Recording Audiobooks: Casting for Work or Passion?
I met with a talented narrator last week, someone who ticks a lot of boxes—super-intelligent, ambitious, and entrepreneurial. At the end of our chat, the performer left me with an important question:
"What can I do at this stage in my career to attract more passion projects?" Another way to ask this might be, "How might I stick in producers' minds better, so I have more opportunities to audition for choice books?"
A tough, important question—and the nuances in the phrasing actually surface two distinct concerns. I'll address them out of sequence and come back to passion projects. First, let's make things easy by defining "choice books" as projects that a performer can assume with some degree of confidence that he or she will enjoy reading and performing.
The Process of Audiobook Casting: Getting to More Choice Books
When addressing the question of how to attain more choice books, let's start with what publishers and producers are trying to accomplish from their end. As I've said before, these folks are buried in projects to cast, record, and deliver to their retailers. Getting casting sorted is priority one. The winners here will always be the narrators who make their jobs easy, who send auditions when requested, and accept jobs when offered. And yes: that often means putting aside personal preferences (and passions) to garner goodwill and trust. Repeat: Goodwill and trust— the keys to more work and more choice books.
But you have to plant the seed. Strike when potential clients are at their most receptive. They've sent the request; they want to hear from you. Now's the time to let them know what books you'd like to work on.
Here are two examples for communicating your audiobook preferences as a narrator:
"This project looks great! I've attached the audition here. Thanks for sending it my way.Quick note: If you're casting for [X genre], please keep me in mind. I would love to do one for you!"
"Happy to do this! Dates work. Rate works. Many thanks. Also, I'm doing a lot of [Y subject] these days. Please think of me when you're casting for one of those."
Takeaways here:
Declare interest or competence in a kind of work. Align your preferences with the producer's needs, associating yourself with a genre, a subject, or a type of author. This may well be your passion, but that's neither here nor there. The appeal should conform to the client's process.
Be friendly, affirmative, and helpful—and best of all, SHORT and to-the-point. "Thanks. I also do Z. Please remember that." That's it. No elaboration is required. You've done what you've set out to do. The news is out!
BTW: If you're represented, there's no reason that your agent can't make the same moves on your behalf.
How do Casting and Passion Relate When it Comes to Recording Audiobooks?
When it comes to attracting more passion projects, re-read what I've just written about the casting process. Is there any room there for a narrator's "passion projects"? I just don't see it. And that's why I believe that the talented narrator who raised the matter reformulated the question in the first place. This performer intuitively understood that passion projects are chosen and developed. They're not distributed as part of casting audiobooks. "More choice books" is simply a more attainable goal. But it's still not easy. As I've said, to have a shot, performers need to build solid relationships with producers and publishers— and that implies accepting work that isn't "choice" in the way that we've defined it.
Does that mean that I'm dismissing passion projects as unworthy aspirations? No. But if passion is something you require from your work life, consider shifting your focus to narration itself. Invest not in the object (the book, the gig, the passion project) but in the subject (the act of narration, your work, you). That's a less alienating way to approach it. Narration is a fascinating skill, and performers can spend the better part of their careers mastering it. If you're seeking passion as an audiobook performer, you might begin the search with narration itself.
Want to learn more about Recording Audiobooks?
More blogs you may enjoy:
Tips for Audiobook Recording: The Role of Professional Courtesy
8 Tips to Keep in Mind When Directing Actors For Audiobook Narration
Is Audiobook Casting Noisy 4? Talent Marketplace Apps, Now and Soon
So . . . Is there a best microphone for recording audiobooks?
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