About the Summit
June 24-28, 2024
What is the Narrator Summit?
Audiobook Empire's Narrator Summit is a virtual conference taking place in late June each year. Started in 2023 (as the Workshop Rewind) and re-branded in 2024, the Summit is an annual "meeting of the minds", bringing together narrators, authors, producers, publishers, coaches, and specialty experts from all over the audio industry to share, learn, encourage, uplift, and celebrate.
The guests for each Summit are handpicked by Jess, not only for their knowledge and expertise, but also for their "vibe". No Negative Nellies or Chicken Littles allowed. The tone of each Summit should be one of shared optimism and growth. Each year, we raise the bar. Onwards and upwards!
Who can attend?
The 2024 Summit is specifically crafted for an audience of narrators, but we aren't ruling out an Author Summit in the future. Let us know if you'd be interested in attending!
Does it matter how many books I have?
Yes and no. Any and all narrators can attend this year's Summit, but certain sessions may be more or less relevant to where you are in your career.
We're using the following caste system to indicate which sessions are appropriate for which audiences:
Squires: 1-29 books
Knights: 30-70 books
Landed Gentry: 71-100 books
Nobles: 100+ books
What if I can't attend live?
The Summit will be most beneficial to those who are able to attend live, but we realize that's not realistic for everyone, so certain sessions will be available for purchase from the Imperial Marketplace after the Summit has concluded.
The recorded sessions from the 2024 Summit will be:
Intro to the Empire with Jess Herring
Cold Calling with Jess Herring
'Hitting 100' Roundtable with Ana Clements
Royalty Sharing with Jess Herring
What's the State of the Empire address?
The State of the Empire address is an annual presentation occurring each June that details the Empire's accomplishments over the past 12 months and gives a sneak peek into what we have in store for the future. It's also a celebration of the audiobook industry, the Empire's place in it, and the people that have helped us along the way.
The Imperial Address usually runs about 20 minutes and precedes a special guest presentation or event.
Why can't I attend the Saturday events?
Saturday's events are reserved for members of our Talent Legion (roster) and those who have purchased full access for the week ($99).
Access to these events is not included with the purchase of individual sessions. If you would like to upgrade to full access, please contact our treasury department.
Can I sponsor an event?
Absolutely! Sponsorship opportunities for individual sessions or for the entire summit are available upon request. Please email our treasury department for more details.
I signed up! What now?
Awesome! You'll be sent information and your ticket/access pass for the Summit in just a few weeks. Don't forget to mark your calendar!
★ June 24th: Day 1
Intro to the Empire with Jess Herring (1pm ET)
This session will take the form of an AMA (Ask Me Anything) with Jess, the Empire's founder. It will also serve as the official Summit welcome!
Scheduling & Accountability with Ana Clements (4pm ET)
Narrator and Coach Ana Clements helps us tackle arguably the hardest elements of freelance work: Scheduling and accountability.
★ June 25th: Day 2
Booth Health with Melissa Kay Benson (1pm ET)
Narrator and myofascial therapist Melissa Kay Benson talks about how just a few small posture changes in the booth can lead to career longevity.
Saying No! with Sean Pratt (4pm ET)
The freelancer's guide to turning down work, because not everything is going to be right for you and that's okay. Hear from veteran Narrator and Coach Sean Pratt on how to determine what's right for you and how to politely pass on what's not.
★ June 26th: Day 3
“Hitting 100” Roundtable with Ana Clements (1pm ET)
Interactive Panel
Narrator and Coach Ana Clements hosts a roundtable discussion with narrators steadily climbing the hill toward their 100th audiobook.
Cold Calling with Jess Herring (4pm ET)
The Empire's most popular workshop!
An actionable workshop focusing on project selection and author outreach. Spreadsheet & email template included.
★ June 27th: Day 4
Accents & Dialects with Steve Corona (1pm ET)
Narrator and Coach Steve Corona spends an hour talking with us about how he works with actors to perform various accents and dialects.
Directors’ Dais with Sean Pratt, Erin Moon & Steve Corona (4pm ET)
Interactive Panel
Select narrators read prepared pieces in front of the coaches and directors on our Imperial Dais and receive feedback on their performances.
★ June 28th: Day 5
Royalty Sharing with Jess Herring (1pm ET)
How to turn a profit with the 'profit-sharing' model and avoid potential pitfalls by identifying red flags before you're in too deep.
