Readers of The Magazine of Santa Clarita have sent me some great questions this year, and I hope I’ve been able to enlighten you a bit about the voiceover industry. If you have any questions you’d like me to answer, please write to the editors and they’ll be glad to publish your question, or feel free to write to me directly. This month, a voice actor asks about the going rate for narrating audiobooks.
Q: I have a friend who’s scoping out a budget on a self-published audio book. (1) What’s the going rate for an experienced audio book narrator? I am not asking for a quote on your rate (although it would be good to know, for future reference). I assume your credits and experience put you on a higher price level than the average journeyman/V-O talent. Just looking for a ballpark on (1) What’s a reasonable going rate? (2) How many pages are typically recorded in a session? (3) Who usually directs? The author?
A: If they’re coming into a studio to solely do narration (and someone else is editing), the rate for an experienced narrator is $250/finished hour. A finished hour is based on what the actual running time of the final, edited track is. If they’re doing it in their home studio and have to edit their own tracks, the rate is $300 to $350/finished hour. For someone starting out, though, $150 to $200/hr. is average and 60 to 80 pages are typically recorded in a session, depending on the font size, more if the font is larger (like 14, 16 or 18 pt. Times New Roman). I’ve never heard of an author directing, but I supposed that it might have happened. In a professional setting, it’s usually left to a seasoned director or an engineer who’s doing punch-in and Q/C.
Cashman Commercials © 2010
Marc Cashman creates and produces copy and music advertising for radio and television, was named one of the “Best Voices of the Year” by AudioFile Magazine, and was the Keynote Speaker and Master Class instructor at the international voiceover conventions VOICE 2008 and 2010 in Los Angeles. Winner of over 150 advertising awards, and a working voice actor as well, he instructs voice acting of all levels through his classes, The Cashman Cache of Voice-Acting Techniques in Los Angeles, CA.
Marc can be contacted at cashcomm@earthlink.net or his website, www.cashmancommercials.com.