The Glassman Audiobook and SAG-AFTRA Possible Strike (I’m Fine but The Industry Isn’t)

Okie dokie do! Still underway with narrator auditions for The Glassman, which is nearing to a close. What is also nearing to a close are the SAG-AFTRA negotiations with big players in film and media, such as Netflix and such.

SAG-AFTRA stands for Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. They’re the union/guild that helps protect actors and vocal artists and their careers. (It’s also currently led by Fran Drescher, who I know from watching The Nanny growing up, so it is a sheer delight to see her as president of SAG-AFTRA.) Also, the WGA, who is currently striking, is the Writer’s Guild of America. I’m not part of WGA, but I am part of ALLi, which is the Alliance of Independent Authors, who does support WGA’s strike. I also do as well, people should be paid fairly for their work and creative careers should not turn into a gig economy.  

While there has been an extension in contract deliberations, it does indeed look like the forecast will include a strike. The same big players in talks with SAG-AFTRA are the exact same ones that chatted with WGA and that ended in a strike that is still ongoing.

Audiobooks count as “New Media” (if I have my labels correct, I’m still new to quite a bit of this) so it does matter to me if a strike happens.

What I know so far, as it pertains to my work:

The Glassman audiobook, since I’m an indie with a union contract signed for this project. This means, as far as I know and with what I have checked, all will be perfectly fine. There will be no barriers in getting actors, recording, nothing. It’s business as usual. (The strike may affect traditionally published authors depending on contracts and how traditional publishing companies handle narrator hiring.) As long as I treat my narrator like a human being and also stick to contract, I won’t have to worry about being struck (having all actors forbidden from working with me). Since I try to do that as a rule, I ought to be fine. All projects that currently have functional and valid contracts with the SAG-AFTRA are fine and don’t have to worry about anything.  

Long story really short (TL;DR): My audiobook is fine, contract/strike-wise. If a strike happens, it’s just another day for me and whoever will be the new narrator for my book.