First Steps

The first thing any prospective narrator should do is LISTEN to audiobooks. AudioFile Magazine is the premiere source of professional reviews of audiobooks in its magazine, newsletters, and podcast. The web site includes a talent and industry database which lists publisher information.

Then, watch award-winning narrator Sean Pratt‘s video below and take his test. Answering my Audiobook Narrator Self-Assessment Quiz and reading through the explanations will further help you evaluate whether this career is a good fit for you.

I also recommend you take these 2 free mini-courses on Narrator.Life:

• Exploring Audiobook Narration — Andi Arndt
• Beginning Narrator’s Reality Check — Ann Richardson

If you decide to move forward, I highly encourage you to volunteer for your state’s reading service for the blind or Learning Ally to gain and improve skills, as well as provide a needed service to the world. I no longer recommend that anyone volunteer to record for LibriVox as their recordings are public domain and have been used to train AI voices.

Organizations

The Audio Publishers Association is the publlshers’ industry trade organization. It offers numerous benefits of membership to narrators including frequent webinars, news updates about the industry, opportunities to meet publishers and producers, and an annual conference.

The annual HEAR Now Festival celebrates audio storytelling in all its forms.

The Professional Audiobook Narrators Association is a trade organization created and run by audiobook narrators to advocate for our business interests and connect narrators within and outside our community. Membership is open to both union and non-union narrators.

Coaching

A listing of vetted audiobook coaches and consultants for both audiobook performance and business issues can be found in Audiobook Village.

Podcasts

Narrator and coach Sean Pratt discusses what it’s like to work as an audiobook narrator in episode 37 of Dan Heath’s show What’s It Like to Be.

Narrator Rich Miller hosts the informative and entertaining Audiobook Speakeasy podcast with guests from across the audiobook industry, including many of the coaches in the spreadsheet above. Listen to their episodes to help you choose the best person to help you.

In his Audiobook Narration for Beginners podcast, narrator and host J. Rodney Turner and his guests share tips and info they’ve learned on their path.

Audition Sites

New narrators can create a narrator profile or submit demos on 2 sites listed below. However — and I cannot stress this point too much — you only have 1 chance to make a good first impression! In fact, this point is so important that I want to highlight this excellent advice from award-winning narrator Ann Richardson:

Make sure it is a positive one that reinforces your professionalism and expounds on the excellence you’re bringing to the table. If, however, it conveys you’re new, inexperienced, not prepared, it would behoove you to resist the urge. It has been my experience that people grow weary quickly of multiple bumbling attempts, insecurity, and demonstrated lack of proficiency. In addition, they’re not usually willing to let you learn and iron out the kinks on their project.

In all cases, you need to be sure your demos are competitive in both your performance and sound production. Also, follow the submission instructions EXACTLY.

• ACX.com Marketplace site with titles available for audition. Authors may request your audition.
• AuthorsRepublic.com Marketplace site with titles available for audition. Authors may request your audition.
• FindawayVoices.com Findaway may send you auditions.

Social Media

If you have a profile on ACX, you can join the Indie (ACX and Others) Audiobook Narrators and Producers Facebook group. Narrators of all experience levels are members of this active group, and it’s a great place to ask questions and learn from others. Before you make any posts, check out the extensive group FAQ, which I created and maintain.

NOTE: Numerous industry veterans with years of experience and/or 100s of books completed participate in that Facebook group. The professional narrators there are not simply offering opinions. We are trying to guide newcomers into using industry best practices instead of making unnecessary mistakes that hurt the industry. Half of Americans have not heard an audiobook. If their first experience is a bad one, they may never come back to the media. Authors who have bad narrator experiences may not continue making audiobooks of their titles. Therefore, I implore you to also read this article and its comments before challenging or dismissing the advice a veteran narrator shares with you.

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