Podcasts about acx

Audiobooks have been the fastest-growing segment in publishing for a decade, and for many readers, an audiobook signals a real, human-written book. In fact, audiobook sales have recently outpaced ebook sales!Now is the time to get your book on audio. But where do you even begin?In this week's episode, audiobook consultant Bryan Canter gives us an overview of the entire process of how ACX (Audiobook Creative Exchange) works and how to publish your book on audio without blowing your budget.You'll learnWho should (or shouldn't) narrate your bookHow much it's likely to cost (it might be less than you think!)How to get started (and who can help you!)If you know you need an audiobook, listen in or read the blog version to learn the ACX basics, pick the right narrator, and avoid costly mistakes. Your future listeners are waiting.

Hey there, hero!Early in my career in radio, I thought the more inclusive and general I was with my on-air content, the more people I'd attract.I learned that having the audacity to bring my own very personal sensibilities to everything I do was a much better approach.Just being me was the more attractive and authentic thing to do. It didn't make everyone happy, but it was the path to truth in performance.It's also a hell of a lot easier to make my stories completely my own, rather than try to come up with the version that the highest percentage of the audience would want.So…have the absolute gall to just. be. you.Be the authentic person you are, and watch the bees come humming to your garden.Does this seem bass-ackwards to you? Does it seem counterintuitive? Or is this hitting the mark? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/content-the-more-personal-the-more-universal/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

