[ENCORE] Audition Tip For Experienced Narrators

When you've narrated a lot of books, auditioning can be draining.

I’ll be posting some encore articles while I’m in the booth with some hefty narration. Here’s one from 2023 that I like. It’s a good reminder for all of us, I think, to get a little gritty with our work, a little more authentic and less polished.

When I cast a title, I try to give the author diverse choices, not just in ethnicity, age, and gender, but I also try to offer a newer narrator and an established narrator in the mix. I listen for vocal levels and tones and what feel a narrator brings to a performance.

When you’ve recorded over 100 books, an ease starts to happen with your narration, a natural flow to the words. This is great, and something to aim for, but that ease can also sometimes play as a lack of energy or connection to the listener.

I’ve noticed this a lot lately with more experienced narrators. There’s a little dullness sometimes to the performance. I think, maybe, because it’s work they’re so comfortable with.  

This is something I’ve struggled with myself. I think it comes from a couple of things: churning out material day in and day out produces fatigue, but so does the idea of auditioning. Many of us have proven ourselves and our talent over and over and it can be draining to keep doing it. To keep having to fight for work. I think sometimes, we might coast a bit.

But what I’ve noticed from authors I’ve worked with is that when they hear an audition for their book, they’re not thinking of your body of work, your awards, your accolades, or your other clients. Not at first. At first, they’re just listening to how you tell the story.

New narrators tend to have to work a little harder. The words don’t flow as easily. But having to work a little harder sometimes creates an interesting tension that can be lacking in polished performers. Maybe it’s energy, excitement, or a fear of not being used to narrating yet, or maybe it’s the joy of the possibility of narrating an audiobook.

I think for those of us that have performed 100, 200, 500 or more books, we forget sometimes to plug into that energy. We forget that the author is hearing us for the first time.

The next time you’re in the booth, and you’re auditioning, take a couple of moments. Try to remember recording your first books and tap into that excitement. Remember to slow down a little so that the words and the story have a little time to breathe. (This is the thing I forget to do. I go too fast.) Remember that the author may have never heard you before. You’re not proving you’re worthy of being hired, you’re just showing your ability to someone who might not be familiar with your work.

I’ve been doing this lately and have (thankfully) booked a few more gigs. I don’t know if it’s changed anything, but at least I feel a little bit more in control. I’ve slowed down. Connected. And I’ve pushed myself to give those auditions my all. It’s a competitive space right now, and auditions are tough to win.

I want to see established narrators get consistent work. We might just have to push a little harder to make it keep happening.

I guess this is an actor’s life: we have to continually push for work, every time.

Slow down a little. Connect to the piece. Dig your heels in. You’ve got this. You’ve earned it.

***

TANYA EBY is a narrator, author, and casting director for audiobooks. If you like her blogs, please share with your social media network, become a subscriber, and/or leave a comment. And check out Tanya’s new book HERE.