Audiobooks discussion

George Guidall, narrator extraordinaire, will be visiting us right here on June 1 and 2.

George is the voice, aka The Voice, of over 1200 audiobooks (and counting). As such, he’s been instrumental in helping to fuel the industry’s phenomenal growth. We can think of no better way to begin the celebration of AudioFile Magazine’s 25th Anniversary year than to bring George to GoodReads Audiobooks Group to chat about the favorite subject of everyone here.

Tomorrow we’ll post his audiography so folks can be reminded of the scope of work as well as their own favorites. And on June 1, George will come visit! So, start getting those questions ready.

Wow! I love talking to listeners.
(Doesn't everyone?) I should say READERS...Looking forward to it. Six days before my birthday! What a great gift.

Looking forward to this. I don't have time to read books anymore. Audiobooks are the only way I can 'read' these days, and George is one of my favorites.

Hi Folks, Aurelia here with a link to George's audiography: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/revi.... It'll give you a chance to check out the range of his work and your favorites as we get ready to welcome him tomorrow. See you all back here on Wednesday and Thursday!

In case my excitement over interacting directly with George--as much time as we've spent together, I feel like we should be on a first-name basis ;)--makes me forget... Happy Birthday a few days early, George! May you have many more happy and healthy ones!

.... and here I was sure that having George Guidall here at the first of June was a late birthday present for me... So happy early birthday to your George, and happy late birthday to me... maybe we should start singing the Mad Hatter's Song. "A very merry un-birthday to you, to you.... "

And I have to admit that when I saw this, it suddenly hit me, that this starts tomorrow! I've been waiting forever! <><

Can't wait to hear what George Has to say. He's my favorite male narrator and voice actor. Don't take my word for his gorgeous voice, all my friends agree. Thanks for all the books you read! You deserve many Golden Voice awards.

oooo.... and don't forget he's been on tv... I was totally blown away, when I was looking at the cast at the end of one of the Law & Order and it said that one of the actors was George Guidall... I had to yell at the screen to let it know that I knew who George Guidall is.... think that was more exciting than it would have been if one of those really famous actor guys had been in it... <><

My favourite is his narration of The Golem and the Jinni :-)

George, you have narrated quite a lot of classics as well as contemporary books - do you prefer one over the other? Do you approach them differently?

Good Morning. This is Aurelia for AudioFile and as promised, George Guidall will be joining us today and tomorrow to answer questions and chat about all things audiobook.

George recently won the Best Male Narrator Audie Award for Daniel Silva’s newest The English Spy. (Here’s a clip: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/revi....) That’s just one of the 1,200 audiobooks – and counting – that he has brought to life for listeners. His list of authors is crazy long - Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Daniel Silva, Craig Johnson, Tony Hillerman, Dostoyevsky, de Maupassant… For more, here’s his AudioFile page: http://www.audiofilemagazine.com/narr... and his website: http://www.georgeguidall.com/index.html.

Welcome George! Let me start the ball rolling with this question. What triggered your passion for acting and narrating? Did you act things out and read aloud a lot as a kid, or was your passion sparked later on?

George, I've enjoyed so many of the books you've narrated, but one that has really echoed with me is THE HISTORY OF LOVE. Are there any stories you've narrated that have stayed with you long afterward?

Hi George,
Love and enjoy your work!
How did you get started nnarrating and what was your first book?

Hello George! Thank-you so much for joining us!

You have narrated almost every genre out there and I was wondering which genre is your favorite?

Well, finally, goodreads keeps telling me I can't get into the groups section... grumble, grumble, grumble... and then they say they are looking into it, so please come back later... grrrrrrr....

It's so wonderful to have THE George Guidall here... You do so many of the series I really enjoy - Gabriel Alan, Walt Longmire, Inspector Erlendur, and John Wells - as well as most of many of my other favorites - Night Soldiers, Mitch Rapp, Scott Harvath, and The Cat Who... - not to mention the fact that I spent many hours listening to you read Les Misérables... sigh...

So, what was the very first book that you narrated? How long ago was that? Do you enjoy narrating as much as we enjoy listening to you? <><

Hey Everyone, this is Aurelia. George is so looking forward to this. He's been ferrying a beloved to appointments all day, which is why he hasn't appeared yet. He's on the way home to his computer and to us!

George wrote: "Wow! I love talking to listeners.
(Doesn't everyone?) I should say READERS...Looking forward to it. Six days before my birthday! What a great gift."

Knock it off. Nobody cares.

Miriam wrote: "Can't wait to hear what George Has to say. He's my favorite male narrator and voice actor. Don't take my word for his gorgeous voice, all my friends agree. Thanks for all the books you read! You de..."Thanks go out to you for listening. I wish I sounded that way to ME! It's so hard to listen to myself. I still sound like a nasal boy soprano. Guess I'm fooling you.


