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You can negotiate for higher pay if you are efficient and accurate. Your work has to have little to no errors, and you should submit it promptly. Practice reading aloud and try to emulate others to develop a unique voice.Īside from a strong voice, you must be accurate, fast, and efficient. If you have a generic voice, you will be replaceable and might receive less. Say you have a deep narrator’s voice for science fiction that captures the author’s vision you will be an asset to the company and might receive a raise or bonus. Here are the factors that affect contract or employed narrators’ earnings. Sometimes, the company receives the royalty share rather than the employee. Some of these companies employ individuals with vocal talent capable of doing different voices of multiple characters to make up for a small headcount. The amount per company depends on the rate they charge or the royalty share they receive per audiobook sold. The Audio Publishers Association reported that 30 member companies made $331 million in total revenue in 2008 alone. This figure can range from $40,000 annually and above, depending on the agency or company. Here is the royalty share breakdown of audible.Īs an employed narrator, you earn a fixed rate for the many or few hours you work. Audible, like other audiobook work agencies, adapts a per-finished hour (PFH) mode of payment. The narrator’s pay rate depends on audiobook work, feedback, experience, and if their voice fits particular niches.
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ACX narrators earn $10 to $100 for beginners and $100 to $500 for professionals. Contract or Employed NarratorsĪn example of a contract narrator gig is being an audible narrator. The narrators’ charge cannot include poor-quality audio. If you do not have a good-quality microphone and a place to record your audiobooks, you might have to do your narration work again and again. These expenses come from most narrators’ pockets unless a client sponsors them, which is rare.
READING JOBS FOR AUDIOBOOKS PROFESSIONAL
Although not a complete professional studio, you need a recording space, a quality microphone, a microphone stand, noise-canceling headphones, audio recording software, and other necessities. To compete with established narrators, you must have a good home studio. Well-known narrators are efficient when they do a voice-over. You will earn less if it takes longer to do a voice-over for the entire book. Charging per hour means charging for the length of the finished audio files. Some charge per finished hour of the finished audio, others charge per hour that they work, and others charge a fixed rate for the completed recording audio. Sometimes the finished hour reduces after edits, which also affects your pay. Many narrators don’t charge for audio revisions or multiple audio versions, affecting your earnings. Here are some factors that can affect your earnings. Seasoned narrators rarely work eight hours daily because voice-over work isn’t that common, especially for audiobooks. If you still work eight hours daily (weekends off), this totals $400,000 to $600,000 annually. The more experienced you are, you can charge $200-300 or more per hour. If you still work eight hours daily (weekends off), this totals around $100,000 to $200,000 annually. Independent audiobook narrators usually work closer with audiobook publishers, and their rates vary. Most audiobook narrators start with an agency or company before going independent. If you want to become an audiobook narrator who can set your price, become an independent narrator.
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Here is how much an independent narrator can make.
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To become an audiobook narrator, you should first pick between the two. The audiobook narration rates vary for independent and contracted (or employed) audiobook narrator workers. The amount you make for audio narration depends on your position, experience, asking price, marketing, and other factors.
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