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VOICEOVERXTRA's 2019 New York City 'Audiobook Week' Events, Fun & Survival Guide (May 27-30) May 20, 2019  By Tom DheereVoice Actor & Coach This annual VoiceOverXtra guide has become so
popular, it's back! Here is the info you need to
navigate and enjoy all the wonderful audiobook events in New York City next week from May 27
to May 30 (and you can even kick it up a notch by attending BookExpo America and BookCon).
GETTING TO NEW YORK CITY  I assume the majority of you will be
flying into New York City. As a New Jersey native, I've used Newark International Airport (EWR) my entire life, so I
can speak the most intelligently about that one. The easiest way to get to Manhattan from EWR is to take the train. A
new station there will take you to Penn Station pretty
quickly and inexpensively. I used JFK International Airport last year for the first time, so my
knowledge about that is limited, but you basically have two choices: take the subway for
$2.75 or take a cab which will cost about $70 (that's including tip). They both
take roughly 45-60 minutes to get to Midtown, but it's up to you to reconcile
cost with the ease of having someone ferry your luggage for you so you don't
have to lug it up and down those pesky subway stairs.
I've never used LaGuardia International Airport, so feel free
to comment if you're familiar with it. WHERE TO STAY This is a good time to see what points you've saved up from your various hotel
stays over the years to see what you can cash in. But even if you don't have
enough points for a free night, some hotels let you cash in points in exchange
for a discounted rate. Fun fact: many credit cards points are transferable, so
check online to see how you can consolidate your points.
AirBnB can be a fun and relatively inexpensive
option. I've used it many times over the years and never had an issue, though
experiences vary. There are also many hotels in New Jersey, just a few minutes west of Manhattan.
For example:
GETTING AROUND TOWN  If you buy a Metro Card for the
NYC subway you can use it on the PATH system, too. Of course, Uber and Lyft are other
popular options. Taxis can get pricey.
If you choose the subway, click here to download
the MyTransit NYC smartphone app, which shows you subway maps and alerts about delays and
shutdowns. If it's a beautiful day, walk!  A special walking treat on the West Side is
the High Line - an elevated railway converted to a
walking path festooned with floral life and sculptures. The extra-fun part is
that the beautifully landscaped High Line walkway
starts (or ends, depending on your perspective) right next to the Jacob K. Javitts Convention Center (site of APAC).
I also highly recommend checking out
the shiny new Hudson Yards area just a few blocks away from Javits, on 33rd
and 10th. You can climb The Vessel and there are lots of new yummy
food options in 'The Shops' like Fuku and Shake Shack. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays there are outdoor food stalls by the 7-train entrance and Bella
Abzug Park. And Little Spain is a must! Churros and flatbreads and empanadas,
oh my! Check out www.hudsonyardsnewyork.com. If you have time to do
some sightseeing, there are some excellent boat tours around Manhattan.
Check them here. NEED TO RECORD?  If your
portable recording gear or hotel pillow fort doesn't work for your auditions
and recording jobs during the week, check out Edge Studio at 115 West 45th Street (between 6th
and 7th Avenue), Floor 8. The studio is open Monday through Friday from
10 am to 6 pm ET.
To book a studio space, email production@edgestudio.com or
call 888-321-EDGE (3343). Studio time costs $25 per 15 minutes to record an
audition; $200 per hour to record a job. Both rates include an engineer. Other local recording studios include CityVox, CKP Media, CDM Studios, Lotas Productions, and Soundvine Studios. AND NOW, THE EVENTS ... THE SPOKEN REALMS MEETUP Monday,
May 27, 1 - 4pm Mustang
Harry's, 352 7th Avenue (between 29th and 30th Street)
JOHNNY HELLER'S SPLENDIFEROUS
NARRATOR WORKSHOP Tuesday, May 28; 9am – 4:30pm Baruch College, Engelman Recital Hall, 55 Lexington Avenue, New York
AUDIO PUBLISHER'S ASSOCIATION's PRE-APAC NETWORKING SOCIAL Tuesday, May 28; 5:30 - 7:30 pm The West 79th Street Boat Basin Cafe, New York
APAC - AUDIO PUBLISHERS
ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE SOLD OUT! But if you have a ticket ... Wednesday, May 29; 8am - 6pm Jacob K. Javits Convention Center,
655 West 34th Street, New York
THE "NOT-NAUDIES" Wednesday, May 29; 8:00 pm - who knows…? Connolly's Pub & Restaurant, 121 West 45th Street, New York (between Broadway and 6th Avenue)
VO TECH DEEP DIVE / LEARNING TO
DO E-LEARNING EXTRAVAGANZA Thursday, May 30; 9 am – 3pm If
you're not flying out until Thursday evening, here's an event you might enjoy. Audio
engineer extraordinaire Amanda Rose Smith and Tom "The VO Strategist" Dheere
(that's me) have joined forces to produce this one-of-a-kind all-day
workshop. It will consist of two classes: in the morning, Amanda will dive deep into
audio engineering (from studio creation to mastering files), and in the
afternoon Tom will run an intensive "Learning to do eLearning" seminar covering
everything you need to know about the world of eLearning and Corporate
narration (which includes live coaching).
Thank you to everyone who contributed
to this year's article. Have fun, be safe, and book those audiobooks!
-------------------------------------------------------------------  ABOUT TOMOver more than two decades, Tom Dheere - AKA 'The VO Strategist' - has narrated thousands of projects for clients in over a dozen countries and voiced more than 40 audiobooks. He is also a voice over business consultant, a coach at Edge Studio, was the marketing consultant for the Voice Over Virtual online conference, and is also writer/producer of the sci-fi action comic book Agent 1.22. Email: tom@tomdheere.com Web: www.tomdheere.com Agent 1.22 SEE MORE HELPFUL ARTICLES ABOUT AUDIOBOOK NARRATION |
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Audiobook narrator/coach Johnny Heller's 5th Annual Splendiferous
Narrator Workshop is a must! Johnny's workshop will again be filled to the brim with top-notch audiobook
narrators and producers who share their deepest, darkest secrets about
audiobook narration. It's a day of highly informative panels, and if you won
their lottery you'll get called up for some live coaching! There are still some seats left, but I would sign up sooner rather than later.
FYI the closest subway stop to Baruch College is the #6 train at 23rd Street.
Hosted by the APA, this is a great place to meet
your fellow APAC-peeps, all 300+ of them!
The closest subway stop is the #1 train stop on 79th Street and Broadway. If
you're coming from Johnny's Workshop, walk to 23rd Street and 5th Avenue to
take to N or R train to 42nd Street Times Square, and then transfer to the #1
train. When you get out of the subway, head west (away from Central
Park). 
This is the annual conference of the Audio Publishers Association (APA),
featuring educational tracks for narrators and publishers - and plenty of
opportunities for the two to mingle.
If you wanna get technical, the convention center sprawls from 34th Street to
38th Street, between 11th and 12th Avenues. There will be signs once you
get inside. The #7 train was extended to 34th Street, right in front of Javits! That will
make your commute much easier. 
The 7th Annual Audie Awards Gala - held in past years on the day following APAC - was held this year in March (
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Comments (1)
Deborah
5/25/2019 at 3:24 PM
Appreciate having information concise and in one place.
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