Can you really make money from reading? The answer to this question is yes. I will not only talk about how you can earn money. I will also talk about what is needed to get started, now to start for under $100, free training, financial compensation expectations, and more.

How To Make Money From Reading

One of the first side hustles I looked into when I became interested in the side hustle, was how do you get paid to… read, or is there really such a thing? To answer your question, yes you can get paid to read, and you can actually make some very good money. Another name for this side hustle is called voice-overs

A voice-over artist is someone who basically reads from a script and records what they are reading.

You could be reading something like a book manuscript, or a small blurb that could be aired on the radio like in a commercial, or if you hit the big time, your voice might be used in a major motion picture as a character. Let’s dive into this side hustle.

How to become a voice over artist

To get started, it is recommended that you get some training. You need to learn basically how to talk properly and clearly into a microphone. In all honesty, it’s not that easy but you can do it if you learn some simple techniques and, you practice. That’s the key, is to practice. Some people will just start expecting to make their 1st million in a short period of time. But, like all businesses and that is exactly what this is, is a business. It’s recommended you learn the proper skills to achieve your full potential and succeed

Free Voice Over Training

There are several ways to get this type of training. You can start on Udemy which is an online learning platform, and YouTube, just click on an image below

What equipment is needed for voice overs

You will need a computer, a good quality condenser microphone (available for under $100 on Amazon) that can plug into your computer as well as some recording software such as Audacity which is free, or if you’re on a Mac you can start out with Garage Band.

Best Free Recording Software Options For Starting A Voice Over Business

Click on an image, both are available in PC and Mac

Now learning how to use this type of software can take some time, but if you stick to it, just like most things, you will get the hang of it. With both these options, audacity, and garage band there are lots of tutorials on how to properly use the software right on YouTube.

Some other things you will need is a very quiet area or room to record in. The quieter the room, the easier it will be when it comes time to edit your recording. This can also reduce your editing time as well. One of the key factors in doing voice-overs is the quality of your final product. Placing sound panels can be a great way to increase the quietness of your recording room. Here are some options that are available from Amazon:

Best Budget Microphones For Starting A Voice Over Business

When Starting A Voice Over Business, We recommend Buying A Microphone Kit That Includes the Condensor Mic, Stand, filter, Cables, and Pop Shield. Here are some great affordable options.

Where To Get Voice Over Work Strating Out

There are numerous ways to make money as a voiceover artist. You can create some demos by using a free script which you can find online just by searching for free voice-over scripts and submit your demos to your local radio station.

You can become a freelancer through sites like Fiverr.com, and upworks.com. You can also do narration work for manuscripts for books. You can find these type of narration jobs on ACX.com which is also known as Audible by Amazon. There is also the website www.voice123.com which is one of the main go to sites and also has tons of information to help you out. There are also a lot of other options out there that you can find just by performing a simple google search

How Much Money Do Voice Over Artists Make

To give you an Honest answer to this question. I always like having full disclosure. This all depends on 1 thing, and that’s you. This is not a get-rich-quick scheme, but if you put the work into it, you can make a lot of money as shown here by these profiles taken from the freelance website Fiverr.com.

Be prepared though when you are just starting. It will take some time to start earning money, just like any other business

You can also set this up so that it gives you a passive form of income. But this is a lot harder to establish as mostly you could be dealing with the narration of newly published authors on Amazon’s Kindle and ACX, but it is possible, even more so once you become established.

What some people have done with ACX is they have done a combination of being hired and paid outright to do a narration, or they also have agreed to split the commission royalties in relation to every unit sold.

There is work out there and opportunities to make money doing this. You just have to go after it and like most things not give up, as starting out can and will be slow. The nice thing about this type of side hustle is, once you’re all set up, the running costs of this type of side income are basically $0, other than your time

So can you make money from just reading, yes you can and this is how it’s done. The biggest thing is. As I have already mentioned. This is not a get-rich scheme. If you decide to pursue this type of business venture. Do your research and ensure that this side hustle is a good fit for yourself.

Shane Lifeman