Meet Deborah Kosnett: From CPA to Audiobook Powerhouse

A Second Act Worth Hearing

Some careers build toward something unexpected. Deborah Kosnett, who splits her time between Tampa, Florida in winter and Longmont, Colorado in summer, spent decades as a CPA in a boutique practice in Washington, DC. She was a well-known specialist in nonprofit taxation who spoke at national conferences and sat on AICPA committees.

But her story starts even earlier. She earned a B.A. in theatre in 1975 and worked as a news anchor and news director for a local AM radio station from 1975 to 1980. Then marriage, career building, and life took over for the next four decades.

The Chinese Restaurant Moment

The turning point came in the most unlikely setting. After retiring in 2020 during the pandemic, Deborah had two knee replacements in 2022. During long, sleepless nights of recovery, she turned to audiobooks. One evening at a Chinese restaurant with her friend Subrina, she made an observation that changed everything.

"I've accidentally purchased some awful audiobooks; I think I could do better," she said. Subrina, who Deborah describes as "a force of nature," responded simply: "Well, you should!"

So Deborah got a voice coach. They worked on commercial copy, audio drama, and various types of voice acting. She set herself up as a professional voice actor, and she has not looked back.

18 Audiobooks and Counting

To date, Deborah has completed about 18 audiobooks, along with audio drama work, commercials, museum-style narration, and "real people" narratives. She specializes in audiobooks, audio drama, animation, TV and film narration, and even automotive and political spots. Her voice is resonant, soothing, and multi-layered, with a narration range spanning characters in their 40s to 70s and beyond.

Her preparation is deliberate and experienced. "I read it and dissect it," she says. "Who am I, who am I talking to, where am I, how old am I. I mark it up if need be, for emphasis and keeping phrases together." Notably, she does not usually practice beforehand. "That can lead to woodenness."

Seven Accents, Zero Warning

Deborah's most challenging project was her first 13-hour audiobook, which called for seven different accents and dialects, "a fact that was not disclosed before I took the project!" She relied on expert videos for British, German, and French accents, and used Google Translate to teach herself obscure pronunciations. "I can now do a pretty decent RP British, though I would not fool any natives," she says.

She is especially proud of her recent work with a particular indie publisher and being cast as the narrator for a full-cast audiobook. Her holy grail remains narrating a true crime TV series.

Beyond the Studio

Outside of work, Deborah is a reader, traveler, and beach-goer who enjoys bike riding, shopping, and cooking when the mood strikes. She and her husband are, as she puts it, "owned by two rescue cats."

No Way in Hell

On the subject of human voice versus AI, Deborah does not mince words. "Any given person's interpretation of a script will be unlike any other person's. Our acting is based on the lives that we have lived, our early years, our relationships, our personalities, our triumphs and our obstacles. Emotional nuance is an integral part of any human performance."

Her conclusion is direct: "IMO, there is no way in hell that an AI can ever replicate that."

A Collaborative Partner

Deborah's advice for anyone hiring a voice actor is warm and practical: "Just work with me. A VO project is, and should be, a collaboration of sorts. I'm eager to please, and I take direction well. Treat me with respect, and it could be the start of a beautiful working relationship."

Hear Deborah's demos and explore her full profile at RealVOTalent.com. Ready to work with her? Hire Deborah today.