A CALL FOR ISLAMIC VOICE OVER TRYOUTS Dear Muslim Brothers and Sisters, We are writing you today to express our interest in recruiting you for voice over auditions for the noble cause of Islamic book narration. If you’re interested in subduing your voice to the service of Islam and making money on the side while doing so, please continue reading: THE PROBLEM In a booming industry that’s growing exponentially by the year, there continues to be a consistent lack of Islamic voice over talent. Many of the existing, non-muslim award winning voice over artists have a difficult time pronouncing the most basic of words in Islamic text and tend to slaughter the most basic phrases or expressions like ‘Alayhi Salam, Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam or Allah ‘Azza Wa Jal. Moreover, there’s a clear disconnect between the narrators and the text. Voice-to-ear narration is the end result of this disconnect. VoicingIslam is in pursuit of heart-to-heart narration. The ‘Hal of the narrator is instrumental in having the desired spiritual effect on the listener. A narrator with the noor of tawheed in his/her heart is what we seek. THE MOVEMENT & VISION To create a platform where practicing Muslim narrators can showcase and promote their voice over talent with all its varying accents, styles and languages. The most powerful narrators are those who combine the movement of tongue with the presence of heart.

HOW DO I SIGN UP or GET INVOLVED? We are offering free training and coaching to get you on your way to earning money and launching your career as an Islamic narrator or voice over artist. To Signup or try out, please visit: tryouts.islamicvoiceovers.com ======================================================= THE ISLAMIC HISTORY OF NARRATION Narration or the audible word, was always the original medium of knowledge. God spoke to Moses, he never wrote him. The best and finest of all creation, Prophet Muhammad PBUH was the greatest of narrators. He narrated the Divine word, the final revelation, the Holy Quran. The first word revealed to our great Prophet was “recite,” meaning narrate in the name of thy Lord. It’s the way of the prophets. Our great Prophet Muhammad PBUH was unlettered, by Divine choice and for a Divine wisdom. When Arch Angel Gabriel alyahi salam asked Muhammad to recite, he was asking the Prophet to repeat after him, not read; a form of narration. Allah mighty and majestic wanted the Prophet to listen and repeat. It’s only years after the passing of the Prophet did his companions decide to jot down The Guidance as a means of preservation.

THE BENEFITS OF NARRATION There will always be something magical, something magnificent surrounding the scent of a new book. However, we live in an age that furnishes people with a plethora of options to choose from when it comes to just about anything, and printed books are no exception. We at VoicingIslam believe that all books in today’s age should be available through three mediums: Paperback, Digital ebooks and as Audiobooks. According to a recent consumer survey in 2012 they found that:

• Audiobook buyers love the convenience of listening, especially as perfect entertainment for a long car trip.

• More than two-thirds of recent audiobook buyers described audiobooks as relaxing and a good way to multi-task.

• Listeners also stated that an audio performance makes some books more interesting than they would be in print.

• The greatest potential for growth exists in digital formats. • According to a recent sales survey in 2012: • Unit sales were up nearly 10% in 2011, showing continued consumer

interest in audiobooks. • The total number of audiobooks being published doubled in the past

three years. • Audiobook downloads continued on a growth trend representing 36%

of dollar volume and 52% of unit sales MORE INTERESTING AUDIOBOOK STATS

• Audiobook listeners are better educated than non-listeners. • People who listen to books also enjoy higher incomes. • The median age of audiobook listens is 48 • Almost one-quarter of all audiobook listeners are between 18 and 24

years old. • Nearly one-half of audiobook listeners with children under age 18

report that their children listen to audiobooks as well. • 49% of listeners feel audiobooks increase their children’s love of

reading, while 59% said it exposes them to books they might not otherwise read.

• Audiobook fans are most likely to listen to audiobooks while commuting in the car but also in the car and not commuting, on mass transit, and while traveling to a vacation destination.

• 64% of listeners agree that audiobooks are a good way to multi-task • 43% of audiobook fans reported using them while relaxing at home

======================================================= USEFUL LINKS Our website is one example of Islamic Audio book production and distribution Voicingislam.com To learn more about the industry in general, visit: Audiopub.org An example of a crowd sourcing website that helps narrators promote their services as voice over artists Voices.comVoice123.com HOW TO PRODUCE AUDIOBOOK VIDEOS How to succeed in Audiobook Production Part 1: How to succeed in Audiobook Production Part 2: