PUBLISHERS ARE CASTING AUDIOBOOKS RIGHT NOW.
You already
have 75-80%
OF THE SKILLS THEY'RE LOOKING FOR.
Join me for a free 75-minute class with three tools you need for this work, and a look inside The Great Audiobook Adventure™.
You'll also be subscribed to The Global Actor weekly newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Taught by Elise Arsenault
➡️ P.S. Not an actor? Plenty of Adventurers arrived with a love of reading or a “great voice” and a willingness to practice. You're in the right place too.
PUBLISHERS ARE CASTING AUDIOBOOKS RIGHT NOW.
You already
have 75-80%
OF THE SKILLS THEY'RE LOOKING FOR.
Join me for a free 75-minute class with three tools you need for this work, and a look inside The Great Audiobook Adventure™.
You'll also be subscribed to The Global Actor weekly newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time.
➡️ P.S. Not an actor? Plenty of Adventurers arrived with a love of reading or a “great voice” and a willingness to practice. You're in the right place too.
You've been at this a while. You've got the training, the credits, the reel.
You've also got a day job (or two), sucking up the time and energy you'd rather put into your creative work.
You book something that feels big, it clears the credit card you've been carrying for years, and then it's over and you're back at square one.
Or, as one Adventurer put it, "I was throwing a lot of spaghetti at the wall in the hope that anything would stick."
And when someone asks “how that acting thing is going”, you'd like a better answer than the one you've got.
Already recording audiobooks?
Most actors I meet say some version of what Celeste said before she started:
"[Audiobook narration was] something I had always wanted to do, but thought would be an impossible market to crack, or at the very least difficult to get in the door to audition for."
Here's what she found instead.
Publishers cast audiobooks directly, to the tune of hundreds of titles a year, most of them without an audition.
There's a door here that most actors have never been told about.
Most actors I meet say some version of what Celeste said before she started:
"[Audiobook narration was] something I had always wanted to do, but thought would be an impossible market to crack, or at the very least difficult to get in the door to audition for."
Here's what she found instead.
Publishers cast audiobooks directly, to the tune of hundreds of titles a year, most of them without an audition.
There's a door here that most actors have never been told about.
Is there room for me?
Over 750,000 audiobook titles were actively for sale last year, up 43% in a single year, in an industry that has grown every year for fifteen years running.
Every one of those books needed at least one narrator.
What about AI?
AI narration earned 0.03% of audiobook revenue last year. Only 16% of listeners have ever tried one, and willingness to try dropped from 70% to 61% in twelve months.
Readers keep choosing human voices.
Where does the work actually come from?
Most training points you at ACX, where you compete on rate for one book at a time. Many folks going after each job.
I teach you to work directly with publishers, because that's where my own work comes from.
One publisher casts hundreds of books a year. When you build multiple publisher relationships, you have enough opportunities to build a solid career on.
Warm publisher relationships also lead to direct bookings. Imagine not having to audition for every project... the confidence that would give you.
How long is this going to take?
Narrators working consistently make somewhere between $20,000 and $60,000 a year, though I have clients making over $100K from their combined audiobook and other VO work. It's a career, not a lottery ticket.
Celeste got her first publisher offer six months in. Angelo describes "a couple years of hard work, practice, doing samples, studying the course work, reaching out to publishers." And now he’s narrating for a Newberry Award winning author for Penguin Random House.
Showing up is 90% of what makes this work.
And you don't need a $10,000 studio. Most Adventurers begin training with a voice memo app.
You’ll eventually build a home studio that works on YOUR budget, for your specific environment and voice.
As an actor, you're not starting from zero. You already have 75 to 80% of what this takes.
We build the rest together.
Adventurers have performed with and been trusted by:
And more!
Meet Adventurers
Kim Niemi — 100+ Audiobooks and Counting
Started: Two day jobs, no clear direction
Kim was coming back to acting after taking many years off. She found Elise when she was juggling two jobs and no clear plan, throwing ideas at the wall and hoping something would stick. Elise taught her how the audiobook industry worked, helped her hone her craft, identify her best genres, and made introductions that booked her first job. Today Kim has narrated 100+ audiobooks - all with publishers.
Celeste Oliva — Booked Her First Book in 6 Months
Started: Stage and screen actor who thought the market was closed
Celeste had wanted to narrate for years but assumed the door was shut, or at least nearly impossible to get through. Elise laid out exactly how to submit and shared her own contacts. Six months later, Celeste got the call for her first audiobook.
Terrence Kidd — A #1 NYT Title in His First Year
Started: No acting experience
Terrence walked in with zero acting background, the steepest climb of anyone here. With a clear roadmap and someone in his corner, he booked a #1 New York Times nonfiction title and landed two Penguin Random House projects — one Audie-nominated — all within his first year narrating.
