What If The Content In An Audiobook Is…Uncomfortable?

One Step At A Time
Five Ways To Have An Excellent Coffee Date With Me
Five Ways To Have A Crappy Coffee Date With Me
Taking Advantage Of The Wisdom Of The Tribe
How To Be A World Class Complainer
The False Nobility Of The Struggle
Watch Out – The Rules Are Going To Change
“Show Me The Secret, Daddy!”
Coaching vs Consulting vs Facilitating
The Perils of Live Performance And Why Jeremy Kappell Should Not Have Been Fired
Let’s Welcome To The Stage…Failure!
Don’t Confuse Price With Value
Whiteboards In The Hallways
Go Wake Up Your Luck
Playing and Planning
The Two Things Most Talent Try to Accomplish Way Too Soon
10,000 Hours To Become Good At Something? Not Really.
The Curse of Knowledge
The Trick Charlie Munger Uses To Make Better Decisions
Everyone’s A Customer, Not Just Your Customers
“What do you mean, you’re a ‘process guy’?”
Pay Attention To Your Storytelling, Not Removing Your Breaths
How To Conquer FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)
The Problem In Every Commercial Script
The Job In Every Commercial Script
The Secret In Every Commercial Script
How To Pick Your Stage Name
Voice Over Is REALLY Hard. Until It Isn’t.
Helping Make Resolutions Stick
ACX Jobs: They’re ALL SAG-AFTRA-Friendly
Non-Union? You Can Still Open An AFTRA H&R Account. What?
Who Says You Need To “Feel Like It?”
Are You Engaged?
Your Day Job Might Just Be Worth Keeping For A Bit Longer
Want To Learn Something Really Well? Teach It To Others
Don’t Confuse What Works With What You Like
The Lost Keys And The Microphone In My Elevator
My Insane Backup System Plus Two Helpful Tips
What Open Loops Are And Why They Work So Well
Two More Things For Which You Can Use Open Loops
Three Things Not To Say Or Do…When Trying To Learn Something New
Front Burner and Back Burner Project Management
How To Properly List The Accents and Dialects You Perform
My SAG-AFTRA Presentation On VO Demos (Part 1)
My SAG-AFTRA Presentation On VO Demos (Part 2)
A Simple, One-Word Decision-Making Question To Ask Yourself
Ready, Shoot…Aim
How You Can Use The MVP Model As A Performer
How Lazy Can You Be?
Avoid The Struggle Porn
The Robocall Equivalent Of Unsubscribe
Saying Goodbye To A “Failure”
Making Your Links Irresistible
HTTPS Is Not Just For Banks – It’s For You
The Threat That Made Me Create a New Page For LAME
The Resource You Must Guard Most Carefully
How New Media Is Using The Oldest Ad Model Ever
“You Could Be Hit By A Bus!”
Killing Customers With Kindness
I Found Out What She Was Podcasting About
How I Answered Voices.com’s Inquiry
Turning Mountains Into Molehills
Motivation: Your Three Big Needs In A Cool Little Package
Go Ahead. Multitask. But Try It Like This.
The Prodigy Game Doesn’t Deserve This Treatment
I Don’t Want To Go Blind
What Fair Markets Are, And Why Voices.com Isn’t One
Trevor’s Three A’s From Apple On Killing Customers With Kindness
Getting Ready vs. Getting Started
You’ll Never Believe Who Got Rejected By Harvard
There Is No Failure, Only Feedback
Who Is Your Most Dangerous Adversary?
73 Videos In, My First Hater Appears
If You’re The Smartest Person In The Room, Do This ASAP
Your Glasses And Crucial Laptop Positioning Info
One More Insanely Over-engineered Piece Of Gear: My UPS
The Crazy Backward Way IKEA Prices Their Stuff
Voices.com Complained To YouTube That I Violated Their Privacy
The Gig Economy: RIP?
For Your Health: Not Perfect. Just Better.
Celebrate Your Isolation!
