This is an interview ‘ACX and Voiceover’ with Patrick Mulligan and Emily Curran from ACX.
In this article, you will discover how audiobooks find their home with ACX and voiceover. The world of audiobooks is growing and ACX helps indie authors share their stories with the world through audio. It connects authors with voiceover artists and producers to bring those stories to life. Authors can provide their own narration and upload the finished audio to the site, or post their title for auditions to the thousands of talented VO artists who work within the ACX community. Authors collaborate with their narrators and producers on the recording, editing, mastering, and delivery of the completed audiobook to ACX. Once the project has been submitted, ACX distributes the audiobook to millions of listeners on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes.
Serving the Voiceover Community Through ACX
ACX helps voiceover artists access hundreds of possible audiobook narration opportunities and tons of resources for narrators. ACX narrators can build a VO career on their own terms. They can do this by posting a profile, gaining visibility, and choosing and auditioning for projects that interest them. If selected by the author for the project, narrators then receive an offer and work with their author partners. From here they can set the production schedule and decide how they will be compensated for their work. Narrators can elect to set a per-finished-hour rate to be paid on completion of the project. They can also elect to split royalties with the author. Or finally, they can opt for a hybrid model where a royalty split is supplemented by a per-finished-hour stipend. ACX works with SAG-AFTRA to enable union members to accept projects with a SAG-AFTRA contribution element.
Top Tips for ACX Voiceover Audiobook Auditioning
An audition is an opportunity for voiceover artists to introduce themselves and give the authors they are auditioning for a chance to review their work. But it’s not just about the author’s needs. It is the beginning of a potential working relationship, and so it is important for narrators to start off on the right foot and feel out whether the project is right for them too. Think of it like a job interview, it is not just about your potential employer deciding they want to work with you, it’s also about you deciding if you want to work for them, too, right?
We see a lot of narrators who are just starting their audiobook careers who think they have to accept every offer that comes along because they’re afraid there won’t be another. But there are hundreds of books up for an audition, and more are being written every day. Every project doesn’t have to be the dream job but taking the time to communicate with the author, at the beginning, to ensure the project as a whole is a good fit is really important.
Voiceover Audiobook House Keeping Supported by ACX
Take a moment to check out the ACX Audio Production Resources for the best tips to complete an audiobook. There is a comprehensive collection of educational material and resources for our narrator and producer community, with contributions from top industry talent and experts. On our YouTube channel, we have created playlists on audiobook production and performance; the ACX Blog also has deep dives on studio gear and building a career. We regularly update these resources to keep up with this evolving industry, so voiceover artists should keep an eye on them!
Breaking Down the Relationship Between ACX, Audible, and Amazon
ACX is the indie publishing arm of Audible, a subsidiary of Amazon. Audible is the leading producer and provider of premium audio content, including the broadest audiobook offering, a compelling podcast offering, and a catalog of originals. In its 10-going-on 11 years of existence, ACX has been used to create more than 300,000 audiobooks.
The Names Behind At ACX and Audible
This post was a collaborative effort between the two people. Firstly is Patrick Mulligan, who has been with ACX and Audible now for a little over 10 years. Patrick’s time mainly has been spent as a member of the ACX client support team. Following this, he has been the manager of the ACX client support team. Today, he is the ACX Relationship Manager.
Next up is Emily Curran. Emily runs Marketing and Communications for ACX. This includes all kinds of fun projects like the ACX Blog and ACX University! Emily comes from a radio background. Having done just about every part of the audio production process from talking to mastering, Emily found a second career with ACX a little over 4 years ago helping authors and narrators get the resources and education they need to create the audio storytelling projects of their dreams.
