overall Rating
Voices.com is a 3rd party marketplace that pairs vocal and audio engineering talent with clients like me looking to hire them. The platform allows clients to submit job offers for projects for any voice type project.
Things you can hire include:
- Narrators
- Translators
- Singers
- Audio engineers (sound editors)
After submission, clients receive bids on their project along with samples from the voice talents reading short scripts from your specific project.
Pros
Cons
Interface
Purchase Protection
Support
Talent
Cost
Speed of Delivery
I have a voice made for writing. Ok, maybe it's not that bad, but this year has been extremely busy and launching my new book Evergreen Affiliate Marketing took my business to the next level.
As a huge audiobook addict myself, I knew that many of my readers would want to consume the book in that format. However, I just didn't have the time and patience to record the audiobook myself.
So, I started looking for professional narrators. That search led me to a site called Voices.com. This post is my review of my voices.com experience from beginning to end.
Quick note: I do plan on eventually recording the audio version myself. Even though the voice actor I hired has a better voice, I think there is a lot to be said for the personal touch of connecting with your readers using your own voice.
Creating my Job Posting on Voices.com
If you've ever used a freelance hiring site like Upwork, 99 Designs or Freeup, the job posting process will feel very similar.
It's extremely intuitive.
You'll need to specify the following:
Language - Duh
Accent - This is optional
Voice Gender - I chose male as I think it's pretty standard to match the author's gender with the actor)
Voice Age - I left this blank but wasn't expecting many extremely young voices (I received only 1 that I considered to sound too young to fit).
Role - This is also called "character" but you choose between...
- Instructor
- Real person
- Narrator
- Spokesperson
- Announcer
- Custom
Style - What sort of tone or mood you're setting.
Audience - Who will be hearing the end product.
Usage Details - They want to know how you plan to use the end product.
Scope of Project - They will ask for the total word count or anticipated audio duration, response deadline and end of project deadline.
Script Sample - This part is really cool. You provide an excerpt of what you want read and the bidders will record themselves reading it.
The only part you might struggle with is setting your budget.
Honestly, most people have no idea what the market price is for a good voice talent. Fortunately, Voices.com gives you a recommended budget once you provide all the information above.
Having hired a lot of folks in the past, I felt like $1,800 was a good price point. I didn't need anyone who was going to go off script or add anything beyond what was in the manuscript, so I felt comfortable in this range.
Here is what my exact job posting looked like...
After submitting the job, I received over 20 bids extremely quickly.
Reviewing the Voices.com Talent Submissions
This part was so much fun.
Each of the project bidders sent an audio file of them reading my script. I was also able to see things like...
- Their past projects and reviews
- What microphones they use (this was super important to me)
- Their specific proposals (the best applicants explained in deep detail why they were a good fit for the project).
I spent about a week reviewing submissions. I shared them with my wife and a few friends to get their feedback.
I built up a shortlist of 4 I loved and then narrowed it down to one.
Working with My Voice Talent
Once I chose someone form the applicants, we started right away. The process was straight forward, he recorded each chapter one by one and submitted them to me for review.
I listened to them and either approved or requested revisions.
The only revisions I needed done were things that were my own fault (we found 2 typos in the book in the proces, whoopsies).
Final Thoughts on Voices.Com
Although the quality of work you get from Voices.com will depend on who you hire, it's obvious that they dramatically reduce the risks of hiring someone who will mess up your project.
They provide you with high quality options at affordable prices as well as a seamless interface to manage your projects.
If you're looking to hire a voice talent, I highly recommend Voices.com. I will be using them again I'm sure.