Jeanie wrote: "In case my excitement over interacting directly with George--as much time as we've spent together, I feel like we should be on a first-name basis ;)--makes me forget... Happy Birthday a few days ea..."That's not unusual. Every listener has a special relationship with their favorite narrator, You're sharing things with that person and often on an intimate level that connects to you in some important way. I'm on a firsst name basis with people I don't really know and that's one rewarding aspect of what I do.


Hpstrangelove wrote: "Looking forward to this. I don't have time to read books anymore. Audiobooks are the only way I can 'read' these days, and George is one of my favorites." How nice to hear that. Your check will be in the mail. (not) Thank you for that.


George wrote: "Wow! I love talking to listeners.
(Doesn't everyone?) I should say READERS...Looking forward to it. Six days before my birthday! What a great gift."

Msjodi777 wrote: ".... and here I was sure that having George Guidall here at the first of June was a late birthday present for me... So happy early birthday to your George, and happy late birthday to me... maybe we..."Happy days to both of us! I'm glad we could celebrate together. Thanks so much for listening.

AudioFile wrote: "Good Morning. This is Aurelia for AudioFile and as promised, George Guidall will be joining us today and tomorrow to answer questions and chat about all things audiobook.

George recently won the ..."
Wow! My mom always scolded me for never "picking up a book."
I don't care for the term "voice actor." You are either an actor or you're not. I'm an actor, have been since I was in my twenties, and I love the interpretive nature of changing the written word into the spoken one. It gives me joy to find depths of human behavior behind the words and bring these imagined truths of the page to life.

Msjodi777 wrote: "oooo.... and don't forget he's been on tv... I was totally blown away, when I was looking at the cast at the end of one of the Law & Order and it said that one of the actors was George Guidall... I..."Boy oh boy! That was a few years ago. I think I HEARD you. Thanks,

Louise wrote: "My favourite is his narration of The Golem and the Jinni :-)"Hey! What a wierd but interesting book. I loved it when she walked from Ellis Island to the shores of Battery Park..Made out of CLAY! Why didn't she melt??? Good book, though.

Louise wrote: "George, you have narrated quite a lot of classics as well as contemporary books - do you prefer one over the other? Do you approach them differently?"Not really. Usually the classics pull you in to the deeper lives of people struggling with universal questions. Thrillers are entertaining and also instructive on another level. Some are. Westerns are great fun and totally honest.
My job is the same. To involve you in the immediacy of the story.

Rosemary wrote: "George, I've enjoyed so many of the books you've narrated, but one that has really echoed with me is THE HISTORY OF LOVE. Are there any stories you've narrated that have stayed with you long afterw..."You hit one of my all-time favorites. What a beautiful story of love and loss. Nicole Krauss is so talented. I cam awayfeeling like Leo Gertz at the end of each session. Love that book! Thanks.

Jeanie wrote: "Hi George,
Love and enjoy your work!
How did you get started nnarrating and what was your first book?"I think the first one was a western when I was working for Talking Books, part of the library for the physically handicapped. After a couple of years there, between shows on Broadway and off-Broadway, I started at Recorded Books with Tony Hillerman's Navaho/Western series.

Hpstrangelove wrote: "Looking forward to this. I don't have time to read books anymore. Audiobooks are the only way I can 'read' these days, and George is one of my favorites."Kind words. Thanks so much.

MissSusie wrote: "Hello George! Thank-you so much for joining us!

You have narrated almost every genre out there and I was wondering which genre is your favorite?"It's 1327 books now. And impossible to name a favorite. I gravitate to the classics because of the depths of feeling and the use of language. But so many books that are beautifully crafted and deal with the human condition are not hyped and get lost. I'm blessed to find them and give them a new life. One book like that is REMEMBER BEN CLAYTON, by Steven Harrington.

When you act or TV or movies I assume you play a single character. When you read you are many characters (and the ages and genders vary). How is that different for you?

By the way, you are the perfect Longmire and that's coming from someone who loves the Tv series.

Msjodi777 wrote: "Well, finally, goodreads keeps telling me I can't get into the groups section... grumble, grumble, grumble... and then they say they are looking into it, so please come back later... grrrrrrr....Hoe nice to heaar that. NO. I enjoy narrating them MORE than you enjoy listening to them. It's when I hear from listeners of the impact a book had that my enjoyment soars.
Les Mis? What a trip! I hated it to end. So Rich.

..."

