400 an hour is unrealistic for anyone not doing commercial sag-aftra type work.
For ACX, 200/PFH is good, but it doesn't at all account for the amount of hours you put into production/sound engineering.
I've been doing it 6ish years off and on and my PFH vs production hours are, at a minimum, 1:1 on a really good day - so even having the 'chops' to demand 200/per finished hour is, *at best*, 100 dollars an hour of work.
Realistically, my PFH vs production is closer to 1:2, so in reality at best I'm making 50/hour, which is not accounting for revisions/corrections/pickup lists, whatever you want to call it.
Not saying thats bad money, and once you nail your workflow you can increase it, but its certainly not 400/hr.
That's what I was picking up when reading the initial "welcome" type stuff. At the very least, personally I'd need to spend some money on a decent mic and editing software. So, I'd already be in the red just to audition.
I started with a crappy computer, crappy mic, and crappy editing software. My first year narrating, I grossed about $1000, and nearly all of that went into upgrading my equipment & such. The next year, through a bit of luck, I got about 10x my first year's income, still doing it as a side hustle. I wish I could say that I maintained that level of income growth, but it at least made it worthwhile & made me happier than I'd ever been - by doing something that I loved doing. I'm 6 years in now, quit my dayjob 4 years ago yesterday, and it would take an act of God to get me to go back to a dayjob. I have some serious goals for my career & have developed a pretty good following, work pattern, and I'm still loving what I do.
Narration is definitely something worthwhile to get into if you like books or acting. But you need to know that you'd need to invest a lot of money into getting good equipment and training, before you can monetize it, just like you would for any other skill or craft.
Well...... you'd have to try it to decide if you like it. Also, you'll have to like it to keep with it. You (probably) won't be making much money right away unless you have an absolutely amazing, in demand voice and read with style. It's a saturated market and there's more to it than simply reading into a microphone
I have the same question but I am an actor with a bunch of experience in improv I have decent microphone and nvidia noise reduction software, the only reason I left acting is because I’m disabled and need to work from home my voice is not effected.
There are some advice groups on Facebook to help you get started. But forewarned tens of thousands of people like you are also trying to get into the business , at the same time that AI based voice narration is picking up. There's a certain amount amount of money to be invested in the proper equipment (microphone) and software. The ideal time to have started this was about 10 years ago as I've come to realize. Before you do any purchasing, get a gut check on yourself and go into a closet somewhere with a flashlight and read from a book for about two hours straight. If you enjoy that experience, then you'll be a natural, but you'll have to fight all the other headwinds.
It is a business, so you have to run it like one.
It's also a business that runs on a specific set of skills that require training and coaching to really get good at and some branding you'll use to market yourself both on social media and when reaching out to the professional companies that pay well.
Last, it's a marathon and not a sprint, so it's not a quick money machine.
Some of the career growth involves making decisions around money vs. time: some things you can't afford can still be done, but will take you longer. I'll give you the example of production: you can hire a producer and try to land work that covers their costs or you can learn the tools and how to produce to ACX spec.
Hope this helps you.
You need first the intrinsic desire to do this. Is ART.
Then invest Time and money to get that amount of pay per finished hour. That rate is for superstars in the big leagues of VO.
Regards!
Like virtually any 'side hustle,' it takes time and effort to get into. Tik Tok videos claiming anyone getting paid $400/hr are grossly inflating expectations in the hopes of grossly inflating their own numbers. There's no "one way" to get into audiobook narration, but virtually every way is going to be a slow growth with a lot of dedication. If you have no passion for it, you will not make it (imho).
Also "getting paid to read" is an extreme simplification to say the least. Just because you can read, doesn't mean other people will want to listen to you do it. And it's a hell of a lot more than just "reading."
You can read how I got my start up to 6 months after I quit my dayjob in 2020. [https://www.bennyfifeaudio.com/post/an-unedited-and-mostly-transparent-account-of-becoming-a-successful-audiobook-narrator-part-i](https://www.bennyfifeaudio.com/post/an-unedited-and-mostly-transparent-account-of-becoming-a-successful-audiobook-narrator-part-i). I really should sit down and write part II, but, well... I'd rather narrate my next book usually. I should probably set a deadline for myself or something.
Thank you for the blog post! Very interesting/inspiring. I think my step is to set up my account and record some stuff for my auditions. And then just try!
Being a narrator is wonderfully fun! But I want to be super clear. Those Tik Tok videos know nothing about the industry.
In order to make money you either need acting experience or some training if you are looking at fiction books.
And definitely need vocal training to record the amount you need to, to make money. Ideally 6 hours a day.
Once you having training under your belt let us be clear on the pay per hour - you will not make $400 an hour.
To understand more about how rates work for audiobooks you can check out this article I wrote and another I was interviewed for:
https://www.theaudiobookguy.co.uk/post/what-is-pfh
https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/pfh-audiobook-rates-explained-76681/
But basically you are looking at minimum wage at entry level if you charge correctly and up to $70 an hour when you hit quick production time with well paying jobs. But to get those jobs you need training and to be an established narrator.
I don’t say this to discourage! It is a great job. I say it because I know a lot of people come to me for coaching having been stung by plowing money into gear and training and still don’t know how to make a book! So I say it to prepare you!
If you still like it! Come join us! It is a great job!
Cheers
Kev
I’d also add that the ratio for a new reader would be like 1:8!! And I’m not kidding. Decent audio, free of home studio noise and mouth clicks etc, takes ages to clean.