For Adventurers Already Recording:
So, what if you're already recording, but the rates and the one-off jobs aren’t cutting it? Maybe you’re recording on ACX, but actual paid jobs are few and far between, and you’re spending so much time on jobs that shouldn’t be yours - aka proofing, editing, mastering, producing, etc.
Narrating with publishers changes that.
One publisher relationship can mean dozens of books a year and a reason for them to call you first.
Michelle Price — Now Works Consistently With Publishers
Started: Narrating indie books for two and a half years, with no idea how to break into publishers
Michelle had already put in two and a half years narrating indie titles, but she had no roadmap for finding publishers, no idea who to talk to, and no system for organizing herself. The Adventure gave her the structure and community to sharpen her craft and build authentic publisher relationships. She now works with them consistently - narrating AND directing. A proud moment along the way: booking her first publisher audition, for a book that was a great fit.
Jennifer Aquino — Directs and Narrates 100+ Audiobooks Across 21 Publishers
Started: Pivoting from on-camera acting after pandemic productions shut down
When the pandemic halted film, TV, and commercial work, Jennifer needed a way to keep acting from home, and realized audiobook narration was it. The Great Audiobook Adventure™ gave her a clear, step-by-step system that got her moving quickly. She recorded 50 books with 16 different publishers in just her first two years. Today, she's narrated over 100 audiobooks across 21 publishers and producers, and also directs and teaches other narrators how to direct as well.
André Santana — Now an Audie Award Winner and Industry Leader
Started: Just beginning his audiobook career, with no relationships across the industry
André was just starting out, exploring ACX, with no idea how to build relationships with publishers or connect across the industry. The Adventure gave him the structure and community to change that fast. He went on to record projects for Macmillan and Simon & Schuster, win an Earphones Award for the anthology Stories from the Tenants Downstairs, and has since won an Audie Award with several more nominations, cementing his place as a leader in the industry.
Is This for You?
This is for you if...
✅ You're ready for your training as an actor to start paying.
✅ You'd rather build relationships with publishers than bid against strangers for one-off jobs.
✅ Figuring out the tech side by yourself feels scary, but you're ready to tackle it with the right support.
This isn't for you if...
❌ You want an agent to handle it all for you.
❌ You need this all to happen in just a few weeks.
❌ You want an excuse to jump straight into a $10K home studio build.
Sounds like it could be for you?
Let's go.
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What You'll Learn
Why Audiobooks? In class, I’ll lead you through a number of exercises so that you can determine if exploring audiobook narration is right for you.
Then, I’ll teach you teach you three tools to get started:
- Translating the Craft of Acting to Audiobook Narration so that you can see what of your acting tools you’ll use and what you’ll need to add
- Crafting Undeniable Marketing Materials so the industry knows what work you’re right for AND the work you DON’T want to be considered for.
- How to Build Relationships via Networking Events
Eric Fox — 4 Years of Coaches, No Results. Then 90+ Audiobooks Booked.
Started: 4 years of business and marketing coaches, with nothing to show for it
Eric had spent roughly four years working with other business and marketing coaches and saw no forward movement at all. What Elise gave him was different: support, validation, connection, and concrete, actionable steps that actually produced results. He recorded his first three audiobooks for a local publisher shortly after he began coaching with Elise — and has since gone on to record over 90 audiobooks.
Finlay Stevenson — Directing and Narrating for Penguin Random House and Other Top Publishers
Started: Had bought online courses before, but never finished them
Finlay had tried other courses and programs before, but kept dropping off — feeling like just another number in someone else's sales funnel. The Great Audiobook Adventure™ was different. With enough structure to keep engaged, Finlay went on to be accepted into Penguin Random House's narrator mentorship program, and today directs and narrates for PRH and other Big 5 publishers, with an Audie nomination along the way.
Angel Pean — Multiple Audie Awards, Empowered and Acting Full-Time
Started: Zero knowledge of the industry, felt lost transferring her skills to audiobooks
Angel began The Great Audiobook Adventure™ in 2020 with zero knowledge of the audiobook industry and no idea how to transfer her acting skills to narration or the technical side — by her own account, she "felt lost in all of it." She's since performed over 200 titles, won several Audie Awards (with additional nominations), and earned an Earphones Award for her narration of Junie. Today she's a full-time narrator, a Community Mentor for TGAA, and has built the confidence to negotiate her own rates.
Dominique Franceschi — Her First Audiobook, Produced by Penguin Random House
Started: Dreamed about narrating, but didn't believe it would actually happen
Dominique dreamed of becoming an audiobook narrator long before she believed it was possible. She's also multilingual — a skill she brings directly into her narration work. Her first audiobook, The Retake by Jen Calonita, was produced by Penguin Random House, turning a dream she doubted into reality.
