Are you thinking about getting into voiceover work? You’ll want to read this article that is devoted to that topic.
If you’re specifically interested in becoming an audiobook narrator, read on!
As you probably know, audiobooks have become mainstream entertainment. Consequently, many voiceover talent, screen and stage actors, and people in other fields are eager to become narrators. As I wrote previously:
A good narrator will make the performance transparent and SEEM like the easiest thing on earth….just like talking. However, good narrators usually have completed professional training in voice-over and also have thoroughly prepared the material they are reading by researching pronunciations and determining characterizations before they ever walked into the recording studio.
Before you do anything toward actually becoming a narrator, my first question to you is:
Do you actually LISTEN to audiobooks? If not, your first step should be to start listening to books. You can borrow audiobooks from the library or buy them on Amazon, Audible, and iTunes.
My second question to you is:
Have you taken my Audiobook Narrator Self-Assessment Quiz? I list 30 questions and discuss the answers in a series of 4 articles to help you decide whether you would be a good fit for this type of work. Take the quiz and come back to this post if your answers point you toward pursuing this career.
Develop Skills
If you have never recorded an audiobook, I suggest that you first watch prolific and award-winning audiobook narrator and teacher Sean Pratt‘s video “So You Want to Be An Audiobook Narrator”. Warning: You will be tested again!
Audiobook narration requires different skills than commercial voiceover or theatre acting, though either or both disciplines are very helpful toward becoming a successful narrator.
A great way to start developing these skills is to record for the blind, either locally or through Learning Ally. This option is a wonderful way to gain and practice skills in storytellng and production while being of service to the community.
I previously suggested that people volunteer for LibriVox. Be warned that LibriVox releases its recordings into the Public Domain, which means someone else could sell your recording and/or harvest your voice for AI without any compensation to you. For that reason, I no longer recommend newcomers volunteer there.
To do volunteer work through these sites, you would need a computer, a microphone, and some sort of audio editing program. Since Audacity is a free audio editor, many people start recording with it and move up to a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) that offers non-destructive editing. Be aware that proficiency in audio recording and editing comes with a learning curve. I wrote an article that lists 7 ways to get up to speed on your DAW. You also can do a Google search to find innumerable videos and blogs to help you learn audio editing techniques.
You might have to go to a designated studio to record for the blind as many of those organizations do not utilize remote narrators.
Like any performance art, audiobook narration is a highly competitive BUSINESS. It’s not a field in which you should expect on-the-job training. When you are cast to narrate a book, you are expected to know how to complete the project within your deadline.
I recommend that newcomers take classes from established coaches before creating a demo to gain work. Listeners expect a very high level of performance and pristine audio free of background sounds, mouth noises, etc.
Pat Fraley is a fabulous and highly entertaining voiceover and audiobook teacher. He often teaches narration classes with Scott Brick, a superstar narrator in the audiobook industry. If you can’t get to one of their classes, Pat also has home-study courses on his web site, along with The Gypsy’s Guide to Professional Home Recording. This guide is an excellent resource to help you create a better sounding studio on a budget. You’ll find other terrific, vetted audiobook coaches and consultants linked in the Connections section of my NarratorsRoadmap.com home page.
Find Work
With a demo and some storytelling and production skills, it’s time to start marketing yourself for work. Audible’s Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX.com) is a terrific site for beginners and professionals alike. Narrators can establish a profile that includes an unlimited number of samples. Author, agents, and publishers — collectively known as rights holders — post titles for which narrators can audition. Everyone participates for FREE! Audible created the site in 2011 in order to produce more audiobooks for the ever-growing market.
First, I recommend that you read my article and its comments on the ACX blog titled How to Act Like an Audiobook Narrator. Next, read my article 4 Keys to Becoming a Successful ACX Audiobook Producer.
You may also want to get my 3-hour webinar Put Yourself in the ACX Driver’s Seat, in which I go through the ACX system and show you how to evaluate listings and maximize your experience on the site.
The video below will give you some more info about working as a narrator through ACX, as well as some introductory coaching. Listen closely when Pat Fraley, Scott Brick, and Hillary Huber, another award-winning narrator, offer performance direction to some volunteers.
