• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

443.692.7260

voice@rexanderson.com

  • Home
  • Demos
    • Commercials
    • Corporate Videos
    • TV Narration
    • e-Learning
    • Video Games
    • Explainers
    • Trailers
  • About

REX ANDERSON

VOICE OVER ACTOR

  • CLIENTS
  • BLOG
  • CONTACT

SOLOPRENEUR

Five Voice-Over Books You Need to Read

SOLOPRENEUR, VOICE OVER RESOURCES

Got eyes, a few bucks, and a way to read e-books? Good! Educate yourself!

1. There’s Money Where Your Mouth Is by Elaine A Clarke

The Bible according to Elaine. This book is one I come back to every year or so because it’s just that damn good. It’s your trusty all-in-one handbook on the world of voiceover. It’s great coming back to see what information I’ve actually digested and what behaviors I’ve developed as a result. How to breathe, how to interpret copy, how to identify and fix everything wrong about your delivery and how you use a mic; the differences between stage and studio acting; breakdowns of every type and style of VO and how to do them. If you’re just getting into VO, or need a guiding light once in a while, get this book immediately. I cannot recommend it enough.

2. How to Build a Six-Figure Voice Over Business by BIll DeWees

Bill is a fantastic wellspring of information. Look him up on YouTube and you’ll see a treasure trove of tidbits that lead to real breakthroughs. He’s a very down-to-earth teacher with a lot of great stuff to impart. His book helped me build a daily routine of finding work in unlikely places. He also has a starkly different mindset when it comes to voiceover rates and work in general. I appreciate his grittier, survive at all costs approach, which helps to put the obsession with rates and fairness into perspective.

3. Sound Advice: Voiceover From an Audio Engineer’s Perspective by Dan Friedman

A man after my own heart. I love me some gear, and so does Dan. This book’s all about the gear you’ll use to bring your voice to the masses. If you don’t know your condensers from your dynamic mics, or have any clue about compression/limiting, EQ, or other technical aspects of the job, YOU NEED TO LEARN. There is no way you’re getting away with not having at least some technical know-how anymore, and this is a great resource that keeps the focus squarely on the needs and wants of the voice actor.

4. VO: Tales and Techniques of a Voice-Over Actor by Harlan Hogan

This book is enjoyable to re-read largely due to its narrative emphasis. Every other chapter is an anecdote about an average (or not-so-average) day on the job, with an interstitial chapter hammering home the points. It’s a unique perspective told in an entertaining way. It’s even got a wealth of old and new school marketing techniques, some of which I’ve still been too chicken to implement (sending your clients a humorous daily calendar takes the cake).

5. Making Money in Your PJs by Paul Strikwerda

Mr. Strikwerda doesn’t mince words. I like his work, as he’s very realistic about VO as a business, and he doesn’t mind being gruff about it. If you dislike Bill DeWees’ survival at any price point model of soaking up work, consider the steadfast resolution of Paul Strikwerda’s ironclad rate sheet. He is one of the most vocal proponents of the dignity of the job – a fair rate for good work. It’s simple, elegant, and he cuts a lot of the bullshit to the quick. Definitely a must-have in any solopreneur’s collection.

There are a ton of other great resources out there. Get ye down the rabbit hole!

<3

Rex

Filed Under: SOLOPRENEUR, VOICE OVER RESOURCES Tagged With: RATE SHEET, VO MARKETING TECHNIQUES, VO PRACTICE

Four Things I Do Every Day as a Solopreneur

SOLOPRENEUR, VOICE OVER ADVICE

People think I’m really busy all the time, and I guess that’s true to some extent. It takes a lot of work and focus to run your own business, although there are days where I pretty much don’t do anything. Or at least, it feels like that, but I almost always get all of these things done, even when I “don’t do anything”. Drink coffee, read comic books, play video games, and screw about on the Internet.

I’ll put this one first as I almost never miss it. I got big into The Binding of Isaac when it came out, and it’s become my go-to zone out activity. I also have my weekly pull list of comics that I have to get through, and there’s always that handful of websites that I mindlessly check throughout the day. I’m not much of a morning person, so whenever I drag myself out of bed, I usually start my day with this sort of stuff while having my coffee and breakfast. Some days, this goes on way too long. I try to maintain some level of productivity by  listening to podcasts, reading comics aloud in the characters’ voices, or doing warm-ups (listed below).

Meditate

This stuff is crucial to my daily routine. I have depression and a short temper that often gets in the way of my productivity.  I’ve found mindfulness meditation is a great way to force myself to focus on what’s going on in my brain, engage my breath, and work through it. I can’t stress enough how helpful guided meditation can be when you need to put your bullshit to rest so you can get to work.

Get Some Sort of Exercise.

Don’t worry about getting super ripped if you start lifting weights. It won’t happen. I primarily run and do yoga, which serve to get me out of the house and wake my body up, respectively. Sometimes I just take a long walk through Baltimore to nourish my soul. I can also totally hear the difference in my voice and overall work if I haven’t exercised and meditated that day.

Practice Marketing Consistently

Once you get the hang of marketing, it can be actually be kinda fun sometimes! Sometimes. Obviously it’s probably not why any of us got into the business, but it must be done, and done well.

My marketing activities vary from day to day, but I usually do some or all of the following:

Search Craig’s List for VO gigs, Write new blog entries, find and post work samples, or update my website

Research production houses, agencies, and casting sites and contact them

Take a walk and drop business cards off around town

Read a book on Voiceover, Acting, Marketing, or Advertising, Branding, Running a Business and Life Like a Responsible Adult

It’s not all bad. Honestly, the more I learn  about marketing, the more I like doing it. Must have something to do with liking my job.

Singing Exercises, Tongue Twisters, and Warming Up the Voice 

Like marketing, my practice regimen varies somewhat from day to day, but it always has the same components. First, I warm up with sirens and that mouth vibrating thing horn players do. This warms up your head and chest registers.. I also yawn a lot, which strengthens your throat muscles. Obstruction exercises (put a cork in between your teeth and say lots of sets of rhyming words) are great for making your face stronger and your enunciation cleaner and clearer.

Next, I do a handful of tongue twisters. There are tons of these out on the internet, so I made a file of a ton of them. I also sing every day, prefaced by several vocal warm-up exercises. Studying singing is the absolute best way to learn more about your instrument, how it works, and how to make it do what you want it to do. Do it. Once you finally start to get good at it (I did for Avenue Q which I’m performing this weekend!), it’s one of the best feelings in the world.

Finally, I read scripts. I’ll answer any auditions in my email, move on to P2Ps. This part is deliberately last on the list. If my mind, body, and business aren’t seen to, then I’m not ready to give my best performance.

So that’s a normal day in a nutshell, even if I’m “doing nothing”.

Rex

Filed Under: SOLOPRENEUR, VOICE OVER ADVICE

Primary Sidebar

Categories

Archives

Let’s Connect

  • Quick turnaround, Pristine audio, and an Exemplary Performance

    Rates, auditions, and availability are available upon request. Questions and soft inquiries are always welcome.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Rex Anderson Voice Over Actor Connect Logo

voice@rexanderson.com

443.692.7260

RexAndersonVO

Privacy Policy // ©2023 Rex Anderson // Voice Over Site by Voice Actor Websites