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An Interview With Professional Audiobook Narrator Emily Beresford

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“Perennial” is one of dozens of novels narrated by Emily Beresford.

If you haven’t heard, the audiobook industry is booming. Sales have jumped by double digits in recent years. People listen to audiobooks while doing everything from commuting to cleaning the house. Many argue that audiobooks are the ultimate multitasking tool – you can “read” a book while doing virtually anything else.

Given the growing popularity of audiobooks, I asked professional audiobook narrator Emily Beresford fifteen questions about her career. As you’ll see, her thoughtful responses reflect the deep love she has for her work.

We covered a lot of ground in her field (from poutine to Pink Floyd!), but if we missed something you’d like to know more about, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll pass it on to Emily.

And before I forget, a huge thank-you to Emily for taking time out of her busy schedule to do this interview!

1) First off, how did you become an audiobook narrator? Was this a job you purposely pursued or did it happen another way?

I kind of fell into it actually. When I moved back to West Michigan after living in Vermont for over 10 years, I got a job proofing audiobooks with a small producer, Terrestrial Media. Eventually I was trained to edit and master the audio (all of the behind the scenes stuff!), and the more I listened and learned about the industry, the more I wanted to try reading.

One day Terrestrial needed a last minute voice for a short story so I recorded a short, fell in love with it, and decided this was my calling. My background is not in acting, but as an English, Creative Writing and Music Major. I have always had a great relationship with the written word so it ended up being a perfect match for me as a career.

2) Tell us about your typical workday.

One thing I love is that every day is different. I suppose typically I spend several hours in a teeny tiny room, alone with a book and my microphone. If I am recording with a publisher, I get to share a closed off part of a room with a director and engineer. Just like in any other job, I take short breaks, and a longer lunch break before getting back to it. When my voice becomes strained or tired, I have to call it a day.

3) Do you work from a home studio or commute?

It depends who I’m recording for. I have a home studio that I do the majority of my work in. If I’m recording for Brilliance Audio, who hired me for Perennial, I have a short commute to work in their studio with their awesome engineers and directors.

4) How many sessions does it take to complete a book?

That depends entirely on the book itself. In the audiobook world we talk in finished hours. It takes me roughly 3 studio hours to produce 1 finished hour of audio (including recording, editing, and mastering; not including prepping or proofing). If there are foreign languages that I have to learn to speak in a book, it can take much longer and more takes to get pronunciations correct.

5) How many hours per day do you actually read from the book you’ve been hired to narrate?

In my home studio, I try to read (record) for at least 4 hours per day. In a publisher’s studio, sessions can last up to 7-8 hours. Then I try to do more prepping (reading through and researching anything, getting to know characters, accents, etc) for my next project during the evening.

6) Are there multiple takes involved? What happens when you mess up?

Sometimes there are an obscene amount of takes! For most mess-ups I just record right over them. There are a few gems worth keeping for giggles in a separate folder. Someday I’ll put together a blooper reel of my favorites.

7) Do you have to take a lot of breaks? What happens if you get a cold or other illness that affects your voice?

If I am fighting a cold and have a tight deadline, I definitely baby my voice and take lots of breaks. Hot water with lemon and honey is my go to drink to ease my voice. If I have a flexible deadline, I just take a day or two off to not do any damage or have extra strain. When my voice gets tired, I call it a day. It can really come through in the recording when a narrator pushes the limits of their voice just to complete a project, not to mention do more damage in the long run.

8) How long does a typical project last for you?

If I have shorter projects I try to do two a week. For the longer ones I take a whole week to complete. I try not to start a new project before the weekend, as I don’t like to take days off in the middle of recording, if I can help it. If it’s a really long book, I will record right through the weekend until I have it finished in most cases.

9) Do you use different voices for each of the characters and/or a different one for the general narration of the story? If so, do you get guidance from the author or someone else about how to choose the voices? Is there a director who helps make sure each voice remains consistent throughout the book?

