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How they can help your narration career, and how they’re different INTRODUCTION A reader wrote to me with
Source: publishersweekly.
A reader wrote to me with a question about Mentors. They’d recently been through a mentorship program, but after the program ended, so did the relationship. Was this how mentoring worked? Were their expectations for a career-long relationship realistic?
So, I thought I’d talk about Mentors, Coaches, and Accountability Partners (or groups). There are real differences between these three. All three can and will help your career, but having clear expectations going into these professional relationships can help you get the most from the experience.
Free
Short term for mentoring; possibly long term for a connection with whom you can ask occasional questions.
A mentor is a person at a high level in the industry who chooses to share their hard-earned guidance and wisdom with someone new to the career. They might do this to give back, to offer what they didn’t have, or they might do it as part of their job. There are mentorship programs for new narrators through the APA and some publishers. Some of these mentorships focus on DEI, but not exclusively. You can also ask someone if they’d be willing to mentor you. (I’ve mentored a few people over my career.)
The mentorship relationship is unique. You are being helped along by someone in the know. Honor this relationship. Treat it seriously. This can have terrific benefits for you. Know though, that this is a short-term relationship. The mentor is basically helping you get started. You’re like a baby bird in the nest, and once you’re fed and have fully feathered out, the mentor nudges you out of the nest to fly to your own career.
Why is it short term? Well, for one, because it’s free. There’s a limit to what you should expect people to offer you. Mentoring is intense and hard work and time consuming. It may not seem like a lot to you to meet once or so a week for a half hour or an hour, but it’s A LOT for your Mentor who is likely juggling many things in their full career.
Come to your meetings prepared. Come with questions. See if your mentor can help you define a few clear goals for you to work on. Take notes. If they offer to listen to your work and give you feedback, take that in. After a month or two, the mentorship ends.
At the end of your mentorship, ask if there’s anything the Mentor thinks you should focus on as you make your way and if they have any suggestions for next steps and who to reach out to. Even though your mentorship is complete, that doesn’t mean you can’t reach out to your mentor or have a meal with them, it just means that the weekly meetings have stopped. You’re now in a new lane of nurturing that relationship as one of your many connections in the industry.
If you would like the mentorship to continue, see if the mentor would be willing to coach you (which is understood that you would pay for.) This honors their time and effort and prevents feelings of being taken advantage of. They might be willing to coach, or they might say, “don’t worry about paying me, just reach out when you have occasional questions.” Either way, you’ll have clarity moving forward on what your relationship with your Mentor is.
Varies Widely
A connected relationship that lasts through the courses or sessions you book. This relationship length varies from short-term to long-term. Their help is paid for, but you can develop a friendship or nice working relationship.
A coach offers one-on-one feedback and advice for a fee. They may also offer group classes or conferences. Research coaches and see if you find one that resonates with you. Some coaches can be really hard-sell and will try to act like they’re the only ones that can help you. If you meet someone like that, I encourage you to keep looking. There are many coaches and no one can guarantee success. Work with someone you like, you respect, and who values you.
You will work with your coach on whatever you need, so you’ll need to be a little prepared. Do you want help with accents? With your website? With samples? Are you having trouble in certain areas? Ask for specific help in those areas of your career. If you’re taking a class or attending a conference, listen, take notes, and follow up with producers/casting when the event is over.
This relationship lasts as long as you keep scheduling sessions with your coach. You may become friends or at least good colleagues. You can ask for guidance and who to reach out to for work, but don’t expect direct emails or contacts. You will still have to do your own research and legwork.
Be prepared. Be rested. Be present. Take notes. Listen. But also…trust your gut. Your coach might feel strongly about something that doesn’t align with your own thoughts. That’s okay. Coaches are paid to be strong and have clear opinions. You need to be strong too and choose which of those opinions work for you. Cost can vary widely. Very expensive coaches don’t necessarily mean you’ll get work. Sometimes it’s the coach’s level in the industry that allows them to charge high fees. Sometimes, it’s absolutely worth it, but just make sure the amount and what is offered feel right to you. (You can search for coaches on this Substack to read some spotlights.)
Free
As long as you want it to be. It could be a few months; it could be a valuable connection that you keep throughout your career. This relationship will evolve with you as your career grows and changes.
An accountability partner or group is someone you meet with frequently who is at a similar level in their career as you are. You become buddies and share insight and goals. This can be a career-changing experience. To read more about Accountability Partners and how they can help enormously, read this earlier article.
Whoever you work with and however you move forward in this career, know that positions change frequently. A coach might become a casting director. A narrator might become a publisher. A casting director might leave the industry entirely to live in Spain and make tapas. Honor every relationship you’re building. Be on time. Be prepared. And…be thankful. The audiobook community is extremely supportive, but you’re not owed support. You need to earn it through hard work, commitment, and being respectful.
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