8 Steps to

Award-Winning
Audiobook Narration

“Jay doesn’t just read my books—he breathes life into them.”
— Saul Herzog, Author of the Lance Spector Series
  • Book cover of "The Horrible Bag of Terrible Things" by Rob Renzetti, featuring a stylized title with a green background and an illustration of a mysterious bag at the bottom.
  • Cover of the book 'Slonim Woods 9: A Memoir' by Daniel Barban Levin, featuring a dark, slightly blurred image of a building at night and stylized text overlay.
  • Caught Stealing
  • The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore
  • The Strange Case of Jane O.
  • Book cover for 'The Asset: A Lance Spector Thriller' by Saul Herzog, featuring a man running from a car on a forested road at night.
  • "Lakes of Mars" book cover featuring a futuristic space station above a planet. Author: Merritt Graves.
  • Book cover of 'The Practice of Embodying Emotions' by Raja Selvam, featuring a circular design with lines and dots, and a testimonial by Peter A. Levine.
  • Cover of the book 'Painted Oxen' by Thomas Lloyd Qualls, featuring a blue-toned staircase leading to an arched doorway. The cover mentions it as a 2018 Landmark Prize winner and displays a silver award seal.
  • Book cover of 'The Concise Guide to Minimalism' by Josh Parker and Dan Harris, featuring folded clothes on a chair.
  • Book cover of 'The Binding Tempest' by Steven Rudy, featuring steampunk elements such as gears, clockwork, and a lightbulb, with the subtitle 'The Luminance Saga Book One.'
  • Book cover for 'Ghosts' by William Huggins featuring a silhouetted figure with a bat against a fiery background.
  • Book cover of 'It Was Always Her' by J.L. Witterick featuring a blue-hued image of a woman's face overlaid on an ocean scene. The text reads: 'What would you do if you could go back in time?'
  • Book cover of "Regenesis" by William Huggins, finalist for the Prism Prize for Climate Literature. Features a dark mountain peak with a bird perched on top, surrounded by flying birds against a colorful sky.
  • Book cover titled 'The Charisma Guide' with marble-like pattern on the right side and text about improving charisma and sociability.
  • Book cover of 'Ascension' by Jessy Glazewski, featuring a dark, arched passageway leading to a misty forest.
  • Book cover of 'Hyperspace Radio: Collected Short Stories of James Beach' featuring an abstract cosmic design with a vintage radio.
  • Cover of the novel 'Far Less' by Kathy Wollenberg, featuring an abstract black and white illustration of a landscape and a person, with award seals indicating recognition and accolades. The background shows a serene forest and river scene.
  • Cover of "On The Water: A Fishing Memoir" by Guy de la Valdene, featuring a serene lake landscape with trees, and a quote by Winston Groom at the top.

  • Step 1: Get in touch!

    Say hello, and tell me details about you and your book. If you’d like a free audio sample, include a couple of sample pages and any questions on your mind.

    You can reach me at jay@jaymyersvoiceover.com or my Contact page.

  • Step 2: Sample

    Typically within a day or so of receiving your message, I’ll return a 3-5 minute audio sample for you to review.

    Feel free to ask for adjustments if you’d like!

  • Step 3: Green Light

    Once you’re happy with what you hear, we’ll get started!

    I’ll request your digital manuscript if I haven’t already received it, and will also send you an agreement for the audiobook production if needed. Once that’s signed and returned, we’ll go te Step 4.

  • Step 4: Prep

    I’ll read your book in full, and note any questions or clarifications that come up along the way. These typically include things like word or name pronunciations, character voices, artistic notes, etc.

    While I’m reading, if you would like to share any documents, ideas, resources, or anything else that would be helpful, please feel free! The most helpful examples are often pronunciation guides for tricky or fictitious words and notes on major characters.

  • Step 5: 15-Minute Sample

    After reading your book, I’ll send you a 15-minute sample for your review and approval before I begin recording the remainder of the book.

    Typically this sample is either the first few pages of the book, a selection of important pages you’d like to hear, or a series of character performances you want to be sure we get right.

    Because of the nature of audiobook production, this is our final opportunity make performance adjustments without additional production costs. If you have questions, let me know!

  • Step 6: Production

    I will record, edit, and master your book!

    Timelines for this vary depending on your book’s length, my recording schedule, and the complexity of the material, but for most books it’s about 2-4 weeks from recording the first words to a finished audiobook.

  • Step 7: Final Review

    I’ll send you the polished and edited audiobook for a final listen through.

    If any minor corrections are needed, just let me know and my team and I can usually fix them in a day or so.

  • Step 8: Payment & Delivery

    To tie things up, I’ll send you an invoice and link for payment, and once that processes you’ll receive the audio in full for publication and to share with your readers/listeners!

These steps offer a framework typical of most independently produced audiobooks, but every book and collaboration is unique so if you’d like to work differently let me know and I’ll do what I can do accommodate!

If you’re an audiobook publisher or producer and would like to discuss a collaboration, please contact my representation here.

Request a Sample
Logo for Penguin Random House Audio Publishing featuring a pair of white headphones and an open book with an orange sound wave graphic, with the text 'Penguin Random House AUDIO PUBLISHING'.
Audible logo on a dark background
Logo with stacked gold, white, and navy blue geometric shapes next to the word 'Podium' in navy blue text.
Logo for One Night Stand Studios featuring a cartoon nightstand with a lamp on top and a bed leaning against it, with the studio name in large blue letters.
Macmillan logo with red emblem and black text
Dreamscape Publishing logo with stylized sound wave icon
North Atlantic Books logo with a stylized wave symbol and the company name.
iUniverse logo with red and black text and graphic elements.
Red background with white text that says "The Economist"
The logo of The Wall Street Journal, featuring the text 'The Wall Street Journal' above large uppercase 'WSJ' letters.
Tantor Media logo with a stylized bull head graphic and the company name in black text.
Logo featuring the words "HOMEBOUND PUBLICATIONS" with a bird graphic between the words, and a subtitle listing divisions: Little Bound Books, Owl House Books, The Wayfarer Magazine, and Navigator Graphics.
OWL HOUSE BOOKS logo with text promoting science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and thriller genres, and returning to storytelling roots.

FAQ

What accents do you perform?

I am proficient in many and am trained in acquiring new accents. Below are some accents I comfortably perform out of pocket:

Most regional American and British accents (please inquire for specific regions). Irish, Australian, European General, Eastern European, French, German, and South African.

Is there material you don’t perform?

I will consider any project regardless of its content. However, I ask to review potentially sensitive or challenging material before undertaking any project and make this determination on a case-by-case basis.

How long will it take to complete my book?

Of course this depends on the length of the book, but often anywhere from 2-4 weeks from the start of production.

If your production has a specific release date in mind, please let me know. My recording schedule often fills up in advance, though accommodations have been made in the past when possible.

Can you edit, master, and provide QA?

Yes! I am comfortable and familiar with all stages of the audiobook production pipeline and am happy to help in whatever way is needed. I can provide rates for all scales of production.

What genres do you specialize in?

I like to tell good stories, regardless of genre. The joy of narrating is listening to any given author’s voice, the way they’ve chosen to tell their story, and then embodying that vision to the best of my ability.

With that said, my narration style and training are particularly well suited to strong points of view, large casts of characters, and texts that benefit from an added emotional depth and connection for the listener.

What are your rates?

My rates vary depending on the book, the project’s union status, and the publishers I work with, but if you would like a rough estimate feel free to reach out directly or through my representation.