I've had a number of comments on my YouTube channel asking why I use AI narration for my audiobooks rather than hiring a human narrator. It's a fair question, and I wanted to address it here. The answer comes down to several practical realities of being an independent author.
Cost
Human narration is expensive. Rates for a skilled narrator can run hundreds or even thousands of dollars per finished hour of audio. Given that a full-length novel can easily run ten or more hours, the total cost typically runs $3,000-$5,000 per book. As an indie author, that's a significant investment—one that has to be weighed against the reality that audiobook sales may or may not recoup the cost. AI narration through a service like ElevenLabs dramatically reduces costs, making it feasible to produce audiobooks for my entire catalog rather than just a title or two.
This is especially important because I give away many of my stories and novels for free on my YouTube channel. There's simply no way to justify the cost of human narration—or the turnaround time—for content I'm offering readers at no charge.
Speed and Turnaround
Hiring a human narrator means scheduling, recording sessions, review passes, and revisions. That process can take weeks or months. With AI narration, I can produce a finished audiobook in a fraction of that time. When I'm ready to publish, I'm not waiting on anyone else's schedule. And if I catch a typo or want to revise a passage after the fact, I can regenerate that section in minutes rather than booking a pickup session.
Creative Control
With AI narration, I have direct control over pacing, pronunciation, and tone. If a character name or place name from the World of Uhl doesn't sound right, I can adjust it immediately. There's no back-and-forth with a narrator or producer—I make the change and move on.
Consistency
Even with the same human narrator, performances can drift between books recorded months or years apart. AI narration gives me the same voice and delivery across every title, which matters when you're building a series, and readers expect a consistent listening experience.
Risk
This is one that doesn't get talked about enough. If you're publishing a series and your human narrator becomes unavailable—whether due to scheduling, career changes, or any number of reasons—you're suddenly facing a difficult choice. Do you recast and lose the voice readers have associated with your characters? Do you put the series on hold? With AI narration, that risk disappears entirely. The voice is always available, always consistent, and always ready when I am.
The Bottom Line
AI narration isn't perfect, and I understand that some readers prefer a human voice. But for an independent author managing an entire catalog across multiple series, the combination of affordability, speed, control, consistency, and reliability makes it the right choice for me—and it means I can get more stories to readers, faster.
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