BOOKS

Jeff Kafer has carved out a successful niche for himself with determination, savvy, and entrepreneurship.  Proof that he’s a success in the field of narrating, producing, and casting audiobooks comes with the invitation from top AudioBook coach Pat Fraley to co-host a weekend workout together.  Pat  — of course — is…just…the best.  ‘Nuff said.

You’d have to go to Seattle (Jeff’s home-20) to attend, but Seattle’s beautiful in April, and it’d be worth the trip.  You’ll get individual coaching with your reads, lots of insider information about the audiobook business, and you walk away with working demos for your reads.

Click here for all the details on AUDIOBOOK READING ROYALTY.

DOCS

Google docs makes life so easy sometimes.  If you’re not using it, you could be missing out on some serious productivity shortcuts…and it’s free with your Google account.  ‘Need a nudge?  Read this article: 52 Great Google Docs Secrets for Students.  Yeah, I know it says “for students”, but that’s just because it’s posted on the site “Online Colleges.net”.  Believe me, 99% of these tips are applicable to anybody who wants to maximize their use of Google Docs.

JACKS

USB is everywhere there’s electronics …and USB charging cables are so ubiquitous you wonder why no one’s come up with a USB jack attachment for your hair dryer yet.
No, but how ’bout USB electrical outlets?  No joke…you can actually have them put in your house (or DYI), and save those USB wall warts hanging out of every available standard outlet.  Check it out on Gizmodo, and find out why it’s so cool, and yet soooo disappointing in its design.

CourVO

The “word” has it that Paul is (1) a seasoned, talented, and award-winning Audiobook narrator, and he is (2) gifted at sharing his craft.

Unhappily, I have never met Paul, nor even had a conversation with him…a situation I hope to rectify this year.

In the meantime — for those of you seeking fresh challenges to be better at storytelling — Paul may just be your next step (’cause we all agree you never stop learning, right?).

Check out this video of Paul at work, and then be sure to read below that for some information on where you can connect with Paul  in his next coaching session.

My friend, and  VO talent Denise Chamberlain tells me there are about 6 positions left in Paul’s next class, coming up on  April 28th.  You can visit Chamberlain’s site to get the registration link, and directly, here is also the link to all the information about Ruben’s late-April 2-day session in SoCal.

Finally, Paul frequently shares information generously in his blog and Social Media postings with tips and wonderful observations about the art of audiobook narrating.  Paul Ruben’s Blog.

His website: Tribeca Audio explains more about Paul and his amazing achievements.

Now you’ve got the word on Paul…what’re you going to do with it?

CourVO

Sure, a voice actor can also win an Emmy…but that’s for the Randy Kay’s, Melissa Disney’s, Joe Cipriano’s, and Tom Kane’s of the world.   The CLIO’s are certainly worthy of note, but again, the awards go to a host of other endeavours, and sometimes a voice actor actually gets some press.

But with the audies, a relative unknown can submit work, get nominated, and even win this prestigious award.  It’s all about the narrator.

Granted, it’s exclusively for the narration of  an audiobook, but God bless ‘em!  Audiobook narrators sit for 2-3 weeks, hours at a time to get the same pay that commercial voice-actors get for submitting a 30-second spot…so I find justice in that.

Here’s a link to the announcement for the upcoming Audies in June (tickets on sale now).

The Audies go hand-in-hand with the APAC conference and the BEA (Book Expo America) the day before.  An AudioBook feast!

I’ve been the victim of schedule conflicts for the past two years for this(these) event(s)…but I believe I’ll actually make it this year.

C ya there?

CourVO

Little wonder, then, that audiobooks are finding a resurgence (thanks in part to new, enabling technology).  It’s in our genes.

A wonderfully-written article breaks-out the reasons to a deeper level.  It’s called The Mind’s Ear.

Still not convinced that this may be a possible outlet for your talents?  Then try this article:  The Coming AudioBooks Boom (Sept. 2011)

Ready to get started?  This quote is probably a good reality-check:  “…Go home, go to your bookcase, shut your eyes, reach out, and grab a book. You don’t get to choose. Take that book and sit somewhere quiet and small, like a closet, and read out loud for three hours a day. If you have any stumbles, back up and start the sentence again. If you hit a word you don’t know how to pronounce, go look it up. Do that for three hours a day, for two weeks, and then, if you’re still interested, give me a call…”

See the entire blog article I wrote which included this quote:  R U VO Enuff?

