We first became acquainted with Elizabeth Wiley when she participated in the VA Festival of the Book panel discussion, Falling Headphones Over Heels. We absolutely loved her comments, her sense of humor, and her voice. We had to know more about her and immediately turned to Audible looking for her backlist.
I met Elizabeth at the Audio Publishers Association Conference just last month and was delighted to spend time talking with her. We proudly proclaim her as our newest Narrator Friend – you can see more about her at her Narrator’s Friend page. Elizabeth has one of the more unusual backgrounds of all our Narrator Friends as I’m sure you will see in her interview. It was fascinating to hear a theatre professor talk of narrating audiobooks from a personal point of view.
Also today, immediately below this interview, you will find Brenda’s review of Elizabeth’s narration of Elisabeth Naughton’s Tempted. Brenda says of the narration, “…I’m pleased to report that the listening itself was an undisputed success. Elizabeth Wiley has an excellent feel for the story and those inhabiting it – providing the correct attitude and personality for a large and complicated cast of characters. How she kept the multiple distinct voices for them all in order is mind boggling.”
The Interview
Lea: Welcome to AudioGals Elizabeth!
Looking at your recordings, I see your first audiobook performance was in 2011 with a total of 20 to date. It looks as though you are narrating more books with each month. How did you get started narrating audiobooks? Is it now a full time career for you?
Elizabeth: I really adore narrating – not only the storytelling itself, but the whole audio community of narrators, publishers, authors, listeners – and of course bloggers! As much as I feel like I would love to do this full time, I must find a balance, because I am also a theatre professor at the College of William & Mary in Virginia.
As a teacher and coach, it’s essential, in my view, to continue to be an active artist; I need to be able to teach from my experience and that experience needs to stay fresh and current. I always want to expand that experience into areas that will broaden my knowledge base in ways that will allow me to bring something back to my students. A couple of years ago, I decided to finally get into voiceover work. I had been fortunate enough to have the occasional voiceover gig come my way simply because of being a voice and acting professor, but I wanted to see what could happen if I actually focused on manifesting an active, professional voiceover life (something I’d wanted to do since my early twenties but never took the plunge). In my research into voiceovers (and believe me, research can be a way of procrastinating!) I kept hearing that you need to find your niche in the market, be it medical narration, telephony, radio spots, etc. I felt that I could do a decent job in any of those areas, so how would I identify my “niche?” Then along came Scott Brick’s Share the Experience narrator contest, for people who wanted to get into narrating, but had not yet done any audiobooks. I recorded an excerpt from the book I was currently reading aloud with my daughter, Terry Pratchett’s A Hatful of Sky, and was fortunate enough to tie for third place alongside Amy Rubinate. That led me to one of Pat Fraley’s Billion Dollar Read workshops where he brought in Scott Brick and Katy Kellgren as co-teachers. Fabulous people, worthwhile investment! I came out of that workshop with my audiobook demos, went to my first APAC, and soon thereafter landed my first audiobook. I had found my niche.
Lea: I hadn’t heard of Share the Experience until you mentioned it. Looking for more information, I saw that there were 392 entries! That’s quite an accomplishment!
So as a teacher and coach, do you believe a narrator needs an acting background?
Elizabeth: I’ve discovered a host of things in the process of becoming a narrator, among them is that the art of narration really calls on one’s acting skills. Creating distinct, believable character voices is an obvious demand, but it’s also about discerning and communicating the arc of the story, the journey of a character, and finding the moment-to-moment truth for each viewpoint. Immediacy is what brings a performance to life; if I can be in the moment of discovery with the character, then the audience or listener will be drawn in too.
So, yes, I believe acting training is essential preparation for being successful as a narrator. I would also emphasize that voice training – which can include all aspects of vocal production, vocal health, speech and diction, dialects – is an area of actor training that has direct application and benefit for the narrator. That said, are there working narrators who do not come from an acting background? Yes, absolutely, and some very successful ones. I would say that those narrators are drawing on acting skills that they inherently possess, and which no doubt they have sharpened in the process.
Lea: I see in your audio booklist a number of series. How do you prepare for narrating a series?
Elizabeth: There are some considerations to take into account when narrating a series, you’re right. For one thing, I have to see who the main characters are in each book of the series so that when I create voices for them in the first book, say, I’m creating voices that are sustainable and that people will want to listen to when they become the protagonists. And often there are seeds of the next story planted in an earlier book in a series, and I want to make sure I don’t underplay that subplot piece to the point of losing it. Sometimes I’ll be cast for a trilogy all at once, and other times, I may not know if the rest of an already published series will be given to me or someone else, or recorded at all, for that matter. In any event, it’s my job to look ahead and find out what I can so that I can make informed choices in the narration. But I love series – as Karen White just said in your Narrator Talk – coming back to a series book is like seeing old friends, where we are familiar with (some of) the characters, and there’s a comfort in that.
Lea: I remain in awe of narrators who successfully pull off a series, remaining true to characters from one book to the next even as new characters are introduced. Seeing a series as an old friend is the same for us as listeners when the narration remains consistent. There’s almost an immediate sense of contentment as the first minutes unfold.
How do you describe your profession to those who are either unfamiliar with audiobooks or think you just read a book out loud in front of a microphone?
Elizabeth: Oh, it’s so much more than just reading aloud, isn’t it? It’s bringing the book to life, helping to immerse the reader in the world the author has created, providing the aural landscape so that the characters leap into the lap of the listener (ooo – I like that image!), allowing the listener to fully engage in that emotional journey.
Lea: Ahhh, yes…that!
What are some of your current or upcoming projects?
Elizabeth: I’m currently recording Thirty Nights with a Highland Husband, the first book in the Daughters of the Glen series by Melissa Mayhue. I would love to go on to narrate that series – let’s hope that comes about!
Our many thanks to Elizabeth for talking with us today and becoming an official Narrator Friend!