Be sure to watch the videos posted on the ACX site to learn how to create retail-ready audio that will meet ACX’s technical standards.
The majority of books posted on ACX are paid on a royalty share basis. You receive no money up front but receive royalties on each sale for 7 years. The royalty percentage is currently capped at 40%, which means you and the rights holder would each earn 20% of the proceeds. You will NOT earn 20% of the retail sales price due to the variances from Audible member credits, price reductions, Whispersync sales, and foreign currency exchanges. Due to the monetary risk involved with royalty share projects, many narrators refuse to do them.
However, money isn’t the only consideration when deciding whether to accept a royalty share offer. This article outlines other pros and cons of royalty share agreements.
If you decide to audition for royalty share projects, you’ll find some helpful tips about choosing a good project and managing your expectations in this post. It also links to my post about my audiobook marketing articles on the ACX blog.
You should establish a profile on ACX if only to join the Facebook group named Indie (ACX And Others) Audiobook Narrators and Producers. Members of this very active group range from the newest person to industry veterans with years of experience and 100s of audiobooks to their credit. You could spend weeks reading and learning from the helpful discussions listed in the comprehensive group FAQ, which I created and maintain. The FAQ contains a link to a spreadsheet of proofers and editors.
Auditioning on ACX is just one way to find work as a narrator. I listed 9 other ideas in this essay. One of those suggestions was to start your own audiobook production company. I did (!), and I outlined my steps for you here. One narrator made a spreadsheet of the top 50 books they had heard, researched the producers and publishers associated with them, and contacted all of them. Another option is to license the audio rights to a favorite book, cast yourself to narrate it, and publish it yourself! This article will give you inspiration for that approach.
Manage Your Time
Once you start your first project, you might be surprised how much time is required to narrate, edit and master an audiobook before release. A rule of thumb is that 6 or more hours are needed in real-time for EXPERIENCED people to produce 1 finished hour of audio. While this blog post explains more about it, the time breaks down as:
- 1 hour to pre-read each hour’s text and research pronunciations
- 2 hours to record an hour’s worth of text (allows for re-takes due to stomach rumbles, coughs, or any other kind of mistake or noise)
- 3 hours to edit, proof, and master the hour you just recorded
Not all of these tasks are necessarily performed by the narrator. The narrator working at home either must do them or pay another professional to do them. A book with a 10-hour finished time therefore may require 60 hours in real time to create.
You can use the word count to estimate the the finished time as described in this article about determining your rate.
Study Other Resources
I also recommend that you read these thoughtful articles and guides from other narrators about getting started in audiobook narration:
- “Breaking Into Audiobooks” part 1 and part 2 by Rachel Fulginiti
- “Curious About Becoming a Narrator? Learn to Fish…” by Ann Richardson
- Become A Narrator by Erin deWard
- Two Cents by R. C. Bray (click on the menu option)
- So you want to record Audiobooks… by Marissa DuBois
You may also find these books and audiobooks from industry veterans to be very helpful:
- Audiobook Narrator: The Art of Recording Audio Books by Barbara Rosenblat
- Audiobook Narration Manual: How to Set Up a Home Studio and Record Audiobooks for a Living by Derek Perkins
- Acting With The Voice: The Art of Recording Books by Robert Blumenfeld
- Storyteller: How to Be An Audiobook Narrator by Lorelei King and Ali Muirden
While other people who call themselves narrators have written books and/or created on-line courses, I’d advise that you look at the author’s audiobook credits on Audible before deciding to buy. Some people with little to no actual experience in this profession have written books to cash in on the audiobook boom. If most of the books in a narrator’s portfolio have a finished time of 3-4 hours or less and/or are book summaries, diet plans, or cookbooks, I suggest that you spend your money on a product from a more well-established person who has narrated popular genres.
You’ll find even MORE resources on my site NarratorsRoadmap.com!
Being a professional audiobook narrator is the fulfillment of a dream for me! Is it also your dream? By taking the actions you’ve read here, you’ll be on your way to bringing your own dream to fruition! I’d love to hear from you when you publish your first audiobook!
