Blog of Voice Talent Karen Commins

Recent audiobooks

2012-03-27T14:24:00Z

The new year has started off with a burst of audiobook work! I'm excited to report that 2 books I narrated are now available for digital download on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes.

It's Never Too Late To Be What You Might Have Been

This audiobook is actually the perfect title for this exciting, new phase in my life. IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO BE WHAT YOU MIGHT HAVE BEEN by the wonderful storyteller B.J. Gallagher is full of inspiring interviews with people aged 40 and higher who have made dramatic changes in their lives in order to make their dreams come true.

Not only are the stories interesting and inspirational, but each chapter ends with some specific tips for making similar changes in your own life.

Recording this particular book was a gift to me because I benefitted from reading the chapters on wealth and fitness. Chellie Campbell was profiled in the chapter on attaining wealth. Thanks to her list of 50 abundance affirmations, my new mantra is "People just love to give me money!" Since I've started saying it, it seems to be coming true! :)

It's never too late to have the dream career, attain wealth, fall in love, be healthy, and more! This audiobook may be just the right thing to help you start living the life you were meant to lead!

Dixie Divas

What could be more fun and intriguing than a murder mystery that starts with a bowl of chicken and dumplings?

Award-winning and prolific novelist Virginia Brown has cooked up a delicious tale about a close-knit group of Southern women who call themselves the Dixie Divas. The Divas gather for chocolate, conversation, and carrying a dead body around town. If you want to know what else happens at a Divas meeting, you'll just have to hear the book!

I loved the characters and vivid descriptions of their charming Mississippi town. My director and I had to stop recording several times because we cracked up over the dialogue! This audiobook is the perfect companion for your spring break or summer trips when you want to entertained while relaxing by the pool or ocean. At almost 13 hours, it's a terrific audiobook to enjoy on long car trips or while doing housework or walking the dog.

After only 2 weeks for sale, this audiobook is currently the #1 bestseller on Audible in the Chick Lit category! I'm also thrilled and honored that the publisher has asked me to narrate the 2nd and 3rd books in the series. Those titles should be available in early summer.

Speaking of which, it's time to head back into the studio -- the Divas await!

What's holding you back?

2012-03-11T18:00:00Z

This post will be short, but it contains one of the powerful lessons I've learned. It has taken me a long time to realize that my 2 biggest obstacles were mental and of my own doing:

frustration about what I thought I hadn't achieved and my perceived lack of time to achieve it
comparisons to others and jealousy about their success (frustration's wicked twin sibling).

The day job wasn't the obstacle

For years, I blamed my day job for holding me back from achieving the success I wanted in voice-over. Sure, it was difficult to work 2 jobs for 12 years:

It was physically demanding to work a full day and then come home and do marketing, recording, and editing on evenings and weekends to further my voiceover career.

The job itself was mentally draining because I worked for 25 years as an IT specialist who was responsible for the end user hardware and software, computer networks, and email systems. I had a problem-solving job that required constant communication with the customers. This job also occasionally caused me to work late or on weekends, disrupting any other plan.

I wrote on my blog about my feelings of being a secret agent in both the day job and voiceover camps. Note my comment on that post about:

A) how to manage voiceover clients while working full-time, and
B) not letting fear and a scarcity mentality cause you to make bad decisions.

You may be amused at a journal entry about frustration that I included in this blog post. What I didn't say in that post was that I was frustrated because I had the full-time job and felt the time spent there could be better and more enjoyably spent on voiceover marketing and gigs.

Be aware of the Law of Paradoxical Intent

The frustration and comparisons/jealousy are self-defeating attitudes that cause you to feel desperate and set up the Law of Paradoxical Intent in your life. If you only read one of the links I'm providing here, make it this one. It explains how the more desperate you become about achieving your goal, the more you push it away.

I've written several times about the negative effects of comparing yourself to others and ways to stop the insanity:

It's all too easy to make comparisons to other people and then measure your success only on the income you generated in voiceover or the biggest name client that you have. The comparisons only keep you focused on a perceived lack. As Eckhart Tolle beautifully explains in the passage I excerpted in this post, since what you think about expands, focusing on what you think you lack will only ensure that MORE lack will come into your life!

Someone recently left a comment on my blog about their own frustration. My comment back to them is sort of the blueprint I've learned and followed to overcome the frustration and accept my life.

ACCEPTANCE is the key

Acceptance of your life is the key to being in the flow and receiving the good that is yours!

It was only after I accepted my life as it was -- complete with the day job -- in the last several years that things really started to move quickly for me. Part of that acceptance meant that I made conscious and continuous effort to be grateful for all of the many blessings that I received as a result of my day job.

I got a clear sign from the Universe about making the leap to full-time voiceover. I didn't have to force anything to happen. I've found that if I'm forcing the solution, the outcome is not the best that I could have. You have to know that the Universe is always orchestrating the right action in your life.

I can't say that I'm always perfect in maintaining the right attitude. However, my lapses to the dark side are more infrequent and last a much shorter amount of time when they do occur.

What's holding you back? I'd love to get your comments about these thoughts!

Are you looking for a mentor in voiceover?

2012-02-22T16:06:00Z

Just about every week, I receive email from someone who is interested in starting a career in voiceover. Lately, I've noticed that more and more people are writing to me and asking for a mentor to help them get started.

While it's certainly a flattering request, whenever the word mentor is mentioned in an introductory email, I am flooded with a torrent of not-so-kind thoughts:

It's all about their wants and not at all about me.
They haven't read the advice page on my web site. or a single one of my blog articles (2 good places to start would be So you want to get into voiceovers? and Thinking about starting a voiceover career?).
I'm not sure why they think I am the right person to help them.
I don't know why they think I should want to help them.
The person has no clue about what is involved in working as a voice talent.
They want me to tell them everything I know about working in voiceover as quickly as possible.
They expect me to invest my time in furthering their career, with my only form of compensation being my joy in helping them succeed.
They want me to introduce or refer them to my contacts and launch their successful career, similar to how a debutante is presented to society.
They want validation that they are doing the right thing, and all their dreams really will come true.

In short, the word mentor is so loaded with connotations that it makes me want to run in the opposite direction!

Of course, everybody needs help sometimes. It feels good to be able to help someone along the way and make a difference in their lives. I also know first-hand how fantastic it feels to receive key advice from someone whom you admire and respect. However, people are approaching the mentor question way too soon and in the wrong way.

After doing some research, here are 3 things to know about finding a mentor:

1) You first must assess the kind of help that you need.

In his excellent article for the Huffington Post, Steve Blank points out this important distinction between teachers, coaches, and mentors:

If you want to learn a specific subject, find a teacher.
If you want to hone specific skills or reach an exact goal, hire a coach.
If you want to get smarter and better over your career, find someone who cares about you enough to be a mentor [my emphasis].

When newcomers write to me saying they are looking for a mentor, they really should be looking for a teacher.

My friend Bob Souer is one person in the voiceover world who is universally admired and respected. He is an exceptional voice talent who is unfailingly kind and generous to each person he meets. Since I knew he occasionally has chosen to mentor some people, I asked him how and why he decided to become a mentor. He quickly responded and graciously gave me permission to quote him here. His comments illustrate Blank's 3rd point:

The people I've chosen to mentor have each had their own story.

