its crazy how much they want to record Audio books

[mjl1966]

I was thinking about charging about $150 per hour because I have my own studio, my own gear, and I'm very good at post-production, so it'd be about 4 hours PFH ratio... but my Australian accent is a deal-breaker for many. If I was getting around $35-40 per hour (which about one third of what a plumber or electrician charges) I'd be happy. But it's exacting, skilled and also tedious work. $200 PFH is cheap, if you're outsourcing a studio and operator.

I think that's an excellent rate, if you have your process down to 4:1 and the quality is good.  Do you have a sample somewhere?   

[KBoards.com]

[Abalone]

Yes, how dare people try to make a living.

[Amanda M. Lee]

And yet, here we all are getting paid tiny fractions of pennies per page read. Because we're professionals.

What does a KU beef have to do with narrator pricing? No, I seriously want to know.

[Not any more]

Narrators should hang out on this board. They'll get valuable tips from us PROFESSIONAL authors.

Offer some 99-cent deals once in a while.
Throw in a freebie every now and then.

That way they can widen their base. Get us to come back for more.

We've got a lot of tips on now to run a PROFESSIONAL business.
We know the value of our work.

Don't confuse selling a service with selling a product. If you don't understand the difference, then you have a
business problem.

[ThirdWish]

Some perspective from a writer who has also narrated quite a few audiobooks:

A narrator takes the story you, the author, created and runs it through his or her body at a word-by-word, second-by-second, level. That's an intimate thing. Literal. Physical. Tactile. It has to be that way because an audiobook is an intimate experience for a listener, as well. When a listener hits 'play,' he or she will have the experience of a soft voice in his or her ear for hours on end. How many actual humans would you allow to stand about six inches from your body and whisper into your ear for hours? Not many, I'm guessing.

Narrators who do a great job are living your story and bringing it alive for readers. That's no small thing.

[The Bass Bagwhan]

I think that's an excellent rate, if you have your process down to 4:1 and the quality is good.  Do you have a sample somewhere?   

Actually, you've inspired me to put a sample up on my website... I'll do that today and post a link. I'll PM you, too.

[Gertie Kindle]

Some perspective from a writer who has also narrated quite a few audiobooks:

A narrator takes the story you, the author, created and runs it through his or her body at a word-by-word, second-by-second, level. That's an intimate thing. Literal. Physical. Tactile. It has to be that way because an audiobook is an intimate experience for a listener, as well. When a listener hits 'play,' he or she will have the experience of a soft voice in his or her ear for hours on end. How many actual humans would you allow to stand about six inches from your body and whisper into your ear for hours? Not many, I'm guessing.

Narrators who do a great job are living your story and bringing it alive for readers. That's no small thing.

I got all choked up when I heard my first audiobook because, yes, the narrator brought my words to life. It's a beautiful thing. Remember, these people are voice actors and actors are paid a lot for a reason.

Exactly. A great narrator also brings along their own fan base.  I started using a narrator after I heard he did one of Joe Nobody's and he auditioned on something I put up blindly when I was going gangbusters.  In the end, I looked at who had the most skin in the game, the best reviews, and fanbase.  Now he is the voice of the apocalypse and by me using him... He's bringing me new readers and I hope it's a vice versa thing for books he narrates for other authors.

I'm in production on a trilogy which is probably the last one I'll do, at least for a while. That's great advice and I will keep it in mind.

[RightHoJeeves]

Actually, you've inspired me to put a sample up on my website... I'll do that today and post a link. I'll PM you, too.

Mate, surely your Aussie accent counts as a premium niche service?

[The Bass Bagwhan]

Mate, surely your Aussie accent counts as a premium niche service?

I wish! The funny thing is, after some listeners commented (in a good way mainly) on my accent, you become really aware of it in general. Now, when I see the news on the telly, it's like every female reporter is like Julia Gillard and every guy is Paul Hogan... lots of twanging and such.

For what it's worth, I've put a sample on my website here. http://graemehague.com.au/my-audiobooks-through-audible/

[RightHoJeeves]

For what it's worth, I've put a sample on my website here. http://graemehague.com.au/my-audiobooks-through-audible/

You have a great ABC voice!

[Gertie Kindle]

I wish! The funny thing is, after some listeners commented (in a good way mainly) on my accent, you become really aware of it in general. Now, when I see the news on the telly, it's like every female reporter is like Julia Gillard and every guy is Paul Hogan... lots of twanging and such.

For what it's worth, I've put a sample on my website here. http://graemehague.com.au/my-audiobooks-through-audible/

I liked it.

[Tobias Roote]

Some perspective from a writer who has also narrated quite a few audiobooks:

A narrator takes the story you, the author, created and runs it through his or her body at a word-by-word, second-by-second, level. That's an intimate thing. Literal. Physical. Tactile. It has to be that way because an audiobook is an intimate experience for a listener, as well. When a listener hits 'play,' he or she will have the experience of a soft voice in his or her ear for hours on end. How many actual humans would you allow to stand about six inches from your body and whisper into your ear for hours? Not many, I'm guessing.

Narrators who do a great job are living your story and bringing it alive for readers. That's no small thing.

That's exactly right. It felt like I was hearing the book for the first time (and every time I hear it is the same). It's a marvelous thing when a voice/drama actor reads your book out loud.

[KBoards.com]