Guest blog: Lauren Fortgang on audiobooks …

• Posted in About Books, Elemental Assassin series, Guest blogs

Lauren FortgangToday, I’m pleased to welcome Lauren Fortgang to my blog. Lauren is the narrator for the audiobooks for my Elemental Assassin urban fantasy series, along with many other audiobooks.

Jennifer: Welcome, Lauren! Please tell us a little bit about yourself.

Lauren: Hi! And thank you. I’m very excited to be guest blogging on your site! Your fans have been incredibly supportive of the narration I’ve done on your books, and to get to “meet” them is such a treat.

I’m based in New York City, where I work as an actor and narrator. I do a little bit of everything, both on-camera and off, and love the variety of finding all the nooks and niches in the industry.  

Jennifer: How did you get into narrating audiobooks?

Lauren: Audiobook narration definitely isn’t for every actor. Some actors are much more adaptable to physical performance over narration and vice versa.

My introduction came by way Gabra Zackman, a talented fellow-actor friend and narrator, who had found her way into the audiobook world, was working for Audible at the time, and graciously extended an audition opportunity my way. I’m a graduate of Fordham University’s theater program, so I already had a drama background, which is pretty consistent with most professional narrators. I met with a fantastic producer at Audible who auditioned me and put me to work right away. They have a large Harlequin division and my voice is suited to that particular genre, so I really lucked out in finding a place for myself in a relatively small niche of the entertainment industry as it was beginning to grow significantly.

Jennifer: What’s the process of narrating an audiobook like? How long does it take? 

Lauren: These are absolutely the questions most often asked of narrators! The process can be slightly varied, but the general steps are for the narrator to “prep” the book, and then record with an engineer/director in the studio. Following that, the audio is edited by a fresh set of eyes and ears, then sent back to the narrator for pick-ups (corrections). After the new audio is inserted, the book undergoes a final mastering stage and another once-over, before it hits the digital marketplace! 

There’s a great, thorough article about the process by Audible Executive Producer Mike Charzuk here in Audiofile Magazine, if anyone is still curious. 

Lauren Fortgang 2The narrator’s time commitment varies by book length, but I generally spend a few days reading and prepping a title (noting characters, accents, pronunciations, etc.). Skipping this step can be disastrous. A big “oops” would getting to the end of an un-prepped book and realizing the main character is described as having an accent you didn’t apply or that your mystery serial killer is a woman and you’ve been giving her a man’s voice. Surprises are for the reader/listener, not for the professional narrator! If I’m lucky, as is the case with your books, the author is available to provide feedback and answer questions. This can be invaluable and helps me tell the story better!

Time in the studio is roughly 6 hours a day for 2+ days. The Elemental Assassin books take me 5-6 studio days. 

The biggest misconception is that it’s passive – sitting and “reading aloud”. In fact, it’s a fairly concentrated energy output for the narrator and can be extremely draining. It’s more “lengthy theatrical performance” and less “reading to yourself” even though it’s done in a stationary setting. Sometimes I’ll finish in the studio at four in the afternoon and want to hit the hay immediately!

Jennifer: What are some of the audiobooks that you’ve narrated? How many books have you narrated?

Lauren: My total title count is nearing 270 (!), with 200 of those being for an original podcast-type monthly series, and the remainder being unabridged books.

I tend to do mostly Harlequin romance titles as it’s good fit for my voice, but I’ve also done some non-fiction, fantasy, crime, and YA (young adult).

Recently, I worked on a crime drama/police procedural – The Anderson Tapes by Lawrence Sanders – which was recorded as a multi-cast. I’m not sure how well it was received in audiobook format, but it was fun to record with other actors.  This is uncommon, as each book typically has only one narrator performing all the parts as well as the narrative, so it’s especially interesting to work with others, as audiobook narration can feel a bit solitary at times.

Jennifer: Is there a favorite book genre that you enjoy narrating? Who are some of your favorite authors/books?

Lauren: As I said, I tend to get paired with romance titles or “chick-lit”, and I do appreciate the consistency, but I always look forward to stepping out of the genre. I’ve really enjoyed the few YA titles that I’ve done and hope to do more of that. It’s a really interesting market and I love that there’s a crossover from YA writing into adult readership. I’ve been known to get completely engulfed in some younger series – The Hunger Games and Harry Potter among them! 

And, of course, I’ve been thrilled to do the Elemental Assassin series! The characters are really vivid and larger than life and the specifics of their world make my job incredibly fun. Plus, I get to be Gin, which is pretty kick-ass!

Mostly, I appreciate variety to keep things fresh and interesting.

I do listen to other narrators in an effort to grow and tweak my own skills, but I’m definitely more of a book reader than an audiobook listener and love to get buried in all types of good books. 

To Kill a Mockingbird is an all-time favorite and Scout one of the dearest, spunkiest characters ever written. Other favorites of mine include The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (with its dancing words and phrases) and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. (Huh, I don’t know that I’ve ever realized how drawn I am to books with clever, curious, introspective children as central characters.)

Additionally, I’m always happy when I stumble upon something laugh-out-loud funny. I read Bossypants by Tina Fey while waiting for jury duty selection, and was worried I might be asked to exit the courthouse for inappropriate bursts of giggles and guffaws.

Jennifer: What’s next for you?

Lauren: I recently wrapped up a play I did at LaMama this summer, as part of their 50th anniversary season, and am set to start shooting on a short film with some long time cohorts this month. I have a few audiobooks lined up to record in October, but my big news is that I’m building a small (very small) home studio. It’s an overwhelming project, but it should expand my recording opportunities and, I’m not going to lie, pajama recording is a pretty alluring prospect!