Some have been people with whom I had an established friendship, then (when I saw them struggling and thought I might be able to help) I've offered that help. For a few others, they've approached me with a specific question and after answering that question and after some further conversation, I've chosen to continue the relationship in a mentoring capacity for a season.

Maybe the best way to describe the process for me is that right about the time someone reaches the point that they don't need my help as much, someone else will come along who does. I have no formally established pattern and don't plan to make one.

In the 25+ years that I've been doing voiceovers professionally, I've been offered help more times than I can count. I feel a strong sense of obligation to provide help to others I encounter along the way, who need it.

However, it does very little good to approach me and ask me to be a mentor because I turn down most of the people who ask.

Blank states that "a mentor relationship is a two-way street. To make it work, you have to bring something to the party... [be] "prepared to give as good as you get."

2) You must identify your weaknesses and then research potential mentors in order to determine the person who is best able to provide the help you seek.

Steven K. Scott includes a terrific chapter about recruiting mentors in his book Simple Steps to Impossible Dreams: The 15 Power Secrets of the World's Most Successful People. He gives a detailed, 10-step strategy for identifying and recruiting mentors. The strategy requires that you thoroughly research the potential mentors and be able to pinpoint qualities that you admire. When you approach the person, you will want to be able to explain how you would like to make their admired qualities a part of your life.

Yes, finding a good mentor in the traditional sense can be a very time-consuming proposition. However, you can be mentored by many people in a more passive sense. Often, a voiceover teacher or coach may provide informal and occasional mentoring by listening to a demo or answering questions.

3) You don't have to meet or have a conversation with your mentor(s) in order to learn from them.

This thought may surprise you at first. Scott illustrated this point in a story about a woman who wanted to improve her marriage. She identified family counselor and best-selling author Gary Smalley at the top of her list of perfect mentors:

She recruited him by reading his books and viewing his tapes...Reading Gary's books and viewing his tapes was in some ways even better than meeting with him because she could do them at her own pace, taking as much time as she wanted.

We live in the Information Age. No matter what your interest, at least one on-line forum exists to discuss it. Voice talent can join a plethora of on-line communities dedicated to voice-over, segments of voice work like audiobook narration or character acting, audio engineering, etc. These forums are populated with people having all levels of experience and are great places to sit at the virtual feet of masters.

If sitting at their virtual feet is good, listening to them is even better. Whatever category of voiceover work (audiobooks, video games, cartoons, telephony, documentary, etc.) mosts interests you, you need to be a listener of that category.

In her excellent article The Company You Keep, Barbara Winter points out that you should "study those who have done what you want to do" in order to meet with the greatest success. I had an epiphany when reading her wise words and wrote in my journal:

With that in mind, I realize I need and want to be an active audiobook listener. I think the last one I heard was in Hawaii last year. [I immediately downloaded a book from the library and] will be listening to the phrasing and pauses as much or more than the accent.

I will listen to an audiobook every day...It's another good way to prepare for the audiobook success and constant work that is coming to me.

Since that day in May 2011, I have listened to audiobooks while I walk my dog or swim. I have heard 14 audiobooks and substantial parts of several more. Not only have I been studying and learning from the technical aspects of each narrator and production, but the avid reader in me is thrilled to be even more immersed in books!

Whether you're new to voiceover or have been in the industry for years, I hope these 3 tips will help you find the people who can help you move toward your destiny! I'd love to get your thoughts about the mentors you have had, so please leave a comment on the blog.

Photo: iStockPhoto/Shane O'Brien

To voice Royalty-Share Audiobooks... or not. That is the question.

2012-01-20T18:33:50Z

Many new audiobook publishers are only offering a royalty-share model of payment. In this model, the narrator is not paid anything up front and is instead paid a percentage of royalties based on the sales of the audiobook.

Is a 50-50 split on royalties right for you?

Some people would get irate at the very idea of doing any work without guaranteed payment. They would rant and rave that taking a royalty-share deal makes one a low-baller, someone who is selfishly going to destroy the whole voiceover industry by not charging the appropriate rate.

I've seen these kinds of arguments in on-line voiceover forums so many times, and I'm not looking to start one here! It's my intention to present reasons on both sides of the table to help you make an informed decision.

Many voice talent are understandably reluctant to undertake this kind of work due to the tremendous amount of time required to produce a quality audiobook.

I can think of 4 other big reasons not to accept a royalty-share agreement:

1) The material doesn't interest me.

I am very selective about the scripts I perform, especially when it comes to an audiobook. Since you aren't guaranteed to make any money, the book can truly be considered a labor of love. Still, I want my audiobooks to emphasize the LOVE part and not the LABOR!

Although I didn't know it when I accepted the projects, the first 2 audiobooks I performed were thinly veiled religious sermons. They also contained about 80% dialogue with a lot of "walk-on" characters whose sole purpose was to advance the plot. I truly struggled in my motivation to finish the books.

After those experiences, I know to use the "Look Inside" feature on Amazon to see how the book flows. If the book looks unappealing, it's not worth it to me to spend my time on it, regardless of whether I'm paid per finished hour or on a royalty-share basis.

2) The material is not suited for audio.

Point number 3 in this article will give you an idea of the kinds of books that wouldn't make good audiobooks.

3) The audio publisher has limited distribution methods.

I have accepted royalty-share agreements on ACX.com because Audible.com is the undisputed leader of audiobook distribution. I know my audiobooks will be distributed on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes. I also can have faith in Audible's accounting and payment processes.

I have passed on royalty-share agreements offered by new publishers with no track record.

4) You have responsibility for all of the roles: narrator, audio engineer, producer, director, pronunciation researcher, quality control listener, and marketer. If you can't outsource some of the functions, do you have the time and are you comfortable in performing all of them?

On the other hand, I can also think of 5 good reasons to accept a royalty-share narration:

1) You can create something of permanence that will be enjoyed for years to come.

Not only are the listeners able to enjoy your audiobook, but you may find that you enjoy a recurring, passive income stream from its sales.

2) It's a great way to improve your workflow and become a specialist.

I loved Kym Dakin's article about undertaking some royalty-share projects toward her goal of achieving technical mastery in audio production.

You also can explore new genres to see how well you like the material.

3) Productivity equals success.

According to Lee Tobin McClain in her article The Key to Success: Write More!: Artistic and scientific achievers from Picasso to Da Vinci didn't succeed more, percentage-wise, than other now-unknown creators of their eras; they simply produced more, and thus had more successes.

She goes on to offer 8 ways to increase your productivity. While her tips are aimed at writers, voice talent can extrapolate from them and apply the ideas to our businesses.

For instance, you can build an expectant audience (i.e., a fan base) with a royalty-share book. I actually did this with a book I performed for LibriVox. I've seen reviews of the book and even received fan mail!

4) What you put out in the world comes back to you.

I gave that LibriVox audiobook to the world after reading the advice of Eckhart Tolle. I've decided that I would rather get a commercial credit on a royalty-share audiobook than produce another book for the public domain. I have seen my LibriVox audiobook for sale on eBay, but that point doesn't trouble me.

