VO-BB - 19 YEARS OLD!

Bish · Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 8:38 am Post subject:

There always seems some confusion (for me, anyway) when people post ratios relating to the amount of time to produce finished audio. I'm not sure we're comparing apples to apples. If it takes me four hours to produce one hour, then that's a ratio of 4:1 ... I don't understand when people say they're shooting for a 1.5:1 ratio, to me that means that they're spending only one and a half hours to produce one hour. Even proof listening at normal speed would give a ratio of 2:1, let alone any editing that may, or may not be needed. I digress, but I find some of these figures strange.

I've done a few 30 minute reads recently, and would certainly agree that 4:1 is a reasonable ratio (I can take longer, but that's usually down to my own errors). Looking at the quoted $200 per finished hour, that easily translates into $50 as an hourly labour rate. Ok, no great shakes, but as we all (correctly) lambaste the minimum wage Craigslist jobs, it should be noted that this is ten times that paltry sum. Also noted previously, if you worked full-time at this rate, you'd have a reasonable six-figure annual salary.
_________________
Bish a.k.a. Bish
Smoke me a kipper... I'll be back for breakfast.
I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls... I will not feed the trolls.

ballenberg · Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 9:24 am Post subject:

Philip Banks · Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 9:51 am Post subject:

...and I sometimes skip lunch. I ALWAYS skip audio books because the satisfaction of seeing one finished is only exceeded by the satisfaction I get from not starting one in the first place.

As for Jeff's thoughtfully prepared list, it's his business, he is at liberty set the bar as high as he chooses.

jsgilbert · Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 10:02 am Post subject:

I think some of the confusion comes from the combining of rates that encompass different functions.

Some publishers, in fact quite a few, will ask the actor to provide the full unedited recording session and a marked up script indicating in time code where the flubs occured.

This then gets forwarded to the editors., who are responsible for this portion. If they think that anything requires re-recording, they make recommendations to the editor. The idea has been that voice talent do what they do best and audio editors do what they do best and also provide another pair of ears to check for potential problems.

The rate paid to the voice actor tends to be considerably higher than what an editor gets. I have an integral partner that I produce e-learning with. Typically, the actors get $200 -$300 per hour for v.o. The projects get turned over to engineers for editing and file naming and they typically get $35 - $50 per hour.

I will say that the general rates for audiobooks have degfintely gone down in the past few years. My rate for a 350 page book as just the reader has generally been $2,000 - $3,000, which would not include editing. Editing would be another $2,000 or so.

The phenomenon of quality home recording, along with ample numbers of single mothers, house husbands, retired school teachers, unemployed, individuals with limited mobility, etc. has helped in creating a growing number of "qualified" readers. I believe a recent report indicated rates had dropped 17% from 2008 - 2010.
_________________
j.s. gilbert

js@jsgilbert.com
www.jsgilbert.com

"today is the first day of the rest of the week"

Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 11:20 am Post subject:

ballenberg · Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 1:48 pm Post subject:

We'll agree to disagree

jsgilbert · Posted: Fri Feb 25, 2011 3:27 pm Post subject:

I think I would have to agree that voice over work isn't something to compare with a medical profession job.

For example, is it possible to make a living doing voices for video games? The answer is no, aside from a very scant few individuals. The structure of the industry is such that even in extremem circumstances, the above average participants aren't afforded the ability to do enough work to make over $25,000 per year, exclusively doing voice work for the video game industry.

Similarly, all but a few participants performing v.o. for the audio books industry will be afforded an opportnuity to even compete for enough work to earn them $25,000 per year.

This contrats with both the norm and expectation that even the lowest perfroming members of the medical profession will have both the opportunity and actual ability to earn well over $50,000 per year.

In essence, saying that a voice over actor can make over $100,000 per year doing voice over for audio books is possible is like saying that the illegal alien selling oranges on the corner can make $100,000

It is not out of the realm of possibility, but it is pretty much out of the realm of probability.

