In 2017, I used to be 29 years outdated and making $30,000 a 12 months as a church tune director and personal tune trainer. My husband was once a center faculty tune trainer, and made $48,000 a 12 months.
With two kids — each underneath 4 years outdated on the time — and $80,000 in mixed scholar debt, we struggled to stay alongside of our funds.
However I am in a far other position lately. Switching careers to transform an audiobook narrator has modified my lifestyles immensely. I now herald six figures a 12 months, and we now have most effective $10,000 left on our scholar loans, thank you partly to the scholar mortgage forgiveness plan.
I am getting to do my dream process from house and spend extra time with circle of relatives in our comfortable house, perched on a mountaintop in Northern Virginia. This is how I did it:
Switching careers: Going from tune to books
I graduated with a grasp’s level in vocal efficiency in 2014, with hopes of turning into an opera singer. However between the low wages and unpaid artist techniques, I began to really feel discouraged.
I thought to be going again to university to review dental hygiene or scientific sonography — the rest with a tight wage that might higher assist me strengthen my circle of relatives.
As I commuted to my church tune jobs, opera rehearsals and personal courses, I would pay attention to audiobooks to go the time, frequently for 3 or extra hours an afternoon. I have at all times been an avid reader, and specifically loved audiobooks. I cherished the relief of a well-known voice retaining me corporate, telling me a tale.
Someday, it passed off to me that recording audiobooks is usually a actual process for me. So on a whim, I Googled “Learn how to transform an audiobook narrator.” I discovered that audiobooks have been one of the vital fastest-growing mediums in publishing, and that almost all have been recorded via voice actors in professional-grade house studios.
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Audiobook narrator Natalie Naudus in her house recording studio.
Photograph: Natalie Naudus
I used to be overjoyed at the concept all of the issues I cherished about opera — the tales, the performing, the pretty phrases — may just nonetheless be part of this new profession.
After I introduced the speculation as much as my husband, I used to be anxious about making an investment cash into a brand spanking new industry. However he was once supportive instantly.
So I bought about $300 of kit and, in only some weeks, we arrange my first house studio within the hallway closet.
Discovering my voice within the business
I landed my first few e book jobs thru ACX, a platform that connects narrators with authors, brokers and publishers. I got to work with independently printed authors, then began touring to business occasions to get my identify and voice in the market.
In 2020, with the cancellation of all in-person occasions within the wake of the pandemic, I put my power into construction my Tiktok and Instagram accounts, giving audiobook enthusiasts glimpses into my lifestyles as a narrator.
I had this imaginative and prescient of revealing other people how horny and foolish this process may also be — and so they cherished it. As my content material went viral, my target audience grew. Ebook gigs from publishers began pouring in like by no means prior to.
I used to must ship quarterly emails to manufacturers searching for paintings. Now manufacturers I did not even know have been emailing me, citing that their pals had despatched them my movies. Developing a web-based presence has been a number of the largest issues I have finished for my profession.
The enjoyment of writing my very own tale
As of late, I paintings about 40 hours per week, divided between recording, workplace paintings, and pre-reading and researching upcoming books. However that is not suddenly, or essentially in a 9-to-5 agenda. I can frequently report and resolution emails throughout the day, then prep-read a e book in mattress at night time.
The versatility is beneficial, for the reason that bodily rigors of recording an audiobook may also be intense. In most cases, for 5 hours an afternoon or extra, I am sitting sitting totally nonetheless in a tiny room, dividing my consideration between studying appropriately, appearing passionately and listening for noises, from out of doors or throughout the sales space.
Fortunately, my classical making a song background skilled me to make use of my voice for lengthy stretches with out pressure, whilst nonetheless handing over emotion and nuance.
Being within the appearing arts taught me the way to community, and it additionally gave me a thick pores and skin, which helped me transfer on temporarily from auditions that did not pass smartly, and rejection on the whole, particularly at first.
Audiobook narrator Natalie Naudus and her husband Don, in entrance of the house they inbuilt Northern Virginia.
Photograph: Natalie Naudus
In my 3rd 12 months as a voice actor, my industry began bringing in six figures, which felt so important to me. It was once an impossible quantity in my days as a contract musician.
Standard charges from primary publishers get started round $225 in step with completed hour of audio. Incorporated in that hour is pre-reading the e book, researching, recording the e book, after which recording corrections as soon as the e book has been proofed for accuracy.
Over 5 years, I have recorded just about 400 books. The expansion in our source of revenue from my profession alternate allowed us to buy land and construct our mountaintop area, in addition to my upgraded recording sales space.
It was once a hard choice to surrender my opera desires. But when I hadn’t left it in the back of and brought this opportunity, I would not be the place I’m lately.
Now I’ve a profession that I really like. I have met and transform very best pals with such a lot of of my fellow narrators. I have financed and constructed a wonderful house with my husband. And I’ve the versatility to spend time with my wonderful children.
I believe like I am in spite of everything writing my very own tale, and it feels actually, actually excellent.
Natalie Naudus is an award-winning audiobook narrator of greater than 250 titles. She lives together with her circle of relatives on a mountain in Virginia. Apply her on TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
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