Last updated 10/30/21
I would like to be an audio book narrator. I have acting experience and a lot of live performing. I am a former fashion show commentator and show hostess Please advise.
Hi, Nathala! Thanks for the note. Did you actually read this article? It contains all of my advice for starting a career in audiobook narration.
Good luck!
Karen
I see, a lot of prelim work to do, research, which is true with any profession. i will follow your steps and see what happens. I enjoy performing and look at it as another avenue of such. Thanks for info.
Thanks for the info. It does not happen overnight, takes research, which you have given me a path to follow.
Hello ,
My name is Rhonda and I was wondering if you might have some good advice for individuals starting out as Audio Voice Recorders seems to be a huge market at the moment and good for sidework. Do you have any advice for a newby when it comes to which audio recorder is best suited for recording something inexpensive but excellent at defeating background noise?
Hi, Rhonda! Thanks for the note.
I haven’t kept up with the voice recorders because I haven’t had a need to buy one. Be aware that no matter what hardware and software you buy, you can’t expect it to completely “defeat background noise”. You will still need to treat your space to make it as quiet as possible.
Rather than getting a voice recorder, you would be better served by getting a computer and microphone. Pat Fraley details an inexpensive set-up in his Gypsy’s Guide to Professional Home Recording, which is available on his web site at this link: https://patfraley.com/pf/product/gypsy-home/
Best wishes for your success!
Karen
I just wanted to submit a sampling of my narration, preferably for southern audio. To be frank, I would like your opinion on whether I am pursuing something that will or will not be fruitful. If you could send me a separate email address that I could send an example to, that would be great.
Hi, Stephanie! As a general rule, I don’t teach, coach, mentor, or advise people beyond what I write on my blog or in Facebook groups devoted to audiobooks.
No one can ever tell you whether you are pursuing something that will be fruitful. However, if you have the dream in your heart and are persistent in taking actions toward it such as those I outlined in this article, you are stacking the odds in your favor.
Best wishes for your success!
Karen
Hello Karen! 🙂
Recently I have narrated “The little prince” by Antoine de Saint Exupery, and now I’d really appreciate an advice since this is my first audiobook ever 🙂 🙂 . I am more focused on younger generation by creating this piece, so I am wondering Is musical accompaniment desirable in the audiobooks? Or is it better off withoud any distraction? What is usually the preferrence of the auditorium – an audiobook with or without any music?
Thank you beforehand 🙂
Kind regards,
Arus
Hi, Arus! Congrats on recording your first audiobook!
With the exception of music in the opening and closing credits, most adult audiobook listeners do not want or expect any music or sound effects in the production.
Music under the credits helps to set the mood of the text. In the rest of the book, though, music can be a big distraction to the text.
With music occurring throughout the text, you have an audio drama rather than an audio book, which gives the listener a different experience.
I believe this same view holds true for children’s books. However, you might listen to the samples of kids books on Audible for trends.
A few years ago, I voiced several children’s picture book stories as iPhone apps. The producer didn’t add any music. If your narration does accompany a picture book, you could add some sound effect to indicate where to turn the pages.
If you do use music, be sure you have a license for it. You can’t use copyrighted music, but you can use royalty free music. I love getting my royalty-free music for credits from Audioblocks.com because they have a very useful search feature and offer varying lengths of the same clip.
I hope these thoughts are helpful. Best wishes for your continued success!
Karen
Thank you again, Karen!
One more question if you don’t mind 🙂 The voice and artistic narration are two main assets, so what to invest in those two to them unique? Could you kindly advise some professional literature, information or courses I could study?
Hi, Arus! l probably should put together a list of audiobook coaches. Until then, this quick — and by no means complete — list will get you started.
I have studied with Paul Ruben and Pat Fraley. In addition to live workshops, Pat offers many home study courses in his shop.
Several veteran narrators also teach classes, including Marc Cashman, Sean Pratt, and Johnny Heller. Narrator Julie Williams has hosted several audiobook-specific webinars.
You can Google their names and check out their web sites.
