<description>&lt;p class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;IIn this episode, Mike sits down with audiobook narrator and author &lt;a href= "https://sanyasimmons.com/"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Sanya Simmons&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt; to talk about her path from classical musician to becoming a voice actor and audiobook narrator.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class="text-xl font-bold text-text-100 mt-1 -mb-0.5"&gt; &lt;span style="font-size: 14pt;"&gt;What We Cover:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;p class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Building an Audiobook Career:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class= "[&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc space-y-1.5 pl-7"&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;Moving from ACX royalty-share projects to working directly with publishers&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;The real time investment: why 5-10 hours of finished audio takes 30-40+ hours total&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;Prep strategies for fiction vs. nonfiction projects&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;Getting family help with research to save time&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Using Your Musical Background:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class= "[&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc space-y-1.5 pl-7"&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;How Sanya's flute and vocal training helps her narration&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;Treating your voice like an instrument for better breath control and phrasing&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;Avoiding monotonous reads by "hearing" what the author intended&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Networking That Actually Works:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class= "[&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc space-y-1.5 pl-7"&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;Why relationship-building beats transactional approaches&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;How APA committee work and APAC conferences led to unexpected opportunities&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;Staying in touch with producers without being pushy&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;The power of showing up consistently&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Expanding Beyond Audiobooks:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class= "[&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc space-y-1.5 pl-7"&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;Getting into political VO and broadcast narration&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;Dealing with union rules in right-to-work states&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;The reality of competitive commercial and promo markets&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Social Media Without the Overwhelm:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class= "[&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc space-y-1.5 pl-7"&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;Building authentic presence with help from others&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;Choosing the right platforms (Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok)&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;Why "good enough" content beats perfect content you never post&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;From Author to Narrator:&lt;/strong&gt; Sanya talks about her book &lt;a href= "https://sanyasimmons.com/author/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;"A Single Mom's Guide to Raising Black Gentlemen"&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt; and how her parenting experience shapes her storytelling approach. Plus, how her sons contributed to both the book and audiobook.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h2 class="text-xl font-bold text-text-100 mt-1 -mb-0.5"&gt; &lt;span style="font-size: 14pt;"&gt;Key Points:&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/h2&gt; &lt;ul class= "[&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc space-y-1.5 pl-7"&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;Balance active projects with ongoing training&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;Reliability builds lasting relationships: communicate early, deliver clean work, say thank you&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;Think like a business owner: proper structure, strategic investments, tax planning&lt;/li&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;Community matters: connect with mentors, peers, and people you can help&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;Whether you're starting out or scaling up your audiobook business, Sanya shares practical advice on production, relationships, and sustainable growth.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Connect with Sanya:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;ul class= "[&amp;:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&amp;:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc space-y-1.5 pl-7"&gt; &lt;li class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;&lt;a href= "https://sanyasimmons.com/author/"&gt;Book: &lt;em&gt;"A Single Mom's Guide to Raising Black Gentlemen"&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt; &lt;/ul&gt; &lt;p class="whitespace-normal break-words"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Real talk about building a thriving audiobook career while keeping your sanity and artistic integrity.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Check out more episodes over at&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;a href= "https://mikelenzvopodcast.com/"&gt;https://mikelenzvopodcast.com/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Voice 123 15% Discount Code link&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;a title="Voice 123 - 15% Discount Code" href= "https://bit.ly/3BsPSaw"&gt; https://bit.ly/3BsPSaw&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Mike Lenz Voice - A Journey Into Voice Acting

Mike Lenz interviews Bob Souer, Harlan Hogan and other amazing voice-over p

150 - Sanya Simmons Interview - From Classical Flutist to SAG-AFTRA Audiobook Narrator

SEP 8, 202569 MIN
Mike Lenz Voice - A Journey Into Voice Acting

150 - Sanya Simmons Interview - From Classical Flutist to SAG-AFTRA Audiobook Narrator

SEP 8, 202569 MIN

Description

IIn this episode, Mike sits down with audiobook narrator and author Sanya Simmons to talk about her path from classical musician to becoming a voice actor and audiobook narrator.

What We Cover:

Building an Audiobook Career:

  • Moving from ACX royalty-share projects to working directly with publishers
  • The real time investment: why 5-10 hours of finished audio takes 30-40+ hours total
  • Prep strategies for fiction vs. nonfiction projects
  • Getting family help with research to save time

Using Your Musical Background:

  • How Sanya's flute and vocal training helps her narration
  • Treating your voice like an instrument for better breath control and phrasing
  • Avoiding monotonous reads by "hearing" what the author intended

Networking That Actually Works:

  • Why relationship-building beats transactional approaches
  • How APA committee work and APAC conferences led to unexpected opportunities
  • Staying in touch with producers without being pushy
  • The power of showing up consistently

Expanding Beyond Audiobooks:

  • Getting into political VO and broadcast narration
  • Dealing with union rules in right-to-work states
  • The reality of competitive commercial and promo markets

Social Media Without the Overwhelm:

  • Building authentic presence with help from others
  • Choosing the right platforms (Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok)
  • Why "good enough" content beats perfect content you never post

From Author to Narrator: Sanya talks about her book "A Single Mom's Guide to Raising Black Gentlemen" and how her parenting experience shapes her storytelling approach. Plus, how her sons contributed to both the book and audiobook.

Key Points:
  • Balance active projects with ongoing training
  • Reliability builds lasting relationships: communicate early, deliver clean work, say thank you
  • Think like a business owner: proper structure, strategic investments, tax planning
  • Community matters: connect with mentors, peers, and people you can help

Whether you're starting out or scaling up your audiobook business, Sanya shares practical advice on production, relationships, and sustainable growth.

Connect with Sanya:

Real talk about building a thriving audiobook career while keeping your sanity and artistic integrity.

Check out more episodes over at: https://mikelenzvopodcast.com/

Voice 123 15% Discount Code link: https://bit.ly/3BsPSaw