If you’re still interested, sign-up for a weekend audiobook workship with Pat Fraley sometime.

Also, check out ACX.  Read this Blog:  http://www.courvo.biz/2011/08/q-a-w-acx.html

My thanks to Edoardo Ballerini for pointing out those two articles on the FB Group:  Professional AudioBook Narrators

CourVO

For a couple of years, now, various coaches, industry-watchers, and publishers have been flying the green flag for the “gold rush”  of jobs narrating audio-books.

It’s true…there are many opportunities for voice actors in this field.  That’s why Amazon’s—>Audible’s—>ACX service (AudioBook Creation Exchange) was launched in the first place.  Management at Audible claimed they were having trouble keeping enough fresh titles on the shelf for voracious listeners.  They needed more published audiobooks, and that meant they needed more narrators.

Voice Actors who hadn’t previously considered tackling the “long-format” rigors of audiobooks were willing to give it a try.

It’s not for everybody.

I’ve seen seasoned and successful commercial voice actors, promo and imaging VO’s, and Radio/TV guys throw up their hands in frustration after the first chapter of an audiobook.

Aside from the maarathon-like endurance you must develop, there are the quirks of the audiobook publishing industry to deal with.  These are people who don’t necessarilly look favorably upon people who are known to be “voice-overs”.  In their minds, a VO means an ex-DJ, or at best a :30 commercial “announcer”.  AudioBook Publishers are looking for classicly trained ACTORS, and thespians…serious DRAMA types.

Taking the quandary even further is the maze of creative arrangements that pass for compensation in this field.  More and more “revenue share” deals are taking hold.  In a revenue share proposal, you narrate the whole transcript, send it to the publisher, they promote and distribute the product, and when it sells, you get a certain percentage of that sale (usually a high percentage)…but until then…you get nothing for your hours of work.  There are all sorts of creatively-designed percentage packages being worked out with revenue share.  Some publishers might offer some hard cash as incentive on top of revenue share.  (ACX has done this with some success).

Further, it’s notoriously difficult to place yourself on the radar screen of an AudioBook Publisher (at least the good ones).  I suppose like anything else, it requires some chutzpah, persistence, talent, and marketing skills…but those skills are a different tool set than what you need to land commercial or e-learning production jobs.  Breaking into Audiobooks means going back to low-budget jobs, just to earn your stripes.

Typically, pay comes in the form of a certain dollar amount per-fiinished-hour.  $50-$100 for starters…and on up the scale to $500+ per-finished-hour for the Scott Bricks and George Guidalls of the world.  Be ready to edit your own stuff for that price too…at least on the beginner-range of jobs.

All this is pretty well summed-up in a great article from yesterday on BACKSTAGE, written by Andrew Salomon. Growing Audio Book Industry Offers Rewards and Challenges for Actors.

Here’s the best quote from Sean Pratt, in the article: “…Go home, go to your bookcase, shut your eyes, reach out, and grab a book. You don’t get to choose. Take that book and sit somewhere quiet and small, like a closet, and read out loud for three hours a day. If you have any stumbles, back up and start the sentence again. If you hit a word you don’t know how to pronounce, go look it up. Do that for three hours a day, for two weeks, and then, if you’re still interested, give me a call…”

There are plenty of satisfying advanatages to being an audiobook narrator: you are at the mic every day, which at least creates the illusion that you’re “always working”.  If you fancy yourself a story-teller more than a product/service spokesman/woman, then this is DEFINITELY for you.  Any sort of theatre background helps… and the character development needed to complete a book with dialogue and male/female conversations stretches your skills in ways you never imagined.  Growth comes with each book.

If you want to know more, please visit the Scoop.it site I curate daily with articles from the web on this very topic.  EVERYTHING AUDIOBOOKS.

My thanks to Sean Allen Pratt for posting the link to the BackStage article on the “AudioBook Crowd” FaceBook Group that I belong to.

CourVO

I’ve blogged extensively about the use of an iPad or Android-powered tablet as a mobile recording device, but perhaps it’s most useful role is that of a reader…replacing sheets of paper or a book.

Paper is a an ongoing tradition of centuries, so not everyone will be an overnight fan, but a tablet can be held in just about any position that a piece of paper can, and you can do away with the printer in your office.

