I thought I’d talk a little bit about casting today and how it works. Please note, this is from my experience casting as an indie publishing house and now working for a major producer. Every publisher/producer has different rules and processes, but maybe this will give you a general idea of how things work.
There are a number of options for how casting works:
OPTION ONE – You’re requested
Maybe you’re a superstar narrator, or you’ve recorded 16 books for an author and number 17 is coming out and the author/publisher knows they want YOU, or maybe they’ve heard your work and just know you’re perfect for their book. So, they reach out to you with an offer. Easy peasy.
OPTION TWO – You’re requested to audition
Maybe the rights holder has heard your work but they’re not 100% sure this book will fit you, so they request you for an audition. This is great. You won’t always know if you’re requested to audition unless the casting team tells you that. It’s probable there will be other narrators requested too. It means you’ve already got a toe in the door. Maybe three toes.
OPTION THREE – The casting team asks you to audition
This is the most common option with casting. Casting receives the book to cast. Sometimes they’re given guidelines (e.g. we need this gender, this cultural background, this age, this sound) or the casting team is just given the book.
Casting reads any notes on the book including the description. Then they read the book, or as much of the book as they can, looking for character descriptions, POV, how many narrators will serve the book the best, genre of the piece, etc. Then they list who they need: how many narrators (1 or 20?), the gender of the voice needed (male or female sounding, nonbinary, authentic to a particular group, etc.). If triggers are noticed or listed with the book description, they’ll make a note of that. Sometimes genre is the only ‘trigger’ you’ll get.
After that, casting looks for a section of the book that will give the rights holder a good sense of what the narrator can do. Chances are it’s a section with dialogue so you can show your characterizations and how your differentiate between different speakers. If it’s nonfiction, the section might have some technical language or difficult phrases to see how you handle it. Do you pronounce things correctly? Did you take the time to look it up? Do you sound authentic and knowledgeable?
The casting director then cuts audition sides—a small sample—from the book for the audition. Every narrator will receive the same piece. If there are multiple narrators, your section might be character specific. They mark the script so it’s clear what section you should read. (Only read what is requested.)
Then casting comes up with a list of people to send the audition to. If they need to submit three voices (standard), they may reach out to 6 or so narrators for auditions. Casting will think of who might be a good fit, who is easy to work with, who has availability. Maybe they’ll listen to samples and research. They’ll make a list of possibilities. This can be time consuming.
They draw up the audition notice—also time consuming—send it out, and wait for auditions to come back.
When auditions come back, they choose the best of the group. They listen for interpretation, sound quality, pacing, and who just seems to click with the text, also known as *sparkle*. Those top auditions are then mastered and sent to the client for approval.
The client then sends those top auditions to their author or chooses the voice themselves. They notify casting and casting reaches out to the talent with an offer.
How long can this take?
We try to give people 48 hours to get their auditions in. Please pay attention to deadlines. If you’re late, there’s no guarantee your audition will be included. It can take a week for approval. Sometimes it takes minutes, and I’ve seen some books take months or longer. As talent, holding space in your calendar for a week is appreciated. If you don’t hear back after a week, fill your calendar. If casting comes back to you with an offer, let them know your new availability. Resist reaching out to casting to check on the status of every audition. If you must reach out, keep it short.
Option 4 – Open Call
A casting agent decides they need to cast a wide net and they post an open audition. They create sides, post important information, etc. I’ve had casting calls get 150 auditions in under a few hours. If it’s an open call, audition as quicky as possible. Some places post open calls with a window to audition. Stick to that window, don’t panic, and you’ll be fine to get your audition in during the time listed.
Option 5 – Casting Decides
Every once in a while, a client will tell a casting team to cast as they see fit. It happens very rarely. Then the casting team analyzes the text, their talent, and makes an offer.
THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
Casting agents are extremely busy, and handle lots of detailed work. Once a piece is cast, they move onto the next one. Sometimes they follow the piece into and through production, but not always. Please know that if you’re looking for detailed feedback on a piece or instruction on how to audition, it’s likely the casting team won’t be able to answer that, or your question will require that they go back to the book and research how to answer. Do your best with the information you’re given.
(Note: you can research the book online. Look for Goodreads or Amazon reviews, etc. to give you a little more insight into the piece. Read an excerpt if it’s available. Note the genre.)
Casting, production teams, authors, all know that you haven’t read the entire book. They’re looking for your ability and know that they can give you notes on pronunciation, accents etc. Do your best with the audition. You don’t have to be 100% accurate with every detail (except pronunciation). Don’t stress. Everyone is given the same sample. You’re all working within the same parameters.
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If you look at every audition as a chance to train casting on your ability as a narrator, then whether you’re cast or not doesn’t matter. Every audition shows how you can shine.
So, shine on.
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Have other questions about audiobooks?
Let me know.
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TANYA EBY is a part-time casting director for Deyan Audio, a full-time narrator, and a full-time writer. There are acutally three clones of Tanya so she can do all of these things. Only one of these clones has nice hair. Like her posts? Comment, subscribe, send her gluten-free gift baskets, five hundred thousand dollars, create a shrine, or, you know, just hit the heart button.
This is so helpful. Thank you! I love this perspective - "If you look at every audition as a chance to train casting on your ability as a narrator, then whether you’re cast or not doesn’t matter. Every audition shows how you can shine."
Thanks for the breakdown and the attitude!