In this week's episode, we interview narrator Hollis McCarthy, who has narrated over 300 audiobooks, including many of THE GHOSTS and CLOAK MAGES. She is also co-author with her mother Dee Maltby of the MAGIC OF LARLION series, which you can learn more about at https://deemaltbyauthor.com/. This coupon code will get you 25% off the ebooks in the Dragonskull series at my Payhip store: DRAGONSKULL25 The coupon code is valid through October 27, 2025. So if you need a new ebook this fall, we've got you covered! TRANSCRIPT Introduction and Writing Updates (00:00): Hello, everyone. Welcome to Episode 273 of The Pulp Writer Show. My name is Jonathan Moller. Today is October 17th, 2025, and today we have an interview with audiobook narrator Hollis McCarthy. Hollis has narrated many audiobooks, including numerous books from the Ghost and Cloak Mage series, so we'll talk with her about that. Before we get to our main topic, we'll have Coupon of the Week and then a progress update on my current writing projects. This week's coupon code will get you 25% off the ebooks in the Dragonskull series at my Payhip store, and that coupon code is DRAGONSKULL25. The coupon code is valid through October 27th, 2025. So if you need some new ebooks to read for this fall, we've got you covered. And as always, the coupon code and the links to my store will be available in the show notes. Now for an update on my current writing projects. As of this recording, I am 80% of the way through the first round of edits in Cloak of Worlds, so making good progress and if all goes well, the book should be out before the end of the month. I'm also 14,000 words into Blade of Shadows, which will be my next main project after Cloak of Worlds is published, which means I also have to write the outline for Elven-Assassin soon, and that will be the fifth book in the Rivah series. In audiobook news, recording will be underway next week for Blade of Flames. That will be narrated excellently by Brad Wills. Ghost in Siege is now out. It should be available at of all the audiobook stories (except Spotify) and it should be available there in a few days. And that is the final book in my Ghost Armor series that is excellently narrated by Hollis McCarthy. So that is where I'm at with my current writing and audiobook and publishing projects, which makes for a good segue into our main topic, our interview with Hollis McCarthy, which begins now. 00:03:56 Interview With Hollis McCarthy Hi everyone. I'm here today with Hollis McCarthy, who is a classically trained actor. Hollis has played leads in regional and off-Broadway theater, specializing in Shakespeare. On CBS. she's been a recurring guest star judge on Bull, the president of Ireland on Bluebloods, and a senator on Netflix's House of Cards. She's narrated more than 300 books for a variety of publishers and is the proud co-author of her mom Dee Maltby's epic fantasy series, The Magic of Larlion. Hollis, thanks for coming on the show today. Hollis: My pleasure. Jonathan: So to start, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got into acting and performing? Hollis: That's a great question. I think it all started with doing my little brother's Sesame Street finger puppets. He's 10 years younger than me, so I mean, I got to reread all my favorite books with him and I started voicing the finger puppets to Burt, Ernie and Cookie Monster and all those guys in the backseat of the car and playing all the characters. And then my brother went into theater. My other brother's seven years older than me, and I used to go see his shows up at the college when I was in high school and kind of fell in love with it there. I absolutely meant to be an aeronautical engineer/physicist like my dad, but it didn't end up working out. I fell in love with theater and went to Stratford. I had a dual major because I was in an honors program, so I didn't have to declare a major until my fifth year of undergrad. But then I went to Stratford up in Canada and I saw two Shakespeare shows in one day and that was it. I had to do that. That was what I loved. Jonathan: Well, since we've had many audiobooks together, I'm glad it worked out that way. Hollis: Me too. Yeah, so I got my BFA in acting, and then I got my MFA from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in performance, and I was lucky enough to have some great coaches from the RSC and did a bunch more Shakespeare, and I've done that regionally a lot. And then I fell into audiobooks because I got tired of traveling, and I love to work from my home in my jammies. Jonathan: That is the dream. Speaking of that, could you tell us a bit more about how you sort of got into audiobooks or ended up doing a lot of that? Hollis: Yeah. Well, again, it starts with my childhood. My mom, who was a writer and an artist, she had, there were five of us kids and she would read out loud to us in the kitchen to keep us from fighting when we were cleaning up. So she started with Tolkien and Watership Down and Narnia and all of that. And then I got to, like I said, read to my little brother all my favorite books. And so I started doing all different voices for the characters and I always thought that was normal until, of course I volunteered to read in class in high school and people thought I was some sort of freak, but I always loved playing all the characters. And so when I started looking at staying home more and what could I do to work from home instead of being on the road for work, which was great for a long time, but then at some point you want to stay home and have a life as an actor as well as doing what you love. And audiobooks seemed a good fit. So my husband, who's also an actor, took a class from Paul Rubin here in the city in New York. We live in the New York area now. And he got a bunch of good tips from that that he passed on to me. And then my agent got me an audition with Audible and Mike Charzuk there. I came in and read a couple of pieces for him and he came back to the booth with a book he wanted me to start on. And from there I just kept building and got a lot of great indie authors through ACX like you. I don't know how many books we've done together now. Jonathan: It's over 30, I think. Yeah, 30 over the last seven years. So it's been a while. Hollis: And you're seriously, I mean, I'm not saying this because I'm on your blog, but your series are absolutely my favorites, especially because, yeah, the two series that I do, one is Nadia from the Midwest like me and then the other one with Caina, the epic fantasy world, which uses all my British and Irish bits and I absolutely love them. So yeah, I've just kept building up, getting in with a few more publishers now, which is harder to do and I just love it. Our first booth, when the pandemic hit, we had to build a booth at home and I had been going to studios in the city up until that point, but it hit pretty suddenly. It was obvious on St. Patrick's Day when it was like us going to the studio and people who were absolutely desperate folks were the only other ones on the street. We had to stay home. So my husband took our rapier blade (we fight with swords. We're actor combatants, like you said). He took two broadsword blades and a rapier blade, and he's handy with carpentry, fortunately. That's how he worked his way through school. He bracketed those to the wall and we ordered through Amazon before they kind of shut down too. We ordered packing blankets to hang over them and I ordered a new microphone and a new interface and it was trial and error for a bunch of days. And we had an engineer on call who talked us through how to run the software programs and stuff, how to set them up. And from there I've just kept recording at home. I sometimes still go into the studios when they have a budget where they can spring for a studio, but mostly they want you to work from home these days. So that's mostly what I do. Jonathan: Oh, building a recording booth out of swords. That's very Caina. Hollis: It's very Caina. I love Caina. Caina is me as a young woman. If I had been a superhero, I would've been a Caina. All my favorite roles in Shakespeare were the girl as boy ones. You asked, one of my favorite roles in theater was when I was at Alabama Shakespeare and I was playing Queen Elizabeth in Richard III and dressing in gorgeous gowns and being very seductive and very powerful and manipulative and all that. But in the earlier scenes, we did the three plays and in the Richard III and the Henry VI we did all three. And in the earlier scenes where Elizabeth wasn't in, I got to dress up and doublet and hose and I like stippled some stipple of beard on my face and climbed a siege ladder with a sword in one hand and did a spectacular pratfall running away from the bad guys and would slide on my stomach on the deck of the stage and I would come out into the lobby and the other guys who were playing my fellow fighters would be holding up rating cards for how far I'd slid that day. Jonathan: Sounds like very practical cardio. Hollis: Yeah, very. It was a lot of fun. That was probably my most fun I've ever done, though I also loved Beatrice and Much Ado, which I got to do twice because she's just so funny and witty and passionate. She's great, and Shakespeare, you know. Jonathan: Very good. So after all these audiobooks, what goes into preparing to record an audiobook? Hollis: That's a great question, too. It depends on the book, really. And I'm lucky enough to do a lot of series now, so when you're doing a series, it gets easier as you go along. I remember with the first ones I did for you, the first Caina, it probably took me an hour of prep to get through the first chapter. There were so many made up place names that I needed to figure out how to say, and then you have to be consistent. Even if they're made up, you still have to be consistent. So I really used my theater training there because I learned the international phonetic alphabet when I was in school, and so I can write down phonetic pronunciations and for each book, I'm old school with my prep, I'll keep a legal pad and I'll write down phonetic pronunciations, the word, page number, and the phonetic pronunciation for each word, so I have a record. You don't retain them from book to book. Pronunciations is a big part of what you do. Also, character voices, because again, you want to be true to the author's intent and you want to stay consistent. Again, for Caina, it became very complicated because you had to have Caina's basic voice, which is this [speaks in Caina's voice]. She started out a bit higher because she was younger. And then as she aged, she's gotten more medium pitch-wise, but then she was in disguise as various people. She was disguised as a cockney guy for a while, and she was an Irish guy for a while. And so for each of those personas, you have to notate for yourself in the script. Oh, now she has this accent. Now she has this one. And really for each chunk of dialogue, every time a character speaks, I'll put the initial of their name and if there are a lot of characters in the scene, I will have to differentiate between them pretty frequently. If it's two characters and I know them both very well, then I kind of have the shorthand in my head. So the different character voices I also put on my legal pad so I have a record, so Calvia sounds like this [speaks a line in the character's voice]. And sometimes I'll write down physical aspects of them so that I can just kind of feel the character. And after I do them for a while, the feel of the character will give me the voice and you write down everything that the author says about the character too. I'll just notate for myself that will oftentimes give you the voice. If it's a good author, which thank God you are, you write in different voices, which makes my job easier. Jonathan: The joke I sometimes say is I didn't do audiobooks for the first seven years I was publishing, and people would ask me, how do you pronounce this? I say, I don't care, pronounce it however you want. And then suddenly we started doing audiobooks and suddenly no, it matters very much how it's pronounced. Hollis: Yeah, exactly. It's funny, I'm just looking at my tablet. I have your Shield of Power up on my tablet. I've been reading that on the treadmill and at lunch. But yeah, we have to keep tabs. And when we have so many books now, I've started special folders just for the Ghost series and the Cloak series because a lot of times a character will show up from several books previous and I go, I remember them, but I don't remember what they sounded like. So I will have notated forward alto, slightly Irish or something like that for them. I have shorthand for all of it, and so I'll do that. Jonathan: Yeah, I spent a lot of time with Control + F searching through Word documents, trying to remember the first time I wrote this character and what they looked like. Hollis: Yeah, I bet you do. Some writers I guess do, well, if they don't do it all themselves. And if they have somebody who's like an administrative assistant, they have somebody who gives you, I've gotten these from authors before. Their assistant will send me a story log of characters with everything that's said about the character. I'm like, oh, well, that's very organized and helpful, but I would think it would be massively time consuming. Jonathan: It is. I did hire someone to help me with that this year. It was getting to be too much to go back and search through things and it is a very time consuming project, but once it's done, it's very helpful because it's quite easy to find things and look things up and refresh your memory. Hollis: I bet so. When I was working on my mom's books, we hired an editor and she did a spreadsheet, a database kind of different terms and characters and what was said about them. And I go back to that and amend it all the time now that I'm trying to write book eight. Jonathan: Yeah, that kind of thing is very helpful. But on a related topic of preparation, since you've done audiobooks, stage, and TV, how would say narrating audiobooks is different from the experience of doing theater or TV? Hollis: The major thing and the hardest thing for me when I was starting out was you can't move around all the time. I had an engineer at Audible. It was just, and a lot of times the chair is very important because if you move, what you're bound to do, if you're producing your voice correctly, you need to sit up and you need to use your hands to express yourself, and you have to have an absolutely silent chair. And the chairs at Audible at that time, were not absolutely silent. So every time I moved, the chair would squeak and we'd have to stop and start again. So that was very, very hard for me. In fact, I've been doing so much audiobooks now, and I also do TV and film, but that's gone to all for auditioning for that. It's all self tape, which means it's just like head and shoulders, so still you're just kind of using a little part of your body. And I had a theater callback for Pygmalion in the city the other day, in person, in a studio, in a rehearsal room. The day before, I used to do those all the time, and that's so rare now for them to do in-person auditions since the pandemic. But I put on my character shoes and my skirt and I practice just being bigger, opening my body up and doing all this stuff I learned to do in school and that you do when you're on stage to own the space because the space is the back wall of the theater. And that's a big difference between theater, film, TV, and audiobooks is the scope of it. When I did Beatrice, I was in an 1,100 seat unamplified stone amphitheater outdoors in Colorado. So you can imagine the scope physically and vocally is so big. And then for TV, film and you have to what they say, reach the back wall of whatever space you're in. Well, for film and TV, the back wall is the camera. It's right in front of your face a lot of the times. And the back wall is really kind of the inside of your head. It's almost like you have to have internal gaze so that the thoughts are just happening. You don't have to project them, you don't have to project your voice because all the equipment comes right to you, and all you have to do is feel the feelings and think the thoughts and the camera and microphone picked that up. Similarly with audiobooks, I'm just in a little tiny padded booth. My microphone is just a few inches from my face, and so I could be very, very intimate and everything gets picked up, and you have to do a lot less work for the emotion to come through. Again, really all you have to do is kind of feel the emotion. And for me, that's always for me is being in the moment and feeling the moment and letting that dictate the pace and the vocals and everything. I guess I'm pretty Method. I'm very Method, but that's how I trained. It's what works for me. Not every narrator is like that. There's a million different proper ways to narrate, and that's just my take on it. But everything is right there. So it's just kind of keeping it much smaller and more intimate. And in fact, when you want to be big like [character name's said in the character's] voice and he was yelling a lot, and I would have to pull back from the microphone to let his scope come out. Jonathan: Well, after 30 audiobooks together, I can say that method definitely works. Related to that, as we mentioned earlier, you're now at over 300 titles on Audible over the last 12 years. Congratulations for that. What would you say is most surprising or unexpected things about audiobooks you learned during that time? Hollis: Oh, well, it was very surprising that we could make a booth out of sword blades and blankets. That surprised me. Yeah, that's a great question. It's surprising to me how simple I can be. I went back and I had an author recently who wanted me to do a new chapter to begin and end a book that I had done like 2014, something like that, shortly after I started. And I thought at the time that I was really filling these voices and what I did was fine. You're always your own worst critic. But what I've discovered now is the more you do it, the more you record, the more you use your instrument every single day for 300 some books, the more effortless it becomes and the more depth you can bring to it. And as a young actor, we always resist that. My acting coach used to say, age and experience. There's no substitute for it. I'm like, yeah, yeah, but talent and hard work, that's something. But it's really true that just the repetition, there's no substitute for it. Those chapters that I did, they were the same voices basically. But when I went back and listened to the original, I was like, oh, it surprised me how without really changing anything mechanically, the work has just gotten deeper, more effortless, but it sounds better at the same time. Does that make sense? Jonathan: It does. Because you've probably noticed I've redesigned the covers for the Caina series like seven times over the last 10 years. And every time you think this is it, this is it. I'm done. This is good. And then with more practice, you look back and think, well, maybe I can improve this again, though. I suppose that's not often something that happens in the audiobook world where you get to go back and revisit something you did previously. Hollis: That is one of the hardest and most surprising things about audiobooks. And I've heard people say that this happens to every young narrator when they're starting out, you get through the first two chapters of a new book and you go, oh God, now I get it. I want to go back and start again. Well, there's no do overs with audiobooks. With audiobooks, “done is good” is what they always tell you when you're starting out. So even in film and TV, which you don't get much rehearsal for, you get a couple of run run-throughs, but with audiobooks, you got your prep. Not everyone does, but I always read the whole book before I start if possible, because otherwise you get surprises. But you get your one read through, your prep, and then you go and yes, you can stop. You can punch and roll, edit over. If you make a mistake, you go back half a line, you start again there. But there's no evolution of the work, which is what's great about series too, I think, because with the series you get, yeah, Caina was here last time I did her and now she's going through something new. And then the character grows and it becomes less and less effortful, but it also becomes like someone you really know so that it gets so much deeper and it's so much more fun to play with. Jonathan: That makes sense. 12 years really is a long time to have done audio narration or anything. So what do you think is the key to sticking it out for audiobooks for the long term? Hollis: Well, a lot of things make a difference. I didn't do it before this interview, which is why my voice is kind of rocky, but I always warm up in the morning when I'm setting up a session. I always do a vocal warmup. You got to get a good night's sleep, you have to drink water every couple of pages. I have a tea that I drink that keeps my stomach quiet because stomach gurgles is another bad thing about audiobooks. You have to eat very carefully and drink tea to keep your stomach quiet. You don't want to have to stop every time for that. And a lot of training, a lot of vocal training. I had Linklater training and the Lavan training, and Linklater to me is the most useful. And a lot of the stuff that applies to Shakespeare applies to audiobooks too. You warm up, you get yourself breathing, you warm up your resonators, your sinus, your mask resonators, the back of your head, your chest resonators. For the men [imitates male voice], you really have to have your chest warmed up, get the vibrations going here. And so I get all that kind of going before I sit down in the booth. And that also keeps you, then you keep your throat open so you're not hurting yourself. You have to have good posture so that the air can move from your diaphragm up to your throat and have it be open. And then optimally, like with Caina, Caina has a lot of mask resonance. Brits do; they are very far forward. So you really have to have all that warmed up and then that has to have no impediments between the front of your face all the way down to your diaphragm where the breath originates. And if you can do all that, then you could be an audiobook narrator. Also diction. I warm up my diction to everything from [imitates several vocal exercises] in just to get your mouth moving. You don't want lazy mouth with, there's a lot of enunciation in audiobooks that's important. But I also don't like, I really hate when you hear people enunciating. I don't like that. And with Caina, even though she's upper class, she's not like that. She's not pretentious. And certainly Nadia, you want to be able to understand what she says, but you don't want her to be enunciating. That be weird. So all of all that stuff I worked on in grad school and did all the Shakespeare plays, I would always get to the theater an hour early. You have to be there half hour for makeup and check in, but I would always get there an hour early and do at least 15 to 20 minutes of physical and vocal warmups. And so those habits have really helped me. I think I have pipes of iron, fortunately. I'm very lucky. So all that stuff really matters with audiobooks. Jonathan: It's amazing in how many different fields of life the answer seems to boil down to do the things you're supposed to over and over again forever. Hollis: Exactly. That's really true. When are we going to get old enough that we don't have to do that anymore? [laughs] Jonathan: Just one side question. What is Linklater training? I don't think I've heard that term before. Hollis: Oh, Kristen Linklater is, she's probably the biggest American vocal coach. She has a lot of books out there about voice and the actor and all of her training stems from allowing the breathing to drop in as she calls it, not forcing it to drop into the diaphragm, and then creating a pool of vocal vibrations that go from the diaphragm through an open throat to the resonators. And you can use every resonator in your body to project that sound. When I was doing Beatrice and Gertrude at Colorado Shakes in that unamplified stone amphitheater in the foothills of the Rockies, there was winds that would come down out of the mountains when we were on stage, and that theater was known for eating women's voices. And I had to thank God the vocal coach that summer was a Linklater coach, which is the method that I trained in, and he helped me work with even resonators. If you can imagine in your back, just using the whole chest box and shaking the vibrations through your body so that basically you're making your whole human skeleton an amplifier for the vocal energy coming from your breath. And that's Linklater. She's fascinating. If you ever want to study voice, you can't do better than Linklater, to my mind. Cicely Berry is another one I studied. She's the British guru for the RSC and the Royal Shakespeare Company and all those people, and she's great too. Jonathan: Well, that's just exciting. I learned something new today. Hollis: That's always good. Always learning from your books too about Medieval combat. Jonathan: We always want to learn something new every day, whether we like it or not. Hollis: Right. Jonathan: So to turn it around a little bit, what advice would you give a new indie author who is working with a narrator for the first time? Hollis: Oh yeah, I actually, I made some notes. I thought that was such a good question. Make sure that your narrator knows what you expect from them upfront. If you go through ACX, they have this great thing called the first 15 where your narrator is, if you're new to this author, you record the first 15 minutes of the book and you put that on ACX for your author to listen to and approve. You don't have to approve it if you don't like it. And in fact, if you don't like it, it's very important you don't approve it and you tell your narrator specifics about what you need them to change before they go on with the book. Because what you can't really do is once a book is recorded, say, oh, I really don't like it. I'm not going to pay you for it. I need you to go back and do it again. That's not acceptable and it will make narrators never want to work with you. But what's great about the first 15 is you have that chance to say, well, this voice was, she was a little higher than I wanted. I hear her in my head more as an alto because for me as a narrator, what I want to do is I want to take what you, Jonathan, hear your characters being as you're writing them in your head. I want to take that and translate that into an audiobook for you. So the more you give your narrators information about your characters, the better they're going to voice it. Also, if there's a style in your head, like with Nadia books, there's a little touch of noir there. It was a dark and stormy night kind of feel. If there's a style you kind of hear in your head, that would be a good thing to give them. But ACX has also, I think a character sheet where you can tell them about the different characters. You can fill that out for your narrator. That's tremendously helpful, age of the character, if you hear a vocal pitch range, soprano, alto, tenor, bass, any dialects, they need to know that. The narrator's nightmare is you finish up a book and you shouldn't do this, you should read ahead, but you get to the last line: “I love you, darling,” he said in his beautiful French accent. Jonathan: It explicitly shows up there for the first time. Hollis: Exactly. And then for the narrator, it's like, oh my God, I have to go back and rerecord everything this guy said, which is hours and hours and hours of work for you and your editor who will kill you. But yeah, let them know about all the character traits that you can and just, I think it's on the narrator too, to, I've been lucky with my authors, we always have a good give and take. I come from a theater background and you want to collaborate. You want to realize the author's vision and you want to be a partner in creating that. So try to be partners and give them more information than you think they need and use that first 15. It is totally acceptable to send it back and say, I'm going to need you to do this again, and I'm going to need these changes. And then once you get that ironed out, then you'll probably be ready to go ahead and have a book. And when you get the book, you won't be shocked and you'll be happy (hopefully) with the read. Is that helpful? Jonathan: It does. New authors, if you're listening to this, listen to that advice. Hollis: Yeah. Jonathan: Now for a slightly different topic, can you tell us about the Magic of Larlion books and how you ended up publishing that series? Hollis: Yeah. The Magic of Larlion is an epic fantasy adventures series seven, almost eight volumes. I'm working on finishing book eight now. The first book, Wizard Stone, my brilliant mother Dee Maltby started years and years ago, probably, gosh, maybe 20 years ago now, I think when my little brother moved out from home and she had an empty nest and she had more time to write, and she wrote Wizard Stone, and she sent it out a few places, and that was the only way you could get published back when she wrote it and didn't pursue it, she got discouraged, I think, by rejections from publishers, sat in her drawer for a while, and my sister-in-law, Dana Benningfield, who's also an actor, and she was my best friend even before she married my brother. I introduced them. So yeah, that was all me. She was an editor professionally for a while, and when she moved to Ohio where I'm from and was living with my brother and my parents lived right across the orchard, I told her about this book. And she wasn't editing at the time, she was kind of done with it, but she asked mom if she could read it. So she read it and edited it, and then it became a much better book and really encouraged my mom to keep writing, which I had been telling her to do for years. But hearing somebody who wasn't family, somehow giving her that input that it was really something special, changed her perspective. So she kept writing and she and I started, I was on the road doing Shakespeare a lot. We started trading chapters. She'd send me a chapter a week and I would edit it and send it back. And so Wizard Stone evolved from there into its current form, and then she started the next book, Wizard Wind and Wizard Storm. And we went that way through five and a half books. And my dad finally, when he retired from being a physicist, said he was going to, I always told you I'd get your published Dee, I'm going to take it down to the print shop and get a hundred copies made. And by this time I was working with you and a bunch of other great indie authors who were letting thousands of happy readers read their books through an independent platform. And I said, well, wait a minute. I could do better than that. So I convinced them to hire an editor that I had worked with, and I did the rewrites and got it through the pre-production process and hired a cover artist, very talented artist. And you and Meara Platt, another of my authors, gave me so much information and help. And we got it published in 2022, I believe. We had three ready to go. And we published those all within a month of each other. One a month for three months, and then four and five, and then six came. And I co-authored five, six, and seven because my mother was losing her sight and her hearing at that point. We got those done. We had six out and a lot of people reading them and loving them and reviewing them before my mom passed. And I think it's probably one of the most satisfying things I've done in my life, because not only do I love the books, and they're just a rip roaring, fantastic adventure-filled epic trip through this incredible world my mom invented. But when she was about to, one of the last things she said to me was, I told her how many people had read her books. I just went through the Kindle numbers and thousands of people in different countries and all over the world were reading and loving her books. And I told her that, and she said, that's all that matters. And she felt such a sense of pride in herself and accomplishment because they were being received for what they are, which is a brilliant creative flight of fancy, this magical world in the tradition of all the books she loved, always Tolkien. And so I promised her I'd finish it. So after she died, I published six and seven and I've got eight about 90% written now, and I'm hoping to bring that out by the end of the year, although I've been too darn busy with narration to really spend the time. I've got the big climactic Jonathan Moeller type battle at the end sketched in my head and on an outline, but I got to write that. And then we can get that out there and finish that too. Jonathan: Will you stop with eight or keep going after eight? Hollis: My feeling is that this series will culminate with book eight. It's been a long saga of Beneban, this young wizard who kind of gets flung off a mountain by his evil wizard master and has to master his fledgling wizardry powers and his magical sword to win his love Laraynia, a powerful sorceress, and save the kingdom. And that's book one. And there's ice dragons, and then they have kids, and then the later books have become much more about their kids. And the more I write, the more it's become about young women fighting with swords. Jonathan: Well, they say write what you know. Hollis: Defeating the bad guys. Plucky young women, overachieving, competing with men. And so I think that's all going to come to a head with book eight, and that will be the end of that series. But I do think I'm going to spin it off into possibly more on the younger characters. I don't know if it's going to be YA per se, I think it'll still be for adults, but more of a YA feel to it, the younger characters of the ice dragon riding school of battle and the wizarding school. I don't know if I want to make it schools necessarily, it might limit you too much. And that's kind of been done too. But I do think the ice dragons are going to figure largely in it. Oh, and I don't know, there's a plot point I probably shouldn't give away, but my mother's full name was Willa Dee Maltby. She writes under Dee Maltby and there is a character, a very magical character named Willa that shows up in this book eight. So I think Willa will be a big character going forward and the younger generation of women and some boys too. I like boys, I do. Jonathan: Well, I suppose if people want to know more, they will have to read and find out. Hollis: Yes. And please go to the website is deemaltbyauthor.com and everything you want to know (well, maybe not everything), but everything you can know for now is there. Jonathan: Well, I was going to ask you what you would say was the most rewarding things about publishing the books, but I think you covered that pretty well. On the flip side, what was the biggest unexpected challenge in publishing them? Hollis: The PR is hard. You seem to be great at it. I even did PR professionally to work my way through undergrad and then in between grad school and undergrad and after I graduated and I had an assistantship in it at my university. But the book world specifically is a whole different kind of PR and learning Amazon ads and Facebook ads and it's a lot. It's a lot. And again, you have been so helpful with it. And I mean, there are a lot of online resources out there too, which is great. But what I'm really finding, trying to do it part-time is overwhelming. You really need a full-time block of time to not only write the books, but then to publicize them the way they deserve to be publicized. Jonathan: Yeah, the tricky part is, as you said, book advertising is very different from anything else. I was talking with a guy who is an Amazon reseller for various toiletries and hygiene products and makes a good living doing that. I was telling him how much I pay per click on Amazon ads. He's just appalled. It's like, you can't make any money doing that. And then the flip side of that too is that Internet marketing is so different than any other form of PR, so it's just sort of constant challenge there. Hollis: I know, and I know I actually signed up for a TikTok account and I just don't, again at the time. Plus every time I turn it on, I'm like, I don't want to watch that. I'm allergic to the format. You'd think being an actor, being used to being on camera, I could come up easily with little things to do for the books and I probably could for TikTok. But again, just learning the platform and then applying yourself to it is just such a big time hack that I don't have that amount of time. I know that narrators are now more and more marketing themselves by recording themselves on camera narrating and putting that out there, which I can do, I guess. And that's why I got this ring light and everything. I can do that now. I haven't done anything with it, but I guess if some of the book work dries up, I'll be more motivated to do it. Jonathan: Well, that's how anything works. You try it and if you enjoy it and it works, keep doing it. And if you don't enjoy it and it doesn't work, no point in carrying on with it. Hollis: I think that's true. And you just have to keep learning too, as we know with everything. You got to keep learning new things. Jonathan: Well, this has been a very enjoyable interview and thank you for coming on the show. Hollis: My pleasure. Jonathan: Let's close out with one last question. You've obviously done a lot of theater, so what, out of all the productions you've done was the one you would say was your favorite or that you enjoyed the most? Hollis: I think I have to go back to Beatrice probably. I mean, the Alabama Shakes getting to play a man thing, that was a lot of fun. But Beatrice, we did a Wild West Much Ado about Nothing at Colorado Shakespeare. The premise was that I was the niece of Leonardo, who is the tavern keeper, the bar keeper in this Wild West world. And there was a bar fight opening this Wild West production, and I entered through a swinging tavern door with a six shooter in one hand and a bull whip in the other. And I shot the pistol and cracked the bull whip and broke up the fight and then got to do Shakespeare's incredible Beatrice and Benedict story from there. It was so much fun. Jonathan: It almost seems like the soundtrack could have been “I Shot the Sheriff.” Hollis: Yeah. Yeah, it really could. It was a heck of a lot of fun. Jonathan: Well, speaking of fun, it was good talking with you, and thank you for taking the time to be on the show. Hollis: Yeah, I am excited to start the next Cloak book soon. So I was going to offer to do a little snatch of you want the introduction for Cloak here? Jonathan: Oh, I think we'll save it for the Real Thing. Hollis: Oh, okay. All right. Well thank you, Jonathan. It's been a pleasure. Jonathan: It's been a pleasure. And see you soon for Cloak Mage #10. Hollis: Alright. So that was our interview with Hollis McCarthy. Thank you for coming on the show and giving us a very informative and entertaining interview. A reminder that the website with the Magic of Larlion books is deemaltbyauthor.com. So that is it for this week. Thank you for listening to The Pulp Writer Show. I hope you found the show useful. A reminder that you can listen to all the back episodes on https://thepulpwritershow.com. If you enjoyed the podcast, please leave your review on your podcasting platform of choice. Stay safe and stay healthy, and we'll see you all next week.

