The 2025 Audiobooks at Sea Workshop Sessions will be announced in early 2025.

As an example of what the sessions were in 2024, here is the 2024 lineup. 2025 will feature all-new session topics.

——————————————
Audiobooks at Sea 2024 Workshop Sessions 

SAIL AWAY COCKTAIL PARTY AND WORKSHOP REGISTRATION

Narrators and Guests of narrators are invited to join us in the Sky Lounge for panoramic views as we sail away on April 6th, the first night of our cruise! At this combination cocktail party/registration/orientation, we will be introducing our intrepid coaches and panelists while having the chance to meet your fellow nautical narrators!

BIOS, BLURBS AND PUBLISHER REACH OUT’S

(With Joel Froomkin)

Your bio website is your calling card. It’s the ‘bait’ and the tool that enables you to give confidence to a casting director or an indie author. It’s how you stick in their mind, and showcase how you bring something unique to the table. We’ll dive deep into the psychology of your bio, what to prioritize and what to cut, and how that also translates into the messaging you use when you’re introducing yourself to publishers.

VOICING AND GENDER – PITCH DOESN’T MAKE PERFECT

(With Travis Baldree, Tanya Eby, and Joel Froomkin)

It’s one of the most common challenges that narration coaches hear from their students. How to believably create characters of a different gender while still keeping them honest and believable. We’ll discuss the different traits and tricks that signal gender beyond relying on pitch placement. 

INDIE PUBLISHER PANEL

(With Joc Protho, Mike Johnson, and Joel Froomkin)

 Working and connecting with smaller publishers, or a boutique company has its own unique challenges and opportunities. We’ll have a frank discussion and Q & A with AudioFlow and PinkFlamingo/Fireside Horror about what it means to be on their roster, how to connect, their casting and workflow process, and how to solidify lasting relationships.

LABAN AND CREATIVE CHARACTER CREATION

(With Joel Froomkin)

 Joel will give you a crash course in the wonderful world of character creation. With a focus on Laban technique, you’ll explore how this system can help you create a vocabulary for clearly delineated, organic, and specific characters that fully connect to your body. It’s a game-changer!

WHEN TO TAKE ‘EM, WHEN TO PASS - SAVVY NEGOTIATION AND LEARNING TO SAY NO

(With Sean Pratt)

Do you struggle with negotiating with prospective clients and have been burned too many times? Why is getting paid not the same as making money? What’s the difference between a ‘want’ and a ‘need? Does a job help or hinder your career – and is there anything in between? Sean Pratt leads a transformative exploration into the negotiation, counter-offers and when saying ‘no’ is the right thing to do.

FANTASY, LITRPG AND SCI-FI DEEP DIVE

(With Travis Baldree, John Pirhalla, and Joel Froomkin)

Join fantasy superstars Travis Baldree and John Pirhalla for an in-depth discussion about the unique challenges of creating weird, wacky, and wonderous alternative realities. What do the listeners expect vs. other genres? How to embrace and commit to voicing aliens, monsters, demons, and dwarves and create an audio experience that can help the listener navigate the story even better than on the page.  

THE NARRATOR AS AUTHOR, HOW TO HAVE YOUR CAKE AND WRITE IT TOO

(With Travis Baldree, Tanya Eby, and Joel Froomkin)

It’s all the rage! Join NY Times bestselling author Travis Baldree and USA Today Bestselling author Tanya Eby in a discussion and Q and A all about the ins and outs of managing your narrator career and nurturing your inner-author. How do you handle the workload and carve out space to create? Learn the nitty-gritty of self-publishing or submissions to publishers. Creating anthology and multi-cast projects? We’ll chat about everything from inspiration to publication!

TECH TALK WITH JOHN PIRHALLA

(With John Pirhalla)

Does RMS give you PTSD? An open Q and A with John Pirhalla that will help you get a grip on the technical side of our job.

QUOTES N’ CHARACTERS: MEMOIRS, AND THE CHALLENGE OF DIALOGUE IN NON-FICTION

(With Sean Pratt and Joel Froomkin)

How do you tackle non fic narration style when it feels like it is straddling into the style of fiction? Or the author’s authentic voice and communication style in the many styles of deeply personal self-help? The immediacy and intimacy of Memoir, where you’re playing a character throughout? What’s the best way to approach the appearance of characters and dialogue in non-fiction… how much is too much? When should quotes be in a neutral voice, when should they have a more colorful approach… and, the age-old question, when should you try to sound like the real-life person being quoted?

BE YOUR OWN CHEERLEADER – WHAT’S YOUR WHY?

(With Ana Clements)

Is it easy to talk about yourself and do you have ways to sell your voice that don't feel uncomfortable? Do you wonder what’s stopping you, what’s holding you back? An empowering discussion about how to market your services, discover your values and align them with your career. Learn practical takeaways to help you become aware of your own patterns of behavior and move you forward within the audiobook industry.

SETTING YOUR GOALS, SCHEDULING, AND SELF-CARE

(With Ana Clements and John Pirhalla)                                             

How do you wrangle your calendar? How do you have space to take those dream jobs that come your way without killing yourself while completing already scheduled projects? How do you learn to say no without fear and find it empowering rather than nerve-wracking? What do you want out of your narration career and how can you plot your way forward in a healthy, happy way?

DUAL NARRATION/MULTICAST TECHNIQUES, TIPS AND TRAPS

(With Tanya Eby and Joel Froomkin)

 Dual narration is a huge, huge part of the industry. How do you look after your own creative voice, and still create a cohesive listening experience? How can you be a good collaborator, or survive working with a rotten one? Tips for workflow, communication, and scheduling. How to vet projects and ask the right questions for a multi-cast to protect yourself and make the amount of work worth the paycheck.

PUBLISHER PANEL-PALOOZA

(Moderated by Joel Froomkin)

Here we goooo – how to craft relationships with traditional publishing houses. Making an impact. Staying in touch without pushing too hard. How to be the kind of actor they want to work with over and over. A lengthy panel and open Q and A with our fabulous casting directors and producers.

EMOTIONAL BANDWIDTH: SCENE PARTNER, GENRE, AND LISTENER FATIGUE

(With Joel Froomkin)

How do we adjust performance to suit the expectations of a particular genre without ‘playing’ the style? How does the musicality of your narration help or hinder the audience’s expectations? Learn the traps of the most intense and suspenseful scenes and how to use your ‘emotional bandwidth’ to stay connected without being ‘too much’ for the listener.

TRUTHFULNESS IN DIALOGUE: BOLD VS. BROAD, INTIMACY AND ‘EAVESDROPPING’

(With Travis Baldree and Joel Froomkin)

 How do you create truly naturalistic dialogue and immerse the listener in the experience? How much is too much? Learning to be bold and yet believable.

SMALL GROUP COACHING SESSIONS

Narrators will be scheduled for small group coaching sessions throughout the cruise.