All about audiobooks!
A conversation with Sarah Bierstock, audio book narrator
Years ago, when my husband and I were dating, we went on a road trip. Before we left, we checked out an audiobook from the library—probably on cassette, it was that long ago! It was The Horse Whisperer, narrated by Peter Coyote, and we loved it. All these years later, I have no idea where we went but I do remember that book.
Since then, I’ve tended to think of audiobooks as something for long car rides only, but with an endless supply of titles available on our phones, there’s really no excuse not to listen to them whenever! I’ve talked to several friends recently who tell me they listen all the time—while walking the dog, doing needlepoint or housework.
Do you listen to audiobooks? I’d love to know!
Here are a few I’ve enjoyed recently: Ellie Eaton’s The Divines (the different British accents add so much to the story), Dani Shapiro’s Signal Fires (narrated by the author—a delightful experience!), Kathryn Schulz’s Lost and Found (also narrated by the author, but that is more common with memoir than fiction). My dear friend Terri Trespicio narrated her own book, Unfollow Your Passion, and her voice adds so much to the experience! Highly recommend.
I’m delighted to say that my book will have an audiobook version that will be narrated by the wonderful actress/singer/playwright Sarah Bierstock. I had the opportunity to listen to a few auditions and fell in love with Sarah right away. Aside from having a beautiful and expressive voice, she had a quality I just knew was right for Isabel and the book.
Sarah was kind enough to answer a few questions about her background and the process of recording an audiobook (I was curious!). Here is an edited version of that conversation.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I got the musical theater bug super early and began studying voice, theater, tap, jazz and ballet around age nine. I studied musical theater at NYU for two years, then Philosophy in Galway, Ireland and eventually graduated from Bard College. I spent most of my twenties and early thirties performing mostly in musicals Off-Broadway and doing national tours and regional theater. I started writing plays in 2014 and have written four plays, all of which have had productions across the country. Earlier in 2022, I launched a production company (Pass the Salt Productions). The inaugural project, Wasabi: Bits for the Mind, is a series of short films currently being used as part of the film curriculum at Reel Works.
How did you come to be an audiobook narrator?
My voice has always been a huge part of my identity. As a classically trained singer, diction and the nuances of placement and pitch were always part of the vocabulary of my vocal instrument. In this particular instance, I was approached to submit a sample of me reading your wonderful work because someone on the producing team who was familiar with my voice thought I’d be a good fit for the material. I immediately felt connected to it when I read it, and was thrilled when I learned I’d be given the opportunity to narrate the whole book.
How did you prepare to record the book? What is the process like?
It is a process! The first thing I did was read the book through several times. The first read through was simply that–a read through–where I familiarized myself with the story and characters. The second time, I started to dissect the characters and voice them aloud while reading, figuring out how I “heard” them. That reading pass also solidified what I would call the “intention” of the characters or, in layman’s terms, why the characters are saying what they are saying. If I didn’t understand that, there is no way I could relay the text believably or in a way that a listener could follow the story.
The third time through I marked up the text in different colors so I could have some visual cues as to when different characters were speaking and as a reminder to switch into the voices I’d explored.
How did you come up with the different “voices”?
By playing around! Trying different pitches, accents, colors, nasalities… thinking about where those characters are from geographically, their age, education, life experiences, etc. All the things that influence how we speak and sound.
One challenge for me was balancing the desire to keep the voices subtle, but also give enough color and characterization so that the listener would have a clear sense which character was speaking. Men’s voices are tricky because you don’t want to play “at” them or it sounds false. But you do want to find a color or essence that evokes a sense of what that man might sound like.
Are you hoping to record other audiobooks in the future? What else are you working on now?
I would love to record other audiobooks! I feel like the floodgates have opened and now I can’t get enough! At the moment, I am working on one of my plays called “The Glue People.” I was down at the Contemporary American Theater Festival with it the week after I recorded My Last Innocent Year. I’m hopeful they’ll do a full production next summer. I’m also making some changes to my play “Grace’s Land 2.0,” for the licensing company that represents it. I’m also producing a benefit for the Stage Directors and Choreographer’s Foundation. You’ve got to wear a lot of hats as a creative person, and I feel so fortunate that audiobook narration is one of the hats I get to put on.
Thank you, Sarah!
I’d love to hear from you! Do you listen to audiobooks? When and where? Any recommendations? Leave them below in the comments!