LQT Talk #06: LQT Students Try Their Hand at Audiobook Voice Acting

On March 15th, LQT students had the chance to meet the Founder and Co-founder of Fonos – Mr. Oscar Jesionek and Ms. Xuân Nguyễn – during LQT Talk #06: Marketing and Experiencing the Workflow at Fonos Headquarters.

PERSISTENCE THAT DRIVES FONOS FORWARD

Recent statistics show that Fonos is leading the audiobook market, offering a vast collection of audio content from bestselling books, articles, and magazines. During the LQT Talk session on Marketing, CEO Xuân Nguyễn shared that in Q2 of 2023, Fonos maintained its position as the number one audiobook app in Vietnam, both in the free and paid categories.

According to Apptweak (2023), in the first half of 2023, Fonos accounted for 66.7% of the total revenue in the audiobook sector on both the App Store and Google Play.

Facing many obstacles in its early days, Fonos described its beginning as a foggy path. CEO Xuân Nguyễn shared that issues such as copyright and shifting consumer behavior are ongoing challenges. “People still tend to believe that as long as you purchase a book, you can freely distribute it,” she remarked.

She further explained that, to offer the best user experience, Fonos is meticulous in selecting the “right” voice for each book. Although the term “right” sounds simple, the process involves creating a detailed set of criteria to select the most suitable voice actor to deliver the book’s message effectively.

Ultimately, as a digital business in the audiobook industry, Fonos’s growth is inseparable from technology. With a growing user base, the company must continually invest and work efficiently to ensure the app runs smoothly. The discussion session LQT Talk #06: Marketing of the LQT Bachelor of Business program, featuring two guest speakers, provided students with essential knowledge about marketing strategies in the audiobook industry.

TOURING THE HEADQUARTERS AND EXPLORING THE AUDIOBOOK CREATION PROCESS

The LQT Bachelor of Business students continued their journey with an on-site tour of Fonos’s headquarters, exploring the facilities and learning about the production workflow. They met professional audiobook voice actors in the recording studio and listened to tips on how to maintain and develop their voices over time.

Mr. Duy – a veteran voice actor – shared that speaking a lot or continuously doesn’t necessarily drain your energy if you know how to control your breath. Speaking about vocal techniques, he said most of what he learned came from personal experience and formal training. He added that to keep one’s voice vibrant and soulful, it’s essential to put emotion and feeling into every word.

Most exciting of all, the tour offered a hands-on experience where LQT students could try voice acting in a professional studio. Guided and evaluated by the production director, the students stepped into the role of real voice actors—reading scripts accurately while conveying the appropriate emotions to match the book’s message. Through this, they learned to choose the right tone, stay true to the script, and deliver smooth, well-paced narration.

The Fonos company visit and LQT Talk #06: Marketing concluded with a meaningful and refreshing experience for LQT students, giving them a deeper look into a field that may have once seemed simple at first glance.