Mr. Wonderful Is Actually More Wonderful Than I Thought
Let’s Finally Close The Digital Literacy Gender Gap
The Guaranteed Way To Completely Avoid Criticism
The Two Things People Judge About You Within Seconds
Prioritizing…Nashville Style
Are You Committed? Or Just…Interested?
Audible Retail Samples: Why They Suck And Why It Doesn’t Really Matter
How To Voice Copy That’s Set In Italics
Dyslexia, And The Palindromic Poem. The Wha?
Increase Your Chances Of Being Seen And Heard On Facebook
Jamie Has Some Thoughts About Fiverr
Is Simply Discouraging Distracted Driving Enough?
“Young People Are Just Smarter.”
The Real Purpose Of The “Can You Hear Me?” Phone Scam
Beware Of Overkill
Laying Down The Perfect Slate
An AMA Preview: The Word “Ethnic” – A Slur, Or An Essential Adjective?
10 Rules of Profitable Self Discipline from Napoleon Hill
AMA (Ask Me Anything): Here Are The Answers (Part 1)
AMA (Ask Me Anything): Here Are The Answers (Part 2)
AMA (Ask Me Anything): Here Are The Answers (Part 3)
AMA (Ask Me Anything): Here Are The Answers (Part 4)
AMA Answers Part 5 Plus A Medical Warning
Last AMA Answers (#6): Gear, Services and Success
A 7-Word Reminder: “Don’t correct people when it matters little.”
Do You Have A Plan? And Is It The Right One?
What’s Your Next Big Move? Are You Ready?
Build Your Future On Your Own Platform, Not Someone Else’s
I’m Leaving Facebook: Why Groups and FB Live No Longer Spark Joy
Time To Accept That I’ve Failed At Something – Happily
Crowdfunding Without The Internet: Pulitzer And The Statue Of Liberty
The Amazing Power Of Recognition And Badging
Might We Have A Possible Cause For Alzheimer’s?
Why Podcasting And Radio Are Out Of Whack
Value Enthusiasm, But Value Persistence More
Ten Ways To Make Money With Podcasts Besides Ads
One Quick Question To Find Out How Important Something Actually Is
The Workflow For Producing These Videos (So Far) Part 1
Why Not Wade? And…Why Not You?
Audiobook Narrators: How Paymasters Work, And The One I Recommend
Why Gen Z And Millennials’ Love For Audiobooks Is Crucial
American Idol: It’s All About Story, Not Just Singing
Less Beating Yourself Up, More Talking Yourself Up
Resist Oversharing. Instead, Start A Dialogue.
Vocal Care: It’s All About What Works For You
3 Biases You Should Be Aware Of
3 More Biases You Should Also Be Aware Of
Wow. People Really Grokked Biases. Let’s Tackle Fallacies.
Three More Fallacies You Need To Watch For
What’s Your Imprint?
Fallacy Follies, Volume 3
Two Last Big Creativity-Crippling Fallacies
Fail Sooner To Succeed Sooner
A New Lead Source For Performers: Voice Assistants And Smart Speakers
A Great Way To Handle Trolls and Haters
Quantity Does Not Usually Equal Quality
Is Facebook Truly A Monopoly? No More Than Microsoft Was.
Fear Of The Unknown, Or The Day Before My Surgery
A Strange Aspect To Performing That Should Be Cause For Protest, But Isn’t
Want To Grow? Don’t Go It Alone.
How Am I Doing? I’m Gobsmacked. That’s How Am I Doing.
Why I Give My Agents 10% Of Everything
Not Just Explainer Videos, But Video That Explain Things Spectacularly
Mental Floss To The Rescue: Skills You Can Pick Up On YouTube
What’s Better Than Willpower? Grit.
Regarding Apple’s App Store: Be Careful What You Wish For, Pepper
Of COURSE You Wonder What Porter’s Five Forces Are. Who Doesn’t?
Don’t Waste Your Time: Talk Shows Aren’t Meant To Be Fair
Sooner Or Later, I’m Really Going To Tick You Off
Just Because You Can Do Something Doesn’t Mean You Should
Wait, What? Audacity Records In The Background?!
