With programs like Audible, the world of audiobooks has expanded into a wider market. Far gone are the days where listening to your books was considered "cheating" or "not really reading." I for one, get most of my books in by listening to audiobooks, and I actually tend to prefer them over traditional reading. For one, it's more convenient. I can listen in the car on my way to work or while I'm out doing errands. For another, it's more fun. I like hearing someone do the characters' voices and convey the emotions of the scene. I feel no different in the way I imagine the story unfolding in my head, and it's easier on my eyes as a plus. So, for this month's Google search, I decided to delve into what does and does not makes a good audiobook narrator.
The Right Voice for the Right Book
Having the right kind of voice for the book being narrated is key. If the book is a romance novel coming from the viewpoint of a young Southern woman, you probably wouldn't want a scratchy voiced, middle-aged man with a Bronx accent reading it to you, however skilled he may be. Making sure the narrator's voice pitch, tone, and accent fits the story is the most important aspect in audiobook creation. Also, it is important that the voice is clear, easy to listen to, and without mispronunciations or stumbling. That can take you out of the story quickly.
Dialogue and Accents
Being able to do dialogue is very important to any audiobook. There needs to be a key distinction between characters' voices so as not to confuse the listener on who is talking. If a man is narrating a book and must do a woman's voice, he should soften his own while he is speaking her part. If it's a woman doing a man's part, she must lower hers. When a narrator is good at this, you hardly notice you are hearing the opposite gender speak for the character. Being able to do passable accents is also important. I recently listened to a book (which shall remain unnamed) where the main character was Australian, yet the narrator only went into the accent a few times and it became confusing and irritating. Narrators should be able to hold certain accents and speaking styles throughout the book so the character can be properly conveyed.
Read it Like You're There
There is nothing worse than listening to an exciting, heart-pounding action scene being read by a flat, monotone voice. Narrators should read the story as if they are part of it. Emotion should be expressed even when no character is talking. The build up of emotions during a particularly intense or action packed scene should be obvious in the narrator's tone. If the characters are exploring a haunted house, I don't expect the narrator to sound chipper, I expect a sense of dread and foreboding to make the book come to life.
Quality Control
Most professional voice artists have the proper equipment and editing prowess to successfully create an audiobook, but there are some instances where you are listening to one, and then hear feedback on the mic, have one section that is too quiet, or you hear the narrator clear their throat before a line. This is distracting and can take away from the overall mood of the story. It's important that narrators listen back to their work to check for mistakes like this.
All of this is important to me when it comes to selecting an audiobook narrator for my own work, and it also influences whether or not I am going to listen to one. Just as the wrong actor can ruin a movie, If I don't like the narrator's voice, it's going to be pretty hard for me to get into the story. Audiobooks are sort of a happy medium between TV and books. Though there is still some controversy in the literary world as to whether it constitutes "real" reading, I believe that no matter how you choose to take in an author's story, it is no less valid than another person's way.
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