover characters and pronunciations that must be consistent across the book.
There are issues that can arise in co-narration, especially in romance in erotica. Please remember that as actors, we are performing scripts. It does not mean we ARE those characters. All productions should be professional and business-like. You should treat the performance of a romance or erotica text with the same professionalism as you would a memoir, a thriller, or literary fiction.
Just because you narrate a text with explicit sexual content, does not mean you consent to being talked to (or related to) in a sexual way. Even in a joking way, this can be really scary and hard for your co-narrator to navigate and understand.
This is important.
You and your co-narrator are performing a text. Full stop. This is a business. This is a job. Treat the job with honor and integrity and be respectful of your co-narrator.
There will no doubt be more suggestions from associations, narrators, and writers, etc., in the days to come, but here’s a little starter sheet of best practices when working with a co-narrator.
Feel free to share this with your co-narrator, so you’re both on the same page (ha! Audiobook joke).
When I Co Narrate An Audiobook, I Will…
1) Keep all correspondence professional and respectful.
2) :CC the production team on all correspondence. This shows our communication, choices we’re making, but also helps ensure proper behavior and etiquette.
3) Share notes on accents and character pronunciations.
4) Listen/follow the notes on accents and character pronunciations. If a Narrator A records first; Narrator B will follow the lead of Narrator A. Hopefully, though, we’ve made choices together before recording.
5) Respond within 1 to 2 business days to emails, even if it’s just to say I’m swamped and will answer soon.
6) Share my anticipated start and end recording dates with the team so we have a clear view of timeline.
7) Inform my co-narrator and production team of any delays that may affect the timely delivery of my work.
8) Refrain from flirting or speaking in a sexual way to my co-narrator or production team.
9) Hold and perform the author’s words with honor and integrity.
10) Value and respect the writer, the listeners, the production team, and my co-narrator(s).
Co-narrations can be challenging to navigate at first, but they are lovely to perform. You’ll get the opportunity to work with another human (!), and inhabit a character and their point of view fully. It’s really rewarding work.
Have fun, be your full creative self, and remember to be kind and grateful for the wonderful world of audiobook narration. These stories are a gift, and so are the people who create them.
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-Tanya Eby
It's sad that you would actually have to tell people to act appropriately to each other when working on explicit content. Thankfully all of my dual/duet partners for steamy romances so far have acted professionally and been lovely to work with.
Thanks for another great blog post!
Thank you so much, Tanya! It's a shame it needs to be spelled out, but this is exactly the kind of direction and transparency we need. Everywhere. Everyone deserves to feel safe, without exception. Thank you!