Other Advantages:
-Silence:  no shuffling of papers
-Green: no trees sacrificed
-Immediately adjustable font-size with the flip of two fingers
-Downloads and displays docs and pdfs from “the cloud” effortlessly
-Allows annotations, marke-ups, underscores, arrows, etc to hilite the copy
-Replenishable.  Use over and over
-It has a certain “cool” factor (not that that matters, right?)

If you’re just jumping onboard the tablet wagon, or haven’t had the time to research the best apps for using the device in your studio…look no further…I’ve been sussing it out and humbly offer you my

TOP TEN TABLET VO APPS
(for the iPad/iPhone)

1) GoodReader — opens just about any kind of doc or pdf, downloaded from almost all the popular cloud services, allows annotation, and is intuitive to use.

2) QuickOffice — much like GoodReader…the pro version is a little pricier, but this one handles .docs better, also letting you generate new .docs, presentations, and spreadsheets; and connects to about every conceivablel cloud service

3) ReaddleDocs –  slick interface, opens .docs and .pdfs.  Connects to all the usual suspect cloud services, and email accounts.  Has a quick search function.  Annotation functions are easy but rudimentary compared to some of the others.

4) iAnnotatePDF — ‘Seems to be the fave of AudioBook narrators.  Rich annotation feature-set, search functions, and other key tools. Highly configurable.  I find the interface to be confusing, but after a while you get used to it.  Only plays in PDF-land, not .docs.  Downloads from cloud services.

5) PDF ReaderPro — An iAnnotate clone with it’s own style (more intuitive interface, I think).  Allows annotation, cloud downloads, bookmarking, printing, and a host of other handy features, like sharing, that make it tops on my list.  Again, only PDF.

6) PDF Expert –  Still another top-notch PDF reader. Allows annotation, downloading from the cloud, free-hand mark-ups, hiliting with different colors, printing, saving…the works.  The PDF Expert and iAnnotate as well as PDF ReaderPro are amazing in the array of things it can do.  You’ll wonder why you use a desktop or laptop computer.

7) Honorable Mention –  File Sharing:  iFiles, Box (Box.net), DropBox, Air Sharing, and Filer

 (for the Android)

8) qPDFNotes — Does everything the big boys above can do, and just as sweetly.  ‘Has rich annotation, and mark-up features, and connects to all the cloud services you could ask for.

9) ezPDFReader — Ditto.  Allows for magnification, split layouts, lots of annotation tools, plus has a nifty function for quickly scanning through the pages of a book.  Plenty to like here.

10) Quick Office — Appears under this OS as another strong contender with all the features of its Apple cousin…plays well with docs AND pdfs, and allows for annotation, as well as generation of new docs from scratch.  Cloud connections.

Honorable Mention: Documents to Go.  Allows for plenty of manipulatiion of existing docs, plus lets you generate .docs, .ppt (Power Point), and MX Excel files, as well as PDFs… pretty nifty and more features than you’ll ever use.

It’s hard to stop here, actually.  There are so many handy apps for file handling and reading — and more being issued every day — that you can find just the right one for you with a little searching through the AppStore or Marketplace.

What’s YOUR favorite?  What have I missed?

CourVO

Audible realized it was having trouble keeping enough fresh AudioBook titles in supply for their voracious listeners… Voice Actors are always seeking new opportunities…and publishers wanted access to fresh narrators and distribution channels.

ACX solves all those issues in a three-way mix.

For months leading up to the launch of this new site  — a site that matches all parties in the production of an audiobook — Audible ran the service in Beta. While much of what it conceived was very well designed, that Beta period served the online audiobook store well.  Beta narrators pointed out things Audible needed real-world experience with, and the process revealed economies of scale that prompted some adjustments.

Jason Ojalvo

With all of 2+ months under their belt, I approached Jason Ojalvo, who launched and now runs ACX for Audible, with a few questions about the state of affairs today. He was very forthcoming, and the result is below.  Thanks, Jason!

1)   Now that ACX has been up and running for a few months, what adjustments to the website interface are you prioritizing?..and  even with all your planning and preparation, what other changes did you realize you had to make early on in the program?

 We’ve been fortunate to have so much great feedback from partners and new ACX users since launch. We’ve always planned to enhance search on ACX, and we’re working on that, so audiobook narrators/producers can find the most appropriate projects for their voice.  We also are improving usability of the site so that our narrators/producers can make the smartest decisions about which projects to audition for.  Additional areas of focus for rights holders (and those producers who choose the “royalty share” option) include making sales data richer and more visible.  Like any great website and service, ACX continues to be a work in progress and gets better and easier to use every day.

