Stephen fry and jim dale both read the harry potter series with excellent taste and give wonderful, different versio. How to become an audiobook narrator and work at home. The harry potter audiobooks series may have been written and narrated with children in mind, but that hasnt stopped thousands of mums and dads giving the first book in the series a five star rating. It was the first audiobook i listened to before i read the physical copy. Jim dale found his voice narrating all 7 harry potter. The children of men, by pd james, narrated by julian glover julians somber, measured tones added a sense of gravity that i found captivating. Just jim dale he has been inducted into the american theatre hall of fame audiobook narration. The book was the first in the harry potter series, and dale went on to narrate all seven instalments, winning two spoken word grammys stephen fry narrates the books in.
In conversation with legendary harry potter audiobook. In the most common official audiobooks of the harry potter series, the narrators voice is that of stephen fry britishenglish speaking countries or jim dale u. Lisa larsen lisa loves bringing life to the written word and is thrilled that she gets to spend so much of her time telling a good story. Most american harry potter fans are familiar with jim dale, the british actor who reads all seven books. Lisas narration for helen elliss new york times bestselling book american housewife was in the top 10 audiobooks for 2016 by book riot. Jim dale is beloved by millions of listeners for bringing the harry potter audiobooks to life. But about five years ago, i realized that if i got in the habit and chose my books carefully, i could get more reading inand i loved the sound of reading more books. A typical rate of speech is around 9,400 words per hour, so a 90,000word book might come out to just under 10 hours of finished audio. What a treat it is to hear an author read his own workit brings a deeper level of.
His outstanding narration work won him ten audie awards, the oscars of the narration world, four narrator of the year award 2001050708. He currently teaches narration to professional talent. What many listeners may not know is that harry potter and the sorcerers stone was his introduction to audiobook narration. Daniel radcliffe reads harry potter and the sorcerers. When my nephew broke one of the cds in his audio book of prisoner of azkaban, i took the opportunity to buy him a new one in exchange for him letting me listen to of all of his harry potter audiobooks, repeatedly.
Both have narrated all seven harry potter books, like harry potter and the goblet of fire and order of the phoenix, both are beloved british actors. We sat down with the beloved stage, screen, and audio performer to talk about how he created hundreds of character voices to bring harry potter to life for u. If there is such a thing as a nonfiction cult classic in audio, it may very well owe its success to jonathan. His biggest tip to creating original character voices is to listen to others around you. Harry potter and the chamber of secrets read by jim dale. An interview with jim dale narrator of the harry potter. There were seven of them, as you know, and so i didnt realize that the first book had, i think it was, 34 different speaking characters, but that was nothing compared to the final book, which had 147 different characters that needed a voice, so that was.
Fry uses great pacing in his narration and has a wonderful range of voices for the characters, including an especially good voice for hagrid which is very much like the character in the movie versions of the book. Rowling author, jim dale narrator, pottermore publishing publisher 4. Audible has put the stephen fry version of harry potter and the philosophers stone up online, for free, until further notice. As you probably know, audiobooks have become mainstream entertainment. Which reader does a better job on the harry potter. My real children, by jo walton, narrated by alison larkin alisons reading was strong, her rhythm easily ranging from conversational to profound.
Youll want to read this article that is devoted to that topic. Im a huge fan of audiobooks for road trips, commutes, chores, etc. Listing the harry potter series may seem like a nobrainer, but what you may not know, is that there are two excellent versions. Read the book in 2016 and had to listen to the audio book. Rowlings complete internationally bestselling harry potter series brilliantly brought to life by stephen fry. Harry potter and the sorcerers stone, book 1 audible audiobook unabridged. However i would suggest that the following should all be considered for the title. Who we are recorded books is the largest independent producer of audiobooks in the world. Audible has the first harry potter audiobook as read by. Jonathan davis audiobooks audiobook narrator download. Harry potters summer has included the worst birthday ever, doomy warnings from a houseelf called dobby, and rescue from the dursleys by his friend ron weasley in a magical flying car. From harrys first year at hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry to his final battle with archenemy voldemort, this beautifully packaged cd box set contains over 100 cds with a total running time of 124 hours 56 minutes, which will keep you enchanted through all seven. Best fantasy audiobook narrators best fantasy audio.
