An Inside Look at Audiobook Recording

Jeff Cohen/E.J. Copperman

With the entire (so far) Haunted Guesthouse series now available as audiobooks from Audible, it made sense to discuss the ins and outs of bringing a series to life in performance. So I contacted the very accommodating Amanda Ronconi, who is the voice of Alison Kerby--and everyone else in all five (again, so far) novels set at 123 Seafront Avenue in Harbor Haven, NJ. She graciously agreed to answer a few questions: 

What’s the process? How do you get assigned or offered books to perform? Do they simply call up and say: Hey, we’ve got these five titles; be in on Tuesday? 

 

Yep.  That’s how it goes.  They get in touch and say we have this title (or series of titles), can you get the raw record in to us by Tuesday?  I have my own home studio these days so most of my jobs I now do there.  But if I am recording at Audible, I would go to their studios in Newark and record there.

What’s YOUR process? Do you read the books ahead of time to determine how many characters and voices you’ll have to manage? 

 

Yes, I absolutely read the books ahead, yes, to figure out characters but also, of course, to get the story.  I am leading the listener through the author's story, so I need to know the route ahead of time.

Do you have the book in front of you, or is there a script some poor intern has to type out?  

 

I have my ipad in front of me with the manuscript on it.  I was very reluctant to give up an actual paper script and the ability to write on it with an actual pen.  There is something very important about the physicalness of writing down my choices, character notes, thoughts on the page and also of turning the physical page, but I have now gotten used to marking up the manuscript on the computer and scrolling along as I read.  It keeps me from having to carry around reams of paper.  

How do you keep the voices (from the books) straight in your head? For example, you create a sound for Loretta or for Phyllis Coates in NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEED, and then when you get to AN UNINVITED GHOST, you have to remember which voice you used. Is it hard to remember?

 

I recorded all the Haunted Guesthouse books right in a row, so it was easy to remember what voice I did for which character because there was no break in between. Sometimes I have a year in between books in a series so I have to go back and listen to the original recording to remind myself.  

What do you do when a book—not one of mine, clearly, but still—you’re narrating is just not that good? How do you keep the performance enthusiastic?

There’s always something fun in a book, whether it’s a character I like to do, or a big emotional scene (that as an actor I don’t get to do all that often) so I just look forward to those parts.  If all else fails there’s always coffee or if it’s getting really tough, chocolate covered espresso beans.

 
How do you craft a sound for each character? Alison doesn’t sound like Loretta, who doesn’t sound like Phyllis, who doesn’t sound like Jeannie, Maxie or Melissa (I think your work on Melissa is especially good). What work goes into making that happen?

 

Thanks!  It’s fun to get to do a smart kid who’s not a smart-assed/obnoxious kid.  Like Melissa.  Sometimes I have an idea immediately of how someone should sound.  If not, I look around at characters on tv or in movies that have similar traits and try to channel those performances.

 

What’s a typical day of voicing a book like?

When I am recording at my home studio, it goes like this:  turn on the computer, start up the ProTools program I record on, get my chair in the right place in front of the mic, put water bottle in its spot, get out my eye drops, chapstick, mints.  Press record.  Read til I screw up, which sometimes happens in the first sentence. Press stop.  Go back to before the screw up and start again.  I will also stop to make sure I am keeping a character’s voice consistent or that I have made clear what is happening in a scene. I’ll have already read the book and made choices as far as what characters sound like. I’ll record for several hours a day. I take breaks to keep everything fresh.

 

How much book do you typically record in a day? It sounds like you work remarkably fast!

 

No, I don’t work fast at all.  Ideally when I am recording in my home studio, I have found that getting one finished hour of recording per day works best.  That means I will spend between 2-1/2 to 3-1/2 hours in the studio to get one finished, mistake-free hour that I then pass on to an editor.  (Of course that doesn’t count prep time before I get into the studio.) When I record at an audiobook publisher and am working with an engineer and possibly a director I work a lot faster.  Usually I will get at least two hours of audio or maybe even a little more down in about five hours.

 

What’s your background? How do you come to this kind of work?

 

I went to drama school at NYU, have done theater, commercials.  I always wanted to do audiobooks.  I grew up without a TV so books were my main source of entertainment.  Audible gave me my first job in 2009 reading young adult supernatural fiction and I’ve luckily been narrating ever since.

Do you have favorites among the books? You’ve done five Haunted Guesthouse books now. Do they run together in your mind?  

 

My favorites are Night of the Living Deed because that’s when you meet everybody:  Alison and Maxie and Paul and Melissa.  And then The Thrill of the Haunt partly because with Hurricane Sandy as a recent event that hangs over the story it adds another whole level to the shenanigans.

Does each character have a background for you? We often hear of actors writing bios or backstories for their characters. That would be exhausting considering the number of people you have to voice in books. What do you do to understand the character?  

 

Yes, that would be impossible for an audiobook.  But usually for the principal characters the author has given me that background. A lot of the work is done for me by the author.  It really comes down to making to making specific personality and voice choices to differentiate characters.

 

Do you have a favorite character to play in the Haunted Guesthouse books? Anyone you look forward to?

 

My favorite character is Alison.  I like her attitude...but I like her best when she has scenes with Lt. Anita McElone.  They have a great dynamic and it’s always a lot of fun to read those scenes.

 

Is it hard to voice male characters?

 

Yes.  Yes it is.

 

My sincere thanks to Amanda for taking the time. If you haven't heard her work on the Haunted Guesthouse books, you owe it to yourself to take a listen.

 

Comments

[Jessy Randall]

Amanda, there's a question on yesterday's Dead Guy post that I think you'll be better at answering than I will: http://heydeadguy.typepad.com/heydeadguy/2013/12/advice-from-a-pro-on-reading-in-public.html (see the first comment).

[Tlotempio]

i think after reading this, that recording books might even be harder than writing them LOL. PS: Is that your picture? You look jus as I've pictured Alison.

[Laura G.]

This is fascinating! I've listened to audiobooks for years and I love the inside scoop on the process. Thanks for sharing with us!