Audiobook director/producer Jayme Mattler is holding a 1-day workshop in NYC in September. You can get more info by emailing her at jayme.mattler@gmail.com.
Before signing up for a course or workshop, you may want to read my article 10 questions to ask coaches and demo producers.
As for books, Barbara Rosenblat is an industry superstar. It’s a pleasure to recommend her book Audiobook Narrator: The Art of Recording Audio Books. In developing techniques for particular genres, a great reference book is Robert Blumenfield’s Acting With The Voice: The Art of Recording Books.
Finally, listening to audiobooks every day that are read by top-tier narrators will definitely help you improve if you analyze how and why lines are delivered.
I hope this info is helpful.
Best wishes for your success!
Karen
Hi Karen,
I have been recording audiobooks for my own personal use for ten years. I simply record them using a simple microphone and an Audacity recording program, burn them to CD, and listen to them at night to help me go to sleep. I love doing it and decided to see about doing it professionally. This article has given me a wealth of information and an idea of how to get started. I wanted to thank you for writing it!
Hi, Rhianon! Thanks so much for the nice note! I’m glad you found this info to be helpful. Honoring a calling is the first step to living the life of your dreams!
After you create your first commercial audiobook, I hope you’ll come back here and let me know so I can congratulate you. Best wishes for your success!
Karen
From this article, it sounds as though most audiobook narrators do their own production at home without any professional support. Is that correct? Or is that only for when you’re starting out?
Hi, Devin! I apologize for the delay in posting and replying to your comment. I was transitioning to version 4.0 of my web site.
When you say “professional support”, I assume you mean an editor and proof listener as opposed to coaching and training on performance technique. Narrators are recording in our own studios, but the editing and proofing are usually done by someone else.
An audio publisher may give a narrator an FTP site where they can upload their recordings for editing and proofing. If the narrator is responsible for fully producing the recording, as is the case on ACX.com, she can and should outsource the editing and proofing to other people.
In either case, the narrator can be working on the next book while the production is completed on the current book.
I hope this info is helpful.
Karen
Thank You! Very informative post and wonderfully detailed comment feedback. This will be very helpful….Great!
Hello, Dionne! I’m so glad you found this article to be helpful. Best wishes for your success!
Karen
Great article! This is the second link I clicked on regarding the subject, and I found it extremely thorough and useful. Thank you for taking the time to write it.
Hi, Mandy! I’m glad the article is helpful to you. You’ll find more articles of interest to narrators in my Narrators category.
Thanks for stopping by the blog.
Karen
I live in the Republic of Panama and I will to implement this in my country any suggtestion?
Hi, Alma! You would start out the same way with learning skills. This spreadsheet lists many audiobook coaches, and most, if not all, offer sessions via Skype. You also could volunteer with LibriVox to practice and establish your process.
Once you have acquired storytelling skills, created a demo, and have studio availability, whether at home or a commercial studio, contact US audiobook publishers about submitting your demo. If you speak Spanish, you should make that point known and showcase it in a demo. For instance, the Spanish page for Deyan Audio mentions that they have worked remotely with talent in Chile and Guatemala. Your coach can give you some contact info.
I hope these thoughts help. Best wishes for your success!
Karen
Karen
Thank you for sharing this information. I haven’t completed all of it yet but I already see valuable and look forward to going through it. I love audiobooks and I have been told I have a great voice. Not sure that is enough to be good at this but it is where I am starting and your info will help me figure out if this is a good path for me.
Just wanted to say thank you.
Hi, Rita! Thanks for the nice note.
I loved what author Elizabeth Gilbert said about curiosity:
Every single day, you can be curious. Every single day, curiosity approaches you and taps you on the shoulder, almost so light that you can’t feel it. It’s a whisper, not a shout. It’s a little tiny clue, a scavenger hunt. If you bother to turn your head 1/8 of an inch and just look a little closer at that and investigate it, you’ve already veered off the path of fear. If you keep doing that, you will have a creative life because your curiosity is different from everyone else’s and it will create a life unique to you.
I’m glad your curiosity led you to my blog. 🙂 Even if you decide you don’t want to pursue work as a narrator, you will learn about the industry and even more about yourself. Best of all, you won’t go through life wondering, “what if?”
