When I finished my last audio book I sighed a huge sigh of relief. It’s called “Economy, Society, and History” and this book is a transcript of a number of lectures given by Hans-Hermann Hoppe. Hoppe is a conservative German-American economist.
I am by no means a conservative person. You might say that I lean very much left-wing, but that never stopped me from exploring other ways of thinking. I’m also Jewish, but that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in Buddhism, Christianity, or Islam.
To be honest, I think it’s one of the many blessings of being an audio book narrator, that we get to explore different worlds, characters, and ways of thinking. As long as the book I’m working on is well-written, I enjoy the journey.
So, why did I sigh this huge sigh of relief? Well, it turns out that it took me quite a bit of energy to make content that wasn’t particularly thrilling to me, kind of exciting to the listener. I felt like a tour guide who didn’t really care about all the sites he was paid to talk about, but who had to put on a show to entertain the group he was leading.
Was I being disingenuous? A fake?
In a way, yes. But a very sincere faker.
I happen to believe that as a storyteller you have to be a model to your listener. If you want the listener to be excited, you have to get excited first. If you want the listener to feel sadness, you have to lead the listener to that emotion…. without overdoing it.
You see, if you become overly dramatic, you turn the focus on the narration, instead of on the narrative.
As an audio book narrator there is one golden rule:
It is never about you.
We serve the words on the page and the intentions of the author.
One of the things that puts me off as I listen to certain audio books, is the impression that the narrator seems to be very much in love with him- or herself. It’s almost an act of vocal masturbation.
Good storytellers make you focus on the story. You almost forget that they are there. Not so good storytellers make you focus on their performance.
This also happens in music, by the way. Self-involved performers are not a conduit, but a distraction.
Audiobook narration is an act of altruism, not of narcissism.
A great American college football coach was once asked what was the secret to recruiting players. His answer “Sincerity. Once you can fake that, you’ve got it made!”
It’s also called “truthful lying.”
I completely agree with this blog post. My best compliments when doing audiobook narration are: I loved the story, or I forgot I was listening to you and got lost in the character. Thank you for the reminder. cheers.
You’re most welcome, Ray. And congrats on the compliments!
I really love this!
“Good storytellers make you focus on the story. You almost forget that they are there.”
That’s probably the best description of what a good voiceactor is supposed to do that I’ve ever seen! A true golden nugget!
That’s one of the reasons I tend to avoid celebrities who are hired to narrate famous novels. I don’t hear the story. I hear a famous actor being a famous actor.
It’s the same with narrated television programs. The really good narrators, like Peter Coyote, pretty much disappear as they tell the story. While watching well-narrated documentaries, I’ll often notice halfway through that I’m absorbing the information coming out of the speakers without noticing that someone is actually speaking to me. It’s almost like osmosis. The narrator’s voice carries the information in a compelling way without calling attention to the voice and performance itself. Alexander Scourby’s National Geographic narrations were like that. Even though he had such a distinctive voice and delivery, his performance never overshadowed the material he was narrating. Thanks for reminding us that it isn’t about us, Paul!
Thank you for those great examples, Drew. Of course, in television, the moving images always steal the show. We just talk over them, hence the term “voice over.” We serve the show. We don’t star in it.
Excellent point, sir! Yes, the images do divide our attention between the visual and auditory, so that’s part of the reason why a narrator’s performance, even when it’s drawing attention to itself, does not stand out that much. I should have mentioned that. Recording a novel, though, really puts the narrator’s performance under full scrutiny. You’re basically vocally…naked. Oh, my. As George Takei might say. 🙂
True, Paul. One of my most cherished reviews was from my mother. She was listening to one of my audiobooks and told me: “It was excellent, and I forgot it was YOU reading to me!”
That’s gold, Ann. You’ll always remember and cherish that comment.
Bucket List #78: Read a blog with the words “vocal masturbation” in it.
CHECK!! Yessssss.
Some people are truly in love with their voice, and it shows. I did all these consults once upon a time, and it would truly creep me out how disingenuous and pretend some of these people were – all they knew was how to try to sound like a DJ in every day conversation. I can only imagine them ordering food in the drive-through that way…making love to their wife that way…teaching their children manners that way…playing fetch with their dog that way. EW!
Thanks for the great reminder to be authentic, my authentic friend. PS, you make the best Left-Wing Christian-Islamic Jewish Buddhist I have EVER seen.
I always try to bait my readers with something juicy. I’ve become so good at it, some call me the “master baiter.”
Oh my. I do believe this is where I blush.