Note:

I thought I’d share an older article today because I think we’re always thinking of “How do I get hired?” but we should also be thinking of “How do I get hired by the same company AGAIN?” Here are some tips I came up with.

And if you’re in casting….I’m currently available for books in mid-October and beyond. I’d love to audition.

If you have upcoming availability, drop your email link in the comments. Maybe some authors or casting directors need some reliable voices now, and they can trust you’ll follow these simple tips.

INTRODUCTION

Getting one audiobook is an accomplishment; getting booked regularly for recording gigs is (and should be) a goal for any serious narrator. I’ve narrated a lot of audiobooks over my career and have learned a lot. I’ve learned even more since running my production company and now working in casting and producing.

Here are some things to aim for that will help you (hopefully) get re-hired.

TIPS FOR GETTING HIRED AGAIN

1)    Give a great performance. Learn punch & roll, do your research and give the best performance you can.

2)    Be easy to work with. Every time you reach out to the production team, it creates more work. Not necessarily a bad thing, but see if there are questions you can answer before reaching out.

3)    When emailing, reply to all. It feels weird sometimes, especially when you feel like you’re talking to one person, but if there are several people on an email thread, please reply to all. This keeps everyone in the loop on the progress of your project. An email thread notifies everyone if there are any issues or delays. And if someone on the team is sick or on vacation, another person can check in on the project and know exactly what’s happening.

4)    When asked for a start and end date for your recording, give it. This feels like micro-management to the narrator, but for the production team, it’s essential. It tells the team when they need to have research ready for you (if available) and when to schedule the post-production team so all deadlines are met.

5)    Stay on top of your deadlines. There’s an entire team waiting in the wings for your work. If you can’t make a deadline, communicate that right away.

6)    If using a pseudonym, tell the team when you are cast. This feels hard sometimes because it’s hard to know if a piece is explicit or not. But for the team, it’s easier to keep your pseudonym secret if they know right away. If you wait, you risk your real name being entered into the meta data and that’s hard to pull once it’s out there.

7)    If you require a higher rate, tell the casting team. The time to share that info is during the audition process: before you audition, or when you turn in your audition. Clients have strict budgets. Sometimes there’s room to increase, and sometimes there’s not. It’s bad form to accept a gig that’s been posted at a certain rate and then ask for more money. If you’re not clear on this from the beginning, it may be hard to get offers again for new books.

8)    Keep communication succinct. Production teams get thousands of emails a month. Literally. Thousands. Please keep emails brief. If no response is required, don’t take it personally if they don’t respond. :Bcc yourself to calm your anxiety and know that the email was sent and received.

9)    Occasionally let casting know you’re available and remind them if you have any special interests, knowledge, or background. (I save casting emails and if I’m looking for a narrator from a specific place or who has certain interests or abilities, I do a word search on my mail to look for emails that mention those key phrases. I can do this in the database too, but sometimes it’s nice to cast people I’ve worked with or have developed some kind of communication with.)

10) Be respectful and kind. Err on the side of business-like. It’s a creative industry, but it’s business all the same.

And a *bonus* tip:

11) Know that even if you don’t get an audition, you are training the casting director in your abilities. This project might not be right for you, but there could be one next week that is just perfect for you. Keep going. Have faith. Keep trying.

Have any questions? Let me know. And stay tuned for more blogs to come.

Do you have any tips that have helped you get re-hired, or are you in casting and there are things narrators can do to make you want to work with them again? Please share!

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Tanya Eby is a audiobook narrator, producer, and former casting director. She writes frequently about the audiobook business, and occasionally about life.

If you like her work, please share it with others and subscribe so you know when new content has been posted.