Karen
Hi Karen
Is there any age limit to this profession. I have acting experience. But I am 61 don’t think I sound old but just was curious about your thoughts on age in this profession. Thank you
Hi, Patricia! Age is not an issue. Even the sound of one’s voice is not the prime concern.
The biggest questions to address are: How well do you tell a story? Can you inhabit the characters’ minds in fiction or portray the author’s credibility and expertise in non-fiction?
Having acting experience will serve you well, but I recommend that you also obtain training specific to audiobooks.
A good coach will help you improve your technique and understand how your voice and style fits in the marketplace.
Once you know the type of books where your voice, knowledge, experience, and interests are a good fit, you could work indefinitely and enjoy a long career!
I hope these thoughts are helpful. Best wishes for your success!
Karen
I am interested in recording for the blind can you give me some idea as to where I would start ?
Hi, Iona! You can do an on-line search for “reading for the blind” and your state. For instance, I was a volunteer reader for 5 years at the Georgia Radio Reading Service. You also may want to contact Learning Ally.
Best wishes for your success!
Karen
Hello Karen. Nice to meet you. My name is Breanne. What a wealth of information you have here! Thank you so much. I am not new to the voice industry (have been in it for a while) but I have never narrated an audio bookl before. I have no idea how I stumbled upon your website but I am glad that I did. I am just starting my at-home business and needed some direction. Your links and references are so helpful. Right now I am doing my research about ACX before I dive in. Thank you, again, for sharing Karen.
Hi, Breanne! However you found me, I’m glad you’re here! 🙂 Since you’re researching ACX, be sure to check out my blog for authors. I write about ACX there and link to different resources such as my article for DigitalBookWorld.com titled “Authors, Can You Afford to Produce an Audiobook?”.
Best wishes for your success!
Karen
I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to provide such a wealth of excellent information! This page has become my “hub” and all of the links and suggestions are just excellent. I can’t even think of any questions at the moment because they’ve all been answered somewhere here or in one of the links or suggestions. Thanks again for such a huge commitment of time and effort that you have devoted to help the newcomer to the field!
Hi, Kate! Thanks so much for your kind words about my site! I’m glad to know you’ve found this info to be useful.
I’m always in search of interesting topics for future articles, so please leave another comment or fill out the form if questions occur to you.
Thanks again, and best wishes for your success!
Karen
Hello Karen! You have a lot of useful info here, but I still haven’t found an answer to the question I am looking for. I am told that I have a great talent in reading and acting (although I only partook in small skits in that area) and for some time I’ve been thinking if I should start doing voice overs as an audio book narrator. What I would like to know is what kind of skills do I need to acquire or improve on?
Hi, Tina! In all the years I’ve received and answered questions from people, I don’t recall anyone else ever asking this question! Instead of answering it here, I decided to create a new article for the Audiobook Narrator’s Self Assessment Quiz, to be published on the narrator blog on Wed. 8 August. The Quiz has 30 questions, and most require some reflection. I’m writing the companion pieces to explain the questions in the quiz and will post them in the near future.
Thanks again for the excellent and original question!
Karen
Hello Karen. You are a gem to have generated this in-depth article (and blog) on the topic of audiobook narration. Thank you! I am interested in becoming a reader only of nonfiction – and specifically of books that might be considered in the self-help category. I haven’t found much information on that topic specifically. Perhaps you have written something that I just haven’t seen yet, or do you know of other sites that address this form of narration? Thank you again.
Hi, Janice! Thanks for the note.
In many, if not most, cases, the market chooses the genre for the narrator. For instance, a narrator may have the desire to narrate self-development books, but her voice and experience are a better fit for fiction for young adults. Also, most narrators don’t limit themselves to a single category of books, so it’s unlikely you’ll find much info on-line specifically related to narrating self-development texts.
Non-fiction books require acting skills as much or more than fiction books. With any non-fiction book, the narrator must be able to express the viewpoints of the author with the same passion as the author. The narrator must understand the author’s ideas and be able to convey them as the author would, without doing a mimicry of the author’s voice.
