It’s been non-stop since the 1st of the year and I’ve been neglecting my blog but not my reading. Tonight, I read a super blog by Mary McKitrick, Setting Rates in the Voice-Over Business. It should be required reading for anyone thinking of going into voice over and especially for anyone thinking of hiring and budgeting for voice over talent. Mary’s asking us to think about everything it takes before we get to the point where we’re quoting rates. That’s a pretty reasonable request.

I’m not going to go out and triple my fees, but I do recognize that there needs to be a better balance between the clients’ need to save money and the voice talent’s need to cover the many expenses of maintaining a business, and a life.

I love watching voice over recording sessions. Here’s Michael Madsen creating his voice over for Yakuza. He has a terrific character voice — lot’s of grit and presence.

If you want to read a good article regarding talent agents, check out Agents: Traditionally They Don’t Promote, But Hybrids Bring Change written by Jennifer Vaughn, a respected voice over talent, also from Florida. Her article appears in Voice Over Xtra, a reliable voice over resource site.

Vaughn’s article helps to clear up the old misconception that talent agents are talent promoters. Traditionally, they haven’t been. Even if they provide the hybrid services she discusses, those tend to be one-time publicity events. For the most part, talent agents only hope to connect a particular job to a particular voice actor in their talent roster (someone they represent). For that particular job, they may sell you.

Only a publicist will promote you to the hiring public at large. This is why top celebrities tend to have both talent agents and publicity agents. A seasoned publicity agent will have solid media contacts and a genuine knack for promoting you: knowing how, where, what and when to promote.

Of course, not many of us can afford a publicist. So, I guess we can turn to the Internet and look for ways to become our own publicists. In fact, a search on Amazon.com, turned up How to be Your Own Publicist by Jessica Hatchigan. It was right above How To Be Your Own Therapist. Hmmm — add to cart.