Warning to audiobook producers

[derynoliver]

I have recently received six requests from buyers all around the world all sending me the same script and asking for a sample read. I thought this odd and reported them to Fiverr who said they would look into it but couldn’t tell me what action they could take due to privacy policy. Anyway this morning I was looking through ACX for potential audiobooks to narrate and saw the book these buyers were trying to have a sample for. And the penny dropped!!! These buyers are looking for samples to audition with under their own names and then if ‘they’ get the job on ACX they will get the better pfh rate than narrators charge on here.
Perhaps I’m a bit slow as I haven’t thought about buyers trying this.
Anyway, as from now I will be checking requests against listings on ACX and I advise all other VOs to do the same
I charge a decent pfh rate but I know a lot of narrators on here are willing to work for $50 or less. They will be perfect candidates for buyers like these.

[doby90028]

Same happened to me yesterday. Two of them were for the same book!

[derynoliver]

Same happened to me yesterday. Two of them were for the same book!

I’m not sure that Fiverr will be able to do anything about these people so I assume it’s going to happen a lot now. I imagine there is some advice ‘out there’ that audio book production is lucrative and that this practice is a possible way to easy money. As well as the same book sample being requested, the request was worded in exactly the same way.

From now on I am going to be far more wary before I send samples

[doby90028]

Same. Also beware of people wanting to use their name as narrator. 😜

[jameswilson709]

In all honesty I removed voice work from my profile here as all I did was attract people like this and outsources who wanted to do very very little work but profit from my effort.

A mixture of that and “well if you’re good you can do a free sample right!” Was enough to make me reconsider. My regular clients know how to contact me and I’m more than happy working so let with them

[derynoliver]

Same happened to me yesterday. Two of them were for the same book!

Can I ask what the script was about? I’ve just had a very persistent person asking me to do a sample of a script about Jo Jo Giraffe I have been sent by multiple people. When I challenged them about the script not being their work they gave me a load of stuff about not wanting to ‘expose their own book’ until they were sure I was a good fit. They then sent me ‘their book which is about Walley The Whale. I really don’t think it’s their book either and have looked for it on ACX but no joy.

[doby90028]

Guy placed an order for “excerpts” of his book.
Did it and delivered.
He was angry I did not “wait” to do the full book.
That’s right.
He was shopping it on ACX.
Now he wants to cancel the order.
He’s “sorry” “he didn’t know” you couldn’t be an “intermediary”
I told him he had to pay for my work.
Dispute in progress.

[doby90028]

Can I ask what the script was about? I’ve just had a very persistent person asking me to do a sample of a script about Jo Jo Giraffe I have been sent by multiple people. When I challenged them about the script not being their work they gave me a load of stuff about not wanting to ‘expose their own book’ until they were sure I was a good fit. They then sent me ‘their book which is about Walley The Whale. I really don’t think it’s their book either and have looked for it on ACX but no joy.

Sorry for the late reply.

Yes, the ones that I got two of, were Jo Jo.

[doby90028]

Can I ask what the script was about? I’ve just had a very persistent person asking me to do a sample of a script about Jo Jo Giraffe I have been sent by multiple people. When I challenged them about the script not being their work they gave me a load of stuff about not wanting to ‘expose their own book’ until they were sure I was a good fit. They then sent me ‘their book which is about Walley The Whale. I really don’t think it’s their book either and have looked for it on ACX but no joy.

Yeah, Wally the Whale as well. 😦

[derynoliver]

Guy placed an order for “excerpts” of his book.

Did it and delivered.

He was angry I did not “wait” to do the full book.

That’s right.

He was shopping it on ACX.

Now he wants to cancel the order.

He’s “sorry” “he didn’t know” you couldn’t be an “intermediary”

I told him he had to pay for my work.

Dispute in progress.

I have actually turned off my audiobook gig for a while as, fortunately I am busy with other work, and hope when I reactivate it, the stream of these $¥§€ers May have died down.