Get Paid to Narrate Audiobooks | Your Way to Financial Freedom In 2023

Do you know how to Get Paid to Narrate Audiobooks? NO! I will help you. Audiobooks are becoming more and more popular day by day, Just look at this graph showing the popularity growth of Audiobooks over the years.

but with great demand, supply did not go up, As you know audiobooks are simply audio versions of Physical Books narrated by a person with varying intensity, and changing tones.

Get Paid to Narrate Audiobooks

If you are someone with a clear voice and also know voice modulation then you can easily earn $100/ path (Per Finished hour) using Audiobook narration.

So In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about earning with Audiobook narration like Tools to use, Websites to get work, and other things needed in order to succeed in this work. It is the alternative to getting paid by playing games.

What is Audiobook Narration

By now, you already what an audiobook is and you probably read them on a daily basis but have you wondered why there are very less audiobooks on the market?

Well, it’s simply because it is still human-centric and needs an actual human with a good voice and who knows acting to narrate the book.

Now, to earn by producing audiobooks you have to follow a simple process and learn a few things. Let’s start by seeing how the complete process works

Simply an author publishes an awesome book and makes it live on all the platforms like amazon and best audiobook narrators etc. to be bought and then they think of producing an audiobook of it, and since it requires good voice skills and a clear voice, they themselves cannot do it and hence need to hire a voice actor.

That’s where they go searching for them and land up on sites like ACX (Amazon creative exchange), voices.com, Fiverr, etc. and hire a freelancer voice actor to narrate their book and make a complete audiobook out of it.

and obviously, the payment terms are different for every platform (which we will discuss later in this blog post)

So, let’s see now how you can get work on platforms for an audiobook narrator

How to get Audiobook Narrator Gigs

Getting clients is the sole foundation of succeeding in this field and hence you should focus heavily on getting clients and working more and more in the starting phase.

ACX (Amazon Creative Exchange)

With the growing popularity of amazon audible (an audiobook platform) amazon has launched its very own marketplace where artists and authors can connect and make audiobooks and have transactions securely.

How to get started on ACX

• Create a profile on ACX
• Upload your audio samples for all the accents you possibly can do and the languages you can do, remember that the more samples you upload the more chances are there for you to be get hired
• Choose Books you want to audition for and upload a sample of the voice-over to the author and also select how you want to be paid i.e. whether through Per finished hour or royalties
• If you are selected by the author then you will receive an offer and if you like the offer then you can accept it and start recording till the first milestone so that the author can keep check on the quality
• After finishing the recording you can upload the file according to the requirements and if you are approved by the author you can start receiving payments (Based on the method you chose)

How does the Payment work on ACX

There are mainly three ways to accept payment on ACX as a voice-over artist

• complete payment (Per finished hour) – In this method, the author and artist decide a fixed price per finished hour of the audiobook and it can be anything around 100$ to 1000$ / PPH

Note: PPH is the per finished hour of the audiobook and refers to the time it takes to complete the audiobook from production to editing

For eg if an audiobook is 8 hours long and you took 56 hours to complete the audiobook, then you will receive the money for that 8-hour audiobook only, not for 56 hours

• Royalty – You can have a royalty deal with the author where both of you will split 50-50 of the sales the book makes on all the platforms it is bought from i.e. amazon, iTunes. and you will receive the payment monthly
• Both – You can also opt for PPH and royalty deal for a book

Some key-points

If you want to earn some extra with ACX as a voice-over artist then you can share a unique link with your family and friends and if they buy the book you did the voice-over for, you will receive 25$ in your account.

Note:: You and the author must be in a royalty deal and you get the money only if a person who first time joins audible buys your book first.

Fiverr and Upwork

Fiverr and Upwork are Online freelancing sites that connect freelancers with employers looking for small work to be done. A lot of authors look for voice-over artists for converting their books into audiobooks.

How the Payment works

On this platform there is no such thing as royalty or PPH, you simply come to an agreement by your own understanding with the author, and upon successful completion of the audiobook, you get paid in your bank account.

You can also find audiobook narration work on other platforms as well like freelancer.com, guru.com, etc.

