Audiobook Narration 101
We’ve already covered the basics of audiobooks in Audiobooks 101, including all the great reasons to consider adding audiobooks to your life (spoiler: it makes it so easy to read more books!). Now let’s dive deeper into reading-by-ear, about how the style and voice of the audiobook can add or detract from your experience.
Types of Narration
First, an audiobook can be narrated by more than one person. Solo narration is most common, but some audiobooks feature two narrators or even a full cast of characters. There are audiobooks with over 100 voice actors! Some audiobooks even include sound effects for a fully immersive experience.
Audiobook Styles
Audiobooks can be grouped into three different reading styles:
- Fully-voiced: Also known as narrative. All of the characters sound distinct from one another. This style can be achieved with a single, dual, or group of narrators. If a child has ever requested you “do the voices” when reading a book to them, they obviously prefer fully-voiced reading!
- Partially-voiced: Typically, the main characters have distinguishable voices, but the narrator and other characters are all voiced the same.
- Unvoiced or storyteller style: The book is read in a natural voice, with no changes for different characters.
Audiobook readers often prefer different styles based on the style of book. Books with long sections of dialogue, for example, may benefit from fully or partially-voiced reading to help differentiate characters. A romance or fantasy novel with alternating points-of-view lends itself naturally to having two distinct narrators. And a book that mostly dwells on the inner thoughts of a first-person narrator may pair best with a solo, natural voice.
If you’re a frequent audiobook reader, you probably have a good sense of what you do and don’t like when it comes to narration. Fortunately, if you get your eAudiobooks from BPL’s Overdrive collection on Libby, you can listen to a sample of the book before you download it. Pro-top: If you find you have a favourite narrator, you can search for their name in OverDrive to see all of their books available in our collection.
Try a Title Read by the Author
Voice narration is a completely different skill set from writing, so it’s relatively uncommon for authors to narrate their own audiobooks. Memoirs are a frequent exception to this, as many readers enjoy listening to the life story from the person who lived it. It can be even better than reading the print version, particularly if the subject has a distinct voice or inflection. The eAudiobooks below are frequently cited as being better than print.
We Were Dreamers
The tone of Simu Liu’s memoir is conversational, making it an easy pick as an audiobook. The subject matter is often difficult, but the humour woven throughout feels authentic and grounding.
Borrow We Were Dreamers by Simu Liu
Becoming
The former American First Lady’s bestselling memoir is warm, powerful, and honest, and it's made even more enjoyable hearing it in her own voice. The book itself is long, and the audiobook version clocks in at almost 20 hours. You’ll wish it was even longer.
Borrow Becoming by Michelle Obama
Pageboy
A stream-of-consciousness glimpse into the life of actor Elliot Page. The non-linear style of the book makes this one a particularly good choice for listening to on a long road trip!
Borrow Pageboy by Elliot Page
Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing
Late actor Matthew Perry talks frankly about his rise to fame and subsequent struggles with addiction. It is an intimate memoir told in a hilarious and poignant way only the writer himself could.
Borrow Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
Looking for More?
Browse and borrow from our huge collection of digital audiobooks for streaming or downloading and audiobooks on CD:
