Romance Audiobooks discussion
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Narrator Pseudonyms
The only reason I would find this discussion inappropriate is if we are giving the wrong pseudonyms. Meaning I say Xe Sands is a psedonym for Simon Vance when it's not true.Why do they think it would make them unemployable? I'm assuming that we're talking about narrators doing steamy stuff but want to make sure.
D.G. wrote: "The only reason I would find this discussion inappropriate is if we are giving the wrong pseudonyms. Meaning I say Xe Sands is a psedonym for Simon Vance when it's not true.Why do they think it w..."
Yes, narrators doing steamy stuff, but not necessarily because there is any shame in the steaminess (although that might be a factor for some). Some of us have been warned about the danger of inappropriate audio-stalkers-- meaning someone who may be a bit unhinged who may not be able to separate the (voice) actor from the part you played and tracking you down to "engage" you in some of those activities.
Truthfully, though, everyone has their reasons for using pseudonyms that range from "Just for Fun" to "To protect Myself." But voices are, by their nature, recognizable, so anyone who wants to do a bit of sleuthing would be able to figure it out. I think the pseudonym (I like nom de voix) just adds a little layer of protection. It's not an impregnable fortress. :-)
Being a big fan of Max Bellmore's work I actually bought other titles under his pseudonym when I found out about it, I probably would have never given those titles a second thought otherwise, but I totally understand their concerns when it comes to narrating erotica titles.
D.G. wrote: "The only reason I would find this discussion inappropriate is if we are giving the wrong pseudonyms. Meaning I say Xe Sands is a psedonym for Simon Vance when it's not true.Why do they think it w..."
There were several reasons given (and, as mentioned, a request that no assumptions be made about the reason) but, to the best of my ability to accurately convey, they include:
Concerns over stalker type behavior if someone was unreasonably fascinated by a pseudonymous Erotica narrator and wanted to track the person in real life.
Worries that unfortunate circumstances might push a narrator into taking work that another of their more conservative publishers finds objectionable (perhaps even contractually excludes), thus causing them to be dropped when their other name comes to light.
The request to respect both their reasoning, whatever it may be, for wanting credit to accrue under one name or another, as well as their privacy.
To a large extent (although not completely), my impression was that there was concern for the impact to an individual's earning potential.
Many romance authors (particularly in the past) used a variety of pen names, particularly when writing for differing sub genres or publishers. This seems no different, except that an audible voice is more easy to discern, than an authorial voice. Privacy certainly could have been factor, given that romance authors were viewed with disdain. The romantic mystery author Amanda Cross (pen name) is a prime example. She was a Columbia University literature professor and believed her colleagues wouldn't take her seriously if they knew about her other avocation.
I think the possibility of stalking (internet or in person) is a real concern today, and certainly a plausible and practical reason for narrators to adopt a pseudonym.
I can completely understand the various reasons for a pen name...on the other hand I am more likely to try an audio book with a narrator I like then with one i have not heard before...I am also more willing to listen to a book out of my normal genre's if it is a narrator I enjoy listening to
Nichole ~Bookaholic~ wrote: "I can completely understand the various reasons for a pen name...on the other hand I am more likely to try an audio book with a narrator I like then with one i have not heard before...I am also mor..."I completely agree! I adore particular narrators, and will give a book a second look based on their participation.
Just wanted to weigh in with my personal view on this. I did use a pseudonym for my first few romance titles as it was suggested by the publisher. But then I realized that doing that was actually doing a disservice to my career, as it meant that fans wouldn't be able to find or follow me to other genres. I do understand that some narrators who do a lot of children's titles as well as more adult material might want to keep these worlds separate, so that kids or parents might not end up overly shocked when they do a search for more work by their favorite bedtime story narrator :) But I don't personally think a discussion in a group like this is a danger to anyone. If a stalker is serious, they are going to find you one way or another. We all have to address privacy issues and our online world in ways that make us as comfortable as possible. And we all have to live in the real world, where complete privacy is no longer possible when one chooses work that puts one into the public sphere.
So I say, keep the thread going!
Thanks for your input, Karen! I don't mean to dismiss anybody's privacy concerns but we have to be realistic. When a person puts a product out there in the Internet - remember that Audible has samples so we don't even have to buy the book to hear the narrator - it would be a bit disingenuous to pretend that nobody would figure out it's the same person, specially when we're talking about voices, some of which can be pretty distinctive. (I would recognize Simon Vance or Michael Page anywhere...not so much with Grover Gardner, LOL!)I think a smart narrator must learn to manage their career assuming the information about their pseudonyms will be available somewhere where it can be found. To pretend that they can stifle conversations on the Internet can be unrealistic!
