About John
I'm John Hopkinson, a professional audiobook narrator with a particular love for nonfiction, memoir, biography, history, and stories that invite listeners to think a little more deeply.
I believe the narrator's work begins with listening—to the author's intent, the rhythm of the language, and the story beneath the words. My responsibility is to make that experience feel natural and engaging for the person on the other side of the headphones.
My work spans religious nonfiction, business, history, and fiction. I've also expanded my work in the audiobook community through The Working Narrator and collaborative storytelling projects with Refuge Falls Media.
Whether you're casting a long-form nonfiction title or looking for the right voice for a character-driven story, I'd welcome the opportunity to learn about your project.
After all these years, I still love discovering where a good story will take me.
John Hopkinson
I've loved books for as long as I can remember, but becoming an audiobook narrator wasn't something I ever planned.
I grew up surrounded by music and theater, and reading was always an important part of my life. Over the years, I pursued quite a few different interests and careers, from historical research and teaching to construction, business ownership, and kitchen and bath design.
After retiring from kitchen and bath design in 2013, Tressa and I spent a couple of years traveling around the country with six of our children. Eventually, we settled back in Utah, and I found myself with something unusual: time on my hands.
Frankly, I was getting bored.
Then, in late 2019, Tressa came across an article about narrating audiobooks from home through ACX. I read it and thought it sounded like something I might really enjoy.
Within a week, we'd cobbled together a little recording booth, and I started auditioning.
I had no idea where that decision would take me.
My first audiobook was a disaster.
I was woefully unprepared. I didn't understand my recording software, I made mistakes in practically every sentence, and the mouth noise! I had no idea a person could make that many unwanted sounds.
The book was only about three hours long, but it took me a week to record and another week to edit and prepare for uploading.
It was a humbling introduction to audiobook production.
But it taught me something I've never forgotten:
Preparation matters.
When I receive a manuscript, I don't simply open it and begin reading aloud.
I spend time becoming familiar with the material, the people, and the world of the story.
I research unfamiliar names, places, historical references, specialized terminology, and pronunciations. I pay attention to relationships, tone, pacing, and what the author is trying to communicate.
My research instinct didn't begin with audiobooks. Years spent studying American history and genealogy taught me the value of looking for an answer rather than making an assumption.
That approach has served me particularly well in nonfiction, memoir, biography, and historical works, but it's just as important when preparing fiction.
If something can be researched rather than guessed, I prefer to research it. And if a question genuinely belongs with the author, I'd rather ask.
There's a technical side to preparation as well. I've worked to become more efficient in the booth, including using punch-and-roll recording techniques while maintaining consistent audio quality.
The better I understand the material before recording, the more naturally I can concentrate on telling the story.
For me, preparation isn't separate from narration.
It's part of the narration itself.
One of the things I've appreciated most about audiobook narration is the generosity of the people who work in this industry.
Mike Lenz was my first real narration coach. I came into the work with habits developed over years of lecturing and teaching, and Mike had the patience and kindness to help me begin recognizing and changing them.
Sean Pratt has probably had the greatest influence on my narration career. His Ginger Yoda training challenged the way I thought about performance and helped me discover possibilities I hadn't realized were still there.
I've continued learning from other narrators, coaches, and industry professionals through workshops, retreats, conferences, and a great deal of experimentation.
I don't think I've grown because of one single lesson. It's been the accumulation of teachers, mistakes, discoveries, and small improvements.
And I'm still learning.
Tressa and I have been married for 35 years. Together we've raised eight children, and these days I also answer to the title of Grumpa, thanks to our seven grandchildren.
I've been fortunate to live in Alaska and Guatemala, travel throughout much of the United States, and explore places I once knew only from books.
I enjoy history, genealogy, singing, working with my hands, and discovering what I can learn from the people and places around me.
And yes, I'm a Chicago Cubs fan.
Some loyalties run deep.
Today, I record in a custom-built, sound-treated home studio equipped for professional audiobook production.
My studio is where the research, preparation, performance, and technical work come together. It's also where I get to spend time with remarkable books, fascinating subjects, and characters whose lives are very different from my own.
Every project presents its own challenges, and that's part of what keeps the work interesting.
A few years into my narration career, I began looking for ways to do more with storytelling than simply record one book at a time.
Two projects grew out of that interest: A Kaleidoscope of American Storytelling and The Working Narrator.
They began for different reasons, but both reflect something I value about this profession: the opportunity to work with other people, preserve worthwhile stories, and share what we've learned.
In late 2024, I began looking for a public-domain project to fill an opening in my recording schedule.
I kept discovering wonderful short stories by American writers whose work seemed to have been forgotten.
One story led to another, and before long my research list had grown beyond anything I could narrate myself.
That's when I started thinking about collaboration.
The Working Narrator began during an Audiobooks at Sea cruise, with a conversation about the need for a publication that could document and share the experiences of working audiobook narrators.
Tressa recognized an opportunity to bring her design and publishing experience to the industry, and I saw a chance to help connect the people and ideas that make this profession so interesting.
Together, we decided to create something that could give back to a community that had been remarkably generous to me.
I've come to believe that audiobook narration is an act of stewardship.
An author has spent months, sometimes years, creating something meaningful. Whether it's a deeply personal memoir, a work of history, a complex nonfiction subject, or a fictional world, that author is trusting me to represent their work.
I take that responsibility seriously.
I want an author to listen to my narration and feel that I understood what they were trying to accomplish. That I treated their words with care. That the intentions behind their writing came through authentically.
The goal isn't to impose myself on the book.
It's to serve the story.
And for the listener, I hope to create an experience so natural that eventually they stop noticing the narrator at all.
They're simply immersed in the characters, the ideas, the emotion, and the world the author created.
If someone told me they became so involved in a book that they forgot they were listening to a narrator, I would consider that one of the finest compliments I could receive.
That's what I continue working toward.
To serve the story, respect the author's intentions, and help their words reach the listener as faithfully as I can.
By Gene Ludwig · Narrated by John Hopkinson
Read the full Kirkus review“John Hopkinson skillfully moderates the author's indignation about these realities.”
— Kirkus Reviews, January 22, 2026
By Lamar Alexander · Narrated by Lamar Alexander and John Hopkinson
Read the full Kirkus review“Narrator John Hopkinson mirrors the soft, East Tennessee accent”
— Kirkus Reviews, July 21, 2026
After all these years, I still love discovering where a good story will take me.
John Hopkinson
Discover John's sound or reach out about a project.
