Apart from perhaps first glancing it over and asking the author for pronunciation tips, there’s not too much to prepare really! Most of our preparation comes in the form of getting the studio setup properly for the talent.
- Make sure there is lots of room-temperature water
- Provide adequate lighting for the author to see the pages
- Try to make sure that no sentences are jumping over pages (ie: the sentences should end at the bottom of the page, otherwise the narrator will have to flip pages mid-sentence which makes it difficult to edit seamlessly).
- If possible, use a PDF version of the voiceover script on an iPad or other tablet. BUT: this makes it hard for the talent to write notes and underline words if needed.
- As we’ll see in our upcoming Home Studio Voice Recording course: always keep the same distance to the mic. Your audiobook project will probably take 4-5 days of recording. You need to ensure the voiceover talent’s tone and level is consistent.
- Provide a comfortable NON-SQUEEKY chair if the talent prefers to sit during the long sessions.
- Try to keep it light and easy. You don’t need extra pressure during the sessions. They’re already grueling enough with long hours and hot voice booths!
That’s all I could think of for now. If anyone else has suggestions or ideas, post away!