The 1st edition of THE AUDITION BIBLE was written as a companion to Holly’s audition workshops for professional actors she taught at Holly Powell Studios.

It has been used in performing arts schools and drama department classrooms around the country such as: The American Academy of Dramatic Arts-New York, University of Southern California, Pepperdine University, Redlands University, California State Fullerton, Emerson College, Huntington Beach High School, and in various acting classes and studios in different parts of the country.

The revised and expanded 2nd edition of THE AUDITION BIBLE is updated to stay current as enormous changes transformed the entertainment industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. For decades the audition process for actors was a well-oiled machine where actors needed to come into the audition room live and in-person. All that changed when COVID-19 sent us all into lockdown.

PART ONE: The Audition is a handbook for the actor who is auditioning for any venue. We follow the actor as they travel through waiting in the lobby, walking into the audition room, the audition itself, the people they encounter in the room, and finally exiting the audition room. “The 6 Audition Tools Method” assists actors in their ability to control sabotaging thoughts while in the audition room by adopting the mental focus of an athlete.

PART TWO: Auditioning For a Series-Regular Role follows the “Pre-Read-To-Network” format that Holly Powell taught in her audition workshops for professional actors at Holly Powell Studios in Los Angeles. The actor is guided through the four steps it typically takes to book a series-regular role on a Network television series:

1. The Pre-Read with the Casting Director
2. The Callback for Producers
3. Reading for Studio Executives/Making A Test Option Deal
4. Testing at the Network

PART THREE: The New Normal of Auditioning has been added for this 2nd edition of The Audition Bible. Self-taped auditions had already begun to infiltrate the casting process pre-pandemic, however during the lockdown, casting directors began asking actors to submit self-tapes in lieu of coming in live to the audition room. Zoom began being used to simulate the live audition experience for producers and directors, and actors were required to carve out a designated audition spot in their homes, complete with a camera and good lighting and sound, if they wanted to stay in the game of auditioning.  

This Second Edition of The Audition Bible helps the actor demystify and conquer the self-tape audition process, virtual audition protocols, and in-person auditions, as we now find ourselves in a hybrid world.


Holly’s vision was to have actors carry The Audition Bible with them, so they could have a refresher of techniques while waiting in the lobby for their audition.

English Actor Tom Knight’s notes written in his copy of The Audition Bible


Photos from
THE AUDITION BIBLE book launch at The Samuel French Bookstore, Los Angeles, CA (December 2014)


Paul J Salamoff (TAVIN Press) and Holly Powell
recording the 1st Audiobook edition of The Audition Bible