Nancy Wu #RecordedBooks #VoiceActing #Audiobook

Nancy Wu pictured above

Nancy Wu is with me today to discuss audiobook narration.  

Nancy has been narrating books since 2004. She has recorded in studios all over the world—from Italy to Switzerland to Thailand.  She has performed all the books in MaryJanice Davidson’s Undead—Betsy the Vampire Queen series. She has also recorded War Cross by Marie Lu. Nancy makes her home in Boulder, Colorado, as an avid yoga practitioner and rock climber.

Audio Narrated by Nancy Wu

Let’s talk about Mia Alvar’s book, In the Country. Now, I connected with this work and it’s array of diverse characters and specifically the story  of “The Miracle Worker.” You see, I converted to Islam more than a decade ago and the main character is also muslim and struggled with her Islamic faith.  {In the story, a Filipina woman named Sally is contacted by a wealthy Saudi woman in hopes that she’ll teach her special needs daughter, Anoush, and fantasizes that the Filipina woman be what Anne Sullivan was to Helen Keller.}“Yes, I remember recording that story a while back and I remember the characters quite well...I did my best to bring out the dialect of the character, Anoush.  All of Mia Alvar’s stories required me to get to know dialects of Filipino characters...I’m often given jobs for characters who have Asian accents.

Do you look up unknown words you come across in books and write them out phonetically before you record?

Yes, Pennequin audio has a research department that is available to audiobook narrators from where I can research unknown words.  Occasionally, there will be directors for certain books that request that they work with audiobook narrators specifically on certain works, this can be done over Skype or actors can be flown into New York or LA for recording...Some writers have either full or limited access to their work and some can choose whether they’d like to give feedback to actors.  I recorded one of Amy Tan’s books and she requested to read a chapter herself.

Oh my God, I love Amy Tan! In high school I pictured my little group of friends from Laos  to be similar to that of Joy Luck Club and we’d have dinner at one another’s homes.

Here’s another question for you, I have read that audiobooks are becoming more popular.  Do you think that is a correct assessment?

Yes, ever since Amazon bought out Audible there are audio versions of almost every book. Some well-known audiobook narrators like Scott Brick or Wil Wheaton have home recording studios where they can retreat down to their basement and record...let’s say when the kids have gone to bed or during the day.  

Last question. When you were younger did you see yourself as an audiobook narrator?

Nobody ever dreams that they’ll become an audiobook narrator mostly everyone dreams they’ll be a hollywood actor but ever since Amazon bought out Audible, almost every book has an audio version and audible has just been booming.  In the beginning engineers and actors were recruited

via GIPHY