Voices.com

How much do you get Paid to Narrate a book? Voice is an amazing platform with a lot of trusted authors and voice-over artists which helps connect voice artists with not just authors but also other people who are looking for a voice-over for their commercials, videos, etc.

and audiobook narration is also a big part of this and people get a lot of audiobook narration through it.

How to get started on Voices

Can you make money narrating audiobooks? Yes!

• Sign up and create and profile
• Verify your address, bank account details, and other details
• Submit your best audio samples
• Start searching for work and start applying by reading the guidelines carefully

If you are learning and just want to start in the voice-over world you can start with a free membership but if you are serious about this then you can pay to get additional features and get more gigs

Voice bunny

Voice bunny is rebranded as a bunny studio and is also a trusted name in the field of voice-over jobs

How to start earning with Bunny studio

• Set up your profile and verify your identity
• Submit your best audio samples
• After the bunny studio reviews your work then they will notify that you have signed an agreement digitally and you can start receiving clients for audiobooks and other voice-over work

There are three ways through which clients book people on voice bunny..e, Booking, Contest, and Speedy.

• Booking- The Client browses through the voice samples provided and chooses the person most fit for their work
• Contest – The client submits the project details and voice requirements to the Voice Bunny and they conduct a contest in which only 3 people have shortlisted the client then shortlists and picks one
• Speedy – The client simply submits the requirements and voice requirements to the company and the company people chooses a person for doing the voice-over work

Podcasts

You should start a podcast as a side hustle and learn the skills and educate people on the same side and let in people with the insights of the industry and how difficult it is or how easy it is to get the client and tips you learn, about voice over

Now, that you know how to get your client let’s prepare for the Audiobook narration work

Equipment Required

• Computer or laptop not a high end but a good one – It will be used to edit and record the audio and see for any potential error while recording the audio.
• A Mic – A good quality mac is very important as it amplifies your noise and makes it clearer
• A pop screen – It’s basically a screen before your mic to prevent any spit to reach the magic and also prevent any strong sudden noises from difficult words
• Headset – When you are recording you have to listen to your voice continuously to catch any errors and correct it
• Tablet or e-reader – if you will be reading through a book then the page-turning voice will be there
• Quiet recording space
• Recording and editing software

Preparing for Audiobook Narration

For preparing for audiobook narration you should first prepare the setup to do the narration and also prepare yourself for the narration process

Prepare Yourself

Preparing yourself is very important before starting the narration process, so try to have a ritual before you start the work

• Clean your nostrils and mouth
• Eat something and drink warm water with ginger

Preread the Book

You should always preread the Book for any Ups and Downs in the Tone and also note down the pronunciation of difficult words and character transitions

• look for any voice modulations
• look for difficult words
• Premark the character’s transition and their voice

Keep the Recording Organised

It is a good practice to make separate folders for each chapter of the book and keep them organized like keeping the mp3 files for each chapter in separate folders and additional notes for editing for each chapter

Prepare the Workspace

For recording any kind of voice you should have a completely quiet space and also its best to have a soundproof space or a room where there is no echo

• Wear simple clothing and remove any jewelry
• turn off any appliances that make noise like refrigerators, air conditioners, etc
• Set up studio far from a busy street
• Download the Book on the electronic device to avoid noise due to the book page turning
• Close the windows and gates

Prepare Equipments

prepare all the equipment like the Headset, computer, laptop, sound screen, electronic reading device, sound screen, and pop screen, and mute all of them so that they don’t make any external noise.

Check for professional Software

You will have to get professional software like audacity for checking the audio quality while recording and also editing the audio.

You can also take up a professional course from udemy to learn about editing voiceovers

Tips to succeed on these platforms as an audiobook narrator

1. Make the Best profile with an amazing picture and specify every detail like your city and your experience and your portfolio
2. Add any audio samples with as many accents in different languages
3. Promote your services and look and analyze other top people in the space
4. Choose your books wisely and don’t simply go for royalty deals on ACX you can go for other ways as well as the royalties are pretty low.
5. One more thing, if you are a householder you can also get paid by just clearance of your house.

Final Words

We hope that we were able to guide you properly about how to get paid to narrate an audiobook and make sure you read the terms and conditions of every contract very carefully.