Getting audiobook-specific training from one or more of the vetted coaches on the linked spreadsheet will help you develop your performance skills. The coach may suggest a narration path for you to follow which may be in a genre you hadn’t considered.
Sean Pratt, one of the leading narrators of non-fiction, teaches a course on narrating non-fiction. You’ll find his contact info in the linked spreadsheet in the article.
Best wishes for your success!
Karen
I think I am clear set on my career being that of narrating audiobooks, and/or voice acting for animation. Your arctile was extremely detailed, and I intend to sit down and work through all the steps, and even take notes. I want to thank you for this article. One day, I’ll be back here to announce that I’ve published my first audiobook!! You are helping not only mine, but the dreams of others become reachable goals. Again I truly thank you for the work you have put into this.
Additionally, I was wondering if you have any advice concerning formal education for this career? I am in my senior year of high school, and am contemplating whether college would be a waste of money and time? If you could offer any words of advice, I’d appreciate it greatly. Thank you.
–Vincent
Hi, Vincent! Thanks so much for the very nice note! I’m so happy that you found my info to be useful.
I developed the Audiobook Narrator Self-Assessment Quiz to help people review their skills, abilities, and interests that relate to this career. I’ve posted the first 2 articles that discuss the questions in-depth and plan to post the remaining 2 articles over the next 2 weeks. Look for them on the blog. The quiz and companion articles can help you make decisions about your education.
I am a proponent of higher education and would never say to anyone that college is a waste of time. College helps develop critical thinking skills and exposes one to different viewpoints and cultures. I also suggest that you travel to other countries if possible. Enlarging your view of the world will help with any endeavor you pursue.
If you are serious about your desire to narrate audiobooks and/or get into animation VO, you can’t go wrong with classes in English composition and literature, acting, improv, speech, and audio production/technology.
That said, and as much as I value a college education, I would also tell you that I wouldn’t take out exorbitant college loans that would take me years and years to repay. For instance, I know one young person who went to a prestigious school that cost $250K for their 4-year course of study. Their parents had a 2nd mortgage on their house for 15 years in order to pay the school bills. This person graduated about 10 years ago and has not earned back the money spent on college tuition.
If you decide to go to college but need to apply for loans, have a payment plan in mind. The exercise in this article could help you figure out how to afford college or anything else.
I hope these thoughts are helpful. Best wishes for your success, and let me know when you release your first audiobook!
PS. Regarding your stated intention, don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do TODAY! 🙂
Karen
Thank you very much for your prompt reply! I will most certainly be going to college now. (I made the decision yesterday) I certainly am scared of loans. I want no debt so I will certainly be cautious of that. Thank you for the classes you listed. You have been an amazing help! I cannot say enough how thankful I am for stumbling upon your article! Have a wonderful day. 🙂
Hi, Vincent! Congratulations on your decision to attend college!
After I wrote the other day, I realized that I left business classes off my list. I highly recommend that you at least have introductory coursework in accounting, communications, finance, and marketing. Knowledge of these disciplines will aid your achievements and success throughout your life, no matter what kind of work you do.
Be aware that you can learn some things on-line through Lynda.com and other resources. As I explained in this article, you may even be able to access Lynda through your library.
I hope these thoughts are helpful. Best wishes for your success!
Karen
I’ll definitely add that to my growing list! ^^ Thank you very much.
Hello, Karen!
I’m Soah and i’m living in VietNam. I wonder if i can take training courses from overseas as i want to become a narrator as well.
I have no experience in this field, i also never narrated any books before. I just love listening to ebooks. I’ve gone through almost 50 books now. And i am fascinated about this line of work. But i dont know if its too late too start now that i’m 28.
Thanks for reading my comments. I’d love to hear back from you!
Hi, Soah! Thanks for the note.
Most US coaches use Zoom or Skype video chats to work with students who live elsewhere. You absolutely could undertake this sort of training from Vietnam as long as you can coordinate schedules.
