Do you have a favorite audiobook? A book that really resonated with you? How about one that you talk about with your family or friends? I've narrated a lot of audiobooks and I've learned something from just about every one (I narrate mostly non-fiction, so I'm always learning something new). But one book stands out because it not only resonates with me, but for each and every one of my students. Unqualified Success: Bridging the Gap from Where You Are Today to Where You Want

How's the quality of your audio? What benchmarks do you use to measure your quality? If you're a budding voice artist and you're doing your best to create professional sounding recordings, it's helpful to know what benchmarks you should be using to measure your quality. This article from Voice123 addresses a few key points: VoiceTalks Are you a member of Voice123? Online casting sites can be a great place to have access to many auditioning opportunities. Early in my career I

Are you an audiobook narrator? Have you produces titles for ACX? How was your experience meeting their submission standards? For many narrators/producers, uploading files to ACX can be the most nerve-wracking part of the whole process of producing an audiobook. Recently, ACX rolled out an audio analysis tool to help all of us. The way it works is simple. After you upload an audio file, the analyzer will check the file. If you pass, it will let you know. And if you don't, it w

If you're an audiobook narrator and you've ever worked with ACX, you know the feeling of uploading your files and then waiting...waiting...waiting to see if your files meet ACX submission guidelines. You might feel like you're almost done with your audiobook project when you hit "upload" and "I'm done." But you know as well as I do that sometimes you have corrections to make and sometimes your audio files don't meet ACX submission guidelines. Well, there's good news on the ho

Did you watch the Academy Awards? Even if you didn't, you've probably heard all the scuttle about the show going on without a host. Turns outs, most people were really quite happy with the host-less show. I know I was. Everything seemed to move along quite nicely. And who can we credit for that? A voice artist! Randy Thomas, America's premiere female voice artist has hosted the show for 10 years! That alone is an incredible feat. But she also held the entire show together.

What is Voice Over as compared to Dubbing? When I think of voice overs, I think of voicing radio and TV commercials, or eLearning modules, or Audiobooks, or web videos. These are very common form of voice over that voice artists are hired to record every day. But have you ever heard of dubbing and it is really a form of voice over? Dubbing is language replacement and requires many of the same skills (and many different ones) than traditional voice over work. Dubbing is used w

What is IVR?

VACATION! Everybody needs one now and then. And thankfully, I just got back from one. I don't care what type of job you have, the regular 9-5 corporate gig or a work-from-home job, while you're away at the beach or hiking a mountain, you have to think about work at least a little bit. The voice over business is no different than any other business, in that you always want to be thinking about the best interests of your clients. And if that means working your tail off before l

Just about any business you start, whether it’s home-based or not, will have some start-up costs. Whether it’s equipment, training, or products and materials. When it comes to having a voice over business, we’re lucky because there’s one thing that you absolutely need and you can get it for free. It’s your audio editing software! While there are many, many choices of software, or DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), and you can spend all the money you want on some of them, you ca

How do you know if you can be successful in the world of voice overs? There's one definite way to improve your chances...you have to try! You have zero chance of success if you sit on the sidelines and never jump in. In 2011, I jumped in. I got my recording studio set up in my home, I got my equipment set up, I practiced and honed my skills and I started auditioning. Of course, I jumped in...on the side. I didn't leave my full-time job right off the bat. So, when did I know

What's the best way to get started doing voice overs? Well, the answer depends on you. Like any new venture, you'll have things to learn, skills to master and in this case, you'll probably need some new equipment. Many people getting into the field have very little experience with any of this and it will take some time to learn. And that's why one option for getting into voice overs is to learn your new business "on the side" while you continue with whatever else is currently

How's your day going? Would it be better if you go take your dog for a walk, throw a load of laundry in the wash, get dinner ready and be home when the kids get off the bus? It would. Working from home allows you to find your balance, be present for all the important moments and still earn an income. There are many options for working from home, but if you haven't found your niche yet, consider doing voice overs. The voice over world is exploding and there are endless oppor