Hey there, hero!The audience is listening (and watching and reading). And social media and review sites allow them to criticize, rate and review your artwork.And there are always outspoken members of the audience who have things to say. And they aren't always respectful or constructive. Sometimes, they are downright aiming to hurt you.I have my own approach to ratings and reviews - I pick and choose the reviews I pay attention to (the positive reviews) and the ones I ignore (the negative reviews). And…I don't do work for the audience at all.Mark Manson said something recently that encapsulates a similar sentiment that I think is healthy for us all as artists.Let's discuss. Let's uplevel your mental health when it comes to audience/peer/coach opinions.Do you live and die by the reviews and ratings you get? Do you let the negative ones get to you? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/how-to-have-a-healthy-relationship-with-ratings-and-reviews/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

Hey there, hero!So you want to try something new, or do something you've never done before, or finally get off your keester and create the first of something.You might not realize how infinitely powerful that action is.And I do mean infinite. I checked, and did so with people who are better at math than I am.There's a concept called “delta.” The delta of something is the difference between two approaches: if something is twice as good as something else, than the delta is 100%, or two times.Pretty obvious.But what's the delta between doing something new and not doing anything at all?Yeah. Infinite. Let's unpack that in this episode.How powerful do you feel when you're finished taking that first step? How hard is it for you to take that first step at all? Would knowing what a profound change you can create by “just doing it” help you “just do it?” Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/the-simple-math-around-taking-a-shot/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

