Who chooses the narrator for an audiobook?

[WildFlowerBees]

Referring to the latest Richard Osman book, this is the second audiobook of his that Fiona Shaw has narrated and it's really awful. Accents are terrible sometimes she does them sometimes not they don't sound like the Welsh or Liverpool they're meant to and her whispery voice just ruins the audio version for me.

The last book she narrated was also awful so who chooses the narrator, is it the author or publishers?

It depends. Usually the producer will present a few options to an author after discussing with them the kind of voice the protagonist or 3rd person narrative should have. Ultimately the author has the final call but some authors are more invested than others.

I direct audiobooks AMA

Interesting thank you @Citygirlrurallife what's odd is that for his first two books Lesley Manville narrated and she was brilliant, brought the characters to life and it was very enjoyable then it goes to Fiona Shaw who is in no way similar and an awful narrator. Why can't they choose someone similar to Lesley if she wasn't available?

@Citygirlrurallife Does the success of an author in terms of sales affect how much say they have over the narrator? I imagine a good author would attract wider choice of narrators if only because it must be more enjoyable to read a good book than a bad one. There was one book that I had to stop listening to and I'm pretty sure that the author couldn't have heard the narrator beforehand it was so bad. The book was completely set in South Dublin and the narrator had a rp accent, except when narrating dialogue when she used a Belfast accent for everyone, she also couldn't pronounce the place names. However it was only the author's second book so perhaps she couldn't be picky about narration.

@WildFlowerBees That's a shame about Fiona Shaw, I enjoy watching her as an actor, she's very quirky. But there doesn't seem to be all the much correlation between how someone is on screen and how they are as a narrator. One of my favourite narrators is Wil Wheaton who is a perfectly competent actor but not enthralling, however as a narrator he is fabulous and completely pulls me into the story.

I don’t know precisely but yes authors who are going to generate more sales probably have more power to request an A list actor. However not always, for most “normal” authors they’re given a selection of actors or are sent audition reels from a selection made by the producer. Re subbing Lesley Manville for Fiona Shaw it was more likely because the story was told from a different character’s POV (was it? I haven’t read any of his books) or the first two were linked narratively and the third was an entirely different story.

I directed a huge A list celebrity who did it as a favour to the author who he knew very well (he still got paid for it!) on a super niche book that otherwise would have gone down the usual auditioning route.

And there are celebrities in the audiobook world, the ones who always win Audies and work constantly who you wouldn’t know unless you listened prolifically. If anyone wants some narrator recommendations I’d be happy to give them!!

I’ll also say as well it completely depends on the publisher - I mainly work for Penguin Random House and Audible who are very particular about making sure narrators have an authentic voice. I just directed a book set in Ireland and the narrator was actually Irish, I’m currently prepping a Norwegian book that’s been translated and the narrator is British/Norwegian and speaks both languages fluently. They use proper editors and studios (and directors!!!)

a lot of audio publishers don’t use directors who will usually make sure narrators can do accents and pronounce everything properly and they often pay the actors abysmally as well

I have bad hands. So normally listen to most books. And I get through hundreds a year. So I know a good narrator and bad one. It’s so disappointing when the bad ones are in books I really wanted to listen to. It does help sometimes if I speed them up.

I waited for ages for the The Quantum Curators books to come out on audible. And when they did the narrator was just awful. Everyone in the reviews says the same things. How can anyone who reviews these and chooses these people to narrate think they are good. Sorry that sounds mean. But I only send a book back when the narrator is bad. And I was gutted.

I knew this would be about this from the thread title! I've downloaded it but avoided listening because the reviews are so bad. I might need to buy the book instead

I do like it when a narrator sounds 'right'. I was listening to Snow by John Banville, narrated by Stanley Townsend, and the narrator was amazing. Every character had their own voice and the accents were beautifully nuanced. I even knew that one of the characters was a Protestant from his first sentence (Irish Protestant myself). The narrator was so good that I kept listening just to listen, even though I disliked all the characters and couldn't give a toss who had killed the priest. I did eventually stop listening about two thirds of the way through because, well, I disliked all the characters and couldn't give a toss who had killed the priest.

I did search up other books narrated by Stanley Townsend but none of them appealed, however you seem to be ideally positioned to consider him if a better murder mystery, or perhaps even a romance, pops up. Just saying.

I also knew from the title what book this would be. I did enjoy Lesley Manville, but I don’t mind Fiona Shaw. The series are all from the same protagonists’ point of view, so it doesn’t make sense in that respect. Maybe the original narrator is just too busy?

Looks like Lesley manville couldn't do it due to scheduling and they probably wanted to keep it in the same echelons by casting Fiona Shaw

I loved Fiona Shaw's narration and prefer it to Lesley Manville (agree on the accents but it doesn't dilute the enjoyment). But I agree that it's a different skill and quite a personal preference

Richard Osmond was in the Parenting He'll Podcast last week saying how brilliant it was to have a professional do the audiobook.

I completely agree! I've just started listening to The Bullet That Missed and I'm having to force myself to listen to it.

Donna has been destroyed.

I loved Lesley Manville.

@BlackAmericanoNoSugar i've bought a Stanley Townsend-narrated book on a whim based on your post!

I liked Fiona Shaw.

I read the first two as books (not audible) but I hated Lesley Manville narrating Moonflower Murders (after Samantha bong narrated Magpie Murders brilliantly).

Maybe we just get used to one voice and don't like change.

Oh no, I'm on the second one, I'll have to read the last two rather than get them on audible.

Marian Keyes reads some of her own books and they are not half as good as the ones where someone else reads them. I had to stop halfway through the Again, Rachel book.

I love Nicola Walker reading an Audiobook.

Is there anywhere you can watch an Audiobook being recorded?

Andy Stanton narrated most of the brilliant Mr Gum books which he also wrote. They were our family favourites for car journeys. Then he must have starting to make some proper money and Kate Winslet did the later ones - she just didn't suit them at all,we were gutted.

@Citygirlrurallife yes please!!!

Gemma Whelan is brilliant as a narrator - really enjoy her ones.

Eh? All audiobook narrators are professionals….it’s arguably the hardest acting job there is!

Sorry that was to @witmum quoting Richard Osman saying it was nice having a professional read his books 🙄

This is very interesting. Thanks for the insights.

@BusinessClass my favourite narrators to listen to who I’ve worked with are:

Bahni Turpin
Vikas Adams
Dion Chapman
Fiona Hardingham
Adenrele Ojo
Hillary Huber
Roisin Rankin
Imani Jade Powers
Gilli Messer
Rebecca Lowman
Deepti Gupta
Julia Whelan
John Lee

Oh thank you @Citygirlrurallife i will check those out 😊