A bigger challenge might be your language if you’re a native Vietnamese speaker. I don’t know anything about the audiobook market in Vietnam; it’s possible you may find a lot a of work there. In the US, audiobooks in Vietnamese do not occur frequently enough for Audible to include that language among its Search parameters. If you speak French or unaccented English, your potential for audiobook work increases.
Don’t worry about your age. You’re in the prime of life! You may be encouraged further by the title of one of the earliest audiobooks I narrated: It’s Never to Late to Be What You Might Have Been.
Be sure to go through my Audiobook Narrator Self-Assessment Quiz and all the other links in this article.
Best wishes for your success!
Karen
Hello, thanks for the early reply.
I would like to ask a little more about this matter.
To be honest, i didnt go to college, after highschool i just help out with the family business, i dont really know if i’m qualified to get into this job. And even if i am, after tranining and becoming a narrator, will this be my obstacle to apply for a job? (For not having a high school degree?)
Thank for reading and i’d love to hear back from you!
Hi, Soah! First, you don’t “apply for a job” as a narrator. It’s not like a company announces a position with certain qualifications and candidates then fill out forms to show how their experience fits that job opening.
In all honesty, a college degree or the lack of one is NOT a deciding factor when people hire you to narrate their book. They want to be assured that you can convincingly and engagingly tell the story, perform any necessary research, maintain strong communication, complete production within the time and budget allotted, and do your work without a lot of hand-holding, drama, or problems.
A college degree is not the only way to gain experience and confidence in working as a freelance employee. If you study with a narration coach and do some volunteer and/or low-budget projects, you will build many of the skills necessary for success in this work. My Audiobook Narrator Self-Assessment Quiz is a comprehensive tool for evaluating whether your interests, skills, and abilities are a good fit for this profession.
We all have inner Resistance that keeps us from pursuing our good. One way that Resistance works against us is by tossing limiting beliefs in front of us as a perceived obstacle. I think that you may have a limiting belief about your formal education. The lack of degree doesn’t hold you back, but BELIEVING that you can’t move forward without that degree DOES HOLD YOU BACK. This belief may even be tied to a bigger one of fear of failure since you first commented that you were afraid it was already too late for you to get started in this career.
You can Google “limiting beliefs” and find tons of articles about identifying and overcoming them. I also strongly recommend you read and absorb Steven Pressfield’s excellent book THE WAR OF ART.
No one can guarantee that you will experience success as a narrator. However, I can guarantee that you will experience regret if you give in to Resistance and don’t even try to live the life you imagined.
I hope these thoughts are helpful. Best wishes for a stellar 2019!
Karen
Hello, Karen!
Thank you so much for the honest thoughts towards my questions. Your answers help me trust myself even more now. People always tell me to settle down, build a family, “you are too old to learn anything new anyway”, and “even if you get into it, you cant really compete to those that are younger and have so much more time with their lives” they said. But there is just so much i want to know more, to do more. And on top of that, i dont want to limit myself and do things every woman in my country does. It bores me somehow.
Now i know where i’m heading and what needs to be done.
Thanks again for your help.
I wish you best of everything, and a stellar 2019 as well.
Soah!
Oh, Soah! Don’t listen to the naysayers! This is YOUR life, not theirs, and you need to do what you are called to do!
Also, be very careful to whom you confide your dreams.
For a deeper explanation of both of these points, I urge you to stop what you’re doing and immediately read this article, which quotes the Pressfield book I mentioned earlier. I think you will be pleasantly surprised to learn about the psychology at work here.
As for building a family, you don’t have to use the same definition as other people. I am proudly childfree by choice and couldn’t be happier with my husband and miniature schnauzer as my family. For some people, their family consists of their closest friends.
Live life on your terms!
I look forward to the day — maybe even sometime next year — when you write to me and tell me you’ve narrated a book!
Karen
Hi Karen,
Thanks again for your kind words. I think this journey is going to be rough, as i’m still saving money to go overseas and study more should i wish to become a narrator.
Since age is not a concern now, things should be less difficult.
Thank you verry much and happy new year ^¥^.
Hello Karen,
First of all, I wanted to say thank you – you have some of the most extensive covering of audiobook narration that I’ve run across on the net thus far, and it’s been quite helpful.
