There’s something magical about a well-narrated audiobook. The way a skilled voice actor can breathe life into a story, shape the tone, and wrap the listener in the world like a cozy (or chilling) blanket—it’s an art form all its own.
So when the time came to bring my books into the world of audiobooks, the question wasn’t should I do it? The question was how.
Because, let’s be real—audiobook narration is not cheap.
A seasoned human narrator with the right skills, equipment, and experience can take a book and turn it into something truly immersive. They can deliver tension, laughter, heartbreak, and dread with just the right inflection.
But… that kind of talent comes at a price.
Option 1: Hiring a Professional Narrator
The Dream:
- Crisp, emotive, professional storytelling
- A wide range of voices and accents
- The ability to handle dramatic scenes without sounding like they’re reading a grocery list
The Reality:
- Costs can range from $100 to $400 per finished hour (and higher for well-known narrators)
- That means for a 10-hour audiobook, we’re talking $1,000 to $4,000 or more
- Finding the right narrator—one who captures the tone, understands the characters, and doesn’t make you cringe—is a whole process
So while hiring a human narrator is the gold standard, cost is a real factor.
Option 2: Narrating It Myself
The Dream:
- Full creative control—I know my characters and their voices best
- No worrying about whether a narrator “gets it”
- No massive financial investment upfront
The Reality:
- I… do not have a professional recording setup
- I would have to edit, master, and produce the whole thing (do I look like a sound engineer?)
- I’d have to read the emotional parts (do I really want to dramatically sob my way through certain scenes?)
- I’d have to listen to my own voice. Repeatedly. (Ew.)
And that last part? That one’s a big one. Because, while I’ve had requests to narrate my own books, the truth is—I don’t love the sound of my own voice. There. I said it.
It’s one thing to write a heart-wrenching scene. It’s another thing entirely to read it out loud, dramatically, into a microphone, and then listen to it play back over and over again while editing.
So while it’s not off the table completely, narrating my own book would require the right setup, the right atmosphere, and the right mental state. (Because let’s face it—I’d be roasting myself the entire time.)
Option 3: Digital Narration (Enter the Madness)
The Dream:
- No hefty narrator fees
- A seamless, polished audiobook
- A quick and painless production process
The Reality:
- Oh, sweet summer child…
Here’s the thing—digital narration is an option. A growing one, in fact. Platforms like Google Play Books and ElevenLabs offer AI-driven voices that can read an entire novel with shocking accuracy. And while I had my doubts, I figured… why not give it a try?
And that’s when I met Martin.
But that, dear reader, is a story for another day.
Stay tuned for my next post, when I share the unhinged saga of Martin (with Special Guest, Mary), the AI narrator who took me on an unexpected journey of pronunciation crimes, victories, and outright chaos.