[This is one of the finalists in the 2025 review contest, written by an ACX reader who will remain anonymous until after voting is done. I'll be posting about one of these a week for several months. When you've read them all, I'll ask you to vote for a favorite, so remember which ones you liked] You Can Just Do Things In the winter of 2022 I was unhappily working at a dull but decently compensated IT job, which I had come upon at last after four years of phoning it in at college and abandoning my brief stint as an MMA Fighter/Porn Store Security Guard due to feeling like I was getting too old to be broke. If pressure to fit in with my yuppie, family-and-career-having peers pushed me into corporate life, the depressing mundanity of Covid-era day-to-day pushed me out just as quickly. On February 24th, 2022, Russia began its full scale invasion, and America learned what a “Ukraine” was. Having long used politics as a surrogate activity to distract myself from my life of chronic underachievement, I was already a little more familiar than most with the country's woes, and had followed the conflict from the time of the Euromaidan protests. Years before I had read of the likes of Azov and its many foreign volunteers, and had even periodically fantasized about dropping everything and going to the Donetsk Airport. But no, that Wasn't The Type Of Thing Normal People Like Me Did, so instead I joined my own country's armed forces, sat around pushing papers, earned the dubious honor of washing out “ahead of schedule”, and finally graduated college with a not very useful degree and a mediocre GPA. With the invasion however, things changed. Before I had always vaguely felt that I would eventually end up doing something “cool”, and had soothed myself with reassurances that I was still in the “early life” section of my future Wikipedia article and would bide my time before I made my play at greatness. Now however, the unrealisticness of this conceit was thrown into uncomfortably sharp relief by a certain contrast I could not not ignore. Only three days after the start of the full scale invasion, Ukrainian foreign minister Dymytro Kuleba announced the creation of the “International Legion For The Territorial Defense Of Ukraine”. Unlike in 2014, Ukraine was now specifically and officially soliciting foreigners with military experience to fight for them! I was at least technically in that category! I thought about my own time in the military. My ideas of going to war in Afghanistan had been quashed by the US withdrawal not long after I joined, and I had quickly found that military life involved more editing forms in Adobe Acrobat and less explosions than I had naively supposed. But this was a real war, a deadly serious war, and a major, world defining event at that. In the early months of the invasion the international media talked about almost nothing else. I spent all day at my desk pretending to work while frantically refreshing OSINT live maps and breathlessly following news from the front. I remember the circulation of harrowing video clips. Kalashnikovs being distributed to civilians in Kyiv, the mayor of a small village publicly asking its inhabitants whether they should personally accede to Russian ultimatums, or risk having their property destroyed and lives forfeit- to resounding cries of “Glory to Ukraine”. The Ukrainians' courage blew my mind. There were people who really had something to die for, and by extension something to live for. Meanwhile, there I was, sipping coffee and getting fat. The creation of the legion felt like destiny was reaching its hand out to me. Was I really going to ignore it so I could handle support tickets for the rest of my life? https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-review-the-russo-ukrainian-war  

Hey there, hero!Sometimes, a little thing can be a puzzler, and can be annoying, and when you figure out how to solve it, can be a bit embarrassing.For years, I didn't enjoy the notion of shooting a vertical full body shot for my on-camera self-tape auditions……until I did. I stopped being so precious about it, and made it easy. And gave casting directors exactly what they want: a look at me, head to toe.In this episode, I show you how I do it. (And if you usually listen to the audio version of the podcast, you might want to watch this particular one.)How do you do your full body shots? Is it even easier than how I do it? Willing to share? Let me know how you do it in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/how-i-easily-add-a-full-body-shot-to-my-on-camera-audition-slates/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

[This is one of the finalists in the 2025 review contest, written by an ACX reader who will remain anonymous until after voting is done. I'll be posting about one of these a week for several months. When you've read them all, I'll ask you to vote for a favorite, so remember which ones you liked] 1. The Internet That Would Be In July 1945, Vannevar Bush was riding high. As Director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, he'd won World War II. His proximity fuse intercepted hundreds of V-1s and destroyed thousands of tanks, carving a path for Allied forces through the French countryside. Back in 1942, he'd advocated to President Roosevelt the merits of Oppenheimer's atomic bomb. Roosevelt and his congressional allies snuck hundreds of millions in covert funding to the OSRD's planned projects in Oak Ridge and Los Alamos. Writing directly and secretively to Bush, a one-line memo in June expressed Roosevelt's total confidence in his Director: “Do you have the money?” Indeed he did. The warheads it bought would fall on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in mere weeks. The Germans had already given up; Victory in the Pacific was nigh. So Bush was thinking ahead. In The Atlantic, Bush returned to a pre-war obsession with communication and knowledge-exchange. His essay, “As We May Think,” imagined a new metascientifical endeavor (emphasis mine): https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-review-project-xanadu-the-internet

[This is one of the finalists in the 2025 review contest, written by an ACX reader who will remain anonymous until after voting is done. I'll be posting about one of these a week for several months. When you've read them all, I'll ask you to vote for a favorite, so remember which ones you liked] I. THE TASTE OF VICTORY The Tupinambá people ate their enemies. This fact scared Hans Staden, a German explorer who was captured by Tupinambá warriors in 1554, when they caught him by surprise during a hunting expedition. As their prisoner for nearly a year, Staden observed a number of their cannibalism rituals. They were elaborate, public affairs; here's a description of them from Duffy and Metcalf's The Return of Hans Staden, an assessment of Staden's voyage and claims: (Ch. 2, pg. 51-52) First a rope was placed around the neck of the captive so that he might not escape; at night the rope was tied to the hammock in which the captive slept. Straps that were not removed were placed above and below the knees. The captives were given women, who guarded them and also slept with them. These women were high-status daughters and sisters of chiefs; they were unmarried and sometimes gave birth to the child of a captive. Some of the captives might be held for a period of time until corn was planted and new large clay vessels—for drink and cooking flesh—were made. Guests were invited to the ceremony, and they often arrived eight to fifteen days in advance of it. A special small house was erected, with no walls but with a roof, in which the captives were placed with women and guards two or three days before the ceremony. In the other houses, feathers were prepared for a headdress or for body ornamentation, and inks were made for tattoos. Women and girls prepared fifty to one hundred vats of fermented manioc beer. Then, when all was ready, they painted the victim's face blue, mounted a headdress of wax covered with feathers on him, and wound a cotton cord around his waist. The guests began to drink in the afternoon and continued all through the night. At dawn, the one who was to do the killing came out with a long, painted wooden club and smashed the captive on the head, splitting it open. The attacker then withdrew for eight to fifteen days of abstinence while the others ate the cooked flesh of the captive and finished all of the drink made for the occasion. https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-review-the-synaptic-plasticity

Hey there, hero!If you don't know by now, one of my favorite hobbies is to brag on my VOHeroes Pro clients.(Given how real the struggle is to be a professional performer, and how we constantly have to manage our mindset when we inevitably don't get the gig, each win is a savory morsel of delight.)Everytime that happens, I get a little giddy.I can't lose. I always win. It makes me happy inside.And when the joy of success is layered twice over, it's even better.Karen Merritt is a Lifetime member of the VOHeroes Pro community. She's been working on her craft for decades, in a town far outside the typical big production centers, and she's very calm and cool about enjoying her journey over the long haul.No short-term disappointment for her…part of her satisfaction comes from the journey itself.And this past month, Ms. Merritt got not just one, but two validators that she's the Real Deal.One came from Toastmasters, and one came from the brand partnership between Bath & Body Works and the folks at Disney.Have a look or listen to how things rolled out for Karen and how you might steal a page from her playbook.Would you join me in saying “good on ya” to VOHeroes Pro Lifetime member Karen Merritt, and her awesome wins? Please do so in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/the-doubly-wonderful-week-of-ms-karen-merritt/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

Hey there, hero!Ever notice how some people look at acting, voice over or writing and think it's a snap……and not that hard to do?I had an aunt that would make snide comments like “Oh, I could do that. Who would think that's so difficult?”She would say that phrase to make others feel small. And, likely, to try and make herself feel better about herself…and her life choices.In this episode, we're going to look at just how hard being an artist can be……and how the best at their craft make it LOOK easy.You deserve credit for how hard it really is, and how easy you make it look.So how do you react when you hear someone, who has no idea what they are talking about. say how easy what you do is? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/how-hard-can-this-be/---#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

[This is one of the finalists in the 2025 review contest, written by an ACX reader who will remain anonymous until after voting is done. I'll be posting about one of these a week for several months. When you've read them all, I'll ask you to vote for a favorite, so remember which ones you liked] If you've been following this blog for long, you probably know at least a bit about pharmaceutical research. You might know a bit about the sort of subtle measures pharmaceutical companies take to influence doctors' prescribing habits, or how it takes billions of dollars on average to bring a new medication to market, or something about the perverse incentives which determine the FDA's standards for accepting or rejecting a new drug. You might have some idea what kinds of hoops a company has to jump through to conduct actual research which meets legal guidelines for patient safety and autonomy. You may be less familiar though, with how the sausage is actually made. How do pharmaceutical companies actually go through the process of testing a drug on human participants? I'm going to be focusing here on a research subject's view of what are known as Phase I clinical trials, the stage in which prospective drugs are tested for safety and tolerability. This is where researchers aim to answer questions like “Does this drug have any dangerous side effects?” “Through what pathways is it removed from a patient's body?” and “Can we actually give people enough of this drug that it's useful for anything?” This comes before the stage where researchers test how good a drug is at actually treating any sort of disease, when patients who're suffering from the target ailments are given the option receive it as an experimental treatment. In Phase I clinical trials, the participants are healthy volunteers who're participating in research for money. There are almost no cases in which volunteer participation is driven by motivations other than money, because the attitudes between research participants and clinicians overwhelmingly tend to be characterized by mutual guarded distrust. This distrust is baked into the process, both on a cultural level among the participants, and by the clinics' own incentives. All of what follows is drawn from my own experiences, and experiences that other participants in clinical pharmaceutical research have shared with me, because for reasons which should become clear over the course of this review, research which systematically explores the behaviors and motives of clinical research participants is generally not feasible to conduct. https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-review-participation-in-phase

Hey there, hero!To get from here to there, to move forward (or even, sometimes, backwards), we need to be in a state of motion.Not standing still, but rather moving toward our goal.That sometimes takes bravery.Like when you were first behind the wheel in driver's ed class (for those of you who grew up in NYC, you're excused - we'll see you next time). Pure terror.But you got moving. And that's what you need to do to “figure it out as you go,” as opposed to the perceived safety of not moving at all.Are you willing to let go of the “safety” of staying perfectly still? Do you just start moving when you need to get something done? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/the-one-car-you-cannot-learn-to-drive-in/---#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

IIn this episode, Mike sits down with audiobook narrator and author Sanya Simmons to talk about her path from classical musician to becoming a voice actor and audiobook narrator. What We Cover: Building an Audiobook Career: Moving from ACX royalty-share projects to working directly with publishers The real time investment: why 5-10 hours of finished audio takes 30-40+ hours total Prep strategies for fiction vs. nonfiction projects Getting family help with research to save time Using Your Musical Background: How Sanya's flute and vocal training helps her narration Treating your voice like an instrument for better breath control and phrasing Avoiding monotonous reads by "hearing" what the author intended Networking That Actually Works: Why relationship-building beats transactional approaches How APA committee work and APAC conferences led to unexpected opportunities Staying in touch with producers without being pushy The power of showing up consistently Expanding Beyond Audiobooks: Getting into political VO and broadcast narration Dealing with union rules in right-to-work states The reality of competitive commercial and promo markets Social Media Without the Overwhelm: Building authentic presence with help from others Choosing the right platforms (Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok) Why "good enough" content beats perfect content you never post From Author to Narrator: Sanya talks about her book "A Single Mom's Guide to Raising Black Gentlemen" and how her parenting experience shapes her storytelling approach. Plus, how her sons contributed to both the book and audiobook. Key Points: Balance active projects with ongoing training Reliability builds lasting relationships: communicate early, deliver clean work, say thank you Think like a business owner: proper structure, strategic investments, tax planning Community matters: connect with mentors, peers, and people you can help Whether you're starting out or scaling up your audiobook business, Sanya shares practical advice on production, relationships, and sustainable growth. Connect with Sanya: Book: "A Single Mom's Guide to Raising Black Gentlemen"  Real talk about building a thriving audiobook career while keeping your sanity and artistic integrity. Check out more episodes over at: https://mikelenzvopodcast.com/ Voice 123 15% Discount Code link:  https://bit.ly/3BsPSaw