The commercial credits are important so that I can become an Audible Approved Producer and meet membership requirements for The Recording Academy. Nobody cares how or when I was paid for my commercial credits.

5) You're planting seeds for a future harvest. You never know where the decision will lead.

In his wonderful autobiography Up Till Now, William Shatner wasn't talking about audiobooks when he wrote these compelling words, yet his wisdom about taking risks certainly applies to this situation:

In 1968 Decca Records asked me if I was interested in doing an album. I hesitated, I wasn't a singer -- but then it was pointed out to me that the first note in the musical scale is do...

What I decided to was find a selection of beautiful writing and use that as a lead-in to a song that complemented it...Apparently it was a bit obtuse...for most people....

I'd taken a creative risk. I'd tried to do something unique, something very different. And I'd learned very early in my acting career that you can't improve without taking risks...

Decades later, my debut album "The Transformed Man" would lead directly to one of the most successful commercial ventures of my career -- and another album!...

It turned out that the copywriter on the [Priceline] account, Ernest Lupinacci, was a big fan of my 1968 album "The Transformed Man".

I am absolutely fascinated as I look over my shoulder at my past at how the simplest decisions I've made have had the most complex reactions. A career is a series of connected events. So when I turned down an offer, I wasn't simply rejecting a job and paycheck, I was completely eliminating the possibility that it might lead to something else. When you turn down an opportunity to work, you're also turning down an experience, maybe even an adventure, and a universe of possibilities.

Two footnotes on Shatner's story:

I recommend that you listen to his audiobook rather than read the book. Hearing him tell his story in his often-imitated but imcomparable style is a true pleasure!

That fabulous gig as Priceline's spokesperson is about to end, but it lasted for 14 YEARS! Think how much money he made just from that one enterprise! And he never would have had it if he hadn't taken a risk.

I'm not saying that people shouldn't expect payment up-front for an audiobook. I am simply encouraging you to explore the possibility of narrating a book on a royalty-share agreement. Only you can decide how best to build your business. You may find that doing one or more royalty-share audiobooks is a better building block than you had imagined!

Have you done any audiobooks on royalty-share agreements? I'd love to get your comments on the blog!

Photo: iStockPhoto/LockieCurrie

8 Things I Learned About Voiceover From Ted Williams

2012-01-13T23:42:37Z

At the end of each year, I review my journals to see what I accomplished. In doing this exercise for 2011, I found some comments that I want to share with you.

Just over a year ago, the media was in a feeding frenzy with news about a voiceover talent who seemingly became an overnight success.

You may remember the story of Ted Williams. In one day, he went from being a homeless person to someone who was overwhelmed with lucrative offers from the Cleveland Cavaliers, the NFL, MTV, Kraft, and other companies.

I might have been the only voice talent in America who didn't write publicly about this story at the time, with the exception of this comment I left on fellow voice talent David Houston's blog:

I am sooo glad to see you make the point that we shouldn't spend time worrying about any voiceover career outside of our own!

I haven't commented on anything to do with this story until now. I am amazed at the time and energy that some voice talent have used this week in all the blog posts, forum comments, social media updates, etc. that they have devoted to this one topic.

The reaction in the v-o community has become like the people who sit around and endlessly discuss any TV contest reality show, particularly American Idol.

I choose to put my spare time and energy into the pursuit of my own goals and dreams rather than waste it thinking and talking about those of someone else.

However, I did write about the story in my journal. I was extremely irritated that so many companies wanted to attach their names to the story AFTER Ted's balloon soared. Of course, they all had to send out a press release to tout their benevolence in making offers of voiceover work to Ted.

More importantly, and the reason for this post today, is that my journal entry included 8 positive things I learned from watching the video of Ted and witnessing the reaction:

1. You have to believe in yourself and your talent before anyone else will.

2. You have to ask for what you want.

3. You have to persist and persevere through the bad times.

4. Chance or luck is when preparation meets opportunity.

5. You can't be denied the good things that are meant for you.

6. The power of video is an incredible tool for reaching your prospects.

7. People who are labeled as an overnight success generally have been working diligently for years to achieve their new success.

8. You can't sit on your past accomplishments and expect to continue receiving offers.

Although celebrated voiceover coach Marice Tobias did not mention Ted Williams in her recent blog entry titled Moving Forward, her words seem like a fitting postscript to this entry:

Good grief.

Enough railing about the business. It is what it is.

Concentrate on what you can actually do something about.

Your delivery.

Too many reads just don't hit the mark. Make sure what you are turning in will indeed stop people in their tracks.

5 Quick Tips for Following Your Dreams

2011-12-13T02:42:00Z

Every script I've voiced, from the shortest audition to the longest audiobook...

Every call I've made...

Every email I've sent...

Every postcard I've mailed...

Every marketing campaign I've devised...

Every web site I've launched...

Every blog post I've written...

Every social media update I've made...

Every voiceover class or conference in which I've participated...

Every professional association meeting that I've attended...

...occurred while I worked a demanding, 40-hour-and-sometimes-more-a-week job.

After 12 years of concurrently working in a full-time job and a part-time voiceover business, it's time for a change.

I'm thrilled to announce that I was offered an early retirement from my day job and will be doing voiceover work full-time beginning 1 January 2012! YAY!!

However, as excited as I am to start a wonderful new phase in my life, this post isn't about me and my career plans. It's about you.

I want to encourage you to follow your dreams and give you 5 quick tips to help you do it.

1) Make a list of what you WANT.

A list helps you stay focused and fight discouragement. It also is the foundation to manifesting your desires. If you don't know what you want, how do you expect to get it?

If you don't do anything else, I advise you to RUN, do not walk, to buy the IT WORKS booklet and then follow Brad Jensen's extensive, amazing, and generous advice about using it.

As an example from my life, I made a list with attributes that I wanted in a job, like a certain income level, the ability to do voiceover work, and a private office with a door and window. I deliberately made the attributes a little more generic so that the list would cover my day job and my voiceover business. I reviewed this list frequently and added criteria over time, especially as I checked off attributes that were met.

Your results when working your list probably will turn out better than you could imagine. When I wrote that I wanted a private office with a door and window, I envisioned an office cubicle facing a window with tall walls on the other 3 sides. Of course, I would still be able to hear everyone around me in an open office concept.

What I got, though, was the ability to work in my gorgeous home office, which happens to have a solid wood door and 2 windows. It also has a TV, an iPod stereo, and a reasonable proximity to the refrigerator downstairs.

In another example, I wrote a new life list in September and included the fact that I want to be contracted at least once a month to voice an audiobook. I faithfully have reviewed my list, taken the actions suggested by the creative genie, and received 3 audiobook contracts since then, almost as if on schedule!

2) Think about WHY you want it.

I worked for the IRS for over 30 years. I always knew that I was trading short-term creativity and gratification for long-term security.

However, having the day job didn't mean I should put my dreams on hold....and neither should you.

So many people say things like "I'll travel when I'm retired" or "I'll start that business once the kids are out of school."

If it's your calling -- as voiceover is to me -- you want and need to do it to feed your soul. The only moment you know you have is this one, so why not be doing something because it makes you happy?