 2)   Are you getting participation from the big name publishers you had hoped-for from the start?  Where do the bulk of your titles come from?

 We are. Partners at launch already included Random House and HarperCollins, in addition to top literary agencies like Janklow & Nesbit, Writers House, and Levine Greenberg.  Since launch, numerous publishers, literary agencies and individual authors have posted titles, in many cases returning to the site to post additional titles—which we believe indicates they’ve had a good experience. And we’re adding new rights holders every week.

 3)   What would you say is the percentage of narrators who are also producing the audiobook they narrate?

 We think a little more than half of narrators are also producing books they narrate. As you know, more and more narrators are embracing the production side as the costs of setting up a home studio diminish. Some create retail-ready audiobooks from their home studio while others do most of the work but then farm out the editing, which is very time-consuming and detail-oriented.  There are also plenty of seasoned producers, in the traditional sense, on ACX who piece together a retail-ready audiobook by subcontracting everyone: the engineer, the narrator or narrators, the editor, a QC person, etc.

4)   Does it seem that narrators are erring on the side of agreeing to the Royalty-Share Deal, or the pay-per-finished-hour option?

 We’re pleased to report that there’s plenty of activity on both fronts. We believe this speaks to the quality and range of material available on ACX to perform, and the flexibility inherent in a user-driven marketplace.  While pay-per-finished-hour is the more traditional model, you have to remember that a Royalty Share deal is really more of a full revenue share deal, because the narrator/producer gets not only half of the royalty payments, but also half of those $25 Bounty payments, which have the potential to be much more lucrative than the royalties.

 5)   Can you provide any figures for the range of compensation for those accepting the pay-per-finished-hour option?

 We’ve only been humming about two months, but so far are estimating that between $200 and $500 per finished hour will be the average. Given that the average book is 10 hours long, that means roughly $3500 per audiobook. {Ed. note: Jason later adds:  “…$200 – $500 PFH is for *complete* audiobook production, not just the narrator’s fee. Rates on ACX are soup to nuts to create a retail ready audiobook. Engineering, narrating, editing, QC, mastering….”}

 6)   Can a narrator be approved as an “Audible Approved Producer” with fewer than 25 titles to their name?  If so, how?

 In general, no… but it has happened, especially if a narrator has verifiable experience delivering great audiobooks as a producer (not just as the narrator on an audiobook), and shows commitment to the craft. And if a narrator/producer has created a number of titles via ACX where productions have been smooth and error-free and the rights holder was extremely happy, that narrator/producer will be in the running for the “Audible Approved” designation.

 7)   How confidently can you assert that every audition submitted is heard by the rights holder, or the person screening the auditions?

 The fact that the rights holders on ACX now were either partners at launch or early adopters thereafter speaks to their commitment to audiobooks and to expanding the audience for their authors. Because of this, we believe rights holders on ACX are vigilant about screening auditions and finding the best fit for their books.  We also know that participating publishers and literary agencies sometimes send their favorite auditions to the book’s author to weigh in.

 8)   Are most rights holders or publishers willing to negotiate on a final compensation agreement?…or do they view their offer as final?

 Rights holders and producers can use ACX’s internal messaging system to communicate on agreement terms before a formal offer is ever sent, and are welcome to set up direct email or phone contact to discuss terms further if they’d like. Thus far, our feedback indicates that this system is working, with users coming to terms for pay-for-production and royalty share as well as “off-the-grid” deals with audiobook publishers who want to license a book’s audio rights directly instead of producing it on ACX.

 9)   You recently made a stipend offer to your original beta-testing authors, and those who are Approved Producers.  Did that incentive have the desired result for you, and will you be offering other incentives along the way?

 It did; the stipend offer, which is a non-recoupable “thank you” payment to narrator/producers to incentivize them to try a royalty share deal, precipitated quite a flurry of activity among narrator/producers and resulted in numerous offers.  We recently opened up a similar stipend offer of $100 per finished offer – which is of course on top of ACX’s escalator royalties and $25 Bounties – to all ACX narrator/producers.  The stipend is available on a select list of about 200 titles, outlined on the ACX website. We’ll likely continue to provide incentives like this after these current offers expire at the end of August.

