Seth Podowitz
Seth Podowitz is passionate about storytelling in audio, particularly in audiobooks. And, he does whatever it takes to get it right.
DOSSIER: Regarding your process for delivering exceptional quality in your audiobook narration, how many times do you read through the book and how much book/author research do you do before you hit that record button?
PODOWITZ: The short (and maybe slightly glib) answer to that question is, as many times and as much research as the book requires. The longer answer is, every book is different, and every narrator approaches prepping a book differently. For me, the first time I read the book I try to just enjoy it as a reader. I don’t make notes or highlight items for later research in that first read-through if I can help it. Then I’ll go back through and highlight the things that need I’ll need to research – pronunciations, accents, etc., get a sense of the characters and character voices/choices I’m going to make (although a lot of that does happen during the first read-through because my narrator brain never fully shuts off), and make sure I understand the story and where it’s going. I have to know the answers to any questions that are posed in the book. Twists, who mystery characters are, things like that. If the language in the book is particularly dense or there’s something I’m not getting, I’ll spend extra time with the text. Then I do my research, which is primarily internet-based but can involve asking the publisher or author questions, sending emails or even making phone calls to, for example, confirm the pronunciation of a regional name, or getting accent or foreign language help from a fluent speaker.
If I’m doing a dual narration or a multi-cast book I’ll reach out to the other narrator/narrators so that we can coordinate pronunciations, character voices, and the schedule.
I don’t do much else in terms of prep. I have tried script markup methods of prep – color coding character dialogue, marking where to take breaths, and other tools that can allow the narrator to just focus on their performance – but I just end up getting distracted by the extra information on the page.
Using an informed interpretation
DOSSIER: Although you skillfully craft your narration around your interpretation of each book character, do you have a particular style you save for certain kinds of books or specific authors you work with on a regular basis?
PODOWITZ: I don’t think I do. Whether as myself or my romance pseudonym, Oliver Clarke, my narration style and character choices are dictated by what the book requires. And while those things are determined by my interpretation of the book, my interpretation is usually informed by additional information from the author or publisher. I want as much information as possible about the author’s intention and choices in the book, and if they have specific desires for the audiobook.
Request Seth!
DOSSIER: Can authors request that you narrate their book? How would that work?
PODOWITZ: If an author is self-publishing their audiobook we can work together directly through ACX or independent publisher. Authors are welcome to email me directly or through the form on my website. Authors who are working with a publisher can ask their publisher/producer to have me narrate or be considered to narrate their book. They would probably find me through my Audiofile Magazine listing or just from my website.
The Most Important Mistake
DOSSIER: What’s the biggest mistake you made in recording an audiobook and how did that work out with the author, producer, and/or audience?
PODOWITZ: While this is certainly not the only mistake I’ve ever made, or probably even the biggest, this was by far the most important one. Very early on in my career I thought I could get away with just skimming an independent mystery/romance rather than reading it in depth. I think I was just getting into my groove with narrating and feeling cocky. And I missed that a minor character we meet early on was, in fact, the heavy we meet at the end. Luckily my proofer caught it and I was able to re-record all of the character’s dialogue to make it match before sending it to the producer. It was both humbling and a great learning experience. It taught me the absolute necessity of reading and prepping the book fully. As for other mistakes, I think I’d rather keep those to myself. Or forget them entirely.
No Nightshifts
DOSSIER: When are you at your best in the booth? Morning, afternoon, or night? Do you have a particular routine, requirement, or practice that helps you operate at the top of your game?
PODOWITZ: I have a hard time recording at night. I’ve tried, and I CAN do it, but I don’t like to. I always feel like my mouth won’t quite do what I need it to. I prefer to work from either early morning to mid-afternoon or late morning to early-evening. Staying hydrated is incredibly important. It helps with everything – reducing mouth noise, staying focused, curbing hunger and the resultant tummy noises, which the mic does pick up. I’ve also started narrating standing up rather than sitting, and that really seems to help me keep my energy up and stay focused.
Feeling the action
DOSSIER: Bonus question: What’s the biggest message writers (or listeners) need to hear from audiobook narrators about the whole audiobook process that would help you produce the best possible rendition?
PODOWITZ: When I’d narrated maybe six or seven audiobooks, my wife was listening to Ursula Le Guin’s A Wizard of Earthsea narrated by the science fiction author Harlan Ellison. She handed me her phone and told me I had to listen to a passage in the book. It was a description of a character running, being chased, and as the scene got more intense, more frenetic, so did Harlan Ellison’s narration. As he got further into the scene he got more and more out of breath. I could feel the action in a way that I don’t think I had before, and I’ve been listening to audiobooks since I was a kid. I was completely entranced and decided at that moment that I very much wanted to be that kind of narrator.
We’re at a bit of an inflection point in the entertainment industry right now. AI-generated content is threatening a lot of jobs because of the low price point. While human-narrated audiobooks aren’t currently in danger of obsolescence, more and more indie authors are turning to AI narration in what they see as the only way to make creating an audiobook affordable (it isn’t, there are plenty of ways to make creating an audiobook affordable – drop me a line if you want someone to talk you through the options). But audiobook narration, like any other storytelling, is a human endeavor. It requires choices. And even when AI narration gets to the point of being convincing, which it currently isn’t, it will never make a choice like the one that Harlan Ellison did when narrating that book, or that my amazingly talented narrator colleagues make in their work every day, and that I strive to make in my own. I’m sorry if that was a little off-subject from the question, but I think it is of vital importance right now.
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