Hear your own chapter read by vetted narrators, choose the voice that fits your book, and pay per finished hour through escrow. Files can be mastered for ACX and other retailers.
Narrators are reviewed before listing. Your payment stays in escrow until you approve the audio.
Audiobook narration is usually priced per finished hour (PFH), which is about 9,000 words of finished audio. A 60,000-word book is roughly six to seven finished hours. On AumVoice, narration starts at $200 per finished hour for emerging talent, $300 PFH for professional mid-range narrators, and $450 PFH for premium narration.
View full Voice Over Rates1. Script Audition & Tone Match
Casting curated across 240+ vetted commercial artists
2. Directed Live Recording Session
Source-Connect, Zoom or SessionLink live direction
3. Broadcast Stems & Rights Release
WAV/AIFF master delivery, escrow cleared upon signoff
Show only narrators with a real audiobook demo. Filter by genre, language and accent, gender, age range, character voices, tone and verified ACX-ready studio.
Share the genre, characters, pronunciation notes, and a one to two page excerpt.
Narrators record your own words so you can judge voice, pacing, and character work.
Agree the rate, the delivery milestones, and the exact files you need.
The narrator delivers chapters in structured batches (sample chapter, first chapters, full delivery) so you can review early and give notes.
Mistakes and mispronunciations are fixed free. Audio is mastered to your delivery specification.
Funds are held in secure escrow and released only as you approve each milestone.
AI voices on AumVoice are created only from artists who opted in and signed the AI license. Retailer rules on AI narration differ, so verify before publishing.
| Feature | Human narrator | Licensed AI voice |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Retail audiobooks, fiction, character work, memoirs | Samples, drafts, internal or educational audio, frequently updated content |
| Performance | Full emotional range, pacing nuance, and distinct character voices | Controllable pace and consistent tone, with limited emotional nuance |
| Rights | Agreed in the narration contract with full master release | Defined in the AI license terms |
| Retail distribution | Widely accepted by all retailers and distributors (Audible, Apple Books, Spotify) | Rules on AI narration differ by retailer and change over time; check before choosing |
Files can be delivered mastered to ACX technical specifications on request: 192kbps+ MP3, -60dB noise floor, -23dB to -19dB RMS loudness, -3dB peak level, opening/closing credits, and proper room tone padding. Other retailers and distributors have their own specifications, so specify them in your brief.
Clients receive full retail commercial distribution ownership to the finished audio recordings upon final milestone payment release. Narrator contracts specify clear rights transfer with no hidden residuals.
Romance, thriller, fantasy, science fiction, literary, children's
Requires sustained vocal stamina, emotional range, and distinct, believable character voices.
Business, self-help, history, memoir, textbooks
Requires clear, steady, authoritative delivery that keeps listeners engaged across technical or complex subjects.
Audiobooks are priced per finished hour (PFH) rather than per minute or per word. Rates match our official Voice Over Rates schedule.
$200 / PFH
Indie and self-published titles, shorter books
$300 / PFH
Most fiction and non-fiction titles
$450 / PFH
Series, flagship titles, award-winning narrators
Worked example: A 60,000-word novel is about six to seven finished hours. At a professional rate of $300 PFH, production comes to about $1,800 to $2,100. View full rate card on Voice Over Rates →
Audiobook narration is priced per finished hour (PFH). On AumVoice, rates start at $200 PFH for emerging narrators, $300 PFH for professional talent, and $450 PFH for premium performers. For example, a 60,000-word book (about 6.5 finished hours) typically costs between $1,300 and $2,900 depending on the narrator tier chosen.
A finished hour (PFH) is one hour of clean, fully edited, proofed, and mastered audio. At a typical narrative reading pace of 130 to 155 words per minute, one finished hour represents approximately 9,000 to 9,300 words of manuscript text.
Production timeline depends on total manuscript length and narrator availability. Full-length audiobooks typically take 2 to 4 weeks, delivered in agreed milestones: a sample chapter for early sign-off, the first batch of chapters within 7 to 10 days, followed by the remaining chapters and final mastering.
Yes. On request, our narrators and audio engineers deliver files mastered precisely to ACX and Audible technical requirements: 192kbps CBR MP3 format, 44.1 kHz sample rate, -23dB to -19dB RMS loudness, -3dB peak levels, maximum -60dB noise floor, and standard room-tone heads and tails.
Yes. You can submit a 1 to 2 page excerpt of your manuscript through our casting portal. Narrators will record a custom audition so you can hear how they interpret your characters, dialogue, and narrative tone before you hire.
Yes. Once you approve the final delivery and release escrow payment, you own full commercial distribution rights to the completed audio recordings. You are free to distribute the files across ACX, Audible, Apple Books, Spotify, Findaway Voices, or direct sale.
Yes. Experienced fiction narrators specialize in character differentiation, managing distinct vocal timbres, accents, pitches, and cadences for multiple characters. You can filter our directory for character voices and listen to character reels.
AI voices are available on AumVoice from artists who have explicitly consented and signed licensing terms. They work well for prototypes, drafts, and educational material. However, retailer policies regarding AI narration differ and evolve, so check retailer rules before planning a commercial AI release.
Narrator errors, mispronunciations, and missed lines are corrected free of charge during proofing. If you make revisions or additions to the manuscript text after chapters have already been recorded, pickup re-reads are charged at an agreed pickup rate.
We welcome experienced audiobook narrators with broadcast-grade home studios. Apply through our artist sign-up route with your audiobook samples, studio technical specs, and portfolio. Once verified by our audio team, your profile and demos will go live on the directory.
Send a one to two page excerpt and hear it read by narrators who suit your book. Hear your own words so you can judge voice, pacing, and character work.
Every narrator featured on our audiobook roster undergoes verified quality checks:
Create a profile, upload your audiobook demos and get matched with authors and publishers looking for voices across fiction and non-fiction.