Enjoy Your First Booking. Pay Close Attention To The Next Three.
Pattern Interruption And The Musicality Of Voice Over
Do You Still Have A Landline? Is It POTS? Wait, What’s POTS?
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Age Range Isn’t Really A Valid Metric For VO
What Is The Overton Window?
How To Stop Jealousy From Killing Your Progress
Even The Bible (And Game Of Thrones) Has One-Star Reviews
How Much Is Enough To Make Per Hour?
With Royalty Share Plus, ACX Makes Hybrid Stipends Official
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What A Lovely Thing To Discover: Praise From CourVO
I Figured Out What I Provide: The Onboarding Performers Don’t Get
You Don’t Need Permission To Care Or Contribute
It’s Not Just You. It’s The Superstars, Too.
Do You Sometimes Think Irrationally? Maybe. Here’s How To Stop It.
The Struggle Of Announcer-y Versus Non-Announcer-y Voice Over
How My VAs Support Me And My Team
What Exactly Is “The Cloud?”
The Often “Most Difficult” Concept I Teach
Please Unsubscribe From This List. But Don’t Do This One Destructive, Lazy Thing.
Don’t Mistake The Joy Of Knowing For The Joy Of Doing
Why Giving Yourself Some Simple Homework Can Be Life-Changing
One Weird Trick I Do That Makes My Note-Taking Superhuman
The Worst Thing About The Biggest Money-Making Entertainment Category
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Get Better At Executing Today’s Plan By Starting Last Night
How To Create Useful, Organized Audition File Names
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I’m Halfway Finished. What Have You Valued Most? What Can I Do Better?
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“Serves You Right!” She Actually Has No Idea How Right.
Create A Safe Environment For Self-Improvement
Why I Use One Single Channel For Crucial Communication
The Even Cheaper AT-2020 USB Plus Microphone?
Fred Willard (and Billy West) On Quickly Creating Authentic VO Characters
Leo Makes Your Searching Spectacular
On Asking For Things Performers Can’t Do
How To Battle The Urge of “Efficiency”
One More Best-Of-Breed Way To Brilliantly Complain
Changing Audacity’s Sampling Rate To 48,000 Hz
10 Words Of Encouragement When You’re Stuck
One More Best-Of-Breed Way To Brilliantly Complain
Why You Must Wear Headphones When Recording
Two Cases Where You Might Not Want To Simply “Follow Your Passion”
Having Fun With Headphone Volume
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Something To Consider: Everyone’s Internal Menu
One Crazy Key To Creativity: Pure, Unadulterated Boredom
For The Sheer Joy Of It
The Most Commonly Consumed Media Is…!
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The Root Words of “Typecast”
Avoid That One Obvious “That Worked” Sound We Make
Why Union Members Can Audition For Non-Union Work
200 Auditions. 1 Booking. A Ghost. Really?
I Can’t Do One Thing I’m Asked To Do Every Single Day
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Do Networking Events Make You Anxious? Let’s Fix That.
The Difference Between Mansplaining and Advice?
Project X Is Just About Ready. I’m A Bit Giddy.

