How to Get Paid to Read Books Aloud: 9 Options for 2023 Ranked

There’s no limit to what you can do to earn extra money these days, and here’s one of them: Getting paid to read books aloud.

The best part about this job is that you don’t need to be a professional voiceover artist. As long as you’re an avid reader, can read well, and have the voice to match, you’re good to go.

If you’re ready to take on the role of an audiobook narrator but don’t know where to start, we’ve got you.

Here, we’ve outlined nine available platforms you can explore to make your dreams come true. After reading this piece, you’ll also know the things you need to succeed as a narrator. 

Can You Get Paid to Read Books Aloud?

 Yes. Essentially, reading books aloud involves reading an entire book or doing a book review and getting money in return.

Thousands of people would rather listen to audiobooks than read traditionally published books.

This is why book authors and people in the book publishing industry are constantly looking for voice actors that can help read books aloud in exchange for money.

How Much Can You Make By Reading Books Aloud?

Since audiobook narration is becoming increasingly popular, you can earn anything between $100 and $500 per finished hour.

This depends on your level of experience, the website or the platform you’re rendering your services on, and the length of the book, among other things. Some people even get royalty income.

Overall, as long as you get consistent work for you, reading books aloud can be a great source of passive income. You can also choose to make it a full-time job.

What You’ll Need to Get Paid to Read Books Aloud

Here are a few things you’ll need to become an audiobook narrator:

• Audio Equipment: Investing in a quality microphone and other audio equipment can increase your chances of getting job offers.
• A Quiet Space: To ensure you produce high-quality audio without spending so much time editing, you should always record in an environment with limited background noise.
• A Clear, Audible Voice: A clear and enchanting voice will make it easier for you to receive more job offers.
• Great Reading Skills: You must be able to read well.

1. ACX 

If you’re looking for one of the biggest and most popular sites for book narration jobs, then you should start with ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange). This platform is owned by Amazon, but it handles narrations for iTunes and Audible as well.

All you have to do is create an account and upload several high-quality audio samples on your profile. This will attract self-published authors to your page.

If you catch the attention of any author or publisher, you’ll be selected to narrate the manuscript. This starts with an audition of 15 minutes that’ll determine whether the author wants you to finish the project or not.

You can earn $100-$5,000 per audiobook, with an average of $300 per finished hour.

What Makes this Option Great

ACX is a large platform with several authors looking for people to work as audiobook narrators, so it’s fairly easy to land yourself a gig as long as you have top-notch samples on your profile.

In addition, you can set an hourly rate, which will determine how much you get paid after each gig. You can also earn about 20% of the book’s royalties from the book’s Rights Holder.

• Fees/Commission: If your audiobook is purchased through Audible first, you’ll receive a $50 bounty payment. You’ll also receive $75 for every new Audible member that you refer. The ACX service is free, but payment fees depend on the payment method
• Payment Methods: Check, credit card, or Paymaster

2. Bunny Studio

Like most freelancing sites, Bunny Studio connects companies and organizations with freelancers for different services, and in this case, these services include video services, audio advertisements, translations, and voiceovers.

Once you sign up on the platform and pass the audition, you’ll be considered a professional narrator on Bunny Studio. Note, however, that this site has a turnaround time of 12 hours, so you should consider your speed if you’re willing to work here.

Also, you’re required to produce only high-quality audio, so you might need to invest in some top-grade voiceover equipment before signing up.

What Makes this Option Great

Bunny Studio lets you earn money based on your experience level. Beginners earn about $50 per finished hour, while experienced narrators can make as much as $200 for one finished hour.

This platform pays you for every work done as long as it passes the site’s quality control check. It doesn’t matter whether the client rejects the deliverable or not.

Finally, gigs are sent to your email address directly, which saves you the stress of scouring through several job postings and applications before landing a job.

• Fees/Commission: None
• Payment Methods: PayPal, Payoneer, Revolut, and wire transfer

3. Voice 123 

Since its inception in 2003, Voice 123 has grown to be one of the foremost sites for voiceover artists and audiobook narrators. Signing up on this platform means there’s a chance that you might be hired by global clients like The New York Times, NBC, and Coca-Cola.

You can earn money via this platform by doing voiceovers for video games, cartoons, and commercials, as well as narrating audiobooks.

What Makes this Option Great

Voice 123 is great because you don’t have to pay commission fees to the site, and you get all the money that your client pays you.

This platform is also ideal for beginners. Thanks to Voice 123’s wide network of clients with different categories of jobs with varying skill levels, there’s always something for everyone. 

Plus, when creating your profile, you’ll be asked a few questions to determine your skill level. This will help streamline the kind of job offers you get and make it easier for you to gain mastery over time.

