If you have the time and patience, you can successfully create your own "audio play". Because you are on the "other side" now, you have much more responsibility and should have a little more respect for your fellow cast & crew members.

* For your first production, and even if you THINK or KNOW you will have time, be sensible and choose a small project. Plan it out ahead of time. Start with some boredom clips and progress from there.

* BEFORE you even open auditions, I suggest you write out the entire script. That way when you go back for character audition lines, you have them at your disposal. You are fully prepared with your story and characters at this point.

* PLEASE, please, please: when you go to a AVA forum, such as Flava or the VAA, follow the forum rules. They require you to place audition lines, your email, how you want your lines labelled, etc., and while it's time-consuming, it's extremely helpful and keeps you more organized. BUT if you're using your own site, it's up to you. However, you'll find that more people will audition when it looks like you're more organized.

* Having a production website helps a lot.

* Be fair and flexible and maintain professionalism. Don't be hateful or spiteful to anyone. If their microphone quality is sucky, just offer some wisdom. Same goes with acting itself. You can be stern and polite at the same time!

* It's always a good idea to cast understudy voices in big projects. You really don't know the value of this until 2 or 3 of your main voice actors can't send in lines at the same time @_@;

* I'm a tolerable producer; I understand that real life is way more important than an online project. Everybody's level of tolerance is not the same, of course, but I recommend finding some sort of happy medium between the two.

* Give a realistic deadline and at least be open to extensions because things do happen.

* When mixing, remember to keep the background music lower than the actors' lines. I'm guilty of that in my beginning days! And you'll definitely improve as you produce more and more.

* HAVE a stomach for criticism. Some people will not like your work. While most mature people will just NOT listen, there are some who choose to listen AND while they don't like it, they'll whine and whinge like you're forcing it upon them. My advice: Ignore them. They will EVENTUALLY go away.

* This is just a little thing that many AVA producers do: if we have a rather large production (say, a 10 MB file upon completion), we offer a dial-up version (cutting it into two parts). You don't have to, but the listeners appreciate it. Not everyone has a fast web connection!

Webmistress, Director, and Voice of Tabitha

Also check out: A Respective Guide to AVAin