Hey there, hero!The Broadway actor André De Shields has quietly made a stunning career out of performing on one of the most exclusive sets of stages in the world, and although he's a Emmy-, Grammy- and Tony-award winning actor, he's not a household name…https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/André_De_Shields…but De Shields' recently-publicized three rules of life ought be memorized and put to use by everyone.Who knows? They might make the world a whole lot better of a place to be.After you hear them, take a moment and let me know what you think about them in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/andre-de-shields-three-rules-of-life/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

Hey there, hero!Permanence. Import. Outcomes. Results.We make lots of decisions, and we talk a lot about the size of those small, medium and large decisions - but another way of looking at them is…permanence.The long lasting results of all those decisions, if any. The effectiveness of a decision that makes for real change.But instead of size, what about potency? What about import? What about the long-term permanence of your decisions?I found a really awesome way of looking at the effect of a decision that has a different vector than simply its size - and it speaks to how hard some decisions are to retreat from if they just don't work out.Hat, haircut and tattoo.Do you ever consider the finality, the permanence of your decisions? Have you ever thought about what your decisions can really mean to your overall life choices? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/hat-haircut-or-tattoo/---#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

Finalist #8 in the Review Contest [This is one of the finalists in the 2025 review contest, written by an ACX reader who will remain anonymous until after voting is done. I'll be posting about one of these a week for several months. When you've read them all, I'll ask you to vote for a favorite, so remember which ones you liked] I. The Men Are Not Alright Sometimes I'm convinced there's a note taped to my back that says, “PLEASE SPILL YOUR SOUL UPON THIS WOMAN.” I am not a therapist, nor in any way certified to deal with emotional distress, yet my presence seems to cause people to regurgitate their traumas. This quirk of mine becomes especially obvious when dating. Many of my dates turn into pseudo-therapy sessions, with men sharing emotional traumas they've kept bottled up for years. One moment I'm learning about his cat named Daisy, and then half a latte later, I'm hearing a detailed account of his third suicide attempt, complete with a critique of the food in the psychiatric ward. This repeated pattern in my dating life has taught me three things: I am terrible at small talk. Most men are not accustomed to genuine questions about their well-being, and will often respond with a desperate upwelling of emotion. The men are not alright. This is a review of dating men in the Bay Area. But more than that, it's an attempt to explain those unofficial therapy sessions to people who never get to hear them. It's a review of the various forms of neglect and abuse society inflicts upon men, and the inevitable consequences to their happiness and romantic partnerships. https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-review-dating-men-in-the-bay

Finalist #9 in the Review Contest [This is one of the finalists in the 2025 review contest, written by an ACX reader who will remain anonymous until after voting is done. I'll be posting about one of these a week for several months. When you've read them all, I'll ask you to vote for a favorite, so remember which ones you liked] Ollantay is a three-act play written in Quechua, an indigenous language of the South American Andes. It was first performed in Peru around 1775. Since the mid-1800s it's been performed more often, and nowadays it's pretty easy to find some company in Peru doing it. If nothing else, it's popular in Peruvian high schools as a way to get students to connect with Quechua history. It's not a particularly long play; a full performance of Ollantay takes around an hour.1 Also, nobody knows where Ollantay was written, when it was written, or who wrote it. And its first documented performance led directly to upwards of a hundred thousand deaths. Macbeth has killed at most fifty people,2 and yet it routinely tops listicles of “deadliest plays”. I'm here to propose that Ollantay take its place. https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-review-ollantay

Hey there, hero!Math.Some people love it, and some people scratch their head over it.But this particular math concept is simple: distance is distance, no matter how much time it takes.In a race, the fastest contestants usually win.But the work we pursue and reach for? It's not a race. So there's no medal for getting there faster.In fact, it might be better to take your time: you'll miss less. You might even enjoy the run a bit more.But you have to be at peace with the fact that it's not a competition. And if you travel 10K…does it really matter how long that takes?Does this business of acting and writing and voice over feel like a race to you? Are you anxious when you see someone succeeding? Do you feel like you're falling behind if someone else figures something out or gets work? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/a-45-minute-10k-takes-you-just-as-far-as-a-90-minute-10k-does/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

[This is one of the finalists in the 2025 review contest, written by an ACX reader who will remain anonymous until after voting is done. I'll be posting about one of these a week for several months. When you've read them all, I'll ask you to vote for a favorite, so remember which ones you liked] My dad only actually enjoys about ten foods, nine of them beige. His bread? White. His pizza? Cheese. His meat? Turkey breast. And his side dish? Mashed potatoes. As a child I hated mashed potatoes, despite his evangelization of them. I too was a picky eater growing up, but I would occasionally attempt to see what he saw in his beloved spuds. Whenever I tried a bite, the texture disgusted me: a gritty gruel of salty flakes coated with the oleic pall of margarine. The flavor reminded me of stale Pringles. I checked back once every couple years, but was repulsed by them every time. I lobbied my parents for pasta or frozen tater tots or any other side I actually liked. Family dinners were often dichotomous, the same protein supplemented by two different carbs. “You are not my son,” my father would joke as he continued to put away his potato slop. “Maybe you're not my father,” I'd shoot back when he shunned the rest of the family's rice pilaf. Our starch preferences seemed irreconcilable. As I entered my teen years, my palate expanded. After I'd tried and enjoyed brussels sprouts and sushi and escargot, my hatred of one of the most basic and inoffensive of all foods seemed silly. One day at a nice restaurant, I decided to give mashed potatoes one more try. Upon taking my first bite, I realized three things: 1) Mashed potatoes are good. 2) Whatever my dad had been eating at home was not mashed potatoes. 3) My world is built on lies. https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-review-my-fathers-instant-mashed

Audiobooks are one of the fastest growing segments in entertainment, but how do you land work and build a sustainable career as a narrator? Veteran performer and coach Sean Pratt has recorded nearly 1,200 titles over 25 years, voicing everything from Agatha Christie mysteries to business books. In this episode, he shares the skills and temperament the job requires, how to get started on ACX, tips for a basic home studio, the differences between narrating fiction and nonfiction, and why he doesn't believe AI will replace human storytellers anytime soon. *The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their organization or SAG-AFTRA. Any mention of products or services does not imply endorsement.

Hey there, hero!Looking back at when you were just starting out with something can be heartwarming and lovely as you reflect on how far you've come.Or, it can be regretful and cringeworthy, as you think about the rookie mistakes you might have made.My answer was a simple one - I spent too much on very expensive potential solutions: on gear, software, courses - and I doubt I was ready for any of it, because I didn't have the preparation needed to understand how to benefit from some of those “solutions.”I didn't know what I didn't know, and I didn't understand how to take expert advantage of what I had.So, my mistake was to overspend when I didn't have to. That was me.What about you? What would you do if you could start all over from scratch? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/whats-the-one-rookie-mistake-you-wish-you-hadnt-made/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

Finalist #6 in the Review Contest [This is one of the finalists in the 2025 review contest, written by an ACX reader who will remain anonymous until after voting is done. I'll be posting about one of these a week for several months. When you've read them all, I'll ask you to vote for a favorite, so remember which ones you liked] When the prefect of Alexandria's daughter converted to Christianity, nothing in particular happened - it wasn't as though the laws outlawing the cult would be enforced against her. She was smart, she was pretty (beautiful, even) and she had connections. So long as she kept quiet, Catherine could have a comfortable life. She didn't keep quiet. https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-review-joan-of-arc  

Hey there, hero!Sometimes, the most casual comments can be the most powerful.The moments of conversation that are the least charged can sometimes be monumental.I had one of those moments in a recent co-working session with Coach Trevor Algatt (long time collab and member of the VOHeroes and Narrate Your Own Book coaching squad).And I have a sneaking suspicion that what he had to say (about a...bag) might just land with a bang for you as well.What's been the most casual takeaway from a conversation you can remember? Something that was tossed toward you quietly, but was something life-changing? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/trevor-says-theres-nothing-quite-as-satisfying-as-this/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

Jul 26, 2025 Finalist #5 in the Review Contest [This is one of the finalists in the 2025 review contest, written by an ACX reader who will remain anonymous until after voting is done. I'll be posting about one of these a week for several months. When you've read them all, I'll ask you to vote for a favorite, so remember which ones you liked] Introduction The Astral Codex Ten (ACX) Commentariat is defined as the 24,485 individuals other than Scott who have contributed to the corpus of work of Scott's blog posts, chiefly by leaving comments at the bottom of those posts. It is well understood (by the Commentariat themselves) that they are the best comments section anywhere on the internet, and have been for some time. This review takes it as a given that the ACX Commentariat outclasses all of its pale imitators across the web, so I won't compare the ACX Commentariat to e.g. reddit. The real question is whether our glory days are behind us – specifically whether the ACX Commentariat of today has lost its edge compared to the SSC Commentariat of pre-2021. A couple of years ago Scott asked, Why Do I Suck?. This was a largely tongue-in-cheek springboard to discuss a substantive criticism he regularly received - that his earlier writing was better than his writing now. How far back do we need to go before his writing was ‘good'? Accounts seemed to differ; Scott said that the feedback he got was of two sorts: “I loved your articles from about 2013 - 2016 so much! Why don't you write articles like that any more?”, which dates the decline to 2016 “Do you feel like you've shifted to less ambitious forms of writing with the new Substack?”, which dates the decline to 2021 Quite a few people responded in the comments that Scott's writing hadn't changed, but it was the experience of being a commentor which had worsened. For example, David Friedman, a prolific commentor on the blog in the SSC-era, writes: A lot of what I liked about SSC was the commenting community, and I find the comments here less interesting than they were on SSC, fewer interesting arguments, which is probably why I spend more time on [an alternative forum] than on ACX. Similarly, kfix seems to be a long-time lurker (from as early as 2016) who has become more active in the ACX-era, writes: I would definitely agree that the commenting community here is 'worse' than at SSC along the lines you describe, along with the also unwelcome hurt feelings post whenever Scott makes an offhand joke about a political/cultural topic. And of course, this position wasn't unanimous. Verbamundi Consulting is a true lurker who has only ever made one post on the blog – this one: Ok, I've been lurking for a while, but I have to say: I don't think you suck… You have a good variety of topics, your commenting community remains excellent, and you're one of the few bloggers I continue to follow. The ACX Commentariat is somewhat unique in that it self-styles itself as a major reason to come and read Scott's writing – Scott offers up some insights on an issue, and then the comments section engages unusually open and unusually respectful discussion of the theme, and the total becomes greater than the sum of the parts. Therefore, if the Commentariat has declined in quality it may disproportionately affect people's experience of Scott's posts. The joint value of each Scott-plus-Commentariat offering declines if the Commentariat are not pulling their weight, even if Scott himself remains just as good as ever. In Why Do I Suck? Scott suggests that there is weak to no evidence of a decline in his writing quality, so I propose this review as something of a companion piece; is the (alleged) problem with the blog, in fact, staring at us in the mirror? My personal view aligns with Verbamundi Consulting and many other commentors - I've enjoyed participating in both the SSC and ACX comments, and I haven't noticed any decline in Commentariat quality. So, I was extremely surprised to find the data totally contradicted my anecdotal experience, and indicated a very clear dropoff in a number of markers of quality at almost exactly the points Scott mentioned in Why Do I Suck? – one in mid-2016 and one in early 2021 during the switch from SSC to ACX. https://readscottalexander.com/posts/acx-your-review-the-astral-codex-ten 