 10)  When do you expect to be able to allow narrators to be able to import books they’ve already narrated, and that appear in the Audible listing, on their profile.

 We’ve heard this suggestion a number of times, and it’s an enhancement we’re working on.

 11)  What have I not asked that you would like to impress upon narrators who are using your system, or who hope to land a contract?

 For actors looking for work, ACX provides a convenient, creatively fulfilling solution that they can arrange to fit their schedule. The system and ACX agreements are set up to protect producers/narrators as well as authors and other rights holders.  Actors can post unlimited samples to show off their variety, and they can audition for as many titles as they want to. Quality checks are built into the production process, so actors won’t have to do 100 takes.  ACX also enables actors to communicate directly with authors and publishers, and it represents the possibility of an ongoing revenue stream for actors, enabling them to earn royalties long after a book is finished.  Or if they want to work in the traditional way, and earn a one-time payment for their narration work, they can do that on ACX, too.  The buzz is that ACX is one of the most empowering services ever created for actors. 

(note: I offered a question about ACX’s relationship to unions, and Jason says he is waiting on the final wording from that arrangement)

Jason Ojalvo is Vice President at Audible (an Amazon.com subsidiary).  He launched – and now runs – the groundbreaking ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) service which connects voiceover actors with great books to create more audiobooks for the ever-growing base of audiobook listeners.  He also oversees Audible’s audiobook production department which in 2011 received a Grammy nomination and 15 Audie Award nominations. Ojalvo holds an MBA from Columbia University in New York.

CourVO

Check back in a few days, I’m working on some Q & A with one of the principal officers you’ll want to read.  In the meantime, the folks at ACX are offering some meaningful incentives you may want to consider as you decide on auditioning.  (note, offer assumes you’re “approved”…See below the release they sent me).

The offer below is a creative tool.  Overall, the compensation model ACX has devised is not perfect, but shows they did plenty of research and consideration before launch.  It reveals what I believe to be the widest spectrum of choices for narrators seeking more work, and hoping to find a pay solution that works for them.

ACX’s limited incentive plan:

To celebrate the first hundred ACX audiobooks in production, we have a new special offer for you, THIS OFFER IS ONLY FOR PRODUCERS WHO ARE EITHER “AUDIBLE APPROVED” OR WERE PART OF OUR BETA-TESTING PROGRAM EARLIER THIS YEAR.

If you accept a Royalty Share offer on any ACX title by August 31st, it comes not only with the usual extra $100 per-finished-hour stipend (e.g. $1,000 for a 10-hour audiobook), but we’ve sweetened the pot by making your second Royalty Share deal earn a $200 per-finished-hour stipend (e.g. $2,000 for a 10-hour audiobook), and your third Royalty Share deal earn a $225 per-finished-hour stipend (e.g. $2,250 for a 10-hour audiobook). See Stipend Offer Terms and Conditions for complete details and requirements. The stipend is, of course, in addition to the Royalties and Bounties you earn on sales of the audiobook. Here’s how it’ll work, step by step:

1. Choose any book being offered as a Royalty Share deal. We especially recommend titles from this list, which were hand-picked by Audible’s editors for their good sales potential
2. Submit your best audition
3. If you get a Royalty Share offer on one (or more) of these titles, accept the offer.
4. Upon your completion and approval of the audiobook, submit an invoice to ACX for $100 or $200 or $225 X the number of finished hours
5. We pay you that fee
6. You also earn half of the 50 – 90% escalator royalty on each sale of the audiobook (i.e. 25% – 45% as outlined here)
7. You also earn half of any $25 bounty generate by downloads of the audiobook, as outlined here

You can get this per-finished-hour stipend offer on up to three productions, so don’t be shy about auditioning. Good luck!

Best,
The ACX Team

Cold Calling

‘Seems a good  many voice actors disagree on the value of cold-calling.  Some swear by it, others think it’s a waste of time. The concept of “warm-calling” seems a bit more on the mark to me, especially with all the resources available on the internet these days to scope out your prey, er, uh prospect.  With those tools, you should be able to walk into the call a little more prepared.  In that spirit, check out the article called:  Five Modern Resources That Boost Cold Call Results.

