Studies suggest that our sense of hearing is the last to go when we die. While that’s rather morbid as far as fun facts go, it certainly underscores the importance of sound.

For an audiobook, it is no longer just about the well-told story through written words. What’s just as crucial is the effectiveness of how it is told through a voice.

Here are a few tips on how to choose the right voice for your audiobooks:

1. Choose the voice pitch and pace that will fit your story.
Decide whether a female or male voice is right for the mood and tone of your story. Does it fit your demographic? For example, if you have a children’s book, you should go for a gentler storytelling tone.

2. Pick a flexible audiobook narrator for multiple character voices.
There can be a lot of characters in a story, so your voice actor should also be able to switch from one character voice to another naturally and convincingly. It should not confuse the listeners and instead guide them to the flow of the story all throughout.

3. Put yourself in the place of the listener.
Does the voice actor captivate you from the very first moment? If so, you’re likely to stay immersed in the world of the story until the end.

4. Trust the “author’s intuition.”
Listen to the voice actor’s delivery of the story to decide if their interpretation aligns with your intentions as an author.

5. Search for best audiobook narrators lists online.
A couple of celebrities have lent their voices to critically and commercially acclaimed titles, including Nicole Kidman for To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf and Stephen Fry for the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. You might not be able to tap into award-winning actors for your audiobook; however, there are websites wherein you can conduct audio voice over auditions conveniently.

Be on the lookout for voiceover actors who have already released audiobooks, as the work of someone experienced will typically be better than that of a first-timer.

For recommendations, you may also search for ebooks-turned-audiobooks on sites such as this free site. Good luck!