Last time we highlighted 10 things that writers can do to make a narrator’s life easier when producing their book for them.

But how can we producers keep them happier than a tornado in a trailer park? I reached out to some writers and book producers who offered some insightful input. This is not a complete list perhaps, but consider making these a part of your workflow as best practices:

1. Don’t worry about being underbid. Bid what you’re worth. If the client disagrees, they’re not who you want to be working with
2. Don’t wait to audition when you see a title you think you’d be good for, and that meets your other criteria. Get your audition in their hands quickly
3. Don’t submit a generic demo or set of samples instead of the actual audition script provided. They need to hear how you sound reading their book
4. Don’t submit an audition that’s clearly the first time you’re reading that copy out loud
5. Don’t try to demand things such as specialized credits in the intro, choice of music bumpers or editorial rights to change things you don’t like in the book
6. Do promote free on your social media accounts and post with cover and links
7. Many male narrators use a falsetto voice when doing the women’s voices that is so bad that it throws listeners out of the story. Subtle, minor changes from male to female voices tend to work far better
8. Don’t leave technical glitches in production files when sending the “finished’ product. That slows down the release date
9. Producers that catch and fix their glitches before sending them to the writers are greatly appreciated, their services are far more likely to be used again, and their projects are typically completed much sooner than those who don’t.
10. If something doesn’t make sense, ask!
11. If you encounter a tricky name – like a regional city, ask for the pronunciation
12. Communicate! Let them know where your are in the producing process. Let them know that you will meet or beat the deadline
13. And so it’s a bakers dozen…Get to the pickups quickly!

We could keep expanding this list, but making these tips a habit will go a long way in making your rights holders as happy as can be.

Happy Reading!

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash