How'd I Get Here?

I get asked a lot now, "How did you get into doing Audiobooks"? Honestly, it was kind of on accident thanks to my husband. I've been in Customer Service for roughly 19 years now (what?) and was told very often that I have a very calming, soothing voice.

Fast forward to December 2018 and I'm looking for a way to earn a little extra money on the side. I searched a bunch of different websites to try to find one that I could utilize my voice somehow. However, the voice acting sites were EXTREMELY overwhelming for someone with ZERO production knowledge.

In comes my husband who is a huge Audible fan. He mentioned maybe doing an audiobook. So it was back to Google to find out how to do that and the rest is history. I found a website, ACX.com, YouTube'd how to edit audio recordings, put up a sample, and auditioned for a few books.

I was floored when I received a response back less than 24 hours after my audition. It was a short 30 minute meditation that took me the ENITIRE week to produce (Mainly because I had no clue what I was doing). But alas, I learned so much and produced a quality piece that the author was really pleased with.

Since then I have produced 14 Audiobooks, with more currently in progress! I'll be honest, I have not received an offer on every book I've auditioned for; I have not had every offer go smoothly; There have been times I've questioned the validity (more on that later). But for the most part, I have really enjoyed working on these books with the authors and publishers. I love when they give me the freedom to make it my own with the music or background choice. I love feeling like a composer setting the script to the right music with the right timing.

There are a few tips and lessons I've learned along the way which I will share in a series of posts to come. I will share one here that has helped me immensely. Build a great relationship with the author or publisher, be professional and courteous and really understand their vision. This has lead to multiple book deals (including a series of 53 currently in progress) with the same author or publisher. While this won't happen with each offer, its definitely a great bonus when it does!

So this is how I got to where I am now. Am I a pro? Nope! I'm learning new tips and tricks everyday. Am I having fun? YES, which I believe is the most important part. After all, the saying goes, "Love what you do and you'll never work a day in your life", right? Couldn't agree more!

Gretchen