Yes, working full-time for an employer and part-time as an entrepreneur has its challenges. I would say it's a challenge to pursue any calling when you don't have unlimited time, money, and opportunity for it. The joy you get in pursuing your passion spills over into every other aspect of your life. Note that every passion does not lead to a career choice.

Also, since I mentioned the day job, let me just reiterate that having one can bankroll many of your dreams. You just have to change your perspective about it and know why you do what you do.

Knowing why you want something also helps you to prioritize the time, money, and opportunities that you have.

3) Don't think about HOW you're going to fulfill your dreams.

If you read any material on the Law of Attraction, the first thing you learn is to forget the HOWs. The forces of the Universe will conspire to bring about the changes you want when the time is right.

The only HOW to remember is this HOWEVER -- the root word of Attraction is ACT. You can't just think things and have them come true. You have to do your part to take ACTION. The forces of the Universe need your consistent thought and action, or no change is possible.

By constantly thinking of what you want and why you want it, the actions you need to take will be revealed to you over time.

4) Find a role model, and follow in their footsteps.

At the beginning of this article, I listed 10 things I consistently did for 12 years to build my voiceover business while still employed at a full-time job. I'm not saying I'm a role model, but think about it this way: If I did it, so can you.

Whatever your dream is, chances are good that someone else has done it. We live in the Information Age, with much of the world's knowledge just a few keystrokes away. You can read about success stories and get ideas to advance your own dream.

5) Help other people achieve their dreams.

Your reality is the mirror of the thoughts and words you've been saying and the actions you've been taking.

To paraphrase Wayne Dyer, if you only focus on what you want, you're essentially saying to the Universe "gimme, gimme, gimme". The Universe then mirrors that line back to you, making you feel that you are, using Dyer's words, always striving and never arriving.

On the other hand, if your thoughts, words, and actions are saying "how may I serve?", the Universe mirrors that line back to you.

What you put out in the world comes back to you, in a way and from a source that you probably wouldn't expect. If you are giving of time, attention, energy, and money to help other people, those things will come back to you.

As an example of this logic, a big reason that I write this blog is because I have a true desire to help other people. Because I write this blog, the Universe has sent that help back to me in the form of clients who find me because of my blog.

Retiring over 4 years early from my day job and working as a full-time voice talent is definitely a dream come true! And yes....it was actually on my list!

Have you started writing your list? I'd love to get your comments on the blog!

Photo: iStockPhoto/ErikReis

Has the competition got you down?

2011-10-15T13:47:00Z

To compare is to despair.

I saw this quote in Bonnie Gillespie's recent column about competition and was thinking about it this morning after I found myself feeling that I could do so oh so much more to further my voiceover career.

Some voiceover colleagues seem to be on every social media site and practically living their lives online. Some people write multiple blogs. Others are producing podcasts and videos at a dizzying pace.

I have been a competitive person all of my life, first in school with grades, and then in the work place for projects and recognition. When I look at the wide array of activities in which some voice talent engage, it's easy to think I need to be just as productive and do the same things in order to stay competitive.

However, my corollary to Bonnie's statement is: To compete is to deplete.

Years ago, when I worked as a computer network administrator, the organization considered one of my coworkers to be the ultimate authority on server configurations. No matter what this man did, how rudely he treated others, or how his system changes might negatively impact the users, the organization always praised and rewarded him.

I didn't understand at the time that competing with him simply by trying to copy his actions was not the path to success.

For instance, he avidly devoured Microsoft Technet articles, discussion boards, and every computer magazine he could find. He read on the job and every night at home.

I felt compelled to read the same stuff in my evenings. I felt extremely competitive with him and wanted to stay at his level. He criticized the rest of us when we didn't know about a technical topic.

I hated spending my spare time that way. What's more, these competitive actions added to my feelings of being overly stressed and under appreciated in my organization. It was a competition that I could never win and one I really didn't want to enter.

I realized later that he read that material because computer networks were his passion. While I was extremely adept at my job, it was never my passion. I have never regretted leaving information technology positions for my true love of voiceover and communications.

All of the recent attention on Steve Jobs has made me feel a bit like I am not realizing my true potential. It's easy to think that I haven't done anything to change the world.

However, that's not true. I have changed the world just by being in it. No one sees things the way I do or does things exactly as I do.

I have changed the world with the hundreds of recordings I've created for clients and in public service. I know that people have watched videos and e-learning projects where I was the one telling them the information they needed to know. I know people have enjoyed listening to me narrate short stories and audiobooks. Sometimes, I'm even privileged to receive their kind words of praise about my work.

I have changed the world every time I helped someone physically, emotionally, and financially.

I have changed the world every time I thought and spoke positive, affirming words to and about myself and others. In fact, I've often thought of myself as an advocate for people who could not or would not speak for themselves.

My impact on the world may not be on the grand scale of Steve Jobs. My output in voiceover-related activities may not be as numerous or frequent as some of my peers.

But, you know what? That's OKAY. I am living a joyous, fulfilled life.

If you ever feel inadequate and think you need to compete with others as a result, remember these wise words from Steve Jobs:

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life.

Don't be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people's thinking.

Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice.

And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.

They somehow already know what you truly want to become.

Everything else is secondary.

Karen's 5 Tips to Combat Clutter Before it Kills Your Career

2011-09-27T17:00:00Z

Do you ever watch the TV show Hoarders? It's about people who have let their houses become completely overrun with STUFF. The hoarding is usually caused by some sort of traumatic loss, like a death of a loved one, a painful divorce, or children leaving the nest.

For 6 weeks during August and September, Drew and I sort of learned how hoarders live while our old kitchen died and a new one was brought to life. I also learned a few things about clutter from the show and from our experience that I want to share with you before clutter kills your voiceover career.

Before our contractors could gut the kitchen (you didn't really think we were doing it ourselves, did you?), we had to empty the kitchen cabinets. All of that stuff had to be stored somewhere, and most of it landed on the floor in the living room. Some of it went in the hall bathroom, like drinking straws, dog food, and our printer and network components.

During a recent remodeling project, stuff from the kitchen cabinets was stacked

everywhere in Atlanta voice talent Karen Commins' living room.

Our house was designed with a dining room next to the kitchen, with a shared doorway between the 2 rooms. Since we use the dining room for the music room, we decided we wanted to enclose that shared doorway to give us more counter space in the kitchen.

Of course, this decision meant that the music room would also need to have new sheetrock and paint. We evacuated my harp and some other fragile things from the music room and stored much of them in -- you guessed it -- my voiceover recording studio.

People on the TV show always say they feel overwhelmed by the clutter. They frequently go shopping to temporarily relieve those feelings of overwhelm and despair. Naturally, the items they buy only add to the clutter when they get home, and thus perpetuate the cycle.

The hoarders often say that they can't do something they dream about doing because of the clutter. How can you really concentrate on furthering a dream when you have a pile of clutter in front of you, silently demanding that you do something about it before you tackle anything else? Clutter causes people to give up on their dreams before they even start.

in the past 2 months, Drew and I had to alter our routines and work harder just to do the simplest things. We constantly found ourselves looking for something we needed. Even though we had carefully placed our kitchen items neatly on the floor, we still had to look in boxes and step over things to get what we wanted.

