Audio Books are Brought to Life by the Skills of the Narrator

An audio book narrator, commonly referred to as the reader, is the voice of an audio book!  The voice actor or artist requires special skills to be successful. Certain parallels between an audio book narrator and a film actor can be drawn. The narration of audio books is an art form requiring talents that are far more than just having a pleasant sounding voice.

Considerable preparation is required for the successful recording of an audio book. The narrator will normally pre-read the material for the purpose of applying the skills of script analysis. Considerations include how best to portray the characters by utilizing various styles of voice delivery using accents and emphasis at predetermined points in the manuscript.

The narrator must also be capable of maintaining consistency, stamina and rhythm during all aspects of the reading, flowing well through each chapter consistent with the imagery of each and every scene. Much emphasis is placed upon the intonational and rhythmic aspects of the language using appropriate pauses and tone.

The dynamic range (the ratio of soft and loud sound), pitch and timing all contributing to the variable color of the voice to effectively convey the characters emotion, whether it be a frown, smile or shrug into the listeners mind. An experienced and talented audio book narrator will be capable of accomplishing these tasks as a matter of course.

The basic skills for the professional narrator combine the natural sensitivity, nuances and shading to the meanings of words. It requires the correct pronunciation for both native and foreign words applied accurately and naturally, all delivered without breaking the rhythm of the narration.

The recording of audio books takes place in specially designed sound recording studios. The studio production team, typically a narrator, sound monitor and reviewer, require on average of 5.5 hours for each single hour of text recorded.

Jim Dale Jim Dale is known to millions of children as the voice of Harry Potter. He has recorded all seven books in the Harry Potter series.  

Harry Potter series. Dale was awarded an MBE in 2003 for his work in promoting English children's literature.

He also holds two Guinness World Records: one for having created and recorded 134 different character voices for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and one for occupying the first six places in the Top Ten Audio Books of America and Canada 2005.

Jim Dale reads Harry Potter