The Audiobook Podcast

Welcome back to The Audiobook Podcast!

This month’s episode delves into an online audio proofing software that has been innovating the audiobook industry - Pozotron. 

Adam Fritz, CEO of Pozotron, joins Justine to break down how it all works, how narrators can make the most of this tool, the role of AI in the audiobook industry, and what exciting future developments the company has in store for us. 

Square Sound have integrated Pozotron into our workflow and it has made a huge difference to the efficiency of our workflow and improved the stability and consistency in the way we proof check content for publishers and authors. As Adam has coined, Pozotron aids to “stop pickups before they happen”.

We hope you enjoy this month’s episode! 

You can reach out to Adam and the team at [email protected] 

The latest episode of the Audiobook Podcast, Justine and Abbe discuss a slightly more serious topic on performance anxiety.  In the audiobook industry, “Booth Fright” (as opposed to Stage Fright) is experienced by many actors despite the lack of admission around it. 

Abbe and Justine also discuss how pervasive a phenomenon this is and some ways narrators can counteract those feelings of doubt, and the negative voice that chats in your head. 

As a voice over coach, Abbe speaks on how she guides students through this, Justine gives the director’s perspective on how you can direct someone when they’re experiencing “Booth Fright”. 

If you want to dive deeper, there’s a lot of great literature speaking on this topic.

Check out the following articles and resources:

https://www.schoolofvoiceover.com/talent-resources/reducing-performance-anxiety-how-to-de-stress/
https://www.centerforvocalhealth.com/blog/stage-fright-vocal-muscles

https://edgestudio.com/taming-stage-fright/
https://www.nethervoice.com/overcoming-performance-anxiety/

https://www.sarasecora.com/resources/2021/7/15/pzi8ngb0v8ipg3txs8a3ss3mioci7e

https://voiceovercoach.com.au/7-things-voice-actors-should-never-worry-about/

https://www.voiceoverxtra.com/article.htm?id=RA2RTA4F

https://www.voiceactorwebsites.com/i-am-anxiety/

Welcome back to another episode of the Audiobook Podcast! Today, Justine and Abbe are joined in conversation with Les Horovitz, voice actor and audiobook narrator.

It’s never too late to follow your passions. Les Horovitz worked in accounting and finance for almost 30 years, when he made the switch to becoming a professional voice over artist and audiobook narrator, with now 30 over titles to his name! We chat to him about his unique journey, insights on the industry and tips he has for aspiring narrators. 

The conversation opens up into the benefits of getting professional training and the craft of voice acting and audiobook narration, as well as a deep dive into pivotal steps that projected Les’s career, and more voice over advise with Abbe Holmes!

Find out more about Les at leshorovitz.com

Voice Over Coaching inquiries, you can reach Abbe at [email protected] 

Episode 25 explores the vital role of audiobook’s unsung heroes - the Proof Editors, also known as Quality Control (QC). After the audiobook recording phase is complete, and before it reaches your ears, the proof editors step in to begin the process of listening through the entire book.

Joining us from her home in LA, Anthea Greco, Australian Voice Actor, audiobook narrator and proof editor, chats to Justine and Abbe about her journey to audiobooks and the QC process. We cover how this role operates, common errors proofers are listening out for, and as always, some fun tidbits along the way! Casting a light on a lesser known (but extremely vital) role in the audiobook industry. 

We hope you enjoy our latest episode!

“Talking books”, since their inception, have always had accessibility in mind. But just how much of this carries on in today’s world of audiobook production?

Andrew Furlong and Robert De Graauw from Vision Australia sit down with Justine Sloane-Lees to discuss accessibility in the audiobook industry, and give us an insight into Vision Australia’s Talking Books production process - from a breakdown of the innovative DAISY system, to editing, casting and narration.

Highlighting the crucial work of organisations such as Vision Australia in this space, this month’s episode 24  is a must-listen!

In this episode, join Justine Sloane-Lees and Abbe Holmes, as they deep dive into the genre of non-fiction and discuss the boost in production of non-fiction titles in audio, examples of the different types of non-fiction and the unique circumstances and elements that can accompany this sort of genre.  

We also touch on the importance of directing and casting, specifically, what makes for a good narration of a non-fiction audiobook? How does one’s performance differ when working with non-fiction as opposed to fiction? (Hint: never underestimate the power of the PAUSE) 

Sharing fun anecdotes along the way, highlighting some of the memorable non-fiction titles they’ve had the pleasure working on. We hope you enjoy our latest episode! Please like, comment and share! 

In Episode 22 Justine Sloane-Lees has a good yarn with Australian-born Audiobook Director and Narrator, Olivia McKenzie-Smith. Starting with her early career as an actor in Australia and America and how she found her neiche in the audiobook industry in America.  

Olivia shares her process, Australian Vs American English, how her dual roles compliment one another, what is the go to authoritative pronunciation guide, and what lengths a director will go to, to get a word pronunciation correct! 

They also touch on what goes into preparation of series books and how essential having a broader general knowledge is key in this work.   

We hope you enjoy our latest episode and please like, comment and share with someone who cares!

In conversation with Andrew Hansen And Jessica Roberts, creators of Bab Sharkey and Director, Yen Nguyen.

This husband and wife duo have penned the hilarious middle-grade series  for readers aged 8+ who love humorous texts with songs and heaps of jokes. 

SquareSound directed and produced 4 audio stories and layered with SFX and music to create an experience into the world of Bab Sharkey.

In the discussion we touch on studio and author process, and have a few laughs and share some snippets along the way.

The Audiobook Series can be found via WaveSound Audio or at any good online audiobook store.

Who’s Who in the Studio? 
We'd like to clear some things up around the job roles that go into making a successful audiobook.  Job titles can be tossed around often without a clear sense of what exactly each person does. 
Until just a few years ago there were just a handful of studios that specialised in recording audiobooks in Australia but now many home and professional studio have stepped into the industry most without a clear sense of what actually goes into the preparation and production nor who's who in the studio.
This episode Justine Sloane-Lees is in discussion with Ryan D'Sylva and Yen Nguyen who are part of the team here at SquareSound.

In Episode 19 , Justine Sloane-Lees has an open conversation with David Tredinnick, an awarded narrator of audiobooks, having narrated more than 150 titles. David is a pro when it comes to undersatnding period voices, so we touch on this, as well as the journey of his audiobook career and what hacks his picked up along the way. Then David turns the questions back onto Justine about her perspective on a few things. Enjoy!

Noted in the podcast, audiobooks with a difference.
Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy is a great example of a full cast dramatization with narration by the author.
2017 Man Booker Prize winner Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders, which used a cast of twenty high-profile performers to realize some of the 166 characters in the book. And from a more journalistic bent, the audiobook of Malcolm Gladwell's Talking to Strangers, narrated by him, contains extracts from interviews he's recorded, which has seen the audiobook outstrip the print edition in sales.