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So you want to become an audiobook narrator on Amazon? Well, I have some good news for you. If you’re interested in becoming an audiobook narrator on Amazon, Amazon and Audible are always accepting new submissions.
Before we get into how to narrate audiobooks for Amazon, I want to note that it’s important that you first have experience narrating audiobooks. The more experience you have, the better your chances are of being hired.
If you’ve ever been told that you have a nice voice, narrating audiobooks may be your calling. However, it takes more than just having a nice voice if you want to produce high-quality audiobooks.
Improve Your Voice Acting Skills
Thanks to the fast growing market for audiobooks, it’s become easier than ever to make money narrating audiobooks. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s an easy way to make money.
Many new narrators soon learn that there’s some fierce competition in this field. There are voice actors that have been practicing their craft for years, even decades for some. Don’t let this scare you off though. There are plenty of job opportunities available for smaller authors and publishers.
If you don’t have a lot of experience narrating audiobooks, it’s a good idea to receive training before getting started.
Yes, there are some audiobook narrators that haven’t had any training; however, refining your skills will definitely make you stand out from the crowd.
Undergoing training for voice acting doesn’t have to be expensive. There are in-person and online classes that will teach you how to develop your voice acting and narration skills as well as the ins and outs of audiobook production.
Additionally, if you don’t want to or aren’t able to pay classes, you can watch videos on YouTube for free.
The important thing here is that you learn and practice techniques for becoming the best audiobook narrator that you can be.
Recording Audiobooks
When you work from home as a narrator, you will be working with either a production company, the book author or the publisher. If you’re a freelance narrator, your clients will most likely be smaller authors and publishers.
When you receive a narration project, make sure you read through the material thoroughly in order to familiarize yourself with the work.
When reading through the text, make sure you take notes. I recommend taking note of any accents that may be required, words that you don’t know how to pronounce, etc.
After you’ve finished the text, take some time to listen to the audio of the proper way to do a certain accent, or find the pronunciation of specific words. You want to be as prepared as possible before you begin recording.
Once you’re ready to record, you’ll want to make sure that your workspace is set up for recording high-quality audio.
Aside from having great voice acting skills, you need to also have quality equipment.
It goes without saying that you’ll need a computer or laptop. However, you want to make sure that your computer or laptop is able to run the latest versions of your recording and editing software.
You’ll also need a mic and pop filter, headphones, a tablet (no paper sounds while recording), recording and editing software, and a quiet recording space.
How Much Money Can You Make?
The amount of money you make narrating audiobooks can vary quite a bit and depends on the rates set by the publisher and producer.
According to the site Sapling, new narrators can expect to make up to $50 per hour from publishers, while medium and large-size publishers may pay $100 to $350 per hour.
If you’re looking for a few places to find narration gigs, here are a few websites that you can check out:
How to Become an Audiobook Narrator on Amazon
Now that we’ve gone over the basics of audiobook narration, let’s discuss how you can become an audiobook narrator on Amazon.
If you’re interested in becoming an audiobook narrator, send an email to [email protected] and include the following:
- Two-minute MP3 clip of your audiobook narration (i.e., not commercials or radio demos)
- List of books you’ve narrated, if any. Indicate which, if any, are being sold on Audible.com
- Link to your website, if available
- Contact information including the city and state where you’re located
You can learn more on the Audible website.
Another option is to sign up for ACX. ACX is a marketplace where authors, agents, and publishers connect with narrators, recording studios, and more to produce audiobooks. Through ACX, you can find gigs for audiobooks that will be available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes.
Making money as an audiobook narrator may have it’s challenges, but once you gain experience, you’ll be able to make money narrating audiobooks for small and large publishers.