The true hoarders always seem to have a variety of health problems. They are literally suffocating in their stuff. At a minimum, clutter can cause stress; at its worst, it can cause illness or even death.

I haven't seen a true hoarder's house except on TV. However, I have been in some horrendously messy, dirty offices in my professional life.

In my former job as a computer network administrator, I hated the times that I had to install something new or change out equipment due to the condition of the cubicles and offices. I didn't want to touch anything! People often piled papers and empty coffee cups in their cubicles and offices. Every surface was snowed under in a messy blizzard of paper, and old, stinky shoes and newspapers often lined the floor. I wondered if they lived that way at home. I also wondered how they ever got any work done.

The harp, an antique lamp, the music stand, and many other fragile things from

the music room found a temporary home in the recording studio.

I still can't answer the first question, but I have a better guess about the second one. Clutter zaps your mental energy and steals your creativity. It's really hard to get anything done at all, much less done well, with clutter blocking your path.

While the stuff from the music room was sitting in the studio, I was very disinclined to go in there for anything but necessary voiceover work. Working on my laptop in the living room wasn't any better because of the mound of stuff there. Blog posts, recordings for LibriVox service projects, a podcast series I'm developing, some follow-up marketing, a video I'd like to produce, even many auditions -- all these projects subconsciously went on hold until the kitchen renovation was done.

My extreme clutter was temporary, and thankfully, order, beauty, and calmness have been restored to my house. However, the fight against clutter is an on-going one, so here are 5 tips and tactics I use to combat it:

1) Determine your vision for your life and figure out how each space supports that vision.

I learned this powerful tip from professional organizer, TV star, and best-selling author Peter Walsh. He says that each room should have its own function and limits. Until you know these attributes, you can't really define what clutter is to you.

For instance, my studio serves a single function. If I'm in there, I'm doing something creative related to my voiceover career. I'm not paying bills, chit-chatting with friends on the phone, surfing Facebook, or designing scrapbook pages. My harp and the other stuff from my music room, while certainly beautiful and functional, did not further my vision for my studio. These pieces are treasures in my music room, but they felt like clutter when they were in my studio.

2) Adopt the motto A place for everything, and everything in its place.

This point is never more important than when you are faced with a life event such as job change, marriage, new child, divorce, or death. In those instances, you can expect LOTS of things to come into your house in a very short period of time. Since the life event brings stress with it, you have to be vigilant that clutter does not take root. If it does, it becomes a constant reminder of the stress from the event.

The key is to make immediate decisions about where each item will be stored, and then PUT IT THERE!

3) Ask yourself the hard questions, both for things you have and things you want to buy.

What is your attachment to this thing? I've seen Peter Walsh work wonders with people over this question as it's important to understand emotions that cause us to have clutter. It's okay to have things because they remind you of a loved one or some special time. You have to realize, though, that the thing and the memory are entirely separate. Sometimes you can part with the thing, but you will always have the memory.
When is the last time you used it? If you haven't used it in more than a year, you might think about getting rid of it.
What is your plan for it? Saying "I might need it someday" is not a good answer and is a sure sign that you should consider letting it go.
If you actually use it and have a plan for it, is this the best place for it to live, or should it be somewhere else? We found stuff in the kitchen that needed to be (and now is) stored in the garage or in the office files. In truth, we also found stuff that needed to be (and now is) in the trash, like addresses for our wedding invitations!

4) Don't accept stuff from other people just because they want to get it out of their house.

My in-laws are notorious in giving us things every time we go over there. Drew's mother usually wants to load us up with magazines that she wants returned, and his dad frequently gave Drew tools that Drew didn't need. None of this stuff needs to be in our house! Even in seemingly harmless instances like these, we have to make conscious decisions every day about everything that comes in our door.

5) Give yourself permission to sell, donate, or throw away anything that doesn't fit your vision for your space.

We frequently donate items to charities. We also post ads on Craigslist to give things away. For instance, you may not believe this, but I gave away the Auralex pyramid studio foam I used when I recorded in my walk-in closet.

When we've posted ads for free things on Craigslist, people respond immediately -- like within 10 minutes! People who are picking up a freebie are usually eager to come and get it, so Craigslist ads are a fast, easy way to declutter.

Your outer environment is a reflection of your inner thoughts. Is your environment orderly and serene, or chaotic and confused? Since your action follows your thoughts, a cluttered space can kill your voiceover career, while a clear space causes you to reach new heights!

Do you see any connection between clutter and voiceover success? I'd love to get your comments on the blog!

Authors: Want to Create Audiobooks of Your Books?

2011-08-31T21:00:00Z

In May, I wrote about Audible's launch of the Audiobook Creation Exchange, or ACX.com. Audible, the leading company in downloadable audiobooks, created the site because they determined their listeners are voracious readers, and the demand for new audiobooks continues to increase. Currently,only about 5% of books are made into audiobooks. Since ACX is open to authors, I thought a narrator's perspective might help you decide whether to list your title on ACX for audiobook production.

ACX is a marvelous tool to help you exploit the audio rights to your book, especially since the audiobooks will be distributed on Audible, iTunes, and Amazon. However, you should be aware that all books are not suitable for audio. You'll want to consider these factors when deciding to create an audiobook of your book:

1. The 2010 Audio Publishers Association (APA) Consumer Study shows that audiobook listeners are very likely to be doing something else while listening to the book: driving or traveling, housecleaning, creating crafts, exercising, or working on the computer.

2. The Consumer Survey also showed that most people would not buy both the print and audio versions of a book. Any kind of interaction that is needed with the physical book in order to understand the content probably is not a good choice for an audiobook.

Some info could be provided as additional download material, such as illustrations in a PDF document. Still, you can't assume that the listener has a device with a display or that they will take the time to download or view the additional material on their computer.

3. Some printed content just doesn't translate well to audio. A narrator would be challenged to do justice to material that relies on visual aspects like photographs. This kind of material could be a turn-off to the listeners. Examples include:

Questionnaires with a point scale or essay questions -- Many personal development books contain assessments and quizzes that need to be worked on paper.
Statistical graphs
Textbooks with problems to solve

One of the ACX FAQs lists other types of books that would not make good audiobooks.

4. Audiobook narrators read your book as it is written. You may need to make some changes in the text to make it more friendly to the ear, which keeps the listener in the moment. For instance, if your printed book says "you're reading this book", you might change the verb to be "you're listening to this book."

Assuming your book is a good fit for audio, you next have to decide whether to narrate it yourself or hire a professional voice talent to narrate it for you. ACX has a wonderful FAQ for authors who want to narrate their books.

I wouldn't presume to advise you on this important decision. Instead, I'd like to direct your attention to this great discussion about authors as narrators on AudiobookCommunity.com. Pros and cons are listed for many genres, with a preference for authors as narrators on autobiographies or books written by comedians. An important comment in the thread is "how is the book best served?"

More often than not, you may decide that the book is best served by hiring a professional narrator. If you take this route, here are 4 more pieces of advice for the casting process on ACX:

5. You can query for a particular narrator's name, like "Karen Commins", or for certain narrator characteristics, like accent, genre, and pay rate. After you listen to the narrators' samples, you can contact a narrator directly. For your easy reference, here's the link to my ACX narrator profile.