Hey, everyone! I can't tell you how much I enjoy talking to you all. Recording in a tiny space with only an engineer listening (sometimes) can be a solitary experience. But hearing from you, the listeners, creates a beautiful picture in my head of all of you standing around me in the studio laughing, crying, frowning, as I paint these vocal pictures for your minds' eyes. When I travel to libraries around the country with my program THE ART AND ARTIFICE OF AUDIOBOOK NARRATION, meeting fans and hearing their reactions to the various books I've recorded fills me with a special love for my work and for those whose love of the spoken word makes my work possible. Thank you all.

Faith wrote: "When you act or TV or movies I assume you play a single character. When you read you are many characters (and the ages and genders vary). How is that different for you? It depends on my medications for the day.. Just kidding. A character's truths are evident in and through his behavior. Sometimes a subtle change of vocal pattern can suggest a different character. A single character can be explored in greater depth for an extended period of time. Aside from the main character(s) in a book, peripheral characters have to be drawn quickly and sharply. Often vocal characteristics can help draw the picture.

I love Longmire, too. The one in the book. Johnson is a lovely writer.

By the way, you are the per..."

Hi George , and thank you for taking time to come talk to the group . So kind of you .

This may be a hard question for you , since you have narrated so many books, but is there one that you'd still love to narrate that you haven't had the opportunity to do yet ?
( Kind of like a Bucket-List Book )

Can I also ask what year you started narrating professionally ?

And also, do you ever meet narrators that are newer to the business that ask your advice for success, and if so, what would you tell them ?

Just dropping in to show my appreciation, George. You're one of those narrators that may cause me to try something new, just because I know it will be a great listening experience.

My personal favorites of yours so far are the Dark Tower books. I particularly loved your characterization of Pere Callahan.

As a fan of Longmire (the show), I am really looking forward to diving into the audiobook series.

Thank you for your outstanding work!!!

George, thank you for many years of listening enjoyment. I, too, particularly enjoyed your Dark Tower narrations.

Is there an author whose work you have narrated that you would like to meet - living or dead?

Julie * wrote: "Hi George , and thank you for taking time to come talk to the group . So kind of you .

This may be a hard question for you , since you have narrated so many books, but is there one that you'd sti..."There are many classics I haven't yet done...also American classics like Mailer and Malamud come to mind. Would love to continue with Proust's Remembrance of Things Past, oh, so many left and so little time.

Thanks for spending time with us, George. I started listening to audiobooks on cassette in the 1980's and you were one of the first narrators I remember looking out for. Tony Hillerman was mentioned above and I love his work. So I listened to an audiobook that he narrated himself and his delivery was totally flat! Of course, he's a great writer but that didn't mean he was a great narrator. Then I listened to one narrated by you and thought "That's what it is supposed to sound like".

I also remember another audiobook in the last few years (I won't say which one) that had characters of different backgrounds who would have had distinct accents, but that (professional) narrator made no effort to depict the accents. I thought "George Guidall would have done this book better". So you are kind of a standard I judge by.

I've seen a couple interviews with you and I like how thoughtful you are about the books you narrate and how much you really enjoy your work. Glad you are still going strong!

Hi George, I just wanted to pop by and say welcome and thank you for spending time here with this group. And Happy Birthday.

I have listened to many of your narrations. You have covered such diverse genres. The main ones that come to mind are Wally Lamb's books and Rick Atkinson's ... oh and Vince Flynn's.

I like what you wrote above in one of your posts, that you consider it your job to involve the reader in the immediacy of the story. That was well said because that is exactly what you do and that is exactly why you are one of my top favorite narrators. When tackling a long book or difficult subject matter, your narrations never make me feel in a hurry to get through it. It is always a nice ride.

So my question....Do you prefer narrating fiction or nonfiction? And do you consider one easier than the other?

Somebody needs to tell imdb.com that you have read more than 650 audiobooks... sheesh... they are so far behind.

However, imdb did tell me you got an Obie for best performance off Broadway, though, again slackers that they are, they don't say for what... DUH!.... Could you tell us about that? What was it for? When was it? We want all the particulars!

As a fan of both Daniel Silva, and you, I was really glad you won that particular audie, though I think you could have won a couple more this year.

Ha! and between the Obie, and the audies... I hope you have a very large mantle piece! <><

I'm a bit late to the party, but I want to thank you, George, for all the enjoyment you've brought to my ears.

Welcome George. I'm a big sports fan and have many superstitions related to that. I know too that many professional athletes have rituals they go through before engaging in their craft. Curious to know what your ritual is prior to beginning a recording to warm up. It's always interesting to hear from narrators on this topic.

Hi Everyone, Aurelia here to say keep those questions coming today. George is again driving a beloved to medical appointments and will be back with us around 5pm, ready to chat! Cheers.