• Fees/Commission: None
• Payment Methods: Bank transfer, credit card, or PayPal

4. Findaway Voices

Findaway Voices is another site that lets you read books aloud and get money in return. It’s a top site for self-published authors in the United States.

You can become a narrator by simply creating an account on the site. You’ll also need to input a Per Finished Hour (PFH) rate, which is usually $85-$100 for beginners.

Once you’ve set up your profile, you’ll be recommended for gigs. If you’re selected for a job, you’ll need to sign the necessary agreements before uploading an extended sample of the job.

If the client is satisfied with the sample, you can go ahead to complete the project.

What Makes this Option Great

Findaway Voices focuses on small and independent authors. So it’s a better place for beginners to connect with writers easily and also find jobs that aren’t so complicated.

This website isn’t as competitive as other sites, so it shouldn’t be so challenging to find work here. You can also get free books that you narrate after you’re done.

Finally, Findaway Voices comes with a feature that automatically checks and saves the final length of your recording, so you don’t require an invoice when it’s time to receive payment. And you’ll get your money within two weeks of the recording’s approval.

• Fees/Commission: 20% of your royalties
• Payment Methods: Wire transfer, direct deposit/ACH, check, or PayPal

5. Voices.com 

Voices.com provides audiobook narrator jobs for anyone interested in this line of work. This site is also popular for having top brands like The History Channel, Shopify, and Microsoft as part of their top clients.

After creating an account on Voices.com, you’ll need to upload a sample of your voice. An inbuilt engine on the site will use this sample to link you up with potential clients. After you find the perfect match, you can reach out to the client directly via the website.

The interesting part about this platform is that audiobooks are narrated in more than 160 countries in 221 languages.

What Makes this Option Great

Voices.com is one of the few platforms where you can make quite a lot of money from reading books aloud. Narrators on this website usually earn between $200 and $300 per finished hour, depending on the length of the book.

There are two types of membership accounts available on this website, and they’re basic and premium plans. As you might expect, each of these plans comes with its benefits.

• Fees/Commission: 4%-6% processing fee
• Payment Methods: PayPal or Credit Card

6. Voice Jungle

Voice Jungle is another online platform you should consider if you want to read aloud and make money. However, you should note that this site focuses more on the e-learning industry and podcast narration.

To become eligible for jobs at Voice Jungle, you need to have a home studio and be able to submit projects within 24 hours after it’s been assigned to you.

As long as you meet these two requirements, you can start working by uploading a demo in mp3 format on the platform. If your demo is approved, you’ll be added to the Voice Jungle Roster and be contacted directly when there’s a job available for you.

What Makes this Option Great

Voice Jungle offers a wide array of job opportunities for professional voice actors who’d like to work on several animation projects, explainer videos, automotive ads, and the like.

Unlike some platforms, auditions to secure a job don’t require a listing fee. And this site processes payment automatically after a client approves your work.

• Fees/Commission: N/A
• Payment Methods: Credit card

7. Mandy Voices

Formerly known as Voices Pro, Mandy Voices is a site that provides job opportunities to different creative professionals, including narrators. So, if you want to read books aloud and you’re in India, the US, the UK, Canada, or Australia, then this is one website you should jump on.

Mandy Voices charges a fee for premium memberships, but the good part is that you can create an account and enjoy a 30-day free trial before choosing to make any financial commitment.

With a free membership, you get access to opportunities in the Mandy Voices directory, while upgrading to a premium membership will allow you access to any project available.

What Makes this Option Great

Mandy Voices is a platform for both experienced and new narrators to find job opportunities. Plus, these jobs cut across different fields, so you shouldn’t have issues finding something suitable for you.

To get the best out of this platform, it’s best if you sign up for their paid membership.

• Fees/Commission: 10%-15% of your earning
• Payment Methods: Credit card

8. Spoken Realms

Besides the fact that Spoken Realms is like other sites that pay you for reading books aloud, it shares a close similarity with ACX in that most of your narrator works can end up on iTunes, Amazon, and Audible.

Spoken Realms favors people who are members of Equity (Actor’s Equity Association), ACTRA, or SAG-AFTRA. That doesn’t mean you won’t be able to find your footing if you aren’t a member of any of these associations.

What Makes this Option Great

Spoken Realms has two payment structures: Per Finished Hour (PFH) and Royalty Share. Either system is a great way to earn money on this site.

Plus, this is a community of professional and captivating storytellers, and you should fit right in if you’re into podcast narrations or you enjoy reading classic or graphic novels.

