Good to hear from you – and wow can I relate to the fractured focus issues on ADD! I tend to think our entire culture is going in that direction, which doesn’t help those of us who are there already…. I find it helpful to set achievable goals and break them into smaller and smaller steps so that I can do something toward my goals every day. Having to create a timeline for each of three books is very helpful in that respect. If you are on the Audiobook Voices Network - there is a great discussion going on now about managing time realistically in doing a Royalty Share book. And I’ll let you know when next I post Jerry – thanks again!

My name is Jerry Lord. I just finished reading your blog post regarding stipended/royalty book projects and your reflection on the great and very wise Steve Jobs. Steve has always been an inspiration to me. I totally agree with”saying no”. Our days and lives are filled with so many things we think we can do, but at the same time, we know that we cannot do all of them. I like your focus on perfecting your narrating and your technical skills in audio production. That really hit home with me.Twenty years ago I left the broadcast world with two directions. My heart was leading me towards becoming a master production director by concentrating my time and efforts in becoming the best. Life circumstances 20 years ago led me in another direction towards the world of commission sales in media advertising which included radio, T.V. and Outdoor Advertising. Now 23 years have elapsed, life continues to happen, and now life circumstances have presented the opportunity to pursue my real passion of acting, voice acting and technical production. One of my challenges over the past 20 years has been, and continues to be, my A.D.D. It has always been difficult for me to put my “A Team” skills on 10 things rather than 350 things. Kym, thank you for helping me re-focus on those “Top 10″. Being a “Jack of All Trades, and A Master of None” does not work. Thank you so much Kym for reminding me of that. I’d like to stay in touch.. if you would like that also. Please let me know how I can receive e mail notices when new posts have been entered on your blog. Have a great week Kym and continued success to you..

Jerry Lord

Also, the water breathing is of course what we usually do to relax as actors, in through the nose and out through the mouth. This is also how I breath when I swim, and when I row. It’s very meditative, since I do slow, deep breathing and hold my breath a little twice, before I let it out slowly and before I breath again. It is amazing how focused it makes me physically and mentally, while relaxing me at the same time.

Thanks for the blog, Kim -

I am not a voice actor (although I have considered it), so I’m not going to interject any wisdom on that, but I am a musician and part of the arts/music community in Portland. The rationale that baseball players are only playing because they make good money, or opera singers (or musicians in general) make big bucks, ignores the fact that probably 99.9% of the baseball players playing through the minor leagues, hoping to make it to the show, are not making much money, so are indeed doing it for the love of the game and a dream. Same with musicans, especially. For every musician/artist/professional performer making $$, there are hundreds who are literally in it for the love of it, with hope of a reward that provides a good living without supplement from something else. It takes a huge commitment and sense of purpose to pursue the arts.

I don’t dispute the fundamental idea that you shouldn’t give away a final product. Very good advice I will take to heart. It was just that analogy I couldn’t let go unanswered.

Napster is a clear example of how “free” can mess up the market. Artists, lawyers and judges agreed that people deserve to be compensated for creating a product or delivering a service. They realized that consumers would not be willing to pay for something they could get for free. There’s nothing defensive about that opinion. It has to do with the way we determine the value of what is being offered on the market: we put a price on it.

Participants in this discussion are often confused because we’re talking about tangible and intangible things: products and services. For some, it’s much easier to determine and “defend” the cost of a product, because we can see the materials, the factory where it’s made and we can hold the item in our hands. However, that’s just a deceptive distinction. Service providers also make tremendous investments and have to recover the costs of doing business. If they don’t, they go under.

Nobody’s suggesting that we should be in this business “purely to make money”. Money is a means to an end, but without it, we have no business. It is a hobby. If you’re looking to “increase exposure, connections and marketability,” my guess is that you’re attempting to create a career instead of finding something fun to do in your spare time. And unless you’re independently wealthy, I assume that you’re attempting to run a for-profit business.

There’s nothing wrong with handing out free samples of your work. If you’re sending out custom auditions and your website features some demos, you’re already doing that. That’s where I would draw the line. If prospective clients are interested in hiring you, they can ask you to audition or go to your website. You don’t need to record a free audio book to showcase your talents or increase your marketability. That’s an open invitation to those who can’t wait to take advantage of you.

My latest blog happens to be about the Power of Pricing:

http://www.nethervoice.com/nethervoice/2011/02/11/power-pricing/