VOICEOVER TIPS | Is ACX worth you time?

[@DanStormVO]

My first audiobook has been exactly what you're cautioning against- Royalty Share, long novel, touchy subject material. But the Author loved my audition. I'm more of a character actor and it turns out that's exactly what they were looking for. This particular project was book one of a planned trilogy, so there's already future work secured and thanks to how I worked the author was blown away by the results. So for me at least, even though I know the earnings won't be fantastic I know that I've at least got potential to negotiate better payment deals in the future, not to mention the author giving me a positive recommendation.

[@CrownStagVoiceover]

That’s really great, I hope it’s successful - feel free to plug the book. My caution is more about just making sure people judge and balance the time required and taken.

[@CrownStagVoiceover]

Dan can I ask, there was another comment you made and its no longer visible. Did you delete it? I only ask as I have had another user complain on Reddit that I delete their comments but I haven't deleted anyone's on any of my videos. I just wondered if it was you or if KZbin is doing something

[@DanStormVO]

@@CrownStagVoiceover Yes, I replied to your comment and linked the Audible store page, so I'm guessing KZbin doesn't like having external links in comments. Probably a preventative measure for spam and bots

[@CrownStagVoiceover]

Oh I didn’t even see that one. I was referring to the one that started with I certainly or is that the one you are referring to?

[@DanStormVO]

@@CrownStagVoiceover I think that was the one, yeah. If you would like to check out the audiobook, I've just put a link in the description of my latest video. Cheers!

[@narratorjamesvo]

Well done. I really appreciate your unbiased viewpoint on ACX. For me, I've been narrating from their platform for over three years now. I've done close to 80 audiobooks. I think it's around 75...ish. After my first year, I've learned a lot. What to do, and most importantly what NOT to do. Since then, I've been able to look for a few key points when I go to audition for a new book. Things like an actual author(one that's been checked for legitimacy), Amazon sales rank, customer reviews, and writing style. Once my personal threshold has been met, I audition for it. Thanks again for your review!

[@CrownStagVoiceover]

Perfect way to go about it and well done on the number of titles

[@jaisonrandall3253]

How is the pay?

[@narratorjamesvo]

@@CrownStagVoiceover many thanks!

[@narratorjamesvo]

@@jaisonrandall3253 the payout depends on the kind of book you do. There are three payout types: 1) Royalty share, 2) Per Finished Hour or PFH and 3) Royalty share plus. The first one pays you 20% of the cost of the audiobook every time it sells. Should you go that route, it is wise to choose a book that you know will sell well. The second, PFH, will pay you one lump sum as soon as all of the recorded files are submitted and approved. The third is a hybrid of the first two.

[@julieru8953]

Thanks for sharing!

[@MathStar100]

I just submitted my first audition. Your channel is amazing and I'm flipping through it and trying to get more information on what other sites I can get on for voice acting and narrating. Thank you so much for making these

[@CrownStagVoiceover]

Honestly, it’s my pleasure. I really appreciate people writing messages like this.

[@itsbjorn]

I'm an author who is planning on using ACX...this was a good look at the voice over side of this...

[@CrownStagVoiceover]

My pleasure

[@purity6sic6mc]

I love your channel and content. So informative and very helpful for people getting into audiobook narration. I love that you tell the real expectations a narrator should have as opposed to the false expectations that all these videos on here give people. Time is money and it does take the time and due diligence. Just like recording a album if your musician. At which I am just that and royalties is what people don't expect. It is a learning curve, and can be frustrating but that is how it works.

[@CrownStagVoiceover]

I’m glad you found it helpful

[@moosevoiceover]

I soured on ACX when I was awarded a job, started recording and after a few hours of recording, the book was all of the sudden pulled and cancelled. I never got paid for my time, never heard from ACX/Amazon on why? Never any followup from the platform when I contacted them. I would suggest using ACX as a way to 'get your feet wet' but start with smaller books. And, moving forward, get a payment of some kind UP FRONT so that if the book gets pulled for whatever reason you still walk away with SOMETHING. Hate ACX ever since then.

[@roddymcdowell5925]

yeah i spent time recording and submitting an audition then got a message later saying the author had withdrawn the book. Complete waste of my time.

[@BethBurns68]

I'm just starting out in Voice Over, so I really appreciate your advice and tips. Thank you so much!

[@kthx1138]

I had to bow out of doing a project, a fantasy novel, that was written at below 3rd grade reading level, with poor grammar, sentence fragments, run-on sentences, character dialogue that had no end quotation marks so I didn't know that the character had stopped speaking and 3rd-person narration had resumed.

[@reignbowreignbowreignbow4894]

My grandma watches you all the time. She's a voiceover artist. Sounds like great advice. Thanks. I think, lm just a know d but.....l probably should watch as well.

[@TALKCalgary]

I've narrated documentary films, voiced cartoons and dubbed foreign language films. The one thing that I would never consider is audiobook narration. The pay is poor and the workload huge.

[@miguelpereira9859]

I think your skill set is probably overkill for audiobook narration tho

[@dbootcheck]

This is a great channel. Very helpful advice.