We're running another ACX Grants round! If you already know what this is and just want to apply for a grant, use the form here (should take 15 - 30 minutes), deadline August 15. If you already know what this is and want to help as a funder, VC, partner charity, evaluator, or friendly professional, click the link for the relevant form, same deadline. Otherwise see below for more information. What is ACX Grants? ACX Grants is a microgrants program that helps fund ACX readers' charitable or scientific projects. Click the links to see the 2022 and 2024 cohorts. The program is conducted in partnership with Manifund, a charity spinoff of Manifold Markets, who handle the administrative/infrastructure side of things. How much money is involved? I plan to contribute $200K. I expect (but cannot guarantee) an additional $800K from other donors, for a total of about $1 million. Most grants will probably be between $5,000 and $50,000, with a rare few up to $100,000. Depending on how much external donor interest there is, we will probably give between 10 and 50 grants. What's the catch? There's no catch, but this year we plan to experiment with replacing some grants with SAFEs, and others with convertible grants. That means that if you're a startup, we (ACX Grants as an nonprofit institution, not me personally) get some claim to future equity if you succeed. If you're not a startup, you'll sign an agreement saying that if your project ever becomes a startup, then we'll get the equity claim. We're still working on the exact details of this agreement, but we intend to have pretty standard terms and err in the favorable-to-you direction; obviously we'll show you the final agreement before you sign anything. We're doing this because some of our previous grantees became valuable companies, and it seems foolish to leave that money on the table when we could be capturing it and reinvesting it into future grants rounds. Please don't let this affect your decision to apply. Our top priority remains charity, and we'll continue to select grantees based on their philanthropic value and not on their likelihood of making us money. If you're not a startup and don't plan to become one, none of this should affect you. And if you have a good reason not to want to sign these agreements - including “I'm not savvy enough to know what this means and it makes me nervous” - then we're happy to opt you out of them. What's the timeline? We'd like to have grants awarded by October 1 and money in your hands by November 1. This is a goal, not a promise. What will the application process be like? You fill out a form that should take 15 - 30 minutes. If we have questions, an evaluator might email or call you, in a way that hopefully won't take more than another 15 - 30 minutes of your time to answer. If you win a grant, Manifund will send you the money, probably by bank wire. Every few years, we might ask you to fill out another 15 - 30 minute form letting us know how your project is doing. What kind of projects might you fund? There are already lots of good charities that help people directly at scale, for example Against Malaria Foundation (which distributes malaria-preventing bed nets) and GiveDirectly (which gives money directly to very poor people in Africa). These are hard to beat. We're most interested in charities that pursue novel ways to change complex systems, either through technological breakthroughs, new social institutions, or targeted political change. Among the projects we've funded in the past were: Development of oxfendazole, a drug for treating parasitic worms in developing countries. A platform that lets people create prediction markets on topics of their choice A trip to Nigeria for college students researching lead poisoning prevention. A group of lawyers who sue factory farms under animal cruelty laws. Development of software that helps the FDA run better drug trials. A startup building anti-mosquito drones to fight tropical disease A guide for would-be parents on which IVF clinics have the highest successful rate of successful implantation. A university lab working on artificial kidneys You can read the full list here and here, and the most recent updates from each project here. Is there anything good about winning an ACX Grant other than getting money? You'll get my support, which is mostly useful in getting me to blog about your project. For example, I can put out updates or requests for help on Open Threads. I can also try to help connect you to people I know. Some people who won ACX Grants last year were able to leverage the attention to attract larger grantmakers or VCs. You can try to pitch me guest posts about your project. This could be a description of what you're doing and why, or just a narrative about your experience and what you learned from it. Warning that I'm terrible to pitch guest posts to, I almost never go through with this, and I'm very nitpicky when I do. Still, you can try. We're working on gathering a network of friendly professionals who agree to provide pro bono or heavily discounted support (eg legal, accounting, business advice, cloud compute) to ACX grantees. We've only just begun this process and it might not actually materialize. There are occasional virtual and physical meetups of ACX grantees; these don't always result in Important Professional Connections, but are pretty interesting. What if I want those nonfinancial benefits for my project, but don't need money? Apply for a grant of $1. But we're pretty nervous about giving very-low-cost grants because it's too easy to accept all of them and dilute our signaling value; for this reason, it might be harder to get a grant of $1 than a grant of $5,000, and we expect these to make up only 0 - 10% of our cohort. You might be better off coming up with some expansion of your project that takes $5,000 and applying for that. What are the tax implications of an ACX Grant? Consult your accountant, especially if you live outside the US. If you live inside the US, we think it's ordinary taxable income. If you're an individual, you'll have to pay taxes on it at your usual tax rate. If you're a 501(c), you'll get your normal level of tax exemption. I want to fund you, how can I help? For bureaucratic reasons, we're currently looking for donations mostly in the $5,000+ range. If that's you, fill out the Funder Application Form. If we've already talked about this over email, you don't need to fill out the form, but we encourage you to do so anyway so we know more about your interests and needs. What's the story behind why you have $200K to spend on grants every year, but are still asking for more funding? Some generous readers sent me crypto during the crypto boom, or advised me on buying crypto, or asked to purchase NFTs of my post for crypto. Some of the crypto went up. Then I reinvested it into AI stocks, and those went up too. I think of this as unearned money and want to give some of it back to the community, hence this grants program. I have a lot of it but not an unlimited amount. At the current rate, I can probably afford another ~5 ACX Grants rounds. When it runs out, I‘ll just be a normal person with normal amounts of money (Substack is great, but not great enough for me to afford this level of donation consistently). My hope is that I can keep making these medium-sized donations, other people can add more to the pot, and we'll be able to drag this out at least five more rounds, after which point maybe we'll come up with another plan. I'm a VC, how can I help? Some of our applicants are potentially-profitable startups, and we decide they're a better match for VC funding than for our grants. If you're willing to look these over and get in touch with any that seem interesting, fill out the VC Application Form. It will ask for more information on what kind of opportunities you're interested in funding. I'm a philanthropist or work at a philanthropic foundation; how can I help? Some of our applicants are good projects, but not a good match for us, and we want to shop them around to other philanthropists and charities who might have different strengths or be able to work with larger amounts of money. If that's you, please fill out the Partner Charity Application Form I'm good at evaluating grants, or an expert in some specific field; how can I help? If you have experience as a grantmaker or VC, or you're an expert in some technical field, you might be able to help us evaluate proposals. Fill out the Evaluator Application Form. By default we expect you'll want us to send you one or two grants in your area of expertise, but if you want a challenge you can request more. If we've already talked about this over email, you don't need to fill out the form, but we encourage you to do so anyway so I know more about your interests and needs. We expect to get more volunteers than we need, and most people who fill in the evaluator form won't get contacted unless we need someone from their specific field. I'm a professional who wants to do pro bono work for cool charities, how can I help? Fill out the Friendly Professional Application Form. If we get enough applicants, we'll compile them into a directory for our grantees. I participated in the Impact Certificate Market last year, did you forget about me? Yes until Austin Chen reminded me last month No! Request final oracular funding by filling in the Impact Applicant Form. Sorry, I forgot, where do I go to apply for a grant again? See form here. Please apply by 11:59 PM on August 15th. https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/apply-for-an-acx-grant-2025

Hey there, hero!We're a few years in on the AI onslaught.No doubt, you have had thoughts on this, both as an artist and as a lover of art.And, I'd be surprised if your thoughts haven't changed and become more informed and nuanced over the years.I'd love to know what those thoughts currently are.Scroll down and let me know how you currently view AI and synthetic media when it comes to your work as an artist…as well as your enjoyment and consumption of art.Some thought starters: - Do you feel at risk of being replaced by AI? - Do you use AI tools? If so, do you feel any guilt at using those tools? - Do you even realize when AI is being used in the audio, video or text of the content you consume? - What does the future hold? What are your biggest AI concerns?Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/survey-how-is-ai-actually-affecting-you/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

[This is one of the finalists in the 2025 review contest, written by an ACX reader who will remain anonymous until after voting is done. I'll be posting about one of these a week for several months. When you've read them all, I'll ask you to vote for a favorite, so remember which ones you liked] https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-review-islamic-geometric-patterns

Hey there, hero!So there's that thing you don't want to do.That task that seems insurmountable, that conversation that seems uncomfortable, that project that seems confusing and messy.So you put it off.What do you tell yourself to justify your procrastination?It's OK…sometimes there's a really good reason to delay things.And sometimes…there's just avoidance. And maybe, even fear.What are the different common things you tell yourself? How does your reasoning change, and stay healthy? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/acceptable-excuses/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

[This is one of the finalists in the 2025 review contest, written by an ACX reader who will remain anonymous until after voting is done. I'll be posting about one of these a week for several months. When you've read them all, I'll ask you to vote for a favorite, so remember which ones you liked] “The scientific paper is a ‘fraud' that creates “a totally misleading narrative of the processes of thought that go into the making of scientific discoveries.” This critique comes not from a conspiracist on the margins of science, but from Nobel laureate Sir Peter Medawar. A brilliant experimentalist whose work on immune tolerance laid the foundation for modern organ transplantation, Sir Peter understood both the power and the limitations of scientific communication. Consider the familiar structure of a scientific paper: Introduction (background and hypothesis), Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion. This format implies that the work followed a clean, sequential progression: scientists identified a gap in knowledge, formulated a causal explanation, designed definitive experiments to fill the gap, evaluated compelling results, and most of the time, confirmed their hypothesis. Real lab work rarely follows such a clear path. Biological research is filled with what Medawar describes lovingly as “messing about”: false starts, starting in the middle, unexpected results, reformulated hypotheses, and intriguing accidental findings. The published paper ignores the mess in favour of the illusion of structure and discipline. It offers an ideal version of what might have happened rather than a confession of what did. The polish serves a purpose. It makes complex work accessible (at least if you work in the same or a similar field!). It allows researchers to build upon new findings. But the contrived omissions can also play upon even the most well-regarded scientist's susceptibility to the seduction of story. As Christophe Bernard, Director of Research at the Institute of Systems Neuroscience (Marseilles, Fr.) recently explained, “when we are reading a paper, we tend to follow the reasoning and logic of the authors, and if the argumentation is nicely laid out, it is difficult to pause, take a step back, and try to get an overall picture.” Our minds travel the narrative path laid out for us, making it harder to spot potential flaws in logic or alternative interpretations of the data, and making conclusions feel far more definitive than they often are. Medawar's framing is my compass when I do deep dives into major discoveries in translational neuroscience. I approach papers with a dual vision. First, what is actually presented? But second, and often more importantly, what is not shown? How was the work likely done in reality? What alternatives were tried but not reported? What assumptions guided the experimental design? What other interpretations might fit the data if the results are not as convincing or cohesive as argued? And what are the consequences for scientific progress? In the case of Alzheimer's research, they appear to be stark: thirty years of prioritizing an incomplete model of the disease's causes; billions of corporate, government, and foundation dollars spent pursuing a narrow path to drug development; the relative exclusion of alternative hypotheses from funding opportunities and attention; and little progress toward disease-modifying treatments or a cure. https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-review-of-mice-mechanisms-and

