Issue 1 - Who the Heck am I? or... How I Found My Narrator Voice

Audiobook I’m listening to right now: George Orwell’s 1984 with Andrew Garfield

Audiobook I’m producing right now: Executive Functioning Skills for Teens by Ellie Benson

How many auditions I haven’t heard back from in the last month: 30

Auditions I’ve submitted since February 2024: 1,256

Productions I’ve completed since February 2024: 56 

Number of Words in This Post: 1,027

How Long It Takes Me to Read This Post Out Loud: About 8.5 minutes

Hi there, friends! I’m Catherine Hein-Carter and I’d “like” to say that I’m a professional Audiobook Producer. What makes me a professional? I’m not quite sure. But I’d like to use this space to explore that question. 

This blog is going to be for you, the authors, the producers, the newbies, the curious ones, and the ones just looking for something new.

But this blog will also be for me. I want to explore sharing my tips and tricks as a semi-seasoned ACX Narrator. I want to inspire those who are just starting out with celebrating milestones and moving that next step forward in their journeys. And I want to keep moving forward myself. I want to learn from you and discover more about what might just be my forever career.

• Do you love audiobooks? So do I!
• Do you feel like you may not have what it takes to do audiobook production seriously? So do I!
• Would you like to connect with others who may be curious about starting their narration journey? So would I!
• Are you an author who is exploring turning your masterpiece into an audiobook? I’m so excited to learn from and connect with you!

You’re in the right place, friends! Let’s get started.

Throughout the next few blog posts, you’ll learn:

• A little more about me and my journey
• How I got started with audiobooks and why I love producing them
• How you can get your audiobook production journey started too
• What my home studio looks and sounds like
• Some HUGE mistakes I made starting out and how you can avoid them

I’ll also be working on a New Author Series where we explore:

• What it takes to find the RIGHT producer for your book
• How to discern a good narrator from the PERFECT narrator for your book
• The importance of finding your go-to person for future books
• How to spot an AI producer and steer clear!

Okay, so who am I? 

I’m Catherine but my friends and family call me Catie. I live in Knoxville, TN with my daughter and husband and our dog, Gage. My son lives and works in North Carolina. My sister lives close by with her twin daughters. My parents live ALL the way in Illinois, where I grew up. These are my people, my support system, and my lifeline.

I am not an actor but I always wanted to be one.

Throughout my school years, I was actively involved in theatre through school plays and community theatre. Theatre people are amazing and I just love spending time with them. Even if I wasn’t acting in a performance, I wanted to be involved in some way; props, costumes, stage managing, anything. I’ve had my share of fun lead roles that kept the “bug” alive and my joy in live theatre has never fully gone away.

Can I mention that I spent HOURS as a young girl reading books out loud to myself in my room. I even considered getting a job as a Reader for the elderly in nursing homes! (Until I realized that these are unpaid volunteer positions and elderly folks made me feel uncomfortable. A sentiment that, thankfully, has passed.)

My career, on the other hand, has taken me in a very different direction. I have worked in child care in some capacity for 30 years. Whether as a child care worker, a nanny, an administrative assistant for a child care director training program, a state-wide child care trainer, or a content manager for a federal grant child care education website, working with and for children has been my go-to.

When I turned 40, I decided a change was in order. I wanted to explore my creative side. I wanted to branch out and see if I could be good at OTHER things.

That led me to three new areas:

1. Crochet Handmaking Sales (I’m an avid crochet artisan and love to meet other people who love crochet.)
2. Bookkeeping (My sister owns an accounting business and I love working with her)
3. Audiobook Production

But why audiobooks?

So in my job as an admin for the director training program, I dipped my toe in the voice-over world by recording my voice. Reading scripts that would accompany a nationwide online training program. I figured out that I LOVED doing it! Even through terrible recordings and hours of re-working scripts and editing, I was hooked.

I asked myself, “How can I do this MORE?”

It took quite a few years to find something but as I was publishing my own book on Amazon using KDP (more on that in another post), I discovered ACX. Game. Changer.

With the discovery of ACX and all it’s FREE auditioning gold, I discovered that I was clearly unprepared to just pick up a cheap mic and start reading books.

But with the learning curve came discovery.

I discovered:

• I love bringing stories to life with my voice
• I’m great at working with authors new to ACX and walking them through the steps to publication
• I can learn new things like audio engineering
• I don’t have to know EVERYTHING to be a good producer
• My voice is more versatile, resilient, and consistent than I thought
• I can push through the uncertainty and imposter-syndrome and gain access to a world of authors and producers who may be indie but they are PASSIONATE!

Welcome to my journey, I hope you come back for more. 

Next week, I’ll be talking about How to Get Started in Audiobooks with NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE. Exciting, right?

Thank you for joining me in sharing my passion for storytelling and turning written masterpieces into auditory artistry.

So, please

• Subscribe for new blog posts
• Follow me on social media
• Comment below

What’s your favorite audiobook and why?

Have you ever considered a late-stage change in career? How’s that going for you?

Where are you in your audiobook narration journey? Curious? Newbie? Seasoned? Frustrated?

I truly look forward to hearing from you as we move forward in this crazy world.

Thanks for reading! (lol I almost wrote “Thanks for Listening” which is how I sign off on every single audition…)

Catie