VO-BB - 20 YEARS OLD!

Diane Havens · Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 5:37 am Post subject:

Jonah, I don't think most actors (and even most of those excellent and in demand narrators you mentioned) would consider themselves rich. The only ones making really big bucks are celebrities who only do the occasional book.

In fact, most voiceoverists are far from rich no matter what kind of work they do. As are most actors -- though I know plenty making very comfortable livings, most doing a combination of stage, film, commercial, industrial, audiobook and other VO work. I also know audiobook narrators that are constantly recording in the publishers' studios, some traveling out of state, to do books back to back for months on end. Without the burden of production work, and a skilled director too, you can make a good deal of money this way. Tiring, though.

As for royalty share work, I agree it's really not a good deal for the narrator/producer, unless there's at least a stipend (as ACX has discovered may be necessary to get quality auditions -- or any at all). But there's paying work out there, too. I have two books I'm working on this month that are pay for production titles. So it's a big money month for me. Not every month is.
_________________
Diane

Veni, Vidi, Voci
http://www.dianehavens.com

Mike Harrison · Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 6:38 am Post subject:

I try to pre-read any script I get, even commercial scripts. However, I pre-read commercial scripts only once or twice, just to get an idea of 'where it's going,' but any more than that can tend to reduce spontaneity.

But with narration - and even more so for audiobooks - proper emphasis (the slight increase in pitch on important words and syllables) is key to believability. Without it, the importance of words and their true meaning in context with the rest of the material is never achieved. Sure, you can get lucky sometimes, but nothing deflates the impact of a work like a flat read... or, even worse, emphasizing the wrong words.

Flat reads and incorrect emphasis is occasionally heard from some news anchors (the illustrious Mr. Courvoisier excluded) who are often reading stories for the first time off the prompter. There are even some news reporters (from outside the studio) who, even though they write their own stories for the camera, will - interestingly to me - sometimes put the emphasis on the wrong words. If you're truly interested in a story, and the wrong words are emphasized, it's jarring. It sounds odd.

We don't think about it when we converse with others, because the words we speak are our own spontaneous thoughts, and proper emphasis occurs naturally.

Incorrect emphasis can change the meaning of text. Several years ago, I raised the issue in a discussion about using TTS (text-to-speech) technology in eLearning. Nothing makes an instructor less than engaging - and that's what matters - than flat speech or incorrect emphasis. How long can one endure the dull drone of someone who sounds like a lifeless GPS device? Now, some eLearning developers who are committed to using TTS are actually willing to spend time futzing with HTML code to put proper emphasis on the correct words and syllables... instead of simply hiring a skilled narrator! Talk about re-inventing the wheel...
_________________
Mike
Male Voice Over Talent
I have taken leave of my sensors.

Bruce · Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 8:26 am Post subject:

Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 11:11 am Post subject:

Royalty share can be lucrative, if you get the right titles.

One of the titles I did for ACX is selling about 5 copies a day. Seems pretty paltry. But at 150 per month, that's $375 in income. I'll have my fee back in a few months and keep earning over the next 7 years.

My goal is to have 10 titles like that. $3750 per month in royalties is some nice mailbox money.
_________________
Jeff
http://JeffreyKafer.com
Voice-overload Web comic: http://voice-overload.com

Diane Havens · Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 6:59 am Post subject:

Wouldn't that be wonderful! Hope so. Might rethink royalty share then.

I still have a couple of problems with it. Color me skeptical, but are there that many titles out there that can consistently sell 5 or more a day for 7 years? Maybe. Maybe one would even book them all. It's still a gamble one buys with many hours of labor. That's why I like the stipend model -- one that you, Jeffrey, use so successfully.

The other unknown factor, and the one which irks me more, is who takes the responsibility for how well the book will be marketed. Not only does the rights holder and ACX expect the narrator/producer to put in weeks of work for no immediate payback, they also then expect a vigorous marketing campaign for it. Get the book reviewed, and hope it gets a good one. Along with the usual social media and even Youtube exposure. Additional hours and often out of the narrator/producer's area of expertise.

No guts, no glory, maybe. I'll still do royalty share now and again if I love the book. Then it's hours I can feel were not wasted even if it doesn't sell well. I would have enjoyed all the hours I poured into it. And there's some value in that.
_________________
Diane

Veni, Vidi, Voci
http://www.dianehavens.com

Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 1:22 pm Post subject:

yep, there are certain challenges with a royalty share book. But research can be done:

- How many external reviews on blogs and websites are there?
- How many user reviews on Amazon are there?
- How does the book rank on Amazon?
- Does the author do blog tours and generally support the book?
- And finally, ask for sales numbers of other formats before you accept. If they won't tell you, then move on. If numbers are good, then any publisher will gladly give you that info. It's the ones who hide it that you should be wary of.

The royalty share books I've done have been from authors that I know and who routinely sell thousands of copies in ebook format every month. In these cases, I actually brought them into ACX so I could narrate their books. Is it a sure thing? No. But I'm also not turning down other paying work in order to do them.

So blindly accepting a royalty share book can be very risky. But there are ways to mitigate that risk through due diligence.
_________________
Jeff
http://JeffreyKafer.com
Voice-overload Web comic: http://voice-overload.com

melissa eX · Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 7:22 pm Post subject:

Just have to say I applaud Kafer. You truly have grown in the last couple of years. Congratulations - you're an example to all.

Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 9:54 pm Post subject:

Just pluggin' away, Ex. Thanks. Smile

_________________
Jeff
http://JeffreyKafer.com
Voice-overload Web comic: http://voice-overload.com

Helen Quigley · Joined: 26 Mar 2010 Posts: 13 Location: UK

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread, but I had an enquiry from an audio book company this morning:

"I'm looking for a voice actress for two novellas that total 38,000 words. We can pay a flat fee of $190 for this project. No editing is required."

It's a no from me, I'm afraid.
_________________
Helen Quigley | HQvoice.com

Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 2:44 am Post subject:

As it should be.
_________________
Jeff
http://JeffreyKafer.com
Voice-overload Web comic: http://voice-overload.com

Mike Harrison · Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 5:23 am Post subject:

Scott Pollak · Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 7:47 am Post subject:

Diane Maggipinto · Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 8:05 am Post subject:

helen, they're novellas. that's the difference. Rolls Eyes

_________________
sitting at #8, though not as present as I'd like to be. Hello!

www.d3voiceworks.com

Scott Pollak · Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 8:51 am Post subject:

Lee Gordon · Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 11:14 am Post subject: