We recently connected with Emma Faye and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Emma, thanks for joining us today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

In general, when I tell people I am an audiobook narrator, the reaction is very positive and people love to ask questions and think it’s a really cool thing to know someone who does that for a living. But when I tell people, especially fellow industry professionals, that I only narrate “clean reads”, I am sometimes met with misunderstanding. There are a lot of feelings around the word “clean” as it relates to books. Many people think it implies other books are “dirty”. This argument usually comes up with romance books. While I narrate many romance books, they are all “clean” or “closed door romance”, meaning there is little to no explicit sexual content and any sex that does take place is “closed door” or “fade to black” (meaning it’s not described on the page). There is still plenty of romance, sexual tension, and intimacy though. The word “clean” simply means the books I do, are free of explicit content. I sometimes get called prudish but I know my standards and what is important to me, and I stand by them.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’ve been an actor for my whole life, starting in community theatre productions at the age of 5, and then transitioning to the Hollywood scene through my teen and young adult years. A few years ago, after being an avid audiobook listener myself, I decided I wanted to give that a try, knowing my acting background would suit that well. I took some voice-over classes, got a basic understanding of the business and equipment needed, and dove in! I auditioned for 3 books and booked the 3rd one, which was a YA fantasy trilogy which happens to be my favorite genre. I did speak with the author ahead of time to make sure the content wasn’t anything that would make me uncomfortable or go against the standards I hold. Thankfully it didn’t and I did the series (which still happens to be one of my all-time favorites!). From there, I started getting more and more auditions booked and then formed relationships with authors and publishers had work coming to me without auditions. It is sometimes challenging with my branding as “The Clean Reads Queen” as I specialize in only “clean reads”  so I need to know the content before I accept. I have turned down many books due to content.

I am proud of my branding and my standards. It sets me apart and I feel good about the content I do. I often hear narrators say “I need a book that my mother can listen to”. I don’t have that problem, my mother can listen to all of mine (and she does!) I get authors reaching out to me often now after seeing and following my brand to narrate their books. And with that, I even started my own audiobook production company to have a place for fellow narrators and authors who feel similarly to find each other (after all, my voice isn’t the right fit for every book out there).

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

My mission is to provide more wholesome entertainment. To bring books to life that anyone can listen to and enjoy. We live in a world where “sex sells” and vulgar speech is commonplace and clean entertainment is deemed merely a “labor of love”. Why have we become a society that engages in foul language so much that we hardly bat an eye? Words are powerful and I want to use my voice for good. To uplift. To inspire. To feel good when the words are read or listened to.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

To me, branding is super important. I have built my brand from the ground and it’s very clear when you visit my social media and website the kind of books I narrate and what I represent. Everything from your brand colors to fonts, to what you publish is part of your branding. Make it clear and the people who appreciate it will follow.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.emmafayenarrates.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/emmafayeactor
• Facebook: facebook.com/emmafayeactor
• Other: www.CatsMeowProductions.com

Image Credits
Linda Hamilton Photography