Input needed! Audiobook listeners! And you, too!

[rolanni]

Have you always wanted to ask an audiobook narrator a question?  Curious about details of their work, the background that prepared them to be narrators, the favorite ice cream flavor of audiobook narrators?  Now is your chance!

If you have a general question about the process, or a specific question for a specific narrator, I'd love it if you would post your question(s) here.  Steve and I will doing special interviews with each of the narrators of the Liaden books and we'll try to incorporate as many of your questions as we can.

Small print:  Courteous questions only, of course; we cannot promise that we will use your question, particularly, or even all the questions posted.  Thank you for your understanding and your interest.

Once again, the narrators are!

Crystal Soldier, Crystal Dragon, Balance of Trade:  Kevin Collins

Local Custom, Scout's Progress, Mouse and Dragon:  Bernadette Dunne

Agent of Change, Conflict of Honors, Carpe Diem, Plan B, I Dare:  Andy Caploe

Fledgling, Saltation, Ghost Ship, Dragon Ship:  Eileen Stevens

Comments

Different voices for different characters

[setauuta.livejournal.com]

So cool! I'm an audiobook junkie, so I appreciate you giving me the chance to ask something I've always wanted to know. I've noticed that most narrators use a different voice when reading dialog by different characters, and I always wondered how the narrator keeps the different voices straight, especially when there are a bunch of different characters? Do they keep some sort of notes, or do sort of a baseline recording of what each character sounds like so they can refer back to it?

Thanks again!

[roseaponi.livejournal.com]

I'm wondering if a female narrator ever does a first-person POV story of a man, or vice versa... Is any special training required, or can you break in with patience and a flair for the dramatic? :)

[amm-me.livejournal.com]

Ditto the question about keeping multiple characters' "voices" straight. That's the feature of good readings I am awed by.

Also, do you read the book multiple times in preparation, concentrating on different things? What do you have to study?

[(Anonymous)]

Several have already taken my first question - how do narrators keep the voices straight - so here's a different one. Is there any difference in the way the narrators prepare for or perform books in different genres? I notice that all four have done books in multiple genres: mystery, science fiction/fantasy, & paranormal, for example. And how often - or have they ever - had to laugh when they get to the really funny bits??

Mary in MN

many questions from an audiobook junkie

[maiaarts.livejournal.com]

I have often wondered about how women deal with reading male characters, and how men deal with reading female characters. Does it not matter, due to the character preparation? Or do they really have to work harder to find the "voice" for the opposite sex?
How long can it really take to read the book, before the editing occurs? Do narrator's usually have a chance to ask the authors about how a character should be read?
How does one become a professional narrator? Were they all actor's first, or did they find their way into it a different way?

narrators

[catherine ives (from livejournal.com)]

An expert on audiobooks told me a while back that a narrator must have a professional voice....an actor would be best although I remember you saying that Michael Shanks wasn't up to the task for one of the Liaden books. So I don't know where that leaves us. Good luck,
C.

Re: narrators

[elbales]

Didn't Mr. Shanks's problem crop up because he had no Weird Words list? Or have I totally misremembered that story?

Re: narrators

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Indeed, Mr. Shanks' difficulty arose from the fact that the pronunciation list did not reach his hands.

He also did confess in an interview, after the book was done, that he had been very uncomfortable reading the sex scenes outloud.

Re: narrators

[elbales]

Oh dear. Poor guy. Actually, I'd be in the same boat.

audiobooks

[(Anonymous)]

Is it more fun to do a single reader, one reader for male voices and one for female voices or a full cast?

[libraryofalexa.livejournal.com]

How do you decide how a character sounds? Do you read the whole book or just a little bit to decide on the voice? Also, how long does it usually take to record an hour of book (since I doubt it actually takes only an hour)?