Simon wrote: "So, let me jump in here and explain why I, and probably most of the long-term narrators in that initial list, might be found to have narrated under different names...When I came to the US it was s..."
Thanks so much for replying, Simon! I'll have to look at those other books you have narrated under other pseudonyms. I'm a big fan of your work - I have like 5 of your audios on my TBR (or maybe I should listen to those first, LOL!)
As to why you are mentioned here, lots of us listen to other things besides romance (in my case, I probably listen more to mysteries, UF and fantasy.) I just found this is the more user friendly group of all the other audiobook ones I used to belong and that's why I stay mostly here. :)
I also want to say thanks to the narrators who drop in and are willing to chime in on an ongoing conversation or provide insight - not just in this particular discussion thread but in the group as a whole. I enjoy learning more about the audiobook industry.And while I'm riding D.G.'s coattails here... ;) I completely second her comment about this being an incredibly user friendly group of audiobook fanatics. I love the comfort level in discussions here, even when we occasionally veer outside of the primary focus on Romance audios. It's a great group.
Kelli wrote: "I also want to say thanks to the narrators who drop in and are willing to chime in on an ongoing conversation or provide insight - not just in this particular discussion thread but in the group as ..."I would agree as well, Kelli. It's a friendly and helpful group, which is why I feel comfortable sharing my opinions and experiences. And I get a lot out of reading the comments, myself!
Just chiming in to say thanks, Simon and Karen, for adding your perspectives. The reasons for the use of pseudonyms are clearly varied and I certainly agree that they should be respected, whatever they are.But as a punter, I have to agree with Nicole (#58 upthread). I'm much more likely to try different genres if the books are narrated by people whose work I already like and admire (Simon Vance is a case in point - I listen mostly to romances, but have a number of recordings of his in other genres simply because I love his voice and work!)
I'm curious to know from this crowd a tangential question. Several people mentioned wariness for new narrators they didn't know. At some point the horizon has to expand into these new narrators. How do people go about testing them out?
Bryan wrote: "I'm curious to know from this crowd a tangential question. Several people mentioned wariness for new narrators they didn't know. At some point the horizon has to expand into these new narrators. ..."Mostly I listen to samples - I usually can tell within a few minutes if I will like the narrator but that's not foolproof. Sometimes the samples don't contain a long enough passage to evaluate different voices, interpretation, accents etc.
Also, I check out narrator reviews on Audible. If the narrator is really bad, people will mention it!
Bryan wrote: "I'm curious to know from this crowd a tangential question. Several people mentioned wariness for new narrators they didn't know. At some point the horizon has to expand into these new narrators. ..."Samples (usually on Audible since that's where I get most of my books) are my main method of evaluating a how compatible a narrator's style is with my listening tastes. I've never bought an audiobook by a new-to-me narrator without listening to a snippet because the sample will at least tell me with pretty good accuracy whether I can listen to a whole book narrated by a voice although I have been fooled when the sample didn't include dialogue. If I can't find a long enough or diverse enough sample to be sure, I'll go with the text version.
I'll also check publisher websites to see if they have a different or longer audio excerpt and the increased use of SoundCloud by narrators, publishers, and Audible has been very beneficial for me because they tend to post longer snippets there.
I'm bad, I don't always remember to listen to samples especially with new releases as sometimes I am so excited about a book being available in audio that I buy before I think to try the sample...although with Audibles return policy it's not such a big deal anymore....
Nichole ~Bookaholic~ wrote: "I'm bad, I don't always remember to listen to samples especially with new releases as sometimes I am so excited about a book being available in audio that I buy before I think to try the sample...a..."As others have said, I listen to the sample on Audible, although sometimes, they're not always the best indicator as many samples are taken from the first few minutes of the book which often means you don't get to hear any of the character voices, or perhaps only one of them. I do wish whoever selected the samples was a little more discerning of what potential buyers want to hear in order to make a judgement - I remember listening to one sample of a classic book which was little more than a list of acknowledgements!
I will also check out reviews there and elsewhere - as D.G says, if the narrator isn't good, there will usually be a number of reviews pointing that out. And then I'll have a look around at reviews here and ask around if I can.
Fortunately, Audible's return policy does mean that I can afford to take a chance here and there, although I try not to make a habit of it.