It was a fantastic bookand it was made even better by torens dry, witty narration. Consequently, many voiceover talent, screen and stage actors, and people in other fields are eager to become narrators. He has contributed feature articles on audio book narration to audiofile magazine. Halfway done with armada as well with him as the narrator too. Linmanuel miranda narrates aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe. Lets take a look at one of the worlds most beloved narrators jim dale. Getting started january 20, 2015 february 11, 2015 melora kordos im an audio book narrator, as well as an actress and a director, and the question i get asked most often is how i became an audio book narrator and how can others do the same. I love performing characters, but the narrator of a book whether a piece of literary or genre fiction or a work of nonfiction also has a distinct sound, point of view, pacing, toneif its a business or selfhelp book, that narrator is still a character a. Dale, narrator of all seven harry potter audio books will perform his oneman show, just jim dale, at the 99seat theater on dec.
About becoming the various characters in audiobook narration. In the final harry potter book, there were 143 characters. Jim narrated all seven harry potter audiobooks creating over two hundred individual character voices. It got a bit easier today, albeit for just the first book. Harry potter and the sorcerers stone, book 1 harry potter and the chamber of secrets, book 2 harry potter and the. Ron mclarty mclarty actually narrated the audio book version of his own novel the memory of running, which also happened to be the first audio book i ever listened to. Choosing the right narrator for your selfpublished audiobook can make or break its success, but whats the best way to go about it. Across all age ranges and even around the world, potterheads bond over their shared enjoyment of that fantastical worldand all the spectacular characters and creatures that populate it. This audio book version of harry potter and the halfblood prince narrated by stephen fry captures the imagination and is well directed. In 2001, he won a grammy award for harry potter and the goblet of fire, and again in 2008 for harry potter and the deathly hallows. Harry potter and the philosophers stone is an introduction into a world of of optimism and hope, where anything is possible.
Once youve got a book that youre auditioning for youll be sent a section of the book or a chapter, or, on rare occasions the entire manuscript these are the sides. Voice over actors or artists are used in radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, video games, ebook and audio narration and other presentations. Do you have any other relevant skills or interests that could assist you in narrating. A threetime recipient and fourteentime nominee of the audie award, he has earned accolades for his narration from the new york times, publishers weekly, the american library association, booklist, the audio publishers association, audiofile magazine, and usa today. While he has a background in classical theater and film, he is well suited to audiobook narration thanks to his expressive and engaging voice. K rowling talks with stephen fry before releasing the last harry potter book. Is there any book series as uniquely and universally beloved as harry potter. Harry potter and the order of the phoenix read by jim dale. Listening to audiobooks isnt cheating to your brain, listening is pretty much the. Our rbdigital platform distributes the broadest array of digital content typesincluding audiobooks, video, magazines, ebooks, education, and entertainmentall in one powerful app. He created an astounding 4 different voices for the harry potter books a performance that spans all seven volumes and earned him more accolades than any other audiobook. The harry potter septet, the night circus, a christmas carol, around the world in 80 days, peter pan. Jonathan davis has been inducted into the audible narrator hall of fame. Jim came to audiobooks accidentally, and later in his.
When it comes to harry potter audiobooks, the most epic rivalry is stephen fry vs. The cost of producing a finished audiobook can vary greatly depending on your books length and how much your narrator charges per finished hour of audio. Its a great way to reread andor get a different perspective on a book. He has narrated a variety of bestsellers and award. Jim dale, the famous audiobook narrator of the harry potter series, has voiced over 300 characters, giving a fullyvoiced style of narration. The narrator is, at all times, heterodiegetic that is, they are exterior to the story and never take part in the action and, as such, speaks in thirdperson. Youve got your audio booth all set up, you got your equipment set up perfectly for your place and your voice, now you just need to book a job. About becoming the various characters in audiobook narration steve savage. Historical mystery writer anna castles shares what she learned by recruiting narrators for the audiobook of murder by misrule in the form of an interview with her final choice of candidate, joel froomkin, followed by their five top tips. If youre specifically interested in becoming an audiobook narrator, read on. Have you used a microphone and recording equipment. Harry potter and the sorcerers stone, book 1 audiobook. If you ask an audiobook listener about their favorite audiobooks, odds are good that theyll say they adored jim dales narration of the harry potter series.
Stars from the harry potter world and beyond are lending their voices to create a truly unique harry potter audio book experience, starting with daniel radcliffe and chapter one of the first book. At 161 minutes, chamber of tricks is the longest film of the franchise business, as well as probably not so coincidentally its likewise the last film to try. In 2005 paul was elected to the audio publishers association board of directors. I wanted to know how she keeps track of so many characters, what gives her inspiration, and how audiobook narrators make it seem so easy. Jim dale, narrator of the harry potter series we sat down with the beloved stage, screen, and audio performer to talk about how he created hundreds of character voices to bring harry potter to life for u. For this post, we will primarily be examining ebook and audio book narration. How to become a narrator queensland narrating service.
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