Secondly, I was wondering if you might be able to point me in a general direction for lessons in Canada? I’m based in Edmonton, AB. The audiobook narration seems to be quite large in the U.S, and hasn’t hit quite the same here.
I have what people would consider to be a ‘soothing voice’ but I definitely want to broaden my repertoire before I seriously hop into audiobook narration (potentially down the road a full-time thing, but I’m looking to have something set up for when I have my little ones so I’m making a bit while I’m still at home. Plus, love books!).
Any feedback you might have would be much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Hannah
Hi, Hannah! Thanks so much for the nice note. I’m so glad to know you find my info to be useful.
I’m not aware of any specific narrator training in Edmonton. I do know that narrator Dawn Harvey is conducting a class in Calgary on 2 November, which could be worth the drive for you.
However, in person training is not mandatory. Most coaches work with their students long distance via Skype or Zoom video meetings. You’ll find coaches in the spreadsheet linked within the article.
I invite you to visit my new site NarratorsRoadmap.com for more free articles and links to terrific resources. If you sign up for the Members Express Pass, you’ll also have access to an incredible industry-specific, color-coded calendar in 8 categories of world-wide events, including narrator training, book festivals, and author events.
Thanks again for your comments, and best wishes for your success!
Karen
Thank you so much for the feedback!
Hello Karen! I have a “small detail” question. I am interested in beginning on ACX and I am unsure of what to put on my profile as a beginner. I do not have anything under my belt yet, no awards or credentials. Should I leave those sections blank?
Hi, Jen! Think of your profile like a résumé. Even though you haven’t worked professionally as a narrator, you probably have training, experiences, skills, and abilities that can be repackaged and showcased on your profile.
The questions below should start you thinking about what makes you unique that could intrigue a rights holder.
* Have you volunteered as a reader for the visually impaired? Write that down.
* Have you undertaken any audiobook-specific coaching? Include it.
* Have you done any professional speaking or training, either as a freelancer or on your day job? Those skills can be relevant to your work as a narrator.
* What acting experience or training do you have? Tell us about it.
* In which areas do you have subject matter expertise? Some author may be looking for a narrator who already understands terminology relevant to a job.
* What advanced education have you attained?
* Are you fluent in or have facility with any foreign languages?
This article on the ACX blog and other profiles will give you more ideas and inspiration.
I hope these thoughts are helpful. Best wishes for your success!
Karen
I am from India, and would like to be a narrator. Could be Audiobooks – Selfhelp or Fiction, articles or text-books. ACX doesnt hire Indian voices yet. I did write to them. Do you know of any source where I can check? Thank you for the detailed description and sharing of ideas in this blog. very helpful.
Good Going! Stay safe!
Hi, Farah! Thanks for the note.
You didn’t say whether you’ve had any training or experience in both audiobook performance and the technical skills needed to do the job.
My Audiobook Narrator Self-Assessment Quiz will help you determine what you need to learn.
My site NarratorsRoadmap.com will give you much more info about getting started. You can find a coach on the linked spreadsheet.
Once you are ready to work at a professional level, your coach can advise you of American and possibly UK and European countries who hire native speakers. You can also do a Google search to find a growing number of audiobook production companies in India.
I hope this info is helpful. Best wishes for your success!
Karen
Karen,
I can’t tell you what a relief it has been to come across your site. I am just getting started on becoming an audiobook narrator. I adore reading, telling stories, reading aloud and so on and so on. In fact I have passed that side of your test with no problem. But I have been tearing my hair out trying to understand Pro Tools, with all the training videos I’ve found looking like some alien planet’s version with their screen looking nothing like my screen, or describing how I can import drum beats and the like. I am going to explore all the training options that you suggest and where yesterday I was ready to throw in the towel, today I am seeing a faint flicker of light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you so much.
Meliora Dockery
Hi, Meliora! I’m so glad you’ve found my info to be useful!
In addition to exploring the training options I presented, you might also consider using a different DAW. Many narrators use Adobe Audition, Reaper, or Studio One instead of Pro Tools. These other software packages have interfaces that some find easier to understand.
Best wishes for your success!
Karen