From what I can tell, most of the samples are now auto-selected and created by a computer. Just part of making things more efficient I guess :)
on ACX, which does most of the Audible stuff, the narrator/producer picks it, Karen
Karen wrote: "From what I can tell, most of the samples are now auto-selected and created by a computer. Just part of making things more efficient I guess :)"I had suspected as much. It's yet another way of cutting corners that makes things difficult for the purchaser.
Bryan wrote: "on ACX, which does most of the Audible stuff, the narrator/producer picks it, Karen"That is true, but ACX is not the primary producer of the material either produced by, or sold by Audible. It IS however, where you'll find the most new narrators.
Oh. Thanks for that correction Karen. In retrospect not sure what I was thinking when I typed that. Lol.
Bryan wrote: "Oh. Thanks for that correction Karen. In retrospect not sure what I was thinking when I typed that. Lol."It is easy to get them confused!
What I would also like from the sample is a sample of each narrator. There is one book I was looking at the other day with a male and female narrator. Some of the reviews talked about the female narrator not being that good, but the sample was only of the male narrator, and she didn't have any other books that she'd done before.
While I realize it would most likely affect the cost of the book...I think all audio books should have full cast narration...
Is Tatiana Sokolov, the narrator for the Six Pack Ranch series by Vivian Arend, a psuedonym? As I listen to her performance, her voice and cadence is oddly familar but I can not place it.
Shell wrote: "Is Tatiana Sokolov, the narrator for the Six Pack Ranch series by Vivian Arend, a psuedonym? As I listen to her performance, her voice and cadence is oddly familar but I can not place it."Yes, that's a pseudonym for Tanya Eby.
Kelli wrote: "Shell wrote: "Is Tatiana Sokolov, the narrator for the Six Pack Ranch series by Vivian Arend, a psuedonym? As I listen to her performance, her voice and cadence is oddly familar but I can not place..."Aha! Now I place her...I listened to the first 2 books of the Friday Harbour Series with her. Thanks!
Could it be that Bebe Kaye and Paula Christensen are the same person?
A newer narrator I really enjoy who focuses on the romance genre and already has multiple names - Grace Grant = Madeleine Maby. I didn't see her in the lists above. She has such a unique voice, like Simon Prebble or Angela Dawe, that using multiple names seems rather pointless. If I hear a narrator's voice I recognize but the name is new to me, it drives me crazy until I can identify where I have heard them before and under what name. I console myself by treating it as another mind puzzle/memory test. But it can be very frustrating.Someone mentioned that the samples are selected by computer on Audible. I've listened to a couple of samples in the last year where at least the beginning of the sample was the introduction - read by someone other than the narrator. I don't know if this is a result of automating the process or if the new process stops this from happening. Could be frustrating if you bought the book based on the voice of the person doing the introduction.
I wonder if Shirl Rae and Emily Durante are the same person? They sound so similar. I listened to a book by Shirl Rae (she doesn't have many though)and enjoyed her narrating a lot then I went and bought a bunch of books by Emily Durante thinking it was the same narrator and realized the names were different it has me wondering.
You know I have noticed this a couple of times recently. For example I was listening to a book recently and I know it was Justine Eyre, the one who read most of Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series but she called herself something else. I wouldn't have normally noticed but she has a pretty unique voice.
Rachelle, Naughty Enabler wrote: "You know I have noticed this a couple of times recently. For example I was listening to a book recently and I know it was Justine Eyre, the one who read most of Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter series b..."Alix Dale - Yes, her voice is very unique.
The samples in msg 33 are a woman and a man i understand that this is a thred about the same person diffrent pen namesDo explane
Also
Why do i get this msg
We're sorry. Due to publishing rights restrictions, we are not authorized to sell this item in the country where you live.
There are no romance audiobooks in this country
Is there any content in the books that is offensive to us?
Jane wrote: "The samples in msg 33 are a woman and a man i understand that this is a thred about the same person diffrent pen namesDo explane
Also
Why do i get this msg
We're sorry. Due to publishing rights r..."
Jane - it's not that the content is offensive. Rather it is a case of digital rights which are often limited to the U.S. and Canada. "Digital rights" is a difficult issue to understand but it includes the publisher's rights to release digital content by country among other things.
Jane wrote: "The samples in msg 33 are a woman and a man i understand that this is a thred about the same person diffrent pen namesDo explane
Also
Why do i get this msg
We're sorry. Due to publishing rights r..."
Do you mean Polly Lee and Ashford McNab? Ashford McNab is a woman. Before I listened to her, I thought it was a man's name, too.