Radish Fiction is officially shutting down by December 2025. NetGalley just launched a consumer-facing discovery site called Booktrovert. And ACX is testing voice replica AI for audiobook narration. In this week's news update, I cover the latest shifts in the self-publishing world—including a deepfake interview warning, AI narration breakthroughs, and a major indie publishing milestone from Spoken.press.  Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp  Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships  Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee. News Sources: Now in Beta: Narrator Voice Replicas on ACX - https://www.acx.com/mp/blog/now-in-beta-narrator-voice-replicas-on-acx Radish Fiction is shutting down in December 2025 - https://goodereader.com/blog/digital-publishing/radish-fiction-is-shutting-down-soon-in-december NetGalley Launches New Consumer Marketing Site Called Booktrovert - https://publishingperspectives.com/2025/06/netgalley-launches-booktrovert/ When an Interview Isn't Exactly What It Seems: NewYox Media and Its Suite of Magazines - https://writerbeware.blog/2025/07/11/when-an-interview-isnt-exactly-what-it-seems-newyox-media-and-its-suite-of-magazines  Spoken Beta: V0.9.4 Release Notes: Natural Cadence, Emotional Precision, and Massive MCMV Level Up - https://www.spoken.press/the-spoken-chronicle/spoken-beta-v094-release-notes-natural-cadence-emotional-precision-and-massive-mcmv-level-up Miblart - https://DaleLinks.com/Miblart (affiliate link) - use promo code MIBLART15 to get 15% off your order (good through July 18) Self-Publishing Made Simple with April Cox - https://www.youtube.com/@SelfPubMadeSimple BookLinker presents: Your Book Deserves Readers: 3 Steps to Smarter Book Marketing - https://booklinker.mykajabi.com/registration-page ALLi Membership - https://DaleLinks.com/ALLi (affiliate link) ALLi Member Q&A: Marketing Your Books Using Video with Dale L. Roberts - https://selfpubconnect.mn.co/events/member-qa-marketing-your-books-using-video-with-dale-l-roberts The Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast: Building Your Author Platform in 2025 - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-author-platform/ Kobo Writing Life presents: Busting Indie Publishing Myths with Dale Roberts - https://www.youtube.com/live/6oPXIhuzROg?si=YE7mPAAzFYvuYMCq Author Nation - https://DaleLinks.com/AuthorNation (affiliate link) Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

Hey there, hero!Along the lines of what I've mentioned in the past, the rules change as our journey progresses, a hiker once said a version of the title of this episode.The scenery is going to be different as you move through your trek.The same thing happens for us as writers, actors and voice talent.You start off with a set of rules and scenery as a beginner that will be very different from the set of rules and scenery you'll be following and see as you get better and better at what you do.Have you experienced that? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/the-view-changes-once-you-start-walking/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

[This is one of the finalists in the 2025 review contest, written by an ACX reader who will remain anonymous until after voting is done. It was originally given an Honorable Mention, but since last week's piece was about an exciting new experimental school, I decided to promote this more conservative review as a counterpoint.] “Democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” - Winston Churchill “There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, “I don't see the use of this; let us clear it away.” To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: “If you don't see the use of it, I certainly won't let you clear it away. Go away and think. Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to destroy it.” - G.K. Chesterton https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-review-school

Hey there, hero!Sometimes, it's not just A or B, one or the other.You can often be presented with and virtually frozen in place by a stunning and varied array of options in life, and if you're confused by all the choices, that overwhelm can be paralyzing.We can spend so much time trying to be safe…to be correct…to make no mistakes. And that can lead to not making any choice at all.Think of all the things you might have missed in life by inaction, the interesting twists and turns your life has had, and remember that when you feel frozen by the overwhelm.And know that very few choices are permanent - almost all can be adjusted, changed, reviewed and improved.But only if you take action. Only if you actually make a choice.How do you overcome the need to be sure? How do you choose when the choices are overwhelming? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/just-pick-one/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

[This is one of the finalists in the 2025 review contest, written by an ACX reader who will remain anonymous until after voting is done. I'll be posting about one of these a week for several months. When you've read them all, I'll ask you to vote for a favorite, so remember which ones you liked] “Just as we don't accept students using AI to write their essays, we will not accept districts using AI to supplant the critical role of teachers.” — Arthur Steinberg, American Federation of Teachers‑PA, reacting to Alpha's cyber‑charter bid, January 2025 In January 2025, the charter school application of “Unbound Academy”, a subsidiary of “2 Hour Learning, Inc”, lit up the education press: two hours of “AI‑powered” academics, 2.6x learning velocity, and zero teachers. Sympathetic reporters repeated the slogans; union leaders reached for pitchforks; Reddit muttered “another rich‑kid scam.” More sophisticated critics dismissed the pitch as “selective data from expensive private schools”. But there is nowhere on the internet that provides a detailed, non-partisan, description of what the “2 hour learning” program actually is, let alone an objective third party analysis to back up its claims. 2-Hour Learning's flagship school is the “Alpha School” in Austin Texas. The Alpha homepage makes three claims: Love School Learn 2X in two-hours per day Learn Life Skills Only the second claim seems to be controversial, which may be exactly why that is the claim the Alpha PR team focuses on. That PR campaign makes three more sub-claims on what the two-hour, 2x learning really means: “Learn 2.6X faster.” (on average) “Only two hours of academics per day.” “Powered by AI (not teachers).” If all of this makes your inner Bayesian flinch, you're in good company. After twenty‑odd years of watching shiny education fixes wobble and crash—KIPP, AltSchool, Summit Learning, One-laptop-per-child, No child left behind, MOOCs, Khan‑for‑Everything—you should be skeptical. Either Alpha is (a) another program for the affluent propped up by selection effects, or (b) a clever way to turn children into joyless speed‑reading calculators. Those were, more or less, the two critical camps that emerged when Alpha's parent company was approved to launch the tuition‑free Arizona charter school this past January. Unfortunately, the public evidence base on whether this is “real” is thin in both directions. Alpha's own material is glossy and elliptical; mainstream coverage either repeats Alpha's talking points, or attacks the premise that kids should even be allowed to learn faster than their peers. Until Raj Chetty installs himself in the hallway with a clipboard counting MAP percentiles it is hard to get real information on what exactly Alpha is doing, whether it is actually working beyond selection effects, and if there is anyway it could scale in a way that all the other education initiatives seemed to fail to do. I first heard about Alpha in May 2024, and in the absence of randomized‑controlled clarity, I did what any moderately obsessive parent with three elementary-aged kids and an itch for data would do: I moved the family across the country to Austin for a year and ran the experiment myself (unfortunately, despite trying my best we never managed to have identical twins, so I stopped short of running a proper control group. My wife was less disappointed than I was). Since last autumn I've collected the sort of on‑the‑ground detail that doesn't surface in press releases, or is available anywhere online: long chats with founders, curriculum leads, “guides” (not teachers), Brazilian Zoom coaches, sceptical parents, ecstatic parents, and the kids who live inside the Alpha dashboard – including my own. I hope this seven-part review can help share what the program actually is and that this review is more open minded than the critics, but is something that would never get past an Alpha public relations gatekeeper: https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/your-review-alpha-school

Hey there, hero!“Return to the breath.”It's a common phrase that helps you get back to your center when you're meditating or doing any sort of calming technique.We self correct when driving as well - watching the wheel, making gentle movements on the wheel to stay in our lane.And we can use this minor adjustment technique in other areas in life, including staying on task as we move through the day, and staying gracefully focused on our task list……as opposed to all the email/social media/TV/anything-other-than-work distractions we can be taken off track with.Just knowing that you can simply say it out loud when you…notice…you're distracted can help you get back on track.How do you keep yourself quietly on task? What do you do when you're distracted? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/what-meditation-driving-and-task-management-have-in-common/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

Want to break into the voiceover world or boost your acting income? In this episode of Gift Scene Unscripted, actor and seasoned audiobook narrator Hallie Ricardo shares how she went from zero experience to over 110 audiobook titles—and how you can too.You'll learn:How to set up a professional VO home studio (on a budget!)The difference between union vs. non-union audiobook workWhy authenticity is your greatest superpower as a VO artistPlatforms to find work (Ahab, ACX) and how to network effectivelyCommon beginner mistakes (and how to avoid them)Plus: gear recommendations, audition advice, industry insights, and mindset tips to thrive in both VO and on-screen work.

Hey there, hero!I just want to take a moment to tell you how grateful I am to be a part of your journey, and to say thank you for giving me the opportunity to be part of your storytelling support crew.That's pretty much it. I'm just thankful.And here's a link to Kindra Hall's Stories That Stick (I highly recommend this audiobook - she's amazing and will also make you a better storyteller):https://amzn.to/45s4yrgThoughts on all this? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/thank-you-for-letting-me-help-you-tell-stories/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

Hey there, hero!There can be a big difference between taking action, and hurting yourself by jumping to a reaction without really thinking it through.And there's a difference between rushing to some action…any action…and taking just a moment to consider your options.Delta and AMEX and a couple who couldn't wait to post with righteous indignation on Reddit are prominently featured in this episode.I don't think they thought things through before their “bias for action” moment.What is your immediate procedure when something needs taking care of? Do you take just a moment to consider the consequences? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/a-bias-for-action-or-a-knee-jerk-reaction/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

A guest post by Brandon Hendrickson [Editor's note: I accept guest posts from certain people, especially past Book Review Contest winners. Brandon Hendrickson, whose review of The Educated Mind won the 2023 contest, has taken me up on this and submitted this essay. He writes at The Lost Tools of Learning and will be at LessOnline this weekend, where he and Jack Despain Zhou aka TracingWoodgrains will be doing a live conversation about education.] I began my book review of a couple years back with a rather simple question: Could a new kind of school make the world rational? What followed, however, was a sprawling distillation of one scholar's answer that I believe still qualifies as “the longest thing anyone has submitted for an ACX contest”. Since then I've been diving into particulars, exploring how we use the insights I learned while writing it to start re-enchanting all the academic subjects from kindergarten to high school. But in the fun of all that, I fear I've lost touch with that original question. How, even in theory, could a method of education help all students become rational? It probably won't surprise you that I think part of the answer is Bayes' theorem. But the equation is famously prickly and off-putting: https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/bayes-for-everyone

Hey there, hero!Ever been asked to upload a perfectly square image as your profile pic?Sure you have, if you've created your profile on, say, ACX.com.The problem is that you're usually working from a portrait-shaped headshot, that is usually taller than it is wide…definitely NOT square. So, you have to crop a section of just your face.And if you don't get it just right, ACX will force the image to be square, and your face will get squished.No one wants a squished face.Here's how to crop a perfectly square piece of your portrait-sized headshots: use the SHIFT key while making your selection, and your selected area will be constrained to be square. Then, save the cropped section as your square profile pic.I demo it in this episode (watch the video version on VOHeroes to see it).And it works for any app or website where you're working with images: Photoshop, Canva, Preview…whatever.Questions? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/a-simple-shift-key-to-make-perfectly-square-images/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