Before I go, I really do want to give big heartfelt thanks to the Elemental Assassin audiobook audience. They have been unbelievably supportive and encouraging of my work on these books. I do read nearly all of my feedback at Audible, and your fans are incredible! It genuinely makes me want to do the best I can with each book in the series. So, thanks!

Jennifer: Thank you, Lauren, for being here today and for all your work on the Elemental Assassin audiobooks. I appreciate it.

WIDOW’S WEB PRINT BOOK GIVEAWAY

In honor of Lauren’s visit to the blog, I’m giving away a print copy of Widow’s Web, the latest book in my Elemental Assassin series. To enter, just leave a comment on this blog about your favorite audio book or a book that you’d like to hear as an audio book.

The contest is open worldwide to folks 18 and older and will run through midnight, EST, Wednesday, Oct. 10. The winner will be announced here on my blog on Friday, Oct. 12.

In the meantime, happy reading and listening!

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17 Responses to “Guest blog: Lauren Fortgang on audiobooks …”

  1. Fiona Lally says:

    The Harry Potter audio books are brilliant. Listening to someone else read them just transports you away into your own world….plus I also enjoy children’s audio books as it means my girls will still and just listen to someone else reading them!!

    • Lauren Fortgang says:

      I haven’t listened to Harry Potter except for samples, but Jim Dale, the narrator, is certainly one of the greats! He gets to do some great books: The Night Circus (which I’m reading now), Peter Pan, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Peter and the Wolf, Peter and the Starcatcher (all those Petes!)…it’s enough to make a girl jealous. 🙂

  2. May says:

    Princess Bride, I think. I haven’t heard it on books before so I am curious how it would sound.

    • Lauren Fortgang says:

      I looked it up over at Audible and, while it hasn’t been recorded in quite some time, the original recording is by Rob Reiner, himself. You wouldn’t see a lot of directors recording audiobook versions of their films these days! Kind of an interesting time capsule moment…

  3. Melissa (Books and Things) says:

    What I’ve heard from Felica of the Geeky Blogger… your audio rocks for Gin’s books! I really am curious in trying it on audio. I also will have to check out your other work as well!

    Not entering since I’ve already read and loved Widow’s Web. 🙂

    • Lauren says:

      Thanks! I’ll have to check out her blog. If you like fantasy, my next big project is Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo. So far I’ve only read the tiniest bit for audition purposes, but the vivid location descriptions remind me a lot of Ashland, in the way Jennifer makes you feel like you’re really submerged in the world.

  4. Charlie says:

    Was interesting to learn more about Ms. Fortgang and the process she goes through to record an audiobook. I feel she brings Gin Blanco and the other characters to life more than i could by reading the novels myself. Her effort and attention to detail is very much appreciated!!!

    I see you are currently reading Some Girls Bite by Chloe Neill. It is one of my favorite series. Hope you enjoy the first installment and continue reading the series. Reading your and Ms. Neill’s books always make me hungry, whether it is Gin preparing a delicious meal or Merit eating one of Chicago’s specialties. haha

    • Lauren Fortgang says:

      Thank you for the feedback. It’s quite gratifying to know the audiobooks are being received well. I hope you’ll keep listening. I think (hope) there are more adventures ahead for Gin and the gang!

  6. Laurel Keller says:

    I typically don’t listen to books because I read much faster than the audio plays, but I have enjoyed the few Dresden files books narrated by James Marsters of Buffy fame. He does a great job bringing Harry to life. I found that I picked up things in listening that I read in a completely different way. It vividly reminded me that the words an author writes are subject to each reader’s interpretation.
    I’ve also listened to Karen Marie Moning’s last two Fever series with the dual male/female narration. It was interesting, but I felt like an absolute voyeur during the sex scenes. I was okay with reading them, but hearing them in someone else’s voice made me feel like an interuder. I was wondering if that can be a problem during the recording process, although a suppose many actors have to get past any embarrassing moments well before performing the scene.
    Thanks for a great post!

    • Laurel Keller says:

      It would be great if I could type. Should be intruder, not interuder whatever that may be! LOL!

    • Lauren Fortgang says:

      Great question! I often narrate romance novels. My friends always inquire as to the ‘awkward’ zone. The truth is, while the first few reads of your career can be a bit embarrassing, the engineers and narrators who record these books together have done it so many times, the ‘blush-factor’ dissipates and it becomes second nature. It helps that the engineers are all easy-going, cool as a cucumber professionals. We try not to take ourselves TOO seriously! All in a day’s work.

  7. Jennifer Estep says:

    Hi, everyone. I just want to say thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment and to Lauren for taking the time to guest blog.

    I’ve heard a lot of good things about various narrators, like Jim Dale and the Harry Potter books. And of course, I’ve gotten a lot of nice comments about Lauren’s narration of the Elemental Assassin series. 😉

    I just think the process behind audiobooks and how they are created is interesting.

    Charlie — I’m only a few pages into SOME GIRLS BITE, but I’m enjoying it so far. Now, I just need to find time to read more of the book and all the others in my TBR pile. LOL.

  8. Lucile says:

    Actually, I didn’t know that we could hear your books, Jennifer, and I’m glad to know it now. I will probably try for knowing how is it because I never hear any audiobooks and I’m pretty curious. That’s why, if I could hear an audiobook, it will be yours, for live all the actions and feel connections between characters.
    I really enjoyed learn more about Lauren and what and how she’s doing her job. And…that’s true I was doubtful about audiobooks but you give me the desire to hear some.
    Well, sorry if my english is not so good, I’m French and it’s easier to read english than write it.
    Good luck for the rest of it ! 🙂

    • Lucile says:

      Oh and I forgot but in audiobooks, I’ll really enjoy to hear Nalini Singh books like the Guild Hunter series or Psi-Changeling. Oh yes, the Elemental Assasin and the Psi-Changeling series.

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