More Than Just A Voice: The REAL Secret to Voiceover Success

Once a week, on average, I get a call from someone with a "really nice voice." He (or she) has been told by co-workers, friends, and family so many times that he has a terrific voice that he can’t ignore it any more. His call to me is a first step in what he hopes will be a lucrative career in voice-acting. Why me? Because I’m a well-known voice-actor and have worked hard to gain that reputation. In seven years of blogging only to the community of voice-actors, specifically on the subject of voice acting, I’ve helped to educate myself and others on the challenges of being a freelance voice artist. My first diplomatic answer to my caller is: being a success in voice-acting requires More Than Just a Voice. I’ve had to gingerly explain the REAL secret to voiceover success so often, that it became clear: somebody needed to tell the truth about being a voice-actor. It’s hard work! It’s a business, and should be approached as a business. It takes more than just a voice. By my best ballpark estimate: a good voice will get you about a tenth of a mile down the road of voiceover success. In fact, in the first chapter of More Than Just a Voice: The REAL Secret to Voiceover Success, you’ll hear me ask: “How well do you handle rejection? Even when you know you’re better than the competition?” and states, “Accept that growing opportunities are counter-balanced by declining compensations, and increasing competition.” There is no other voice-over book on the market with more practical advice on every page, than THIS book: The first section of the book gets right to the heart of the matter with some of the nuts ‘n’ bolts of the business of voiceovers: • 5 Reasons Not to Produce Your Own Demo • 7 Essential Reminders Before You Send That Audition • There Is No Downtime • Finding Great Copy Part Two of the book focuses on the importance of seeking constant coaching and staying abreast of new methods: the “continuing education” part of every profession. You’ll meet the notables I’ve trained with along the way: Pat Fraley – one of the most sought-after voice teachers on the planet (aside from being a voice in one of my favorite movies of all time: Monsters, Inc.); Joe Cipriano – a voice you’ve heard a hundred times on network TV, who sits atop the voice-acting success heap; and Nancy Wolfson, who graciously penned the foreword for the book. Part Three covers the “Business of the VO Business”: handling client contacts, common mistakes, outsourcing tasks, managing social media, keeping metrics. What I learned in my walk up the ladder to voiceover success, the reader will find in this book, organized into short, easily-digestible chapters that deal with one topic at a time. The chapter titled: “5 End-of-Year Reminders” naturally led to another Chapter called “Your January Planner,” a list of 50 suggestions (!) for starting your VO year off on the right foot. Sections four and five tackle issues of charging appropriate rates and how to choose the right voice-over niche (there are many) for your voice and your temperament. The final, sixth section is a bounty of links, lists, resources, and referrals to further information that I’ve found in my seven years of blogging to the voice-over community. Throughout the pages of this book, I share my mistakes, my doubts, my discoveries, and the relationships that shaped my career in voiceovers. Along the way I watched many people with voices I envied, drop out and move on to something else. I watched others with unremarkable vocal cords step forward to heights of success I still aspire to. The stories within the book are all evidence that it truly takes “More Than Just a Voice”! What’s the “more”? Hard work and persistence will grant anyone with an enduring passion the way to realize their dreams!
ASIN: 0990465721
VSKU: DBV.0990465721.G
Condition: Good
Author/Artist:Courvoisier, Dave
Binding: Paperback
Note: Any images shown are stock photographs and product may differ from what is shown.
Condition Notes: Gently used with minimal wear on the corners and cover. A few pages may contain light highlighting or writing, but the text remains fully legible. Dust jacket may be missing, and supplemental materials like CDs or codes may not be included. May be ex-library with library markings. Ships promptly!