Interview with Kate Fisher Narrator of The Land Uncharted Audiobook

Over the past couple of months I had the amazing experience of listening to the Uncharted books come to life by audiobook creators. This week is the release of the audiobook version of The Land Uncharted.

Today I’m talking with audiobook producer Kate Fisher. Kate is the narrator of the audiobook version of The Land Uncharted. I listened to many audition tracks and when I heard Kate’s voice, I knew she was perfect for this project. She was great to work with and I loved how she brought Lydia’s story to life.

Thanks for joining us, Kate! 
Thanks for having me, Keely. I’m excited to chat with you today!

You produce a lot of audiobooks. Tell us about your selection process and what drew you to The Land Uncharted. 
I’m notoriously picky about the projects I choose to pursue. I generally read through between 30-50 scripts until I find one that sings to me. I immediately loved the premise of The Land Uncharted, but it was the opening line that sealed the deal: “Lydia Colburn refused to allow a child to bleed to death.” I knew I wanted to tell her story.

What was your favorite part or character to voice in The Land Uncharted? 
I absolutely adore Mandy! I spent a lot of time making sure she sounded fun and energetic without neglecting her character’s depth. I tried out several different voices for her, but settled on an upbeat and gregarious sound that I feel really good about.

What sort of challenges do audiobook producers encounter? 
Performing a book is a lot like stage acting, only you are playing all the parts. I sometimes read over a manuscript three or four times before I feel prepared to perform it. Every character needs to feel real, and if I’ve done my job, the story I’m telling feels real too. At one point during recording The Land Uncharted I became so enthralled by a particularly emotional scene that I ended up with tears in my eyes. It’s moments like that when I know I’m doing my best work.

If someone is interested in learning how to produce audiobooks or do voice work in general, where should they start? 
One of the most important skills for audiobook narration is consistency. A voice that alternates between being very loud and soft or very fast and slow isn’t fun to listen to. A tip for aspiring narrators is to train your voice by listening to a professionally recorded audiobook while reading along in the text version. Whisper the words under your breath and try to match the narrator’s pace! You’ll begin to see improvements very quickly.

Thanks for stopping by the blog today, Kate, and more importantly, for the excellent job you did with The Land Uncharted! 
Thank you for having me, Keely. I hope your readers enjoy the audiobook as much as I enjoyed performing it!

Here’s a sample of Kate Fisher reading The Land Uncharted:

Audiobook available now on:

Audible | iTunes | Amazon