Who Is Teaching This?
Elise Arsenault
Co-Creator of the Adventure — Business and Performance Coach, Actor, Audiobook Narrator, Director, Producer, TEDx Speaker
Elise's own acting income comes from narrating with publishers — not just teaching about it. She's narrated over 200 audiobooks, including the 40+ hour definitive biography of Madonna: A Rebel Life, for which she won an Earphones Award and SOVAS nomination. Recent performances include Lois Lowry's next dystopian novel Building 903 and Newbery Award winning author Gail Carson Levine's middle-grade historical fiction The Unusuals. She's also narrated Disney's Kim Possible, among others.
With roots in theatre education, Elise drove a little red truck around the country bringing Missoula Children’s Theatre to cities, towns, airforces bases, and reservations all across the U.S.
Elise is the founder of The Global Actor and the co-creator of The Great Audiobook Adventure™.
She teaches the same direct to publisher approach that is the foundation of her own career. Her mission is simple: help creatives “live where they want” and “work when they want”.
Justin Marra
Co-Creator of the Adventure — Technical Coach, Sound Engineer, Audiobook Director, Producer, Consultant
Justin is the in-house engineer who's worked on over to 200 audiobooks, including Jenny Slate's Little Weirds for Hachette Audio, which he engineered and co-directed. He’s directed and produced hundreds of audiobook and other VO demos, too.
A true multi-hyphenate, Justin is a singer-songwriter, podcast producer, guitar and microphone maker — bringing a hands-on, builder's understanding of sound to everything he teaches. Before sound engineering, he spent 13 years as a public school teacher — which shows in how he works: patient, clear, and just as comfortable with someone touching a mic for the first time as with a seasoned narrator.
You Belong Here.
I know what it feels like to be othered. As an ADHD, highly sensitive only daughter among five kids, I grew up learning what it's like to feel different in the room.
That's not a footnote to who I am as a coach. It's the reason I show up the way I do. We meet each Adventurer with authentic warmth, curiosity, and – very often contagious– joy and excitement, whoever you are and wherever you're starting from we’re here to support you!
We want you to feel confident sharing exactly who you are, going after the work you actually want,and not settling for whatever comes your way. And I empower you to create a schedule and timeline that works for your life — not just the publisher’s; boundaries included.
Adventurers feel that warmth and belief for themselves. Caleb Wilson Schaaf, who completed the program while proudly showing up as a queer artist, called it a space where "the work continues" long after the course ends, built on daily accountability and mentorship. Black Voices in Audiobooks Grantee Angelo Tate, after years of hard work toward his first professional audiobook, credited it to The Great Audiobook Adventure’s "consistent training, speaking life into me, and [the coaching team’s] constant belief in me."
One client put it best: "Imagine if we measured success by the amount of safety people felt in our presence. By that measure, [Elise] your success is boundless."
This is a brave space that values safety — so you can be exactly who you are, and go after exactly what you want… and be supported every step of the way!
The Open Q + A
I guide you through a 75-minute class about our process. Then, I keep the call open until I answer every one of your questions at the end.
FAQs
How long do I have access?
After taking the free class, if you decide to join us on The Great Audiobook Adventure™, you begin a 12-month comprehensive program that includes on-demand training, LIVE coaching and 12 months of access to deep online community support which you can access 24/7. You have a full 12 months access to the program including the option to renew at the end of each 12-month term.
Do I need to be an actor?
No. Terrence came in with no acting experience and booked a #1 New York Times nonfiction title. Some Adventurers arrive with extensive acting training, some with a literary background, and some with a love of reading and willingness to practice.
What equipment do I need to start?
Most likely what you already own. Most Adventurers begin the training on a voice memo app and build from there with Justin.
How long before I book something?
While everyone’s path is different, and results are not guaranteed, most Adventurers who engage fully in the program begin booking with publishers six months to three years into their pursuit. This is dependent on a willingness to learn new frameworks, systems, be open to feedback and the adoption of a lifelong learning mindset.
Is the program usable if I'm visually impaired?
Yes, the program is accessible to folks who are visually impaired, and we have supported a number of blind narrators through The Great Audiobook Adventure™. While we cannot guarantee all publishers are set to make accommodations for visually impaired narrators, we do everything possible on our end to: set you up for success when creating your portfolio, reach out to and communicating with publishers regarding any accommodations you need, and help them understand the technology you may be using such as a braille display. Just ask us for anything you need. We are open to feedback.
Are payment plans available?
Yes. Various monthly payment plans are available, including through third-party financial partners (Klarna, Affirm, AfterPay).
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