Spoken Realms Distribution with Steven Jay Cohen (4pm ET)
Narrator and Audiobook 'jack-of-all-trades' Steven Jay Cohen discusses the ever evolving world of audiobook distribution and tells us how his distribution company Spoken Realms fits into that picture.
★ June 29th: Special Events
State of the Empire with Jess Herring (5pm ET)
The 2024 Summit concludes with the annual State of the Empire address in which Jess details what the Empire has been up to over the last 12 months and where it's headed in the next year.
Guest Speaker: Jennifer Jill Araya (6pm ET)
As a special treat for the Talent Legion and those attending the entire Summit, every year, Jess hires a surprise guest speaker. This year, Jennifer Jill Araya speaks with the Legion and guests about building a business strategy for self-employment.
Imperial Gathering & Celebration (8pm ET)
A social event to reflect on Summit sessions, ask any final questions, and chat with other attendees.
Jess Herring
Jess Herring is the founder and CEO of Audiobook Empire, a full-service production house catering to independent authors and producing in four languages. The Empire has since grown to includeCats MeowProductions and Lunar Audiobooks.
Audiobook Empire is the culmination of her years of experience within the audio industry. Its primary goal is to help indie authors navigate the production process with ease, from start to finish. As the Empress herself says, "We're not just a production house, but a powerhouse!".
Melissa Kay Benson
Melissa Kay Benson is an audiobook narrator based in New Orleans.
She was, formerly, a Myofascial Therapist and Thai bodyworker, helping people improve their posture and well-being.
Observing some typical postural habits among her fellow narrators, she decided to put her experience and knowledge into action and started posting posture and ergonomics tips on her social media accounts. She tagged them #Booth Health Tuesday.
Today, she will talk about the importance of good posture on your health. She will share some of her tips, tricks, self-massage techniques, habit busters, and gadgets, many of which are specifically related to the work we do as narrators.
She adheres to the notion that incorporating small changes in your daily life is more pleasant and practical than a total do-over. So, these tips are meant to be nuggets, not routines.
Melissa offers private consultations to help you with your individual working situation, set-up and posture. You can seek her services through her website at https://mkbenson.com.
Sean Pratt
Sean Pratt has been a working professional actor in theatre, film, TV and voice-overs for over 30 years. He holds a BFA in Acting from Santa Fe University, NM. He has narrated over 1,000+ audiobooks….and counting! Want to learn more about Sean, keep scrolling.
He has been an audiobook narrator for 22 years (aka – Lloyd James), recording over 1000+ Audio Books in almost every genre. He narrates for such companies as Blackstone Audiobooks, Tantor Media, Gildan Audio, Harper Collins, Penguin Random House, and Christian Audio.
Ana Clements
Ana has a background in finance, classical singing and musical theatre. She now works in English and Spanish as an Audiobook Narrator, Voiceactor, Speaker and Coach.
Ana works with narrators to help move them forward in their career; speaks at Writer’s Groups introducing them to audio and with individual authors to see if audiobooks are a good fit for them.
As the founder of the Audiobooks club on ClubHouse leading several weekly and monthly sessions, Ana has an insight into the needs and stumbling blocks of our creative careers.
Having found her space within the audiobook industry, she enjoys discussing and sharing advice on audiobooks, narration and production, so let her know what you need.
Steve Corona
With over 16 years experience coaching some of Hollywood's elite, Steve has gained invaluable insights into what separates top performers from the rest. As a dialect coach, Steve has developed strategies and techniques that work with almost any learning style. Steve uses an adaptive approach to coaching actors that helps them achieve the specific dialect or accent they are aiming for, helping create vocal masks - adding accent, pacing, pitch, physicality, and other layers of interesting texture to their voice for a multi-dimensional character.
Steven Jay Cohen
Erin Moon
Erin Moon (aka “Felicity Munroe” for all romance) is a classically trained professional AEA/CAEA/SAG/AFTRA actress and dual Citizen of the USA and Canada.
In 2005, Erin started in audiobooks in post production and directing, as her actor survival job (learning from and working with the incredible narrators who MADE this industry!). In her time at Recorded Book in NYC she directed well over 300 books and edited another 300 at least, in between performing theatre gigs across America. She has been narrating, directing and coaching exclusively since 2009.