Always study the script – you can’t wing it with an audiobook. Unless you're the author, it’s very important that you prepare and read the book thoroughly beforehand and check out any tricky pronunciations, as well as conduct any character studies thoroughly in advance. Some experienced narrators read the book first to familiarise themselves with the content before reading it again and marking up a PDF of the book using colour coding for different characters as well as taking notes on pronunciations.
All the best singers warm up before an important recording session and audiobook narrators should be no different. It’s not just the voice you need to warm up but the body, too! Arrive at the recording session with plenty of time for vocal warm-ups and to allow yourself time to become comfortable and feel prepared before getting started.
Here’s an excellent video on vocal warm-ups which starts about 6 minues into this youtube video.
The speed of the read is crucial to the listeners’ experience of the content, and a common problem is to narrate too fast. When starting at Chapter 1 of a long book, it can be very tempting for a narrator to start rushing when they realise just how much you’ve got to get through. You need to narrate slower than you might think– otherwise the listener may be forced to rewind to keep up with the story. Counter intuitively, you will get through the audiobook quicker by taking your time, this will prevent any tripping up or stumbling throughout the read,
Work with your narrator production team to determine a suitable pace for the narration. Practise speaking much slower than you think you need to. Leave short gaps when you think it’s especially important for the listener to absorb what’s just been said. Focus on your enunciation and pronunciation, as this will also help you to pace the read and reduce mouth issues (more on this later). It can also enhance the listener’s experience if you can vary the speed a little where appropriate, to avoid sounding too monotonous.
Here are some great tips from Patrick Fraley on breathing and controlling the speed of your narration.
Many people don’t like to hear their own voice, but as a narrator, you have to make it your business to listen back to practice performances so that you know exactly what the listener is experiencing. Recording and listening back (on a smart phone or device) promotes instant learning, and by practising in advance of the scheduled sessions you can be your own judge. Recording yourself on your phone or any convenient device and listening back critically is the best way to build confidence.
Sight reading is another very important skill for narrators, and is one which also needs to be practised. Reading ahead gives more context to the narration and allows it to flow much better. Again, this is best achieved by recording and listening back – and then being critical.
This useful video includes a helpful ‘reading ahead’ exercise which involves narrating the beginning of a sentence and taking your eyes off the screen to complete it.
It’s important that you always keeps the listener in mind while reading. When you're in the studio with lots of technology and a producer/engineer listening in, it can be easy to forget that you are, in fact, engaged in a performance, and need to sound engaging to the listener.
A helpful tip can be imagining that the person they are telling the story to is sitting across from them. Smiling when narrating, depending on the context of the book in question, can also help to give the content more energy and emotion.
When developing character voices for your first audiobook, you needn’t stray too far from your own speaking voice. Often, a subtle change in pitch can be enough to distinguish characters, and can help to produce a less artificial performance and end result. Work on conceptualising character voices based on the content, but keeping your own natural voice range in mind.
Find more great advice in this video.Ultimately, it’s crucial to make sure you're training for a marathon not a sprint.
It’s important you practise narrating long passages prior to the recording session, so that you're match-fit and can maintain consistency throughout the sessions. Go through all the steps above in the practice stage as much as possible in advance, especially in the week leading up to the recording sessions. Then, when you get to the studio you can feel confident that you've practised and addressed all those pesky technical issues, and can focus solely on what’s really important – the performance!