This is probably the most common question I receive when I tell people I am an audiobook narrator. They always want to know how I got into it, so I thought I’d answer that here!
I’ve been an actor for the past 20+ years. I started acting as a child and did the LA thing for a while as well as a lot of community and school theatre over the years. After moving to Utah, I did some smaller film and theatre projects with a few voice-over things here and there. As the years went on, I became an avid audiobook listener myself and realized that it sounded like SO much fun and it would be a great way to use my acting skills. I was however concerned because I hated my voice! I didn’t think anyone would want to listen to me.
At one point, a neighbor and friend, randomly one evening told me how much she loved my voice! We weren’t talking about voiceovers or anything related, it was just a random compliment she felt compelled to share and it stirred up those feelings of wanting to do audiobooks and it made me think that maybe others would like my voice as well.
So a few years ago, I decided to take some voice-over classes to learn the behind-the-mic technique. I started to build my home studio with some cheap equipment and a blanket fort. I talked to my VO coaches about audiobooks and while VO and Audiobooks differ, there is some crossover, so we explored some options. They put me onto a freelance website called ACX where narrators can put up a profile and audition for books. (warning: ACX is a useful platform but also full of scams….so do your research before joining).
My first two auditions were terrible and I was terrified haha, they sounded so bad when I went back to listen some time later. However, I was approached by an author who asked me to audition and it was for a YA Fantasy which is my fave genre. She ended up loving my voice and booked me for her trilogy and the rest is history! Since then I have completed dozens of audiobooks, and have many repeat clients and new clients coming in all the time.
So here’s my story!
