Do That Voice!

Harper-Collins Publishers are sponsoring a contest to award a speaking role in the upcoming American Gods: 10th Anniversary Edition audiobook. The first round of finalists will be selected by user votes; I've thrown my hat into the ring and, apart from simply announcing the news, I'm rather shamelessly asking for your vote!

There are hundreds of entrants, so to hear my audition and cast a vote for me, just click here and do the following:

1. Click the 'Vote' tab.
2. Type "dhvoice" in the Search field and go.
3. Vote!

Also, you can vote once a day, so I hope you'll return and give me a nod again. Thanks!

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FaffCon is a voiceover "unconference"; instead of being locked in to seminar or workshop content dictated by others, you get to choose what aspect of voiceover work gets discussed/worked on/et cetera. Congrats to FaffCon's organizer, Amy Snively, on the success of the (un)conference!

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In this Telegraph story on audiobooks, more compelling than the facts and figures on audiobook sales are the actors' insights into performing for the medium. It's a nice glimpse into the process from a decidedly British point of view, but certainly of value to Yanks and other species of voice talent.

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It's a great bit of self-promotion for Jeff, and it underscores the fact that working to market your VO business can pay off. Jeff had issued a press release on his blog about his jump from layoff-world to an audiobook career, and it caught the eye of the show's producers. Here's hoping it leads to more gigs for this talented voice-talker.

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The HearTheBill.org project is getting more and more media attention, including this segment of The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC:

I also added this quote to my download page:

"It's immensely gratifying to be part of a project that takes on an important political issue without taking sides or muddying the waters. In fact, it's my hope that this will help cut through much of the misinformation about health care reform legislation. While some have criticized the project for presenting an audio version of a bill that's likely to undergo changes, to my mind that makes it all the more important to allow people greater access to the political process in real-time."
~David Houston

You can hear my contribution here.

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Voiceover greats Marc Cashman and Pat Fraley lend their insights on audiobook performance to a new article at Backstage.com. Highly recommended reading!

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Audiobooks have been hailed as an ever-expanding market for voice artists to tap into, but recent numbers are telling a disturbingly different tale. A recent AP article notes that audiobook sales for 2009 are down 20 per cent from last year, with publishers seeing a whiplash-inducing 47 per cent drop in revenue from the medium.*

What's causing the audiobook to lose ground? Clive Young at ProSoundNews cites the ever-growing list of alternate media options, combined with popular titles' higher price tags compared to their paper counterparts. However, Young also suggests ways in which social media could play a role in reviving the format.

Information and entertainment mediums of all types are undergoing radical changes these days, and the audiobook appears to be no exception.

*The article notes that the Nielsen scan data used doesn't take digital downloads into account, but publishers are still not optimistic about the overall trend.

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Ten Mile River

available at Audible.com

Congratulations are in order for my friend and VO colleague Joe Rodriguez, whose debut audiobook performance is now available. Ten Mile River is also the first novel by author Paul Griffin, and Joe delivers a compelling reading of this gritty, realistic tale. Kudos to Joe, and I expect this will be the first of many terrific audiobook narrations from him.

(NOTE: The audio sample contains strong and potentially offensive language; it occurs within the context of the novel, of course, but be advised.)

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Online audiobook store Audible.com has partnered with Zune to make a terrific free gift available, for a limited time. Award-winning voice actor Scott Brick reads Dean Koontz' Black River, in a free audiobook download. (And don't worry, it's not just for the Zune; you can tailor your download for your iPod, PC, Mac, or other mobile audio device.)

Click on the image above, or go to this page to get started. Enjoy!

(Hat-tip to Jeffrey Kafer. Thanks!)

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Library Journal launches a new "Behind the Mike" regular feature, with a piece on Audie Award-winning narrator Simon Vance. It's a short but informative interview; here's hoping future installments will go even deeper.

(Hat-tip to voiceover artist Karen Commins for finding this one. Thanks!)

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