How To Make Money With Your Voice By Narrating Audiobooks

Let’s not overcomplicate it: if people like listening to you talk, you can get paid to read books.

Yes, really. Out loud. Into a mic.

Audiobook narration is one of the most underrated ways to make money from home—and it’s growing fast. Thanks to the rise of platforms like ACX (that’s Audiobook Creation Exchange), you don’t need to be famous or have a radio voice. You just need to be clear, natural, and able to read like you mean it.

Let’s break it down in real talk.

What’s Audiobook Narration, Anyway?

It’s simple: you read books and record them so other people can listen. That’s it.

You might’ve already heard audiobooks on Audible or Spotify. Someone’s voice brought that story or self-help book to life—and that someone got paid.

Now imagine that’s you.

How Do You Actually Make Money?

There are two main ways audiobook narrators earn:

Per Finished Hour (PFH): You get paid a flat fee for every hour of the final audiobook. (If the book is 5 hours long, and you charge $150 PFH—you make $750.)
Royalty Share: You split the earnings with the author. The more the book sells, the more you make. It keeps earning long after you’re done recording. That’s called passive income.

Pro tip: You can even do Royalty + PFH on some projects. That’s upfront cash and future income.

Where to Get Started: ACX

ACX is your best bet. It’s owned by Amazon and connects narrators with authors who need someone to read their books.

Here’s what to do:

Sign up and make a free profile
Upload a few samples of you reading different styles (fiction, non-fiction, dramatic, chill, etc.)
Browse open books and send auditions
Get picked, record the book, and upload it to ACX

Once it’s live, it sells on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. You sit back and let the cash roll in.

What Equipment Do You Need?

Don’t overthink it. You don’t need a fancy studio. You can literally get started from your closet. Here’s what you need:

🎤 Mic: Try the Blue Yeti or ATR2100x (around $100 or less)
🎧 Headphones: To hear yourself clearly and catch mistakes
🔇 Quiet space: A closet with blankets is perfect to muffle sound
💻 Free editing app: Like Audacity

You can upgrade later. Start small. Get a feel for it.

Need help setting it up? Here’s a simple home studio setup guide from Voices.com.

Do I Need Experience?

Nope. But you DO need to practice.

Here’s how to get better fast:

Read out loud daily (anything—books, articles, cereal boxes)
Record yourself and listen back
Try different tones and speeds
Get feedback (friends, online forums, Facebook groups)

Also, you can narrate public domain books on LibriVox for free. Great practice, and you get samples for your portfolio.

How Much Can You Make?

Honestly? It depends.

If you land a few books a month, you could make $500–$2,000+ depending on how long the books are and your rate. And remember: royalty-share books can keep paying you for years.

Stack enough of those? You’ve got a mini money machine running in the background.