June is AudioBook Month

The Audio Publisher’s Association (APA) is just coming off a heady weekend in NYC with the APA conference, BEA, and the Audio awards, and they’re not done yet!  They’re encouraging everyone to get busy and spread the word that June is AudioBook Month.  They’re launching a Social Media campaign called GET CAUGHT LISTENING.  You’ll find a list of events this month on the APA website, and if you decide to tweet about this or anything on that calendar, be sure to use the hashtag  #JIAM2011  (get it?  June is Audiobook Month, 2011).

AudioBook Online Community

Speaking of which, if you’re inclined to pursue more opportunities in AudioBooks, you must insinuate yourself in that unique community.  Starting with peers — other narrators — helps.  Check out this AudioBook Forum for Narrators.

Try a Different Approach

The rebel in me appreciates an approach that Bettye Zoller is taking with an upcoming VoiceOverXtra Webinar.  Along with Nashville-based VO Coach Joe Loesch, you’ll hear some suggestions to break away from the “cookie-cutter” demo, and do something that stands out from the crowd.  See an explanation of this idea by Bettye on VoiceOverXtra.  You can go right to the sign-up page, too.

Critical Mass

VO artist Bill DeWees posts a helpful video on YouTube about “Reaching Critical Mass in Your Voice Over Business“.  Bill makes a nice presentation on-cam, and he also makes a lot of sense in his content.

Acoustic Treatment

Mel Allen talks about sound management in his blog series on audiobooths.  It’s a meaty article packed with great suggestions for “…minimizing the sound you are creating, and the sound that wants to jump into your recording from outside…” Check out YOUR AUDIO PRO.

Twitter

Finaly, confused as to why Twitter is so popular?  Then you need to read the article titled:  Users Say They’re More Likely To Buy If A Business Answers Their Question On Twitter.  That’s why.

CourVO

VO pro Fran McClellan was willing to let me come aboard her Scoop.it page titled VOICEOVER, and help curate.  Yep, that’s what they call it:  “curate” the articles.  Please stop on by and take a look.  I “curate” at least once a day, and some amazing resources show up in the search engine.  Thanks Fran!   The Voiceover Scoop.it page.

I’ve also started my own Scoop.it page dedicated to the topic of Audiobooks. Stop on by sometime and see how it grows.  The AudioBook Scoop.it page:  Everything AudioBooks.

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My VO friend Paul Strikwerda worked hard at constructing a new soundbooth on a budget.  He posted his progress along the way, documenting his challenges and discoveries.  Now that it’s done, he’s compiled his chronicle of Building a Vocal Booth on a Budget into book form, and made it available for a pittance on Scribd.com.  Nice going, Paul!  BTW, you really should check out scribd.com if you have not yet done so.  VERY cool site…lots to see.

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BTW, if you have a second, trot on over to Paul’s Blog and read his latest (as always, erudite) article on YOUR BIGGEST BLIND SPOT.  It’s spot-on.

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This year’s APAC just finished in NYC. (APAC=Audio Publisher’s Association Conference).  It’s an affair geared to the AudioBook publishing industry.  Publishers, agents, producers, narrators, listeners…they all congregate for the conference and the Audie Awards event.  My friend John Pruden attended, and is making available a .pdf of the home studio overview he participated in at the conference.  Click to download —->  HOME STUDIO OVERVIEW.

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VO talent, coach, author, and actress/speaker Randye Kaye has posted a nifty article for those considering getting into the business of voice overs. You have such a nice voice!”: the 5 layers needed for voice-over.  It’s from her blog: Life on the Voiceover List, Tips and thoughts on Voice Acting.  This might be a great resource to direct people to who have approached you with questions about being a VO talent.  Here’s another link to a blog I wrote about this:  ADVICE FOR NEWBIES.

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The Rode NT1a Condenser Microphone gets a lot of good reviews from many voice actors.  But some don’t take it seriously because it’s not that expensive.  The guy evaluating the Rode NT1a from Recording Review wasn’t convinced either, but after taking it through its paces, he changed his story.  Read Brand Drury’s Review of the Rode NT1a.

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Finally, tons of people use FreeConferencing.com to make conference calls.  It really IS free, and quite a professional service with all the bells and whistles.  Well, now the service is adding a feature providing each host with the ability to share their computer screen during their live conference calls.  This can come in mighty handy, and you’d have to pay for screen sharing on other competitive products.  Check out FREE SCREEN SHARING at freeconferencing.com.

CourVO