One of my favorite things about being a narrator is getting to personify characters through the author’s writing. I have always been one of those people who after reading a book then seeing the movie, gets really upset if a character is different than how I played them in my head while reading.

If the author wants to give input, that’s great, they created the character after all, but I will almost always play the character how I perceive their writing portrays them. In every sentence of dialogue for a certain character, I become them in my head (my “movie” I imagine while reading) so it comes out through the narration. As far as characterization, narrators prefer having artistic freedom to give the best, most organic performance possible.

10) Do you ever hear from readers/listeners regarding your voice and reading style? If so, what types of comments do they offer?

I could take pages to answer this question! I have a growing fan base, which is awesome. There will always be people who hate the way you read, interpret, or generally exist. For some insane reason, the haters always stick out in your mind. That’s why, no matter your profession, personality, lifestyle, or anything, you have got to concentrate on the constructive criticisms, and people who truly appreciate you and what you do.

I used to really dwell on negative reviews. Now I try to take only professional reviewers to heart, keeping in mind that even the greats like Simon Vance and Dick Hill have had their share of negative reactions. It took a LONG time, but my skin has grown thick.

11) Do you enjoy every book you narrate? Along that same line, do you get to choose the books you want to read and refuse books you don’t like?

You have to enjoy every book you narrate, or at least sell the fact that you do! We all have our favorite genres. Even if I’m not loving a book, I keep in mind that I am doing what I love, and that helps me find love in the pages, because the author genuinely put love into the book.

I am now at a point in my career where I can choose what I narrate. It was not always like that, however. It’s a wonderful feeling. I actually try to not turn much down, as I like to narrate pretty much whatever I can get my eyes on. I am booked comfortably into next year, so it’s nice to pick and choose what to fill in my extra work time with.

12) Can you talk about some of the successes and challenges you’ve encountered as an audiobook narrator?

The greatest successes for me are recording a book where the author falls in love with their writing all over again. The same thing with a listener who has read the book before, but felt it was all new while listening. That means I’m doing my job well.

I would have to say the same thing for the challenges. It’s quite a responsibility to have a piece of art an author has spent possibly multiple years of their life on, that you get to interpret to thousands of listeners. It can impact how people view not only your work but also the author’s writing and the message they want to convey through their words. That’s why I love what I do so much!

13) What advice do you have for people who want to become audiobook narrators?

Do your research! It’s definitely not as “easy” as people think. There is way more to it than just reading a book. There are several videos on YouTube that fellow narrators have recorded to warn people of this. They are worth checking out if you are seriously considering this profession!

14) If you had to choose your dream book to narrate, what book would it be and why?

I would say not so much a specific book as a type of main character, anything with a strong-willed, snarky, completely kick-ass female heroine. That is my favorite type of character to become a few hours a day. It also makes for awesome dreams at night!

15) You’re stranded somewhere, forever alone, but you can have one novel, music from only one band/artist, and an endless supply of the food of your choice. What are your selections and why?

Great question, Ryan!

I would have to say The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien as it was originally intended (as one novel). Is that cheating?! Ha-ha. I would want something to transport me to another world so I could keep my active imagination fully satiated.

My band would hands down be Pink Floyd. Their music spans so many genres and they have many songs that are great adventures on their own.

Food is a tough one for me. I am a lover of all things food. The survivalist in me screams something smart like avocado, which I love. The fat-loving calorie hoarder in me says poutine. I Guess I’d have to go with the poutine. Delicious! Now I’m starving.

If you would like more information on Emily Beresford’s audiobook narration work, visit her Amazon page here. Follow her on Twitter @emily_beresford and Facebook – Emily Beresford Narrator.

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All of Ryan Potter’s books , including Perennial (audiobook format awesomely narrated by Emily Beresford), are available on Amazon.


Filed under: Amazon Publishing, Books, Careers, Interviews, Novels, Perennial, Publishing, Reading, Skyscape Tagged: Amazon, audiobooks, books, Brilliance Audio, Emily Beresford, novels, Perennial, reading

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