13284: Q&A: Should You Actually Say The N-Word When Narrating?

13284: Q&A: Should You Actually Say The N-Word When Narrating?

From The VOHeroes Podcast by David H. Lawrence XVII

May 19, 2026 · 11 min · Season 30 · Episode 13284

About this episode

David discusses the challenges of narrating books that contain sensitive language and how to communicate with authors about it.

Hey there, hero! The question comes up often, and it shows up in various forms. This time, a client wrote this: “David…I cannot believe that in today’s cultural environment, that there are authors who expect me to say the n-word. I can’t understand why they’d even write it! How do I make it clear to this rights holder that they need to edit that word out of their book? Do you have a message in your message template that lets them know that I won’t narrate their book unless they change that? A...

People in this episode

Host: David H. Lawrence XVII

Topics covered

  • narration
  • cultural sensitivity
  • voice acting
  • author rights
  • book editing

Keywords

  • n-word
  • narrating
  • cultural environment
  • voiceover
  • editing

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