I had picked up a used paperback of a Tony Hillerman story and greatly enjoyed it. So, when my eyesight started to go bad and I decided it was time to start renting cassette books, I started with your narration of Listening Woman. And was hooked for life.
Thank you for the many, many hours of listening pleasure and learning.

Robin wrote: "Thanks for spending time with us, George. I started listening to audiobooks on cassette in the 1980's and you were one of the first narrators I remember looking out for. Tony Hillerman was mentione..."Hey, I'm glad I'[m still going strong ALSO, Robin. I'm kinda blessed to be able to do this and let my many personalities have fun in someone's imagination. Hillerman still is a favorite, but Craig Johnson's LONGMIRE series is in homage to Hillerman, because Johnson was sort of a protege of Tony. His series is a total winner. Thanks so much for your input. I can always be contactes on facebook or through my ancient website, which is undergong update planning.

Donna wrote: "Hi George, I just wanted to pop by and say welcome and thank you for spending time here with this group. And Happy Birthday.

I have listened to many of your narrations. You have covered such diver..."Great question, Donna. I prefer fiction because it allows me to play more. There's greater variety of choices as far as character is concerned. Non-fiction is harder, but challenging as well. You have to maintain the listener's interest through your involvement with the material. If you're just reading facts, a person could just as well read a newspaper article or a hard-cover book. Having a point of view is important to convey that person to person relationship, even though it's reportage and not imagined truths. The difference between narraating any of Waly Lamb's books (one of my favorites) and Rick Atkinson's Armies At Dawn is an example. Two wonderful reads.

Msjodi777 wrote: "Somebody needs to tell imdb.com that you have read more than 650 audiobooks... sheesh... they are so far behind.

However, imdb did tell me you got an Obie for best performance off Broadway, though..."Dear msjodie- Yeah. There are so many conflicting totals on the web as to how many books. Here it is. Recently completed Dan Siva's new BLACK WIDOW, that's number 1, 328! So many books and so little time!!! The Obie was for a play called CINDERS. With Chris Walken, Kathy Bates, etc.
Thanks for your interest.

CatBookMom wrote: "I'm a bit late to the party, but I want to thank you, George, for all the enjoyment you've brought to my ears."So nice of you to take the time to write. I'm never sure there are really people out there who love what I love doing. You are part of the blessing I experience daily. Thanks.

Grumpus wrote: "Welcome George. I'm a big sports fan and have many superstitions related to that. I know too that many professional athletes have rituals they go through before engaging in their craft. Curious to ..."
I confess, Grumpus. I do everything wrong. I have coffee (which is not good because it dries you up). I don't warm up (unless I'm driving in the car on the way to a studio. It's public on a train or bus. Even my warmups are a little funky because I end up singing funky songs.) Sometimes when I'm in the studio and am faced with a book Idon't really like, I yell at the engineer for a few minutes then sit down and do my job. You don't have to spread this around, you know. Let the mystery last.

Margaret wrote: "I had picked up a used paperback of a Tony Hillerman story and greatly enjoyed it. So, when my eyesight started to go bad and I decided it was time to start renting cassette books, I started with y..."Margaret, you made my day. So great to know Hillerman lives in peole's minds. If you enjoyed his work you might want to try Craig Allen Johnson's LONGMIRE series.He was Hillerman's protege. I love his books.

I could do this forever. To talk to the people who listen and join me as I navigate the imagined truths of creative writers of every genre. What a joy to talk to all of you. I get that when I bring my library program to libraries around the country. It's as if we're in one community sharing something which enriches us and informs us as to human behavior in all situations. Some profound, some not so profound, but we are involved and distracted from daily stresses and concerns. Just think, Someone in Seattle who listened to Don Quixote, for example, has experienced the same event and characters as someone in Maine. They have something in common and don't even know one another. They have a shared experience. And I am blessed to have given that to them. They have experienced MY Don Quixote. He and I....live in their minds. It blows me away. The library program (This is a plug) is THE ART AND ARTIFICE OF AUDIOBOOK NARRATION with George Guidall. Thank you one and all for your remarks and kind words.
My email is george.guidall@gmail.com. Just put Goodreads in the subject. Thanks so much for listening!

Thank you so much to George for visiting with us here at GoodReads Audiobooks Group! You're a great narrator and you bring a loads of listeners a lot of joy, George. Thank you, thank you for coming to chat!

Saying farewell doesn't mean saying a permanent good bye. George has invited us to email him with Goodreads in the subject line.

And as part of celebrating George Guidall and AudioFile's 25th Anniversary, we have a Facebook tag-a-friend giveaway for two of George's most recent audiobooks! https://www.facebook.com/audiofilemag... Good luck and happy listening everyone!