Maris Kreizman on the Importance of a Good Reader
Who’s the better narrator for an audiobook: the author of the book or a professional voice actor?Article continues after advertisement
Trick question. The answer is both, and/or, it depends.
Let’s leave nonfiction out of this discussion because I find that just about any personal writing will benefit from the author’s literal voice, whether it’s in memoir-form, personal essay, or reporting in which the author is present. That’s why I begged my publisher to let me narrate my own essay collection, and why, from celebrities to comedians (Alison Leiby’s new one is so good!) to journalists (let Patrick Radden Keefe do whatever he wants!), I tend to enjoy author-narrated performances more.
But fiction is a little thornier. Not all fiction writers are actors and that is more than okay because voice actors exist and many of them are wonderful. In fact, voice actors are very important. In order to buy into such an assertion you must believe, despite what AI companies like to say, that narrating books is an art form and should be treated as such.