6. You can post your title for auditions. In this case, narrators will record a short segment of text that you specify. You could pick a section with conversations or straight narrative text. It's a good idea to establish a cut-off date for auditions in your mind. Otherwise, you could receive a staggering number of auditions in a short period of time.

7. You might get more auditions if you post your project as a pay-for-performance rather than a royalty-share title. While a royalty agreement is highly attractive to an author, many narrators are reluctant to enter into a royalties-only deal because the narrator bears all of the risk.

Past experience taught me that I need to narrate a book that I love. I won't voice any kind of project just for the money, but I am even more selective about audiobook gigs. Audiobook narration tends to equate to a much lower hourly rate than narrations for corporate videos or e-learning projects.

As a narrator and producer, I would be spending a large amount of time with the book -- at least 5 hours for every finished hour of narration. Therefore, a book with a finished time of 10 hours requires 50 or more hours for me to research, record, and edit the recording. For a full explanation of the time needed for audiobook preparation and production, I refer you to this article.

Given the time involved to narrate and produce an audiobook, I would consider a royalty deal if I'm passionate about the book and want to promote its message in the world. The narration can be its own reward in those instances.

8. Pick a narrator whose vocal qualities best match the way you hear your book in your head. Just as all books are not suitable as audiobooks, all voices are not suited to read the same material. Wanna hear what I mean? Read this article titled Read Me a Story Brad Pitt: When audiobook casting goes terribly wrong.

I look forward to your comments the blog. If you do decide to post your book on ACX, let me know. I just might audition for it!

9/1/11 edited to correct typo

3 pieces of email marketing research

2011-07-19T14:30:00Z

When I wrote the article 5 pieces of e-mail marketing advice, I was referring to those times when you send a personal message rather than a general newsletter to your voiceover clients and prospects.

As you might expect, an e-mail newsletter has its own considerations. Since newsletters can be a great way to unobtrusively remind people that I am a voice talent, I have just started publishing a monthly newsletter. I want to share 3 things I learned in this process in case you want to create one, too.

1. Automated software is a must.

Lately, I've been hearing radio ads from ConstantContact -- yes, RADIO ads about email marketing! I've also been seeing banner ads for multiple email solutions on numerous other sites. Email marketing systems have obviously become a big business since people continue to have success in using email as part of their marketing plan.

You could send mail to your list using your own database and email client like Outlook. Another, more popular approach is to upload your database to an on-line service. Since on-line email services are so prevalent and offer an array of built-in features including templates and tracked statistics, it makes a lot of sense to use one if your finances can accommodate it. You can try the systems at no cost for a limited time or number of users in order to decide the best one for you.

Here's some research that may help you decide which one to use.

Earlier in the year, I saw a question in a LinkedIn group in which the participants were asked for pros and cons about email marketing systems. An assistant started compiling the results for me and got through 254 of the hundreds of responses. I had no idea so many email systems exist! If you're interested, here's the full list from those 254 comments.

Of the 84 companies found in those first 254 responses, the top 5 companies, representing 73% of the total votes in my list, were:

ConstantContact 41 votes

iContact 23 votes

MailChimp 22 votes

AWeber 18 votes

MyEmma 11 votes

Aside from this list, you can do a Google search and quickly find a chart like this one that compares numerous features across multiple systems.

2. Permission-based marketing is a BIG deal. A VERY BIG DEAL.

You've probably noticed that most emails from companies include a link to unsubscribe to mailings. That feature is mandated in the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003.

Beyond that law, though, people have extremely strong feelings about being added to mailings without their permission. In fact, adding someone to your mailing list without asking them first is quite the polarizing issue.

I can make this assertion after reading questions about creating mailing lists in multiple LinkedIn forums. Each time, the question elicited extremely passionate responses. I decided to create a LinkedIn Poll in which I asked the question:

"When is it okay with you if someone adds

your e-mail address to their e-mail newsletter?"

I offered several choices for answers:

You're connected on LinkedIn or other sites
They gave you their business card
You have exchanged e-mail messages
All of the above
None of the above -- they need permission

Of the 14 respondents, 9 voted NONE OF THE ABOVE, with ALL OF THE ABOVE being the choice of the other 5 participants.

The comments on the poll page linked above and in a similar question I asked in 2008 when I first considered a newsletter give you a good snapshot of opinions on both sides.

I decided to use iContact for my newsletter host, and I felt they went overboard on ensuring that you have permission to send the message to each contact. You have to click a checkbox in several places to validate that you have the reader's permission.

Here's what happened to me when I set up my contact list in the system:

I removed from my database a number of voiceover clients that I've dropped and prospects with whom I hadn't established a relationship. In some cases, I had been out of touch with a person for 2-3 years, so I removed their names, too.
I uploaded my list of solid contacts from my stand-alone database.
I couldn't add a name to my iContact mailing until the person confirms I have their permission, so I decided to let my contacts confirm their mailing addresses could be added to the newsletter list before sending them the newsletter.
iContact made me initial that I could contact the person even when I was sending the pre-addition confirmation letter! That's a Catch-22 if ever there was one!

3. Timing is [not] everything.

Voice talent live by the clock. Radio and tv ads need to be 15, 30, or 60 seconds. Agents need auditions at a certain time, and clients expect a fast-turnaround for recordings.

Email has its own timing. I've read that the best time to send your message is on a Tuesday morning. I planned for my first issue of Success Leaves Tracks to be distributed on Tuesday, 5 July.

The only problem was that I didn't realize that I was going to hit the permission-based wall.

I thought I could add my database during the July 4th holiday weekend and have the newsletter appear in mailboxes when people returned to work on Tuesday. Nope. I needed their permission. I ended up sending out the "please confirm it's okay to mail to you" messages on Friday, 1 July.

Let's just say that I didn't get quite the enthusiastic response I had hoped for!

In hindsight, I wouldn't have sent my confirmation notices on any Friday, particularly one before a holiday weekend! I'm sure that many people deleted the message and moved on, which limits my potential to send them messages through iContact.

Even though my timing in setting up the database could have been better, I'm confident that the newsletter will find the right audience. After all, in the words of Buddha:

An idea that is developed and put into action
is more important than an idea that exists only as an idea.

If you're planning to start or are already publishing a newsletter for your voiceover business, please leave a comment on the blog!

Launch of "Success Leaves Tracks" Newsletter

2011-07-05T13:00:00Z

For years, I have wanted to produce a newsletter as a gentle way to keep in touch with clients and prospects. When I started writing this blog 5 years ago, I thought it might take the place of a newsletter. However, I see now that my voiceover business can benefit from both tools.

This blog focuses primarily on topics dealing with voiceover, audiobooks, and marketing. Many of the articles are prompted from specific questions that I receive about working as a voice talent. I also have started a discussion board on Facebook where people may wish to pose these kinds of questions.

Long-time subscribers of this blog probably know that I draw inspiration from reading lots of biographies. I often find myself repeating things I've read while in meaningful conversation with people who are looking to make positive changes in their lives. I didn't want to change the focus of my blog, but I still wanted some way to share inspirational stories with others.