The big problem I have with most of the internet chatter regarding voice over is that it tends to speak to the infinite possibilities, rather than the probabilities.

What is happening is that as the fields employing voice talent become more crowded with individuals whose skills sets make them viable candidates for the work, the tendencies have been to demand more and pay less of the voice talent. In the current scenario for audio books, we seethat the fee for recording studio hasbeen eleiminated, director's fee eleimnated, editors fee eliinated and the resulting all encompassing fee is in fact usually lower than just what the talent portion of the fees used to be.

Perhaps this is somewhat justified by the general condiiton of publishing, diminished overall profits and the current state of economic recession.

Personally, when I am offered work, I weigh a number of factors into whether or not I may accept that work. The price I am being paid is certainly one of those factors, and not a small one. However, should I not accept the work for any reason, I try not to seem ungrateful for the offer ofthe work.

Generally, no insult or abuse is ever intended. We can of course interpret either or both to be at the root or simply be thankful that we were given consideration.

One can try to "educate" the talent buyer if they wish or offer other compelling reasons to have the ofer raised, which may or may not have any impact.
_________________
j.s. gilbert

js@jsgilbert.com
www.jsgilbert.com

"today is the first day of the rest of the week"

KarenL · Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 6:43 pm Post subject:

8 )If I reference your demo or audition as the read/tone we hired you for, please listen to it again before you record.
_________________
Happy to be here.
www.KarenLehman.com

Jen Gosnell · Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 1:42 am Post subject:

The list makes sense to me - nothing unreasonable there, IMO. Same for Karen's #8.

Personally, I have an audiobook demo and an interest in doing that kind of work, at least as I get started. But the comments about the amount of time it takes to record an audiobook are the main thing that makes me shy away from pursuing such work at the moment. As a beginner probably working with small publishers, I'm sure the editing leg work would be on me and not some editor. And I'm quite sure I would be on the slow side of post - I can edit, but I look at my current level of experience with it as something like gearing up to running a 5k, whereas it seems to me that the level needed for an audiobook is more like running a marathon. Combine that with just having had a baby and adjusting to life with her and a 2 y.o. - so working at some level of part-time - and I feel like it would take me more than "2 weeks if you have other stuff". I honestly have no idea what my pace might be.

I do realize that one has to just start doing the work to find out the answers to things like what a realistic pace of work will be. But on the other hand, I am wary of making a commitment that I can't meet. I would NOT want to miss a deadline, or have to turn in work I wasn't happy with due to time constraints.

So I guess my question is, is there an average amount of time in which one is expected to complete audiobook work, presuming one must do the editing to produce the finished hour of audio? I realize it will vary due to length of the book, but is there some standard window of time per unit that is typically used? Or is it all totally negotiable per project based on time constraints on both sides? Feedback on this would help me know whether I am overblowing my concerns and hesitating unnecessarily Shocked

, or not.

Jen
_________________
jen@jengosnell.com
https://www.jengosnell.com
Skype: jen.gosnell
971.258.2448

Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 1:59 am Post subject:

Rognog · Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 8:51 am Post subject:

Donna · Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 8:52 am Post subject:

1. I've missed you guys!
2. Very interesting thread here -- thanks Kafer for putting it out there.
3. No snark registering here in the heartland.
4. Will you listen to my demo? Wink

_________________
Dangerous.

Donna Postel
donnapostel.com
donna@donnapostel.com

whalewtchr · Posted: Fri Mar 04, 2011 6:41 pm Post subject:

Depthpersuasion · Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 10:39 am Post subject:

Thanks, for these, Jeff. Helpful they are; and as Deidre stated, snark-free.

Good talent should present equally, ethically strong business.

See'ya on the other side.

DP
_________________
Richard D. Hall
http://RichardDHallVoiceActor.com

Adam Verner · Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2011 7:35 am Post subject:

Speaking of hiring audio book narrators through Voices.com...saw this post for a job today: