Customer Reviews

Put Your Mouth Where the Money Is : How to Build a Successful Radio & TV Voiceover Business

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This book and tape set promises to help "build a successful career in radio and TV voiceovers," but it's doubtful that anyone following its advice could move beyond small-market radio at best. Most of the advice here is superficial, and a lot of it is plain wrong.

For example, in the short chapter entitled "Commercial Copy Interpretation," the author contends:

"From the moment you are handed your copy, you should be mentally analyzing a number of things:

1. What is the product or service I am selling?

2. Who is my target audience?

3. Who is the competition?

4. How can one benefit from the product/service?

5. How can I best sell that product using my voice?

6. Where is the disclaimer?"

This is nonsense. The first four questions are the concern of the advertising agency, not the voice talent. The talent's job is to make the script work, by creating a characterization consistent with that script, whether it's a "slice of life" or "inner monologue" or whatever. The agency has already determined how it plans to sell the product by the choices made in writing the script -- the talent's job now is to bring that script to life.

That's also why question number 5, if taken seriously, is professional suicide: trying to "sell" the product inevitably leads to the harsh, hard-sell announcer sound that is the province of bad late-night TV. Again, the agency has already determined that the scenario in the script will sell the product; the talent's job is to make choices (who am I? where am I? what happened a moment before? who am I talking to?) that are appropriate and believable for what happens in the script. This book gives no useful guidance in that endeavor, yet it is arguably the single most important skill that a voiceover artist must possess.

The examples on the enclosed audio cassettes are, not surprisingly, mostly bad as well. Again, it's all the local, small-market radio sound: loud, mindless "announcer-y" reads that would never make the grade in national markets. Anyone who truly wants to "build a career" in the voiceover field should strive for something better, because agents are deluged with with bad demos like the examples.

I'm disappointed, because there is a need for a high-quality product of this kind. Unfortunately, this one is not it. Those truly interested in the big time would be better served by such books as Susan Blu's "Word of Mouth" and Joan See's "Acting in Commercials."

I bought this book from Amazon for a general overview in voiceovers. I work in radio, and it did provide me with more information than I already knew. ONE problem was her so called friend who dominated the tapes by offering his condescending advice. What a pompous jerk. He talks about the frustration of working with amateurs, and people who "don't get it". Maybe he doesn't get it--this book IS for amateurs, and I'm sure at one point he was a beginner too. Get over yourself. Skip the tapes, but the book is helpful.

If you have no previous knowledge of voiceover you will get a good, very basic overview. If you have any previous knowledge there are several other books(much less expensive) that go more in depth. It seems to be overpriced for what I received.(even with the cassette tapes)

In your review of Mrs. Quinn's book you use this quote "It is the only tool needed to be up & running on very little cost and in a small amount of time". That could be no further than the truth and is a theme that bothers me about Sunny's book. Although she does offer some good points she paints an informative picture but omits the raw truth of this very seductive but very fierce and very difficult to acheive field. I know I've been voicing commercials & promos for 15 years. Starting out as a graveyard disc jockey in South Florida, Freelancing in Miami and jumping to New York in 1993 after being signed to Cunningham, Escott, Dipene. I've traveled the long bumpy voiceover road from the bottom making $5.25 an hour working 2-6am in the morning on AM radio to signing big time vo contracts with the biggest networks and advertising agencies in the world. And although I love what I do, own my own recording studio, make lots of money and have a career that many envy, I have many war wounds for all the success I've enjoyed. Imagine loosing $60,000 income in one day...no notice...6 weeks from closing on a house. Stress? Voiceovers is like the garden..as soon as your swinging from the rope swing someone cuts the rope. Sunny misses that truth. I don't want to use this review as a forum to promote my book but if you see an opportunity somewhere else buy it..read it and read the whole truth about voiceovers. Sunny you missed that opportunity. Don't be scared to scare some people away. It takes a real tough heart to make it and succeed at voiceovers....might as well give the whole truth, the upside and the broken rope swing.

Sandy Thomas National Voice Talent Signed to the William Morris Agency, NY

Sunny Quinn has mangaged to effectively and efficiently compact years of radio and television voiceover expertise into a 176 page book and 3 audio cassette tape package. From her opening introduction, Sunny displays an infectious, upbeat, positive, and delightful attitude about the possibilities for personal fulfillment and fincancial rewards in this business. On the one hand, she lets you know that there is no magic wand to be waved so that one might make good money in this type of business. Yet on the other hand-and in a more profound way-she helps the first-time aspiring-to-get-into-the-business individual(like myself) understand and believe it truly is possible to "hear your own voice on TV and radio."

Yes, there are other books on how to make it in the radio voiceover business...but I believe a reading and studying of Sunny's treatment of this fasinating line of work will generate a spark of enthuisiasm and confidence that might well carry you into that special world where "your mouth will be where the money is."

Jack LaValley Irvington, New York