About Helen Lloyd

In a career spanning more than fifty years, I have re-invented myself several times My various ‘reincarnations’: actor, television presenter, theatre director, programme researcher, tutor, television and theatre producer, have all contributed to the Helen Lloyd I am now. An experienced and mature voice actor, a lover and interpreter of words, a many-voiced storyteller and a facilitator.

As Maya Angelou said, ‘Words mean more than what is set down on paper. it takes the human voice to infuse them with deeper meaning’.

I love sharing stories and get enormous satisfaction from being in a recording studio, fully immersed in a great story, creating believable characters, and interpreting an author’s words and intentions into a compelling audio recording. I also thoroughly enjoy sharing my expertise with narrators and actors at every stage of their audiobook journey.

I can think of no better way to earn a living – especially as narration combines so many of the skills I have gained during my career. In audiobook narration, I feel that I have come home.

Professional Organisations

Working in audiobooks can be a lonely occupation. Support, knowledge and comradeship from colleagues, audio engineers, producers, potential employers and others in the wider voice and audio industry, are I think, vital for expanding horizons, gaining knowledge and making connections with others. I am a proud member of various professional organisations, some of which provide mentorship – all of which encourage discussion, support and the sharing of information.

Audiobook Narrator

We have all had stories read to us at some time in our lives. This can be an exhilarating and enlightening experience, a bit like going to the theatre where your favourite actor performs for you alone. A well narrated audiobook offers an intense emotional encounter: just you and the voice in your ear taking a journey together.

Achieving that connection between author, reader and listener is what I help narrators to achieve.

Audiobook narration is unlike any other form of voice work – or any other form of acting. In audiobooks, there is rarely a soundscape to give an indication of time, place, setting or distance. A single voice is tasked with bringing an author’s vision to life; one voice creating a compelling narrative and a full cast of unique and believable people.

I believe that the key to achieving compelling narration lies in meaningful preparation. As an actor discovers and unpeels the layers of the character he is playing during rehearsals, so the narrator explores in significant preparation. The end result is multi-faceted narration that appears effortless, spontaneous and natural.

Helen’s no nonsense, cut-to-the-chase approach, combined with subtlety and delicacy in direction, led in no small part, to my now burgeoning, award-winning career in audiobooks.

I am so thankful to have found Helen. We’re talking shockingly acute levels of perception here guys. And(!) her ability to communicate to you what’s needed for growth is (and the exercises to do it) the real deal. Thanks for all the care, time and attention Helen. You’re the best.

The way Helen sets out the course, in bite size sections, is so easy to understand and you have time to concentrate on just one area of Audiobook narration whether technical or creative. I was definitely more confident and could hear a dramatic difference in my narration after I finished her course.

Director Sessions and Coaching

Audiobook narration can be a lonely occupation. Even when working with a director, time for discussion and exploration is often very limited. Choosing the best samples to add to an online portfolio can be challenging, submitting auditions and sample reads is stressful, so having the support of someone with an extensive knowledge of the industry, an extra pair of ears if you like, to help you choose which texts to use, to help with re-writing and editing, and to help you deliver the best possible read is a real game changer. It can be difficult to critique your own reads dispassionately – I will help you to do that in a one-to-one director sessions – you can book either an hour session or a half hour session depending on your needs – and I do my best to make these available at short notice.

I also host monthly online group sessions with narrators who are involved in the course, or have worked with me extensively – the group offers peer review on live reads, and we discuss all aspects of the audiobook industry.

Contact Helen

If you’d like to find out more – please get in touch.

A bit of background

I have had several careers since graduating from The Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1969. I was a professional actor for fifteen years working mainly in Rep, with occasional forays into radio and television.

In the early 1980s I joined Central Television, the ITV station for the Midlands, as a continuity announcer, and during this time, began working as a freelance voice actor and recorded my first audiobooks… thankfully, no longer available!

At the end of the eighties, I moved behind the camera and into production for ITV Regional Programmes, making documentaries and factual series. I continued working as a voiceover during this period, narrating over fifty documentaries for ITV1 and the new digital channels that were launched in the early 1990s.

I took redundancy from ITV in 1983 and returned to my roots as an actor and producer. In 2013 I recorded my first audiobook from my personal studio at home … and the rest, as they say, is history.

I began studying for an MA in Creative Writing in January 2022 … so watch this space for more news on my latest adventure.

On The Blog

I have been writing articles on narration, audiobooks, acting, and other aspects of the industry for many years, and though this aspect has been somewhat neglected due to pressure of work, I manage to keep up a steady flow of articles, which I hope you will enjoy.

The Authentic Voice

Your voice is your voice … or is it? There is a lot of talk about ‘authenticity’ buzzing around at the moment. Just Google ‘Authentic

On Concentration

When recording an audiobook – or indeed working on any other kind of narration or Voiceover recording, particularly if you’re working remotely from your personal

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