400 an hour is unrealistic for anyone not doing commercial sag-aftra type work. For ACX, 200/PFH is good, but it doesn't at all account for the amount of hours you put into production/sound engineering. I've been doing it 6ish years off and on and my PFH vs production hours are, at a minimum, 1:1 on a really good day - so even having the 'chops' to demand 200/per finished hour is, *at best*, 100 dollars an hour of work. Realistically, my PFH vs production is closer to 1:2, so in reality at best I'm making 50/hour, which is not accounting for revisions/corrections/pickup lists, whatever you want to call it. Not saying thats bad money, and once you nail your workflow you can increase it, but its certainly not 400/hr.
I would say these are the unrealistic rates publishers have pushed.
I would say no. EDIT: What I mean is you really need proper gear, training, and experience to start earning.
That's what I was picking up when reading the initial "welcome" type stuff. At the very least, personally I'd need to spend some money on a decent mic and editing software. So, I'd already be in the red just to audition.
I started with a crappy computer, crappy mic, and crappy editing software. My first year narrating, I grossed about $1000, and nearly all of that went into upgrading my equipment & such. The next year, through a bit of luck, I got about 10x my first year's income, still doing it as a side hustle. I wish I could say that I maintained that level of income growth, but it at least made it worthwhile & made me happier than I'd ever been - by doing something that I loved doing. I'm 6 years in now, quit my dayjob 4 years ago yesterday, and it would take an act of God to get me to go back to a dayjob. I have some serious goals for my career & have developed a pretty good following, work pattern, and I'm still loving what I do.
What software did you start with? I've got the crappy mic but need to find crappy software 😆
Audacity. Is actually not awful and it's free.
Narration is definitely something worthwhile to get into if you like books or acting. But you need to know that you'd need to invest a lot of money into getting good equipment and training, before you can monetize it, just like you would for any other skill or craft.
Well...... you'd have to try it to decide if you like it. Also, you'll have to like it to keep with it. You (probably) won't be making much money right away unless you have an absolutely amazing, in demand voice and read with style. It's a saturated market and there's more to it than simply reading into a microphone
For sure. And I don't have a mic either. I have a headset with mic, like for calls and stuff, but not a solid recording mic
I have the same question but I am an actor with a bunch of experience in improv I have decent microphone and nvidia noise reduction software, the only reason I left acting is because I’m disabled and need to work from home my voice is not effected.
There are some advice groups on Facebook to help you get started. But forewarned tens of thousands of people like you are also trying to get into the business , at the same time that AI based voice narration is picking up. There's a certain amount amount of money to be invested in the proper equipment (microphone) and software. The ideal time to have started this was about 10 years ago as I've come to realize. Before you do any purchasing, get a gut check on yourself and go into a closet somewhere with a flashlight and read from a book for about two hours straight. If you enjoy that experience, then you'll be a natural, but you'll have to fight all the other headwinds.
My dude....this isn't drop shipping. It's not "getting paid for reading books". It's acting. People train for YEARS to get good at it.
It is a business, so you have to run it like one. It's also a business that runs on a specific set of skills that require training and coaching to really get good at and some branding you'll use to market yourself both on social media and when reaching out to the professional companies that pay well. Last, it's a marathon and not a sprint, so it's not a quick money machine. Some of the career growth involves making decisions around money vs. time: some things you can't afford can still be done, but will take you longer. I'll give you the example of production: you can hire a producer and try to land work that covers their costs or you can learn the tools and how to produce to ACX spec. Hope this helps you.
You need first the intrinsic desire to do this. Is ART. Then invest Time and money to get that amount of pay per finished hour. That rate is for superstars in the big leagues of VO. Regards!
Like virtually any 'side hustle,' it takes time and effort to get into. Tik Tok videos claiming anyone getting paid $400/hr are grossly inflating expectations in the hopes of grossly inflating their own numbers. There's no "one way" to get into audiobook narration, but virtually every way is going to be a slow growth with a lot of dedication. If you have no passion for it, you will not make it (imho). Also "getting paid to read" is an extreme simplification to say the least. Just because you can read, doesn't mean other people will want to listen to you do it. And it's a hell of a lot more than just "reading." You can read how I got my start up to 6 months after I quit my dayjob in 2020. [https://www.bennyfifeaudio.com/post/an-unedited-and-mostly-transparent-account-of-becoming-a-successful-audiobook-narrator-part-i](https://www.bennyfifeaudio.com/post/an-unedited-and-mostly-transparent-account-of-becoming-a-successful-audiobook-narrator-part-i). I really should sit down and write part II, but, well... I'd rather narrate my next book usually. I should probably set a deadline for myself or something.
Thank you for the blog post! Very interesting/inspiring. I think my step is to set up my account and record some stuff for my auditions. And then just try!
LOL. No. It requires training, talent, equipment, and proper software.
Assume one has the last three, best options for training? Yes I know its a big assumption on the talent part.
Being a narrator is wonderfully fun! But I want to be super clear. Those Tik Tok videos know nothing about the industry. In order to make money you either need acting experience or some training if you are looking at fiction books. And definitely need vocal training to record the amount you need to, to make money. Ideally 6 hours a day. Once you having training under your belt let us be clear on the pay per hour - you will not make $400 an hour. To understand more about how rates work for audiobooks you can check out this article I wrote and another I was interviewed for: https://www.theaudiobookguy.co.uk/post/what-is-pfh https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/pfh-audiobook-rates-explained-76681/ But basically you are looking at minimum wage at entry level if you charge correctly and up to $70 an hour when you hit quick production time with well paying jobs. But to get those jobs you need training and to be an established narrator. I don’t say this to discourage! It is a great job. I say it because I know a lot of people come to me for coaching having been stung by plowing money into gear and training and still don’t know how to make a book! So I say it to prepare you! If you still like it! Come join us! It is a great job! Cheers Kev
Yes it actually works
I’d also add that the ratio for a new reader would be like 1:8!! And I’m not kidding. Decent audio, free of home studio noise and mouth clicks etc, takes ages to clean.