VOICE WORK IS WORK!
Every full-time voiceover talent I know works 50 to 60 hours a week. Or more. But only about 20 hours actually making money.
Now, I realize the argument can be made that the hours one isn’t making money support the money hours. Yes, most certainly those hours are essential. Which is exactly the point I want to make.
There is very little that is actually “easy” in this business. It’s all work. But the real hard work is the work you do when you’re not voicing something. And it amounts to about 2/3rds of your time.
Think about it. For every hour you spend actually voicing or editing a project, you’re going to spend two hours in support work. Two for one! By support work, I mean searching, auditioning and bidding for work, developing your marketing strategy, tweaking your sound, bookkeeping, equipment maintenance, rehearsing, education, updating demos, etc. etc. And don’t forget my least favorite - cleaning the toilet.
Now, I bring this up because for those of you in voice work part-time, this can be a painful reality check. If you’ve only got a legitimate 10 hours a week to give to voice work, at game you’re only going to have about 3 money hours a week. That’s anywhere from 3 to 10 minutes of actual finished mic time depending on what you’re producing. Maybe a little more if you’re producing a long form project.
Wait. Stay with me. I know what you’re thinking: “Hey, 3 to 10 minutes is some pretty nice change.”
Yes, it is. But remember, that’s best case scenario. That doesn’t take into account redo’s, retakes and revisions. Sure, you can charge a little for some of those, but eventually the rest of us who have a very lenient revision policy will eat your lunch. It’s all about good customer relations!
The point of all of this is that reality is harsh. Yes, there is good money to be made in voiceovers, but the equation still rules: at your very best, you will still work two MORE hours for every hour you are actually making money.
That’s one reason why I don’t understand the folks who will do voice work for $5 or $10 a spot. I mean, if you’re at your peak you still have to divide whatever you make by 3 to figure out what you make hourly. And if you’re not at the one-out-of-three hours productive level, your rate goes down! Face it. At some point you’re just a hobbyist.
Be honest. How much are you making hourly based on the total amount of hours you put into voiceovers?
I guess what all this boils down to is: is voice work a business or a hobby for you? Are you actually making money, or is it costing you money?
If you are serious about being in the voiceover business, of course you need to focus on your talent. But as important is what you do with those other hours.
That effort will make or break you as quickly as your talent. At some point you reach diminishing returns if you aren’t laying the groundwork to build your business.
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