The Professional Voiceover Handbook: All you need to know to start and grow your six-figure home voiceover business

Literary Titan

The Professional Voiceover Handbook by Peter Baker is a professional's how-to, that for once, fully delivers. Author Peter Baker provides everything you will need to embark on a journey into voiceover as a new career.

There's no holding back with Baker. He wants you to succeed and to join the ranks alongside him as a professional voiceover artist. That he loves his work and the field itself is incredibly obvious as you read through this book. He provides clear and simple instructions without making it seem as though he's talking down to a beginner who knows nothing. He doesn't just mention different types of jobs one can do in voiceover, he actually goes through several in great detail. For example, there's a respectable chunk of text describing everything you might want to know about how to record audiobooks, even specifically addressing authors who might want to attempt to record their own books themselves. He's not narrowing down his audience or excluding anyone; he's written this guide as an open invitation for anyone to try out voiceover, not just those already dabbling in the field. Baker details every last piece of equipment you'll need, as well as sharing those that he considers the best or most effective. He talks about the pros and cons of getting an exclusive agent versus going it alone as a freelance artist. He also discusses the best software programs to use, even going so far as to outline exactly what settings to use for different types of jobs. And best of all, he shares an extensive list of websites where a beginning (and honestly even a seasoned) voiceover artist can find trustworthy, paying gigs.

There's so much valuable, practical information in these pages that I almost felt encouraged to pull out my own microphone and try to record a few practice scripts, just to see how I'd do. I love that you can feel the passion this man has for the work. Other books of this nature that I've read always seem to hold back just enough to where you might feel inspired to try but still not know exactly what to do. You won't need a anything else to get started, and it's not just the act of voiceover that he discusses. Baker even addresses the more business-related side of the work, answering questions you might have about client communications, how to handle payments and invoicing, even at times providing actual templates for emails that you can copy and use to get started right away.

This was a very easy-to-read book, written in a casual, friendly manner, and there's no difficult technical jargon to slog through--as even the most technical parts he's written are easily understood. I highly recommend Professional Voiceover Handbook to anyone interested in a career in voiceover or even anyone who's just looking into it as a possible hobby or side hustle. Baker's handbook and his invaluable tips and templates will let you hit the ground running.