One I'm not sure of but that's been driving me batty is Susannah Jones (Rock Chick series by Kristen Ashley) and Stella Bloom (Reaper's Property and a few others). Anyone know for sure or have an opinion either way? In some parts they sound SO similar, but then in others I question myself, haha. Here are the ones I've noted that I don't think have been mentioned yet, sorry if there are any duplicates:
Piper Goodeve - Summer Roberts
Elizabeth Louise - Rebekkah Ross
Abby Craden - Alexandria Wilde
Michael Rahhal - Freddie Bates (Not 100%, but pretty sure)
One of my new favorite narrators at the moment is Seraphine Valentine, anyone know if she's got a pseudonym or that is one? I'd love to listen to more of her work :)
Melissa wrote: "One I'm not sure of but that's been driving me batty is Susannah Jones (Rock Chick series by Kristen Ashley) and Stella Bloom (Reaper's Property and a few others). Anyone know for sure or have an o..."Omg thank you! I love Summer Roberts but didn't know she had another name she narrated with! Now I have to go look up her books under Piper Goodeve.
Christine wrote: "Melissa wrote: "One I'm not sure of but that's been driving me batty is Susannah Jones (Rock Chick series by Kristen Ashley) and Stella Bloom (Reaper's Property and a few others). Anyone know for s..."I like her a lot too, and she's got quite a few as Piper :)
Christine wrote: "I wonder if Shirl Rae and Emily Durante are the same person? They sound so similar. I listened to a book by Shirl Rae (she doesn't have many though)and enjoyed her narrating a lot then I went and b..."I think they are the same person. I recently checked out a library book and the narrators listed were Emily Durante and Kris Koscheski, but when they introduced the narrators at the beginning of the book it said they were Shirl Rae and Nelson Hobbs.
Also, I discovered that Renee Chambliss is also Jillian Macie. She uses both names for romances put out by Tantor. I wonder why. I just can't get used to her voice, and wouldn't have chosen another book by her if I had known. At least it was a library book.
I'm currently listening to
and I'm 99.9% positive that the narrator- Christina Traister- is Jill Redfield.
Kelly wrote: "I'm currently listening to and I'm 99.9% positive that the narrator- Christina Traister- is Jill Redfield."You know what I think you're right! It does sound like her! =D
Now what I would love to know is if Samantha Prescott has a pseudonym. I love her books a lot but she doesn't have a lot it'd be cool if she had another name so I could listen to more of her stuff.
Can anyone tell me if they know of other names for the narrator Samantha Prescott?
So I have listened to over 1500 audiobooks since 2012, 90% in the romance genre. And I've been wondering about this and have done my own research when I have the time. So Justin O'Keef and Nicole Poole I believe are one and the same. Is Eva Kaminsky a.k.a. Maxine Mitchell? They both live in NY, but Eva is a known actress while Maxine is quite private and narrated several Tantor/Ellora Cave novels.I thought I heard someone who sounded like Tatiana Sokolov. I swear I have heard her reading as someone else. I swear Terry Clark Linden sounds too familiar but I have not heard/read any of the books she has narrated in audible. I will post if I figure others out.
Frances wrote: "So I have listened to over 1500 audiobooks since 2012, 90% in the romance genre. And I've been wondering about this and have done my own research when I have the time. So Justin O'Keef and Nicole..."Tatiana Sokolov is Tanya Eby. I'm not sure about the others you mentioned. Have you read through the whole thread? They may have been mentioned.
Anna Fields is not Kate Reading's pseudonym. I don't think Kate Reading has ever used a pseudonym.
Kate Fleming was Anna Fields. She passed away in 2006 due to a violent rain storm that hit Seattle, Wash.Kate Reading is still very much alive. She just finished recording THE LURE OF THE MOONFLOWER by Lauren Willig.
Romance Audiobooks
Books mentioned in this topic
Sweetheart (other topics)Sweetheart (other topics)
When a Scot Ties the Knot (other topics)
The World Between Blinks (other topics)
Rebecca (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Greg Boudreaux (other topics)Greg Tremblay (other topics)
Nick Spalding (other topics)
Ilona Andrews (other topics)
There is a portion of the narrator community who finds the discussion/listing of narrator pseudonyms to be inappropriate and/or potentially damaging to their ability to find or continue to work. There were several additional reasons mentioned as well as some left unspoken but each individual who contributed to the conversation was expressing a genuine concern.
Although I'm comfortable with the appropriateness of my actions in starting this thread, I took a lot of food for thought away from the discussion and it's never a bad idea to consider any and all potential consequences to the actions we take or to have a civil dialogue about them.
I bring this up here only so anyone who has or plans on contributing to this discussion has a slice of the view from the other side of the fence or realizes there might be another perspective to consider.