Finding the Perfect Audiobook Narrator
Writing a novel is one challenge, but then what about creating an audiobook version? When you first start out, the process can feel overwhelming. There are so many choices to make. Sometimes, decisions are made for you. As a Melbourne-based author, ‘exclusive’ distribution with Audible wasn’t an option for me because ACX is only available in the US, UK, Canada, and Ireland, so I was happy to go ‘wide’ with Findaway Voices. So far, so good.
Then there’s the question—should you perform the narration yourself? I gave it a try, recorded myself reading the first chapter, listened back, and…what a great lesson in humility! I’m not a trained actor and I knew after the first minute, there’s a big difference between reading a bedtime story, and pulling off a 10-hour production for an epic YA fantasy novel teeming with characters. So, I set off on the most important and time-consuming journey of all—finding the ‘perfect’ voice for Jemma and the Raven. Here is a conversation between me and my narrator about how this audiobook came together.
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Kim Heron: I’ve always been curious to know—how did you find me?
B. D. Reeves: That’s a question I’m often asked: ‘How did you find your audiobook narrator?’ In retrospect, I’m tempted to say it was fate, the stars aligning, the universe answering my call for the perfect voice to bring the world of Jemma and the Raven alive. It certainly feels like that when you have finally found your narrator! But at the beginning, it involved hours of trawling the internet and listening to almost endless audio samples. I quickly learned that it was important to narrow the parameters. I knew I wanted a female narrator because the book has a female protagonist. Jemma and the Raven has an epic cast of characters, so I also needed someone who was good at character voices. For nationality, I thought an English accent would work best for this book. And then, there’s the feel of the narration itself—is this a voice that will carry the story? Is it a voice that a listener could get lost in? As soon as I heard your voice, I felt an immediate sense of all these stars aligning. So, there you have it—the universe did answer my call!
Now I’m curious to ask—as a narrator, how do you know when a project is right for you? What attracted you to the story of Jemma and the Raven?
KH: I think for me it’s a fairly intuitive decision. Does the writing feel right when I’m reading it? I also consider whether the overall ethos of the project aligns with my own. I love stories with strong female protagonists and Jemma definitely embodies that fantastically, so it felt like a no-brainer to tell her story. Also, I don’t think I’ve told you this, but when I was a teenager we had a pet raven. Her name was Bessie; my dad found her as a baby having fallen out of her nest. My dad had a strong connection to ravens (something to do with shamanic healing practice) and so took her in. She was clever, fierce, and good at stealing cutlery from your hands! I have, ever since, had a fondness for ravens, and I loved the character of Edgar in the book, so this was another reason why Jemma and the Raven felt ‘meant for me.’
BDR: What a great story about Bessie-the-raven! It seems there is so much going on in the background before the narration even begins. What are your first steps in preparing yourself to narrate a long work of fiction?
KH: First, I read the book aloud to myself trying out different accents for the characters and seeing which ones feel best. While doing this I write a list of characters that I will need to voice. Reading the whole book beforehand is obviously crucial, you learn so much about characters throughout their journey, so your initial ideas about what they might sound like could have completely changed by the end of the book. This initial read also gives me an idea of the overall arch of the story, the peaks, troughs, and areas of building tension. I then record characters’ voices to share with the author/producer and have creative conversations about whether they are a good fit.
BDR: I found the process of discussing the characters and experimenting with their voices both exciting and daunting. As an author, you ‘hear’ the characters in your imagination as you write the book and they almost become as vivid to you as a real person you have known for many years. But for me, trying to communicate this to someone else was difficult! Partly because I’m not much of an actor, but also, I think the process of externalizing a character is very different. You were certainly very patient with me when I was giving my thoughts and feedback on prototypes. For example, one of the character voices we took the longest to settle on was Edgar’s (the Raven). I learned that I had to let go of some of my internal imaginings and be open to other interpretations.
What is this part of the process like from the point of view of a narrator? And how do you sustain these voices across the whole narration?
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KH: It is a bit daunting at the beginning, hoping that ideas for characters will align with an author’s. But also, those initial discussions can be really helpful for understanding the nuances of characters. I definitely felt that our conversations about Edgar helped me to find his softer side. As you said, he is the heart of the book in many ways. In terms of coming up with character voices and accents, a lot of my decisions/ideas are quite intuitive. I try them in a few different voices and however the words ring true is what I go with. It seems to work! There’s also an element of trying to create characters that are distinguishable from each other. To maintain consistency, I find keeping audio files on hand, especially of the less prominent characters, very helpful as I can refer back to them quickly to make sure they are consistent.
BDR: One thing I appreciated in your narration was the way you understood the characters’ emotional connections and experiences and really brought them to life. One of my favorite scenes in your narration is probably towards the end of Chapter 16, when Edgar and Jemma are curled up together in the cabin of a boat, surrounded by darkness and danger, and Edgar reveals his back story, what he has sacrificed for her. It’s a very tender, heart-felt scene and I feel you really did it justice. How do you establish these deeper connections with characters?
KH: Yes, I adored that scene too, the love, loyalty, and connection that Jemma and Edgar have for each other in a very moving way. I enjoyed voicing Pico Camillo (one of the ‘helper’ characters). I imagined him a bit like David Attenborough whose voice I (and I’m sure many others) consider to be synonymous with wisdom, curiosity, and kindness. The sort of man we would all like to have as a grandfather. I found one of the most challenging characters to voice was Arlen—another one of Jemma’s ‘found friends’ who is shy and vulnerable, yet brave. I hope I have managed to voice his words with truth and integrity. I enjoyed the scenes on the Tern boat, where the character Raddahkin helps Jemma to understand her powers. I lived on boats on the canals of England for many years, so there was something familiar about those scenes for me.
BDR: In terms of the technical side of things, I know there are pretty stringent audio criteria for platforms such as Findaway Voices and Audible. How do you manage the quality control side of audiobook narration?
KH: Yes, the audio criteria is very strict. Having a good audio kit and a studio with a very low background noise level is really important, and then there is loads to learn from YouTube videos to get it right. ACX have a great tool on their website where you can upload files to make sure they pass the criteria, so I use that regularly.
BDR: Finally, what advice would you give to authors and narrators who are about to embark on an audiobook production together?
KH: I think those initial creative chats are really crucial. It’s important to come to an agreement about character voices and any other important aspects of the book before going into the full narration. Once those things are decided, it’s time for the author to trust the narrator to bring the whole book to life. It must be very nerve-racking to hand over your creative baby like that!
BDR: It’s nerve-racking but also very exciting when you feel that trust and ‘let go,’ awaiting what is to come. I think if Jemma and Edgar could speak from the page, they would thank you for finding their voices. It’s been a great pleasure working with you!
KH: It has been a true honor to tell the story of Jemma and the Raven. I hope that listeners and readers enjoy it as much as I have and I’m very excited to find out what happens with them next! It’s been a pleasure working with you too!
Check out the Audibook version of Jemma and the Raven here:
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