hey there hero today I want to talk
about something that apparently is a
thing that I wasn’t aware of because I
would never have occurred to me that it
would be a thing but apparently it is
and what it has to do with is our roles
as narrators and audio books actors in
television shows plays films you know
pretty much anywhere where we would be
playing a character or relating what a
character would do via narration one of
the members of this past summer is a CX
master class posted something and and
started down a a very specific path with
the question and the answer and it I I
kind of upended him in a way but I
wanted to share with you he said I’ve
run into a situation I hadn’t expected
the book I’m narrating has racist slurs
used by two minor characters and I don’t
want my voice recorded saying them does
a sex allow for withdrawing from a
contract for such reasons I can’t find
that info anywhere well there’s a good
reason why you can’t find that info
anyway perhaps I could ask if they would
consider less offensive words has anyone
had to ask for that yet and number three
the RH will probably put me in touch
with the author since they already have
about pronunciations I’m assuming the RH
holds the ultimate decision but who
would you think should be reached out to
first thanks for everyone’s input and
this was posted by somebody who I think
had some experience acting but not in a
production center and not with
no-holds-barred productions like you
might see on Showtime or HBO or what
have you and my answer was not an answer
to the actual question that he posted
what he was asking was how do I get rid
of this contract how what what is what
is the process that I use to not narrate
this book because I don’t want my
recorded saying the n-word or whatever
and this goes back to a much more basic
question and that is should you even
care that your voice is going to be
recorded using racial slurs and should
you even try to cancel the contract and
my answer in both of those cases is
absolutely not you are as we said
recently to Melissa you are an actor
actors play all ranges of roles and it’s
the character that’s saying these words
never is someone man if this ever
happens someday that people start
getting really upset that actors are
saying these words as characters I’m
gonna have something to say about it
I you know because it could yeah it
could happen I get that but the thing to
remember is when you’re whether you’re a
neutral narrator in an audiobook or
you’re playing you’re you’re relating
the exposition of a character what they
say or you’re a character in a show on
stage or on television or in the movies
in film work you are a character saying
those words and the story that’s being
told has written those words into the
story for a particular reason to
illustrate usually when it’s racial
slurs that the character is you know you
know stupid his racist is a villain is
uninformed is is not intelligent that
you know that’s the whole point it’s not
you the person the actor saying those
words well you know I’d dug a little bit
deeper and I think he was concerned that
someone would then clip it out of the
audio book and play it someday out of
context and say he’s a racist because he
said the n-word in this audio passage
that I found you know the answer is
you’re an actor you know I play creepy
evil villains all the time and I’ve said
some of the most heinous disgusting
things you know ever
people murder people in stories the
parallel here is if you as a narrator
are concerned that your voice is being
used to say a racial slur well consider
that you as an actor your body and your
face and your you know Glee as of as a
villain could be used to glorify
violence or glorify you know sexual you
know violence it’s just you know it’s
it’s really important to separate you as
a person you as an actor from the roles
that you’re playing and so the answer to
the question is there is no way to do it
that’s why you couldn’t find it in the
ACX help files because they wouldn’t
allow you to do that that’s not what you
sign up for when you’re an actor and
it’s also something that you should be
ready to do now if you decide that you
don’t want to do that
for for example there may be a character
that you disagree with politically or
religiously or you know I have one
client who absolutely does not want to
do anything that’s off-color because
he’s a very devout Christian I can’t do
much about that I will tell you that
there are very devout Christians who
play some of the most non-christian
characters ever because they understand
the difference between their own beliefs
and their characters believes there are
conservative actors and liberal actors
that play liberals and conservatives
respectively they play the opposite end
of the spectrum and sometimes they do so
because the characters they’re really
happy about the fact that they get to
make these characters really unlikable
or really really interesting and and
evil right there they’re illustrating
what they disagree with but to just
simply go down that path and say yeah
how do I take care of this anybody had
that experience no nobody has had that
experience now have people had that
question yeah and this is how to answer
it you don’t you remember that you are
an actor
and you are playing a role and there
needs to be both heroes and villains and
playing either role is just as
remarkable and satisfying and awesome
and no one no one as long as I’m on
watch will ever mix the two up the role
that you have with you as the person so
it’s really something you don’t need to
worry about and it’s something that I
would suggest you accept and do so with
open arms and just love that character
right because you get to make something
of it you get to make a meal out of it
it’s just awesome is it uncomfortable
saying racial slurs yeah but you learn
that there’s a lot that’s uncomfortable
when you’re an actor and you have to
kind of lean into that you have to you
have to embrace that what do you think
have you ever been asked to do something
that you just don’t want to do you’re
just too uncomfortable to do but yet you
did it anyway or you didn’t do it you
turn something down because of it um let
me know let me know in the comments
below and also if you want to join my
list do fill out the form that says get
on the list I’d love to have you I’m
David H Lawrence xvii I thank you so
much for watching and I will talk to you
tomorrow