I wasn't sure that a newsletter would fit the bill. Most marketers would probably say that the purpose of a newsletter is to keep readers informed about your product and services. To me, this viewpoint seems self-indulgent when marketing myself and my services as a voice talent. Just as I don't fill my blog with entries about my voiceover projects, I don't want to create a newsletter with that kind of content, either.

Instead, I want to offer something that people would want to read, something they would actually look forward to receiving each month, like they did when I sent postcards in the mail.

You see, I would would highlight a successful, famous person who had nothing to do with voiceover. I loved picking a person and doing some research about them. Then, I would write about their accomplishments and include some of their best quotations on the postcard. People actually called and emailed me to tell me they appreciated the mailing. I stopped the postcard mailings due to the ever-increasing printing and postage costs associated with mailing to a large database.

I don't know why it took me so long, but the lightbulb finally went on -- why not publish a monthly newsletter using the same general idea so that it serves as a virtual postcard?!

And so I am, starting with the inaugural issue of Success Leaves Tracks, to be published today.

In addition to a short biography, the newsletter will include a Success Track that may help you on your path to success. If it sounds interesting to you, I invite you to sign up for the mailing list from my Facebook page. If you don't receive the July issue, you'll be able to find it in the newsletter archives.

Now that I've told you about my newsletter, my next post will provide some info I learned that may be useful to you if you intend to include a newsletter in your marketing mix.

Simple math about audiobook rates

2011-06-13T23:00:00Z

My email inbox continues to provide fodder for blog articles. Last week, someone sent me this question:

I've been asked to record a 200 page audiobook. I'm not in a union or guild. I do have some voiceover experience. What do you recommend I charge?

Original Answer

While the question you asked seems simple, the answer requires more explanation, as found in this blog post and the one from Paul Strikwerda linked within it.

As basic info, you need to know the WORD count, not the page count, of the book you would narrate. You can figure out the finished run-time based on the word count. For instance, Audible uses an average rate of speed of 155 words a minute, or 9300 words per finished hour.

Paul's article shows you a formula to calculate finished time. My article shows you how to calculate the real time required for editing to produce the book. As Paul points out in his comment to my article, you also need to add time for preliminary research.

You'll have to consider all of these factors about the time commitment along with your experience, relationship with the client, training, and studio equipment to determine a rate that is fair compensation. Small publishers only pay $50-100 per finished hour. I would only perform an audiobook at that very low rate if I wanted to build commercial credits.

I hope these thoughts are helpful. Best wishes for your continued success!

PS. I have just started a discussion board on my Facebook page. Would you be comfortable if I re-posted this Q&A in that venue? Other people could benefit from the discussion and chime in with their own good suggestions.

New Answer (WARNING: MATH IS INVOLVED!)

Apparently, I overwhelmed this person with good information that would require her to actually do some research because she re-posted her question on a voiceover forum within an hour of receiving my reply.

Here's the simple mathematical formula for solving this problem:

1. Divide the word count of the book by your rate of speech per hour to get the number of finished hours. If you don't know your rate of speech, Audible uses 9400 words per hour, or 157 words per minute, in its calculation for books posted on ACX.

2. Multiply the number of finished hours by 6. This number is a very conservative estimate of the number of real-time hours you will spend in preparing to read (pre-reading the book, looking up pronunciations, etc.), recording, editing, and transmitting your book. For instance, a 10-hour book may require 60 hours of your life from the time you read the first word until the last byte is uploaded or mailed to the client.

3. Multiply the real-time hours by the hourly rate of pay you need to survive. Chances are very good that you will come up with a pay rate for this audiobook that is $1000s MORE than your client wishes to pay. You have to decide how to negotiate a rate acceptable to both of you.

Even with this formula in hand, you still will want to research current audiobook rates. Just enter "audiobook rates" into Google, and you'll get a wealth of information. If you want tips for negotiating a higher price, check out my article Cruising for a competitive advantage.

Once you know the amount of time you'll invest in the project and the amount of money you need to get for your time, you'll know whether to accept an audiobook project. For instance, I would voice a royalty-share book only if I were passionate about the topic and had the time available for the project. It's always good to be working and gaining credits if your survival needs are being met.

If you have more thoughts on this topic, I'd love to get your comments on the blog! If you have questions on other topics related to voiceover, marketing, or just living your best life, I invite you to post them on my new Facebook discussion board.

Photo: iStockPhoto.com/STEVECOLEccs

updated 9/1/11 to change Audible's word count per hour from 9300 to 9400

Creating promo videos with public domain components part 2

2011-06-06T15:00:00Z

Yesterday, I posted part 1 of this topic, in which up-and-coming voiceover talent Linda Velwest asked about the legalities of using images that she found on-line within the audiobook trailer she wanted to create. Even though she is only using her trailer for promotional purposes, she might not be able to use images and music found on-line due to the owners' copyrights.

As promised, today's entry is the rest of the story. In addition to seeing her terrific audiobook trailer created with public domain components, you can benefit from Linda's list of sites of public domain images and music.

Hi Karen,

Thanks for your note. When I started working on the video, I just started looking up pictures on the internet. Then I got concerned about stealing other people's work and I got a little obsessed about stealing! You were very clear in your blog that you wanted other people to think about doing the same thing you did, but I was all paranoid!

So, here it is!

I found a lot of resources for public domain pictures and pictures where it is very clear how to contact the person who has rights to them and what you need to do if you want to use them:

http://www.recherchephoto.com

http://www.fundraw.com/browse/public-domain-photos.html

http://www.vintagepixels.com/

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_page

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Public_domain_image_resources

http://creativecommons.org/

The music I got from: http://www.best-otr.com/

You can certainly share my emails on your blog - it would be an honor. Thanks again for your inspiration.

Linda Velwest

As Linda pointed out, finding images and music that are truly in the public domain and free of copyright restriction can be a tricky matter. Cornell University has created a very helpful Copyright Information Center which can help you navigate the copyright maze. In particular, this comprehensive chart lists dates that will help you figure out if something is in the public domain.

With so much material available in the public domain, I'm sure that more voice talent will create our own promotional videos instead of only narrating them for others! I'd love to hear from you if you have created or plan to create a promotional video using elements in the public domain, so leave your comments and video links on the blog!

Creating promo videos with public domain components part 1

2011-06-05T15:13:00Z

Recently, I had a wonderful e-mail exchange with up-and-coming voice artist Linda Velwest about creating a promotional video. Linda kindly gave me permission to repost her messages here on the blog so that others can benefit from this discussion.

Hi Karen,

I've been following your blog and I've been voluteering at librivox. My name there is lindavw. I just finished recording my first solo project and I'm waiting for it to be PL'd. I saw the trailer you made for your Alaska book and it inspired me to think about doing one for the book I just did! I hope you don't mind me stealing your idea! It's a good one.

The book I read is a short YA book from the 1930's about these girls who are in college and their adventures during their sophomore year. I was going to make a video with me talking about the book, maybe taking some lines from the book, and having a slideshow of colleges and college students from that time as the visual on the video.

