#i got LUCKY

[caitlynlynch]

Hi. I've sometimes considered getting into narration and I was just wondering how you got yourself into the industry, if you have a moment...

I got in because I was already inside the house :P

Let me elaborate. I was already an author. I'd written stuff that suited my voice. I'd been wondering for a while about audio and when my writing org (Romance Writers of Australia) ran an online course about how to record your own audio, I decided to pay the $55 cost and see what it was all about. I had a high school acting background and was reasonably confident I had a suitable voice, I already had a cheap USB mic, I hung a few blankets in my closet, and got to work. I recorded a couple of short stories I'd written in the Austen fanfic genre and posted them for free in an Austen fanfic fan group on Facebook asking what people thought. Within literally days I had other authors pretty much all over me asking what I charged. I really didn't know what it was worth, so I did a bit of research and quoted a rate (about 2/3 of my current rate) and booked my first paying project. I then got really lucky. I got hired by an author to do a series of 12 books, one a month, if I would guarantee the rate I was then charging. Sure, I said. I've since done over 30 books for that author. I've upgraded my equipment and my skills since then, but tbh most of my work still comes through authors I know - I hardly have to audition - and my theory is this: People are lazy. If you need a skilled job doing and you have a close acquaintance who has that skill, you hire them. An electrician, or a plumber, for example. You don't go looking for a different one. If someone wants a British-accented female narrator and they've been chatting with me on social media for 5 years, there's a high probability they're gonna say "Hey you want the job?" rather than have to go through the auditioning process and then trust a complete stranger when quite a bit of money is on the line. The way I got into narration won't work for people who aren't already embedded in the author community, unfortunately. I'd already done the preliminary work, not that I realised what I was doing, and I was positioned to take advantage of it.

If you want to get into narration, the first thing you need to do is go to the Narrator's Roadmap and take advantage of allll the free resources. Now, you need to do some PRACTICE. I've recommended before to people who want; approach fanfic authors and ask if you can make podfic of their work. You won't get paid but you'll learn A LOT.

Once you've got a few recordings under your belt I recommend getting a tech consult. There are a couple of people who will do a freebie to start - Don Baarns is a leading engineer in the field, or my personal tech guru is Jim Edgar.

Don't skip this step. You need to be sure your work is up to quality standards or you're wasting your time auditioning. And then you need to start auditioning. Go back to the Narrator's Roadmap for the where and how.

Good luck. It's not for everyone, but it's something I love doing, and I'm lucky enough to be earning a decent rate for it. I could absolutely make a full-time living out of it but, for me, sitting in a cupboard all day talking to fictional people isn't great for my mental health, so I keep a part-time day job to get me out of the house.

[rainatheart]

» memory in flight

[trifoliate-undergrowth]

you know. I've mentioned my roommate's annoying roommate trait (loud TV at night) and haven't told you mine (only does the dishes at 2am loudly) which is only fair

[these-are-the-first-steps]

I guess it’s Spicy Reylo Mondays tonight- y’all about to get some smut on y’all’s dashes lol.

The queue is up and running. Hang around (or follow if you haven’t yet- I’m sending this post to the tag) for the upcoming goodies!

[misc-obeyme]

Okay so the horrible life stuff that caused me to close requests resolved itself a lot faster than I was expecting it to.

So requests are now OPEN again!

Please READ THE RULES before sending in a request.

Of course if you'd rather just say hi or have some other question for me, the ask box is always open!

Thank you everyone!

[rinna0017]

[eternityonfire]

YOU GUYYYSSSSS 🫠🫠

[oldfangirl81]

People always seem surprised that my Mom loves attending conventions with me. This was ClexaCon in April '19.

She borrowed my Cherik shirt but made her skirt. She was all excited to attend it again the following year but that was April '20 so that didn't happen.

She very much had a thing for John Barrowman so that is one of the few photo ops I've gotten her to agree too. That was at ECCC '15.

We were both big Arrowverse fans so attended Heroes and Villains Fanfest a couple times. This was a Stranger Things photo op in '17.

This was Silicone Valley Comic Con '18. Mom borrowed my Black Widow dress and Hawkeye dogtag necklace. I was Bombshell Batwoman.

And the most recent was ECCC in Sept '23. She made my Ms Frizzle cosplay. And of course the one other photo op I got her to agree to was for Doctor Who too.

Never too old to be a fan.

[cellvphanehvuse]

yesterday's incident

[bruceandmary]

Pretty amazing what a body can do. I injured my ring finger exactly a week ago on a step-stool and the wound's pretty much healed over.

[nnkhld]

baru nonton ini, trus di tengah2 ketawa ngakak saking koclaknya award party ini, kepikir aduh mbak kwon jin ah kesian sekali tidac dapet spotlight, nggak punya close friend di tengah situ dan nggak dapet doorprize hiks, sbg sesama homebody ini kepikir awkward banget ga sih posisinya mbak jin ah

e terus bapak yoo jaesuk ini menuju closing, tiba2 nodong mbak jin ah nyanyi i got lucky buat ending huwaaaa pas sekaleee

what i noted dari sekian banyak performance yoo jaesuk adalah his social intelligence is outstanding 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 to be observant to people dan ambil keputusan yg paling tepat wlpn sambil manage banyak hal dan orang sekaligus 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 he knows how to make people around him have fun and comfortable but also to lead people under his 'command', that very needed skill to thrive in this harsh world 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

uwu makasih bapak jaesuk selain menghibur juga menambah koleksi i got lucky versi live 🎤

[curioscurio]

I'm rewatching Steven Universe and I will never forgive Fandom for what it did to her

[wasyago]

some hermits in dresses

[its-kinda-snowy]

The lack of more medieval era idiots is frankly criminal if you ask me

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

anyone else have multiple traumatic memories associated specifically with holidays/family vacations? because that is a topic I never see discussed in all the So You Had A Shitty Childhood, Now What? self-help books i've been reading. but for me, it was a significant thing. and the more i think about it the more it seems like this would be an (unfortunately) common experience. would be grateful to hear if this matches other peoples' experiences...