[@CrownStagVoiceover]

My pleasure. I know how much of a pain it can be finding any information out

[@asianguy6174]

Don’t do royalty only expecting to make money, except to get experience. If they don’t have money to pay you up front, they certainly don’t have money to promote it so you or they can profit from it If they have money to promote it, they won’t want to share the profits with you and will prefer to pay you a set fee, which is the best case scenario. Take those jobs. You better be pretty damn good and experienced for you to get those jobs. Your volume, delivery, tone need to be consistent for several hours. Except for when you do characters, forget being conversational. You’re a narrator, you need to be detached. Listen to Scott Bricks or any of the other prolific audiobook narrators and they’re pretty dry, otherwise it’s too fatiguing for the listener to take it all in for long periods. Also if you are too animated it will be too difficult to give a consistent read. You need to read slowly enough and take pauses to allow the listener to take it all in. Half the time, the listener is driving or engaged in something else. You are not acting, you are reading.

[@kthx1138]

Dry: When it comes to the third-person narration, yes. When it comes to the character dialogue, I have to disagree--you HAVE to emote, be an actor, be able to pull off different kinds of voices.

[@YasinD95]

Hi Neil, thanks for your video. I was wondering what is your recommendation for someone who wants to narrate audiobooks as a side hustle, if not ACX? I appreciate you've probably answered this question 100s of time elsewhere, Sorry!!

[@2020onwards]

Informative. thanks for this

[@multismartmove]

This video for all sake and purpose was excellent in it's simplicity. I'm truly a greenhorn with doing voiceovers and the business. This has been a desire of mines for quite awhile. Being Black American, Urban Novels and Erotica seems idea for my reading and acting abilities. Would ACX benefit or sour my attitude towards narration of books? Thanks, Great Channel

[@FittedMisfits1]

Are you explaining the pay as in royalties or upfront pay?

[@Shanna777]

If this is will be only income should the narrator then choose pay per hr? Thank you.

[@TheRandomINFJ]

Lol sounds like you're trying to be gangsta in your title. Is it worth you time, yo? Just playing. But yea it's worth my time. I land 4+ books a month on ACX alone. I love my job and I get to do it full-time. However, not everyone is meant to be a narrator. Truly, 2 out of 10 books have decent narration. It's sooo much more than being able to read or do simple file masters. ❤🤜🤛🎤🎧 Edit: in 7 months, I narrated over 50 books. I think about 30ish are already out since this comment. Figured I'd post my numbers since every other narrator on here felt the need 😃

[@roddymcdowell5925]

ACX just mostly seem to want american narrators since most of the authors are american

[@roddymcdowell5925]

most of the auditions want american english accents, very few want british or Scottish accents sadly. I SPENT TIME RECORDING AN AUDITION, SUBMITTED IT. THEN GOT AN EMAIL SAYING THE AUTHOR HAD WITHDRAWN THE BOOK. WHICH WAS A COMPLETE WASTE OF MY TIME AND EFFORT

[@deepaknaik2750]

Can I use any text speech app for Amazon acx??

[@jackfrost9151]

So, to be on the safe side I should select the pay by the hour option. Right?

[@CrownStagVoiceover]

There isn’t really a safe option it’s more seeing what the book looks like in the paper back market and going from there. You may make money short term from a per hour but you could make so much more on a royalty

[@johnstrong9744]

Yeah I think it depends on how it sells and also most of the time they don't offer hourly. Most jobs are royalty

[@GoPro._Musica]

Myself, I write books, I wouldn't want to try to narrate any books though. My first book alone is over 182000 words long.

[@jhermann9776]

The irony of the subject and this guys voice. 🤣

[@ManSingh-id9nh]

How many days check acx audition for narrator

[@CrownStagVoiceover]

New audition are loaded all the time

[@AtomizedSound]

Dax Shepard??

[@CrownStagVoiceover]

Ummm. …. Who?

[@Pmomma100]

Dax wish lol

[@sunflowersoundsofficial4221]

So I used to be involved in online adult entertainment. I feel like I would be a good candidate to narrate erotica. We know that erotic stories sell on KDP like hotcakes and they aren't very long. Do you think it's a viable narrating niche?

[@CrownStagVoiceover]

Absolutely

[@miguelacevedo8552]

Hi, I'm interested in getting started in narration work. I've been told by some folks that I could do well in voicing erotica. If you have any advice on the matter, I'd be grateful to hear it. Thank you kindly.

[@Stronglord10]

Does acx require any fee to pay before getting job?? Please reply. Thank you.

[@CrownStagVoiceover]

No, it’s free to join

[@Stronglord10]

@@CrownStagVoiceover OK. Thank you so much. I really appreciate your reply.

[@CrownStagVoiceover]

No problem

[@tonyd6853]

I hear VAD

[@zegsi364]

So never get paid by royalties... Got it

[@MegaJohnf1]

ACX is garbage and a waste of time. Many books are "hacked", not the real authors.

[@CrownStagVoiceover]

Really? I had not heard that

[@roddymcdowell5925]

Seems like a scam. I can upload professional quality audiobooks to a YT channel, OK I don't get paid but I don't have to deal with their stupid rules. It's for the rich to become richer.

[@CrownStagVoiceover]

It’s certainly not weighted in the VO favour but you can still make money. Just choose your projects wisely

[@dan68177]

@@CrownStagVoiceover People throw the term “scam” around too loosely

[@CayLily]

What’s the most you made with ACX?

[@CayLily]

@Crown Stage Voiceover

[@roddymcdowell5925]

I made jackshit @@CayLily

[@tigerspiritjourney]

Hi there! I am Canadian but living in Europe, so ACX is out for me...But do you know of any audiobook platforms for VO in the Erotica niche? Cheers, from Sweden!

[@CrownStagVoiceover]

None off the top of my head but I’m sure a quick google should bring up a few choices. You may want to jump onto platforms like fetlife for 1-1 commissions