OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
Podcast: Download (Duration: 29:20 — 6.7MB)
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Jeffrey Kafer is an award-winning voiceover talent and narrator of audiobooks, commercials and characters. He won Best New Voice in the 2008 Voicey Awards and is represented by agents across the US. I am always trying to improve my podcasts, and also love audiobooks, so I asked Jeffrey on the show after we connected on Twitter.
In this podcast, you will learn:
- How Jeffrey was affected by the global financial crisis but has turned it into a new career as a voice talent
- How voice talent is more about acting and performance – make the words come alive!
- Top tip for authors reading their own work – Slow Down. Silence and pauses tell a story too.
- How your characters define how your voice should sound – keeping small audio files to remind you
- Take off the headphones and tell your story
- Forget about how your voice sounds – tell your story and people will listen to that
- Jeffrey's “voice-idol” is Scott Brick who you can find more about here
- Why Jeffrey loves reading audiobooks – his own one-man play!
- The 4:1 ratio – it takes about 4 hours work to produce 1 audiobook hour; so a 10 hour audiobook takes a full 40 hour week
- Software – Adobe Audition 2 or ProTools – but for podcasting Audacity is fine (which is what I use for editing this podcast)
- You can watch Jeffrey read from (perform) an audiobook here – check out the facial expressions!
- If you want to find someone to read your book, then check people's demo reels to make sure their voice is what you want for your book – you can just google ‘voice talent'. The voice is usually the gender of the protagonist.
- Audiobook costing can vary – Jeffrey charges 2c per word for Podiobook authors (which is a great opportunity for authors)
- Using Podiobooks/podcasting as part of building your author brand and marketing campaign
- Why good voice talents don't get in the way of the story, but create a professional product for an author
- Why outsourcing your audiobook recording could be a good idea for many people!
- How using Twitter, blogging and other social networks is a good idea for freelancers
You can find more information and Jeffrey's demo reels at JeffreyKafer.com
Jeffrey is also on Twitter @JeffreyKafer
Excellent podcast. I am always impressed with the production quality of your podcasts. Please consider a blog describing how you record, edit and distribute your interview podcasts.
Cheers
Sam
iNetsynch
Thanks Sam – I will certainly look at doing an overview of podcasting for people who want to do it too.
Thanks, Joanna
Joanna,
I would like to thank you SO very much for all that you have done with The Creative Penn. You have made my journey as an author less complicated. I am always on your site at least 3 times per day and have you in my Google Reader. That’s not stalking…is it? I just love all the information that you give out.
I agree with Sam. Please post how you record, edit and distribute your podcasts. I’ve been wanting to ask you that for some time but I’m getting out of being so shy.
Again, thanks for all the valuable information!
Victoriously Yours,
Brooks J. Young
Twitter: @brooksjyoung
Hi Brooks, Thanks so much for your comment. I am so glad to be helpful! It was always my aim with this site to share my journey and what I have learnt in order to help others avoid the mistakes I make!
I am posting this week on how to podcast – just the basics as I cover the detail in my Author 2.0 course.
You can always post questions there! Thanks so much, Joanna