Hey there, hero!Unless you count the awards shows and box office (unfairly) as some sort of barometer of our success (please don't), there really isn't any sort of leaderboard or all-star ladder for creatives.Even best-seller lists only judge what's selling well, not what's the highest artistic quality.It's not a race, right? We tell ourselves (and I tell you from time to time) it's not a competition. We're all pulling in the same direction, and helping each other.And yet, we look at our peers sometimes, and let our brains ponder how they are “ahead of us” or “gaining ground” or “not as good” or “so much better”...and for what?It's a false equivalency to be “in competition” for a booking or a commission or even moving forward in the casting process.We can't even define what a win is.So, why not just let go of that, and pursue our joy. Have fun. Create to just create.How would you know if you won/lost? How can you let go of that very human competitive spirit? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/what-would-winning-even-look-like/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

Hey there, hero!Sometimes I feel like my cup overfloweth.There's no end to what you can learn about our business, and our world, and life.And there's more knowledge flowing in all the time.Do you have the energy to stay on top of things? Or are you good? Is your bandwidth stretched to the limit?Where are you on the “new knowledge” scale? Are you over the whole adding to your personal knowledgebase thing?? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/how-much-do-you-want-to-know/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

Hey there, hero!The story of life is filled with dependencies, with our journey being affected by the challenges in our lives.And when we think about how our situation might be better if we weren't this or that or the other thing (the grass is always greener, isn't it?), we can make arbitrary assumptions about how our challenges are so…challenging.And we need to remember that we get to choose to have these challenges (or not), and ya kinda have to live with your choices.There's no sense in shaking your fist at how unfair the challenges are in our lives, when at any time we made these choices for a reason, and these challenges ensue……but that we can choose to go down another path at any time, and choose a new set of challenges.Do you feel at peace with the challenges you face as an actor, VO talent, writer or other performer? Or do you grumble constantly about what a challenge your life is? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/nobody-forced-you-to-face-these-challenges/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

Hey there, hero!As if we don't have enough things in the world today, helping us move toward the anxious end of the scale, and away from the calm end, right?Here's a simple way to combat that. I was reminded of this approach by the teachers of The Anxiety Toolkit, a free course I'm currently taking that is offered by The Entertainment Community Fund.Hope this helps.If you've tried this, was it effective? Other ways you know of to ease the unease? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/one-simple-way-to-ease-anxiety/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

Hey there, hero!Every new advance (decline?) in the development of new AI tools can lead to more and more anxiety for performers.It can also lead to more options for our performance careers.This episode is designed to take a look at both the threat and the promise of AI and synthetic voices and faces in 2025.(If you're watching this episode just a few months after it was published, this is all likely old news…but how to handle it as an actor, VO talent or writer is not.)Thoughts on AI? Questions on synthetic performance? Let me know in the comments below.REQUEST: Please join this video's conversation and see the full episode on VOHeroes, where the comments are moderated and civil, at https://voheroes.com/the-moving-target-of-ai/#Acting #Voice #VoiceOver #Performance #Productivity #Tips #Art #Commerce #Science #Mindset #Success #Process #Options #BestPractices #MarketingWant to be a better VO talent, actor or author? Here's how I can help you......become a VO talent (or a more successful one): https://voheroes.com/start ...become an audiobook narrator on ACX (if you're an actor or VO talent): https://acxmasterclass.com/ ...narrate your own book (if you're an author): https://narrateyourownbook.com/ ...have the most effective pop filter (especially for VO talent): https://mikesock.com/ ...be off-book faster for on-camera auditions and work (memorize your lines): https://rehearsal.pro/...master beautiful audiobook and podcast audio in one drag and drop move on your Mac: https://audiocupcake.com/ The VOHeroes Podcast is heroically built with: BuddyBoss | LearnDash | DreamHost | SamCart | TextExpander | BuzzSprout ...

I'm pleased to interview one of our Biz Book Pub Hub Partners. Our Hub Partners are experts who support entrepreneurs along their author journey.  Today's guest is a seasoned voiceover coach, audiobook narrator, and technologist dedicated to helping authors bring their books to life in audio format. With nearly 50 years of experience in broadcasting, voice work, and on-camera acting, he understands the nuances of performance, production, and the power of storytelling through sound. As the creator of Narrate Your Own Book, he specializes in teaching authors how to narrate their own audiobooks with confidence and professionalism. His comprehensive program goes beyond basic recording techniques, offering training in performance, technical skills, and industry standards, ensuring authors produce high-quality audiobooks they can be proud of. Through his award-winning VOHeroes training program, he has coached thousands of students, guiding them through the art, science, and business of audiobook narration. His mission is to equip authors with the skills and tools they need to transform their written words into engaging audio experiences that meet professional standards on platforms like Audible's ACX. Please join me in welcoming David H. Lawrence XVII.  In this episode, we discuss the following: Empowering Authors: Learn how David is giving power back to authors by teaching them to narrate their own audiobooks, transforming written words into engaging audio experiences. Audiobook Revolution: Understand the growing demand for audiobooks and why authors should consider this medium from the get-go to reach wider audiences and enhance their brand. Tailored Training: Explore David's comprehensive program that equips authors with the skills to produce professional standard audiobooks, providing support in performance as well as technical skills. Audience Connection: Uncover the value of authenticity and why, for many authors, narrating their own work can create a deeper connection with their audience, meeting them with true voice and passion. Links LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube. www.narrateyourownbook.com Biz Book Pub Hub Premier Partner Books mentioned in this episode: “Don't Just Hit Publish: Launch Your Book An Entrepreneur's Guide to Reviews and Revenue” by Robbie Samuels “Break Out of Boredom: Low-Tech Solutions for Highly Engaging Zoom Events” by Robbie Samuels “Small List, Big Results: Launch an Offer No Matter the Size of Your Email List” by Robbie Samuels “Croissants vs Bagels: Strategic, Effective, and Inclusive Networking at Conferences” by Robbie Samuels Other Resources Listen to my episode with Elissa D. Hecker and her Biz Book Pub Hub Partner Profile. Learn more about Audible ACX. Learn more about Speechify. Learn more about Grammarly. Learn more about Audacity. Learn more about Headliner. Learn more about Audio Cupcake. Check out the Audio Technica AT2040 microphone.  Check out the Shure SM58 microphone.  Robbie's Resources Schedule a complimentary book launch brainstorming session: www.BookLaunchBrainstorm.com.  Find all the archived podcast episodes, plus an invitation to free virtual networking events for writers and authors, AND Hub Partners ready to help entrepreneurs become successful authors: www.BizBookPubHub.com Join the waitlist for the next Kindle Cross-Promotion Campaign for business authors: www.BizKindlePromo.com Subscribing (or following) and leaving a rating and review wherever you are listening helps this podcast be discovered.  Biz Book Pub Hub features interviews with experts who help entrepreneurs become successful authors and author panels discussing the ROI of publishing a business book.   Tune in for frank conversations about the ups and downs of the author journey. Find out what common mistakes you can avoid and what resources you can use to ensure your effort leads to business growth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) rolled out new features and analytics for account holders, plus I share deeper insights into ACX's new digital voice narration with the cloning capabilities. Kobo Plus expanded into two new regions. National Novel Writing Month shut down; what happened and what can authors do now? And an Australian erotica author has been arrested due to some disturbing allegations. Find out about all that and more in the self-publishing news this week! Book Award Pro - https://DaleLinks.com/BookAwardPro (affiliate link) Subscribe to The Self-Publishing Hub - https://TheSelfPublishingHub.com Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@DaleLRoberts My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee. Sources: Now in Beta: Narrator Voice Replicas on ACX - https://www.acx.com/mp/blog/now-in-beta-narrator-voice-replicas-on-acx Getting the most from your ACX reporting and analytics - https://www.acx.com/mp/blog/getting-the-most-from-your-acx-reporting-and-analytics  Rakuten Kobo Launches Kobo Plus in Singapore & Malaysia - https://kobowritinglife.com/2025/03/18/rakuten-kobo-launches-kobo-plus-in-singapore-malaysia/ NaNoWriMo shutting down (covered by The Bottom Line) - https://janefriedman.com/the-bottom-line-janes-publishing-industry-newsletter/ (subscription required) The State of NaNoWriMo - A Community Update - March 2025 - https://youtu.be/TR6NnjgeIIY?si=Yr8eQ3F7fgYyukWd Apple Books for Authors - https://authors.apple.com Sydney author Lauren Tesolin-Mastrosa arrested over ‘pedophilia' book - https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/crime/sydney-author-lauren-tesolinmastrosa-arrested-over-pedophilia-book/news-story/5babb82438d7adc5ca699c877b07641a  CoverRater - https://coverrater.com - use coupon code DALEROCKS for 20% off (good till Sept. 30, 2025) PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (affiliate link) PublishDrive presents: Building Your Author Platform with Evan Gow of StoryOrigin - https://publishdrive.com/building-your-author-platform-with-evan-gow-of-storyorigin.html  Keith Wheeler presents: YouTube for Books - https://dalelinks.com/youtubeforbooks (affiliate link) Book Career in a Year by Nick Thacker - https://www.bookcareerinayear.com/sp/book/ref/1/  Books that Make You presents: Dale L. Roberts on Self-Publishing for New Authors – Your Guide to Indie Success - https://youtu.be/_9CejZROHcU?si=63ji1R6XkK9IAMCi Self-Publishing with ALLi presents: Marketing Strategies for Children's Books That Work - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-marketing-strategies-for-childrens-books/ The Writing Community Chat Show presents: A Haunted Island. A Spooky Investigation. - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/thewccs/a-haunted-island-a-spooky-investigation?ref=project_link Teddy AG Smith presents: Dale L. Roberts - Beyond Amazon: The Strategic Approach to Publishing Wide - https://youtu.be/bea3M6zGlqQ?si=AlfTwqLTn9cBPXkw ULTIMATE ‪@DaleLRoberts‬ QUIZ | ARE YOU A SELF-PUBLISHING WITH DALE EXPERT? - https://youtu.be/o2n7Kw6q6l0?si=3IYU8M32GGqS8qaI  Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding! - Dale L. Roberts

On this episode of The Mike Lenz VO Podcast, I'm joined by Carmen Seantel, an emerging audiobook narrator whose warm, soothing, and expressive voice is already making an impact in the industry. Carmen is passionate about bringing stories to life and believes in the power of audiobooks to create a safe and accessible space for all readers. We'll dive into her early journey in narration, from working with top coaches and immersing herself in ACX.com to attending the Audiobook Publishers Association Conference—where she overcame social anxiety to network with colleagues, publishers, and producers. Carmen shares her experiences navigating the industry, the lessons she's learned along the way, and how her personal background brings authenticity to her performances. If you're just starting out in audiobook narration or looking for inspiration on breaking into the industry, this episode is packed with insights and encouragement. Tune in for a candid and inspiring conversation with Carmen Seantel! Check out more episodes over at: https://mikelenzvopodcast.com/ Voice 123 15% Discount Code link:  https://bit.ly/3BsPSaw  

In this episode of Hands-On Tech, Mikah Sargent addresses a question from listener Faye about the setup they should go with to start with voice acting, covering how one should approach getting into voice acting and providing some resources for Faye to look into. Don't forget to send in your questions for Mikah to answer at hot@twit.tv Host: Mikah Sargent Download or subscribe to Hands-On Tech at https://twit.tv/shows/hands-on-tech Want access to the ad-free video and exclusive features? Become a member of Club TWiT today! https://twit.tv/clubtwit Club TWiT members can discuss this episode and leave feedback in the Club TWiT Discord.