Deciding on the right narrator for your audiobook is fundamental to getting your across to the listener. Thats why James offers a free test read for his clients, with no obligation to hire.
With over 50 books narrated, clients consistently applaud James’ professionalism, performance, technical and inter-personal skills. Take a look at these testimonials.
You want listeners to stay engaged from start to finish and an experienced narrator like James can achieve this with:
Performance:
This includes vocal clarity, breath control, character interpretation, pacing and having a sense of the story’s arc.
Audio Quality:
Being able to record, edit and mix audio that meets the industry ACX Professional Standard and being able to support clients with the upload of files.
Audiobook Tonality:
Having a voice and delivery style that listeners are comfortable staying with for many hours.
I’m James Fowler, an experienced British Audiobook Narrator who delivers clear, high quality audio to ACX Standards for publishers and authors from my professional studio in Hampshire, UK.
Authors are great clients to work with and my wish is to bring your book to life. The hours of work you’ve applied to create a work are only worthy of total commitment by the narrator, which is why I work hard to fully understand your brief.
Beyond that, with all the technical and performance skills in the bag, its all just about being a great communicator, collaborator, listener and generally a pleasant person to work with.
I’ve narrated Historical Fiction and Non Fiction, Medical & Wellness, Self Development, Childrens’ Literature, Sci fi, Fantasy and contemporary works. I love telling stories and creating believable characters,
I serve clients with authentic, clear, warm and engaging reads. that captivate listeners from beginning to end. As a trained voice actor, I deliver a natural British RP (Received Pronunciation), whilst being able to call on my Northern English heritage for accents and character interpretation. I’m skilled in the art of dynamic breath control, clear enunciation, emotional resonance, inflection variation, pacing and characterisation.
As a British Narrator and Voiceover, with a background in quality audio production, designing a bespoke studio was a joy. It enables me to perform and give full expression freely and consistently, safe in the knowledge that optimum audio is produced, with ACX Standards as a benchmark, on time and on budget.
I record with Steinberg Cubase as my primary DAW.
Microphone: AKG – C – 414 XLS
Interface: Apollo Twin X / Steinberg UR 824
Headphones” Sennheisser HD 660 S
Sound Treatment by GIK Acoustics and Ridphonics
Studio Self Directed or Source Connect Available
First select the voice that fits the needs of your book, someone experienced enough to meet the brief, responsive and with good testimonials.
If that sounds like me then send me a copy of your script, or part of, along with any performance direction you’d like to include.
I’ll study the script, seek any necessary clarification and will record a fully edited, ACX Quality sample in my Hampshire,UK Studio for consideration.
If you like it, we agree terms and I’ll get going.
Once the work is completed I provide the audio files via a file sharing service and will carry out any necessary amendments quickly and without fuss.
If you need assistance with uploading files to a publishing platform like Audible, just ask – no additional fee.
It’s really that straight forward.
Useful Information:
Audiobooks are usually charged per finished hour of audio. One finished hour equals:
2 hours of recording
2 – 3 hours of editing
1 hour of mixing
To help quote for a project, it’s useful to know the word count, with one finished hour of audio being around 9300 words.
My rates per finished hour are from £150 – £250, depending on factors like technical language and number of character voices.
It’s best practice to provide the first 15 minutes of a book fully narrated, edited and mixed within day or so. This lets you, the client provide feedback on style, tone pacing and any character considerations. This approach speeds up the whole production process as it prevents having to go back and forth. Once you’re happy then the narrator proceeds to the end.
Publishing platforms like Audible, have specific technical standards that have to be met. A quality narrator will be able to meet these ‘ACX Standards’.
They also stipulate having an introduction and ending section which includes ‘narrated by’, as well as providing a retail sample of 5 minutes maximum length.
If you’d like James Fowler Voiceover to provide a test read for you today, just click here.
With a natural mid-range tone that’s smooth, warm and authoritative in its delivery, I’m popular both with factual content such as medical literature, as well as character based work. With a 30 year background in healthcare I’m clinically literate, but I’m equally comfortable delivering an inspirational, emotive or passionate soliloquy performance. There’s nothing more satisfying than laughing after I hit the spot with a character.
I’ve narrated over 50 audiobooks to date, with General British, Northern English, Southern English RP accents. My styles have included: authoritative, comedic, informed, mature, persuasive and academic styles.
You can reach me directly at the link below, where I’ll be happy to discuss anything from potential projects to how I work.