The Narrator's Blog

When people ask me what it’s like to narrate an audio book, I always give the same answer. It’s the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, but also the most gratifying. I’ve done all kinds of voiceovers for many years, but the skill set needed for audio books is unique. First off, you’re not “announcing” anything; you’re almost not even reading. You’re really telling a story; that’s the mindset you have to get into. If you’ve ever read a bedtime story, you know what I mean. You have to get into your characters’ heads, decide what kind of people they are, and how they would react in specific situations. When you figure out what kind of voice you want to use for a given character, you then have to remember it. Some people use recording devices to help with a certain voice, others merely write down a description. You have to figure out what works best for you. For non-fiction, of course you don’t need an array of voices, but you DO need to sort of act the part of the off-camera “observer.” Almost a reporter. Every audio book brings its own special challenges, but when you’ve finished, and you hold that finished product in your hand, there’s nothing like that feeling.

You’ll find more details at petelarkin.com. You can hear samples Pete’s audio book narration at Audible.com

Pete Larkin Selected Credits: Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, The Last Campaign/Highbridge * The Manual of Detection/Highbridge * Gourmet Rhapsody/Highbridge * A Deepness in the Sky/Macmillan Three Soldiers/Audible The China Strategy–How to Win the New Game of Global Enterprise/Basic Books.

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The discipline of the audiobook… I say ‘discipline’ because it is an art form like no other. There are no real parallels to stage or film work or even radio theatre because of one key fact. The recording artist is the final product. She or he has been charged with the task of taking one artform, an already established published work, and elevating it to a new plane wherein the single voice of the artist digests and renews the focus and aims of the author for an eager listening public. And yet…it is done for one pair of ears at a time.So intimate, so immediate. It is a powerful and sacred trust.

How well do we remember being read to as children?

Being drawn into unknown worlds of fiction by artists with the skills and Endurance to create that bond with the listener over many hours of audio magic, requires acting skills above and beyond what you see on stage and screen. It is a journey fraught with twists and turns, compelling the recording artist to engage every tool in the box to make that journey and its final destination both memorable and meaningful.

And yet, this artform is a collaborative effort. The skills and sensitivities of a good director and engineer combine with a talented artist to bring that audiobook to its rightful place in the pantheon of great recordings that can be enjoyed again and again.

For me, each new audio project is a chance to, once again, ‘connect’ with the listener in that primal way. One pair of ears at a time.

Barbara Rosenblat is one of only a handful of award-winning narrators whose name is as well known to consumers as audio publishers.

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