ON LOVING NEW WORDS
How to navigate pronunciation, research, and general anxiety in audiobook performance
ON LOVING NEW WORDS
By Johnny Heller
January 11, 2026
In the world of audiobook narration, we live our professional lives in small poorly ventilated booths, sweating and swearing and stretching and looking up words, we thought we knew how to pronounce but clearly don’t because Pozotron flags us every time we say them.
We wonder why no one ever told us we were saying “integral” incorrectly and then we wonder how many other words we have no clue about how to actually pronounce. As soon as we discover our many errors and make an effort to say the word correctly, we find some YouTube video where someone with a PHD says the word the way we say the word and we begin to question the very point of our existence.
But we give in to the Gods of Pozotron and say whatever they want us to say because, in the end, no one will notice how we said the word.
When the book comes out, we see how the Lords & Ladies of Audible – those august personages who pay their monthly fees to the Bezos machine for the right to be the most critical picky bastards in the universe – have judged us.
And judge us they do!
The first thing some heretofore unknown dilltapper from Boisie has to say about our work, is that we said some word or another incorrectly. And it isn’t ever just “any” word. It’s always the word we spent hours researching. We listened to it said by cave dwellers in Antarctica and hedge fund managers in Kansas City. We investigated its roots and its many derivatives. It’s a word we now know intimately and feel ready to use in conversation – if only the topic of photosynthesis in postwar Germany would ever come up.
What to do?
Nothing!
Always remember that many “reviewers” on Audible are just people who may or may not have actually listened to your work, but they are people who enjoy leaving reviews. Nothing feels better after a hard day being bypassed for promotions or being gossiped about in the office because you spilled water on the front of your pants as you were leaving the rest room, then to go home and dump on someone on social media.
This doesn’t mean that reviews don’t have value. They do. But they are only as important as you make them. And missing a word?? C’mon! You didn’t mispronounce it. You did what you thought was right and how come no one ever reviews the proofers?
What’s a hardworking narrator to do? One thing and one thing only and keep doing it forever and ever – your very best.
That’s it.
If you don’t know how to pronounce a word, research it. Make it a task – a quest. What is the word? Where did it come from? How is it used? And once you learn it, try to use it so it becomes a part of your world. Say you just learned “cupidity”. Find a way to use it in conversation: “Say Stan, you might want to stop flashing that wad of scratch. A lot of the jamokes around here seem filled with cupidity.”
And, when it comes to arguing with your producer/publisher/RH about the right way to say a thing – present your evidence. Show your work. Let them know you are right because… You might also remind them, gently, that it is your name that will appear on the book. It will not say “proofed by Pozotron”! Of course, realize that you are being paid so you need to decide what battles are worth fighting.
Finally, remember that everyone associated with the audiobook, including the listener, wants it to be a wonderful experience. New words are part of our job and “winging” it is never an option.
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ABOUT GUEST WRITER JOHNNY HELLER
JOHNNY HELLER is an AudioFile GOLDEN VOICE, veteran of 1000s of titles in almost every genre, winner of many swell awards! He is an actor, audiobook narrator, voice actor, and coach. He hosts a popular and useful narrator retreat workshop in the fall, a fun relaxed after-party at the Audies, and has a Youtube show called ASK US ANYTHING HELLER AND BAARNS AUDIOBOOK AND VA TECH EXPERTS. He’s also a funny guy and carries humor around in his pocket for when you need it most.
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Next up…look for more genre deep dives (have a suggestion? Let Tanya know!) and guest writers!
Lots of chuckles reading this article and thank you Johnny and Tanya for the brilliant idea and writing….once I had an author tells me go forth and be creative when they don’t offer pronunciation help…ugh….others go beyond just helping….thank you again for a great read.
Oh so brilliant and relatable! This one made me laugh out loud more than once. Thanks Johnny for writing and Tanya for featuring!