Preparing Yourself To Narrate Your Audiobook

Narrating your own audiobook is a great way to bring it to life in the way you had always imagined, whilst also building a rapport with your listeners.

There’s a good chance you’ve never narrated anything before. And it’s surprisingly very different to reading quietly in your own head. So, before we dive into some tips and tricks on how to prepare yourself and your voice to narrate your audiobook, why not try reading a couple of pages of your (or any) book – using your phone’s voice recorder – and playing it back to yourself or maybe a friend. This will help you decide if self-narration this is a task you’d like to undertake, or something you would prefer to hire a professional narrator for.

Remember, the only right way of voicing your book is the way that makes you happy and comfortable and that your listener will enjoy.

Narration is an art all to itself which, as a self published author, is almost certainly a skill you’ve not had the need or opportunity to master before. But that’s ok! We’re going to furnish you with a few tips and insider tricks that you should employ before entering the studio (whether it’s a pro set up or a home one) for that first time.

1. Master The Script

• Read Aloud In Advance: Familiarise yourself with your text to find tricky sections. 
• Identify And Practice Difficult Words & Names: Ensure you pronounce everything consistently. If you’re in doubt about pronunciations, there are some fab tools on the internet that help with both phonetic spellings and that will actually read the word out for you. We often use https://forvo.com/ 🙂
• Mark Up Your Script: Highlight pauses, intonations, or emotional cues to help you deliver your script naturally.
• Record Yourself Practicing. Read aloud clearly with different emotions and speeds until you find a pace and tone that you’re comfortable with and that sounds good when you listen back. 

2. Preparing Your Voice

Just like an athlete warms up their muscles before starting to compete, your vocal cords need preparation to protect against strain and ensure clarity. Do these Warm-Up Exercises BEFORE the start of each narration session.

Breathing Exercises (to support consistent airflow)

• Diaphragmatic Breathing:
  
  • Sit or stand up straight.
    
  • Inhale deeply through your nose, expanding your belly (not your chest).
    
  • Exhale slowly through your mouth while counting to 10.
    
  • Repeat 5–10 times.
    
• Sustained “S” or “Z” Sound:
  
  • Take a deep breath and release air in a long “ssss” or “zzzz” sound.
    
  • Helps control breath and build stamina.
    

Resonance & Clarity Exercises

• Lip Trills & Humming:
  
  • Blow air through closed lips to create a “brrr” sound.
    
  • Humming gently up and down scales warms up vocal cords.
    
• Tongue Twisters: (Great for articulation!)
  
  • Try saying these phrases slowly at first, then speed up while maintaining clarity:
    • “She sells seashells by the seashore.”
      
    • “Red leather, yellow leather.”
      
    • “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.”
      

3. Hydration & Diet (Throughout the Day)

Hydration is so, so important. It prevents your mouth getting dry, which can lead to your tongue making a clicking sound, you coughing or you struggling to get your words out. Drink plenty of water – constantly – even if that means more toilet breaks, and avoid caffeine and dairy, which can dry out or coat your throat.

• Good Choices:
  
  • Water: Room-temperature water is best. Drink consistently—good hydration takes hours to build up! And a little pro tip: take a closed top drinking bottle with you into the studio. This will prevent accidental spills.
  • Herbal teas with honey: Like chamomile, ginger, liquorice root. Make sure these are not boiling hot as that can really irritate your throat.
  • Apples or apple juice: Believe it or not, these are natural vocal lubricants – who knew?! They make your mouth temporarily increase its saliva production!
• Avoid:
  
  • Caffeine & Alcohol: These can dry out vocal cords.
    
  • Dairy & Sugary Foods: May create mucus buildup, affecting clarity. Although you may have the urge to reach for the chocolates and biscuits to keep your energy up during your recording day, try some fruit instead 🙂
    
  • Spicy or Acidic Foods: Can cause irritation or reflux.
    

4. Posture & Breath Control

Your posture affects how well you project your voice.

• Sit or Stand Tall: Keep your spine straight, shoulders relaxed.
  
• Align Your Head: Avoid tilting your chin up or down.
  
• Breathing Support: Speak from your diaphragm, not your throat.
  

5. Voice Fatigue Prevention

• Take Breaks: Record in 30–60 min sessions. Please don’t push yourself as this will strain your voice, which could lead to you being able to finish your recording easily and in good time.
  
• Use Your Natural Speaking Voice: Don’t try to put on a voice (unless it’s for a character). You’ll struggle to keep it up, it could make your narration sound strained or ‘weird’, for lack of a better word, and at worst, it could end up sounding strained or disingenuous, which will put people off listening.
  
• Steam or Humidify: At the end of each session, treat your voice to some steam or humidity from a hot shower (or go all out with a steam room!). This can keep your vocal cords moist.
  

So, please, please, please be good to yourself and your voice. At the risk of sounding corny, take care of your voice and it will take care of you 😉 But in all seriousness… By taking care of your voice, you’ll improve the quality of your narration, which will make recording, and editing, sessions smoother and easier and you’ll have a far more enjoyable experience all round 🙂

Audiobooks For Self Publishers is part of Bengo Media, a super friendly, yet highly experienced, audio production company that specialises in creating Podcasts, Radio and Audiobooks. We help authors take the stress out of creating an audiobook by guiding you through the whole process, helping you record and then doing all the editing and proofing for you to give you back a completed, mastered audiobook that you can distribute anywhere you like 🙂 Please take the time to wonder around our website, join our Free Audiobook Members Club, and if you like what you see, grab yourself a ‘no strings attached’ audiobook production estimate.