An audiobook is not a long text with a voice laid over it.

It is an art form of its own. The voice has to guide without pushing itself forward. It has to distinguish characters without producing caricatures. It has to create atmosphere without painting every sentence.

The demanding part is the balance between interpretation and restraint. Listeners want to enter the story, not be constantly reminded that someone is “performing”.

Good audiobook narration requires stamina, musicality of language, dramaturgical understanding and a very precise sense of tempo. When we listen, the story does not arise on the page, but in the mind.

The voice opens the door. Imagination has to walk through it.