Quote:
Originally Posted by issybird
Generally, people who perform narrations are highly talented professionals. Why would a "paid actor" as you call it be any less "enchanted" with the task than any professional in any line of work? Moreover, narration is a different skill and while some actors are successful at both, the implication that narration tends to be done by actors who are slumming and can't find jobs more to their liking is absurd. Some of the best and most successful narrators have made a career of narration.
I think it's obvious you've rushed to judgment without ever trying an audiobook. They may well not be for you. You'll never know, though, if you dismiss them out of hand because you've decided in advance they can't be good.
|
I am as critical of narrators as I am of actors.
It so happens that I have tried audiobooks. I would never ever pay for something that might be a machine-read text-to-speech mp3. These are the worst type of audiobooks that potential customers should be aware of.
And it so happens that I mostly do non-fiction, hardly ever fiction. I am highly sensitive to when the narrator does not understand what he is reading. Non-fiction is all about intellectual understanding, just like fiction is about emotional emphasis. Neither is simply about correct pronunciation. Too bad if the narrator misses the point in either case.
For fiction, radio drama is the best possible audio format, in my opinion. If those were on sale, I would perhaps pay for them, but I tend to find them for free on radio station websites.