Good Aural -The Audiobook Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Penguin Random House and SAG-AFTRA have created a new limited RS+ model for roughly 200 backlist titles. But the agreement has sparked a much bigger conversation about rates, full-production labor, revenue sharing, transparency, and what happens when human narrators are asked to compete with the cost of AI. This week, I’m digging into why the agreement exists, why some narrators see opportunity in it, and why I’m worried about the precedent it could set. Because if we believe...

Send us Fan Mail Audiobooks are getting bigger. Celebrity casts, splashy productions, behind-the-scenes videos, mainstream press. And honestly? That’s exciting. But as audiobooks become more visible, I’ve been wondering whether the career audiobook narrator is actually getting harder to see. In this episode: Why celebrity audiobook casting isn’t really the problemHow the pathways to recognition are changingThe growing second job of narrator visibilitySources & Further Reading Audio Publis...

Send us Fan Mail Well, I’ve got some news. I’m pregnant! I’m thrilled to finally be able to say that out loud. I am also deep in the first trimester, and holy cow, it has kicked my butt. I’ve spent most of September doing the absolute bare minimum. I’m getting my work done. I’m answering the emails that need answers. But all of the extra stuff I’m normally doing to grow my career? Not happening. So that’s what I wanted to talk about this week. We spend a lot of time in this industry talking a...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Good Aural, I’m looking at audiobook production through my theater brain and talking about what changes when we stop thinking only like performers and start thinking like members of a much larger creative team. Because talent matters. Obviously. But once you can do the job, there’s another question that matters when producers are deciding whether they want to work with you again: What are you like to work with? We’re talking about: Why audiobook narration i...

Send us Fan Mail There is a LOT of discourse happening right now about who is actually qualified to coach audiobook narrators, and I have thoughts. Because on one end, we have incredibly experienced, prolific narrators whose advice may not always apply to someone trying to break into this industry in 2026. On the other, we have newer narrators who are really good at navigating the current hustle and are already charging thousands of dollars to teach other people how they did it. And somewhere...