Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amy Deuchler. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Amy, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
After taking a voiceover class at my local community college, I explored audiobook narration in more detail. I started volunteering for Librivox, which provides recordings of public domain works. There, I learned how long it takes to produce audio. After enjoying the volunteer work, I spent some time learning the DAW (digital audio workstation), and creating audiobook demos for ACX.com. I did a lot of exploring and experimenting with what genres I liked, what genres my narration style served, and what made me unique as a narrator.
After I felt more comfortable with how narration worked, I made audiobook narration demos and submitted auditions on ACX.com. I also started attending workshops led by respected and seasoned audiobook narrators; invested in audiobook-specific one-on-one and group coaching; connected with other narrators online and locally; joined industry organizations such as the Audio Publishers Association (APA) and the Professional Audiobook Narrators Association (PANA), and submitted lots and lots of auditions.
I, and many of my colleagues are often asked, “How do I become a narrator? People tell me I have a good voice.” But that voice of yours is simply a tool – it isn’t what will make you a good narrator. Nor is it doing character voices. Instead, the skill you need is the ability to tell a story. That’s it.
How do you get there? Well, the pathway I took is common for many narrators, even if they didn’t train as a performer. Learning narration isn’t a process you can really speed up, since there are different pathways to becoming a narrator, and narration is a long haul. I am always learning new techniques, new accents, and new technology. However, there is one tool that I wish was available when I started out, and that is the website created by professional narrator Karen Commins: NarratorsRoadmap.com. The website is full of valuable information from vetted industry experts. If you want to be a narrator, start your research at Narrators Roadmap!
Audiobook narration takes time. There are are no overnight successes – just practice, dedication, and learning. Like anything worth doing there will be obstacles; the top three I identified quickly were time, money, and the world around you. You’ll be busy with work, family, and life in general, and it isn’t easy to find time to learn. Also, learning is a monetary investment so you’ll need to have some savings to pay for equipment and coaching. And, as all narrators find out, the world is quite noisy all day long, so recording may not always fit into a perfect daily schedule. But if you want it bad enough, you can overcome those obstacles and any others that come your way.
Sometimes audiobook narration is grueling work, both physically and mentally. I spend a lot of hours by myself in a very small space, and I have to connect to the story, even if I don’t “feel” like it. But it is the most rewarding work I’ve ever done, and as close to performing on stage as I can get without actually being on stage.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?
When I was in seventh grade, my mom enrolled me in a theatre improvisation class at the local community college when the ceramics class was cancelled (to my absolute dismay). Turns out, I liked it and never really looked back. . . until I went to college. You see, I always wanted to be a stage actor, but I just wasn’t getting cast in college (little fish in a big sea. . . ). So I changed directions and became a theatre lighting designer. But that wasn’t my passion. Then I worked in the corporate world for 15 years. It turns out, that wasn’t my passion either! So in 2016, completely unhappy and searching for a solution, I thought back to what I enjoyed in my youth: performing. So, I signed up for a voiceover class at the community college, which led me to a voiceover coach, who, after listening to my assignments, said “This sounds like an audiobook.” Six years later, here I am narrating audiobooks full time, and I am so very happy.
Audiobook narration is more that just narrating the story. Sometimes narrators are also “producers” of the audiobook production, meaning you’re coordinating schedules, researching and prepping the manuscript, and working with other narrators, proofers, and editors to make sure the audio files are good quality and meet the technical specifications for retail distribution. You’re also running a business, so I do plenty of marketing on social media and in-person events, and doing the not-so-fun stuff like billing.
My clients consist of independent authors, production companies (like Tantor and The Audio Flow), and publishers (like Macmillan and Audible). The biggest problem I solve for my clients is providing them with an entertaining and compelling performance of their words. I like to think that what sets me apart is that I like to perform a variety of genres. I also have a weird ability to perform dark, deep subdued narration one day and high energy cozy mysteries full of quirky characters and humor the next.
Audiobook narration has been extremely fulfilling, and I have enjoyed all of the projects I’ve recorded. But the one I am most proud of is my narration of Amy S.F. Lutz’s WE WALK: LIVING WITH SEVERE AUTISM, a series of essays Lutz writes about the experiences she has had with her son Noah, who has autism. WE WALK has won an Earphone Award from AudioFile Magazine, and is nominated for a Society of Voice Arts and Sciences (SOVAS) 2022 Voice Arts Award for Outstanding Audiobook Narration of a Biography.
Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?
Yes, very recently!
My plan was to work as a full time narrator after 5 years. In January 2020, I decided I was ready a year early – I had audiobook work lined up, and was mentally ready to leave my corporate job. In February, I made it official, and I was ready to go!
Then March 2020: COVID came. A month after I went full time as a narrator!
At first, I wasn’t too worried, as I had audiobook work and was grateful I had already transitioned to home full time. But after about 6 months, the work wasn’t coming as fast. Many independent authors were cautious about investing in audiobooks. Production companies and publishers were hiring from their current rosters, or were hiring theatre and film actors who were unable to work on stage and screen. I suspect casting managers were worn out and did not have the energy to take risks on narrators they didn’t know well. As a result, I did not book enough work to stay afloat, and had to pivot back to the corporate world to supplement my dwindling savings.
At the time, I wondered if I made a poor decision going full time in audiobooks. I felt like maybe I wasn’t ready, or that I failed in the audiobook industry, or that I wasn’t talented enough to be cast. But now, I know those things aren’t true. It was forces outside of myself that impacted the entire industry – the entire world. And I’m so glad I was able to pivot to help myself financially and keep myself mentally focused on the future.
Now, I’m back to working full time narrating audiobooks! I’ll pivot again if I need to, but right now, the future looks bright.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
There are many resources I’ve used in my audiobook narration journey. But here are the things that helped me the most:
1. NarratorsRoadmap.com. I mentioned this website earlier. If you want to be a narrator, go here.
2. To Be or Wanna Be: The Top Ten Differences Between a Successful Actor and a Starving Artist by Sean Pratt. This is a really well organized book with good examples on how to be successful as an actor (and narrator).
3. Listen to audiobooks. Find the award-winning narrators and listen to them!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.amydeuchler.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amydeuchler/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmyDeuchlerNarrator/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amydeuchlervo/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/amy_deuchler
- Other: Titles on Audible narrated by Amy Deuchler: https://www.audible.com/search?keywords=Amy+Deuchler&ref-override=a_hp_t1_header_search&k=Amy+Deuchler