I looked up on the internet and found a bunch of pictures of college students from that era. I found some great pictures from a variety of sources - some college handbooks that have pictures of their history, some pictures of movie starts of the time, some cool old pictures I also looked up the legality of using pictures in a video. And I'm kind of confused so I was hoping you could answer my questions or point me in the direction of sources that can.

I am not a voice actress at this time. I'm taking classes, getting coaching and practicing all the time. But I've never actually been paid for anything. If I do make this video, I'll post it around and use it as a way to promote myself and get my name out there. But I have no intention of getting paid anything for the book or the video.

I think of it like a school project where I'm preparing to enter the workforce by dong things as similar to how a professional would do it as possible. I don't want to do anything illegal or unethical and I don't know what the boundaries are.

Thanks for your inspiration and any help you can give me.

Linda Velwest

Here's my response, with some formatting and highlighting added for readability.

Greetings, Linda! Thanks so much for the nice note; you made my day! I love the line in your last paragraph about preparing to enter the workforce. So many people dash off the question to me "I have been told I have a nice voice. How do I get started in voiceover?" without any thought or perusal of the wealth of info on my web site. It's so refreshing to hear from someone who is working at building her skills and taking a methodical -- and wise -- approach to starting a new career. Bravo!

I'm delighted that you liked my book trailer and want to create one of your own. Not only do I not mind that you are using this idea, I expected and encouraged people to do so in this blog post.

As you'll read in the comments, one voice talent used the idea to create a trailer for a local art exhibit and landed inquiries about creating a similar one for pay. Video is a very effective marketing technique!

Also, take some cues from that article about ways to spread the video, as well as publicize your book. My book has been in the catalog for 1 week and has already been downloaded more than 500 times because I have been promoting it.

Think of the target audience for the book or how it might relate to a group of people, and you can figure out some places where those people hang out on-line. For instance, I posted the info and link to my book in the Alaska forum on CruiseCritic.com because it's Alaska cruise season, and many people like to take audiobooks on a trip, particularly if it relates to their destination.

I really don't have a lot of specific info I can share about picture copyrights. Generally, pictures on the Internet or in magazines, books, and papers are protected by copyright. You wouldn't be able to use them or a derivative of them legally without permission of the owner. In gaining permission, you might have to pay a usage fee or royalties.

The same is true of music. You couldn't use something from your own CD collection or off the web. I'll come back to the music in a minute.

Most of the pictures in my video were from the public domain book I narrated, along with 1-2 that my husband took on our Alaskan cruise. As the photographer, he owns the copyright to those pictures and kindly granted me usage of them.

However, I also used some images from iStockPhoto.com, which is one of many on-line sites of stock images that you CAN use in your own work. Photographers and videographers upload their work to these sites. You purchase a picture or video clip, and a usage license comes with it. I've also bought and used these pictures in my blog.

The music in my video was from a royalty-free collection of CDs that I have purchased. You can buy royalty-free music on-line by song, CD, or collection. As with the images, it may take some time to hunt down just the right thing.

Since you've found images that you like, you can always write to those people and request their permission to use it. They may say yes or no, or they may ignore you completely.

Sometimes the copyright owner will surprise and thrill you with their response. In chapter 12 of my book, the author included the chorus lyrics from a Stephen Foster song "Old Black Joe", and she described the setting for it. I first planned to sing the song in the narration (I did that with another Victorian song in the book), but I didn't know the melody.

In researching it, I found a rendition on iTunes that captured the scene to perfection. While the song is in the public domain, and therefore free of copyright restrictions, the performance of it is NOT public domain. The artist has the copyright on the performance. It was so perfect, and I really wanted to use it in my book.

I found the artist on Facebook and sent a message to him. Not only did he immediately grant me permission to use the snippet, but he offered to help me promote it with Facebook ads! He quite clearly told me that he didn't care of someone lifted the song out of the book and used it for something else. His purpose in recording it was to reawaken interest in these old songs.

[Important note: Since LibriVox dedicates all recordings to the public domain, anyone could lift your free book and sell it without sharing the revenue with you. See the excellent discussion on Some Audio Guy's blog about this potential downside to volunteering on this or any other site that leaves your recordings in the public domain.]

[I uploaded the pertinent 1:08 section of the chapter with music if you'd like to hear it.] I am proud of the way it turned out!

I hope these thoughts are helpful. Send me the link to your video when you finish it; I'd love to see it! Best wishes for your health, success, and prosperity!

Linda responded with a great list of sites where you can obtain images and music that are in the public domain for use in your own creative pursuits. She also shared her very cool audiobook trailer. All of these goodies will be in part 2 of this topic, which I'll post tomorrow. Hope to see you here!

Reasons to Create Your Own Stuff -- Part 2

2011-05-25T17:30:00Z

Earlier this year, I wrote a popular article titled Reasons to Create Your Own Stuff. In it, I described the audiobook that I narrated for LibriVox and included a link to the book trailer I created to promote the audiobook. I also listed some of the marketing plans I had for the audiobook and trailer among my reasons to create my work in this way.

Two bonus reasons to create your own stuff prompted me to circle back to this topic today:

1) My FREE, 10.5-hour audiobook of A Woman Who Went to Alaska is now available for download from LibriVox or through iTunes as shown on this page.

Bonus reason #1 to create your own stuff:

Copywriters have known for years that the word FREE is one of the most powerful and compelling words in the English language. If you can give away something valuable for free, you can get the widest range of potential buyers to sample your products, which in this case, includes my voice and interpretation, my audiobook production skills, my ability to write an effective script for a video, and my creativity in video production.

2) Rajkumari from Mumbai, India, left a comment on my post 10 ways to get work in audiobook narration, noting that an audiobook culture is not prevalent in India. When I responded, I said, "If the audiobook culture doesn't exist there, perhaps it's up to you to create it!"

As I wrote that sentence, I was reminded of the important passage quoted below from Eckhart Tolle's incredible and highly-recommended book A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose:

Bonus reason #2 to create your own stuff:

If the thought of lack -- whether it be money, recognition, or love -- has become part of who you think you are, you will always experience lack.

Rather than acknowledge the good that is already in your life, all you see is lack. Acknowledging the good that is already in your life is the foundation for all abundance.

The fact is: Whatever you think the world is withholding from you, you are withholding from the world. You are withholding it because deep-down you think you are small and that you have nothing to give.

Try this for a couple of weeks and see how it changes your reality: Whatever you think people are withholding from you -- praise, appreciation, assistance, loving care, and so on -- give it to them. You don't have it? Just act as if you had it, and it will come.

Then, soon after you start giving, you will start receiving. You cannot receive what you don't give. Outflow determines inflow.

Whatever you think the world is withholding from you, you already have, but unless you allow it to flow out, you won't even know that you have it.

I have found this passage to be true of past voiceover jobs. In fact, Tolle's message was an underlying reason I decided to spend time narrating an audiobook as a service project. You see, I hadn't narrated an audiobook in a while. So, rather than feeling like an audiobook gig was being withheld from me, I gave this one to the world.

It feels great to be able to give!

What do you think of Tolle's assertion that you should give that which you think is withheld from you? Does it apply to your voiceover career or any other part of your life? I'd love to get your comments on the blog!