• Fees/Commission: None
• Payment Methods: PayPal

9. Voice Crafters

Voice Crafters is well-known as a website that provides voiceover jobs for only professional and experienced voice actors. In fact, one of the requirements for applying for jobs on this site is a minimum of five years of commercial experience in the voiceover or audiobook production industry.

In addition, you should own professional recording equipment and be able to complete a 300-500 word recording within 24-48 hours.

With all these requirements, it’s apparent that beginners are better off trying out other platforms instead.

However, if you meet all these requirements, then Voice Crafters can be the perfect place to explore a career in voice acting. You can also make it into a full-time job.

What Makes this Option Great

Even with all the strict criteria, Voice Crafters is one of the best places you can get paid to read books aloud. You’ll be able to render a wide range of services, from recordings for Interactive Voice Response (IVR) to podcast and audiobook narration.

The best part about this website is that it’s multilingual, so non-native English speakers can conveniently find jobs here as well.

• Fees/Commission: N/A
• Payment Methods: Credit card

Why You Should Consider Reading Books Aloud As a Side Hustle

Here are a few reasons you should consider reading books aloud as a side hustle:

• A Great Source of Passive Income: Reading books aloud is one way to make money on the side. And you can make more as you gain more experience in the field.
• Can Become a Full-Time Job: This job can transform into a full-time job, especially if you’re getting constant gigs on whatever platform you use.
• Flexible: You aren’t bound by a fixed working hour; you can work in your spare time.
• Make Money Out of a Hobby: If you’re an avid book reader, you can choose to make extra money out of your hobby.

Problems With Reading Books Aloud for Money

As cool as it is to read books aloud for money, some issues you can encounter along the way include:

• Expenses: You need to get professional audio equipment, which can cost you a lot of money.
• Highly Competitive: There are several experienced book narrators in this field, so beginners may have a hard time finding gigs.
• May Be Time-Consuming: A lot goes into reading books aloud. You may need to read the entire book before recording and even record more than once to get the best result. This takes up more time than you’d like.
• Job Security: As an audiobook narrator, you’re more or less an independent contractor. This means the client can choose to end the contract with you anytime they wish.

How to Get Paid to Read Books Aloud: Step-By-Step Instructions

Things to Consider When Reading Books Aloud for Money

These are some factors you should consider when reading books aloud for money.

1. Find a Quiet Space for Recordings

It’s important to find a quiet environment to record audio files, especially samples. This will help with audio quality and make it easier for authors and clients to select you for a job.

The first thing to do is to keep your microphone away from any appliances that make brown or white noise, e.g., a fan.

You should also find a room with less echo. You can try out small hotel rooms or even record in your vehicle. Also, to make things more definite, you may choose to soundproof a particular area in your home. This will help you get balanced audio, and you won’t have to worry about background noises.

2. Work on Voice Modulations

Remember that you aren’t just reading books aloud—it’s called voice acting for a reason. Therefore, voice modulation is important to give readers an enjoyable listening experience.

To know how best to infuse voice modulations into the text, it’s better to read the entire piece to get a better understanding of each character before recording anything.

3. Choose a Niche

It’s easier to get recognition when you read books of a specific genre. As an audiobook narrator, you should consider the different kinds of books available to read and stick with one type. This will also streamline your search for job opportunities.

4. Start With a Platform

Since there are many platforms you can narrate books for money, you might be tempted to sign up on several websites. This is counter-effective, and you may end up getting overwhelmed.

It’s better to begin with one platform, especially if you’re new to this profession. This way, you can stay organized and keep track of every order coming in. Overall, you’ll enjoy increased productivity.

5. Pay Attention to Your Voice

Your voice is the most important tool as an audiobook narrator, so you have to take good care of it. Avoid anything that’ll put a strain on your vocal cords.

On top of that, you should stay hydrated and use substances that’ll soothe your throat. For instance, teas with marshmallow root or licorice root are ideal for your voice.

Frequently Asked Questions

Similar Ways to Get Paid

Here are other online job opportunities that can get you some cool cash:

• Get Paid to Type: Are you good at typing? Then you can sell this skill for money.
• Get Paid to Play Video Games: Video games are fun, and even better, you can earn while playing.
• Get Paid to Workout: Need inspiration to work out? How about working out and making money at the same time?

Wrapping Up

Reading books aloud for money isn’t a challenging venture as long as you have the voice and the right equipment.

With plenty of opportunities available in the audiobook industry, you can make as much money as you want from the comfort of your home. It’s even more enjoyable if you’re a book lover—imagine making money doing what you love the most.

Does this look like a side hustle that you’re interested in? Let us know in the comments.

Also, if there are other book lovers in your circle that you believe will love to take on this kind of job opportunity, you can share this piece with them.