Voice Acting

Narration Scripts – Fiction Genre

Keaton Robbins | June 15, 2018

the word "fiction" spelled out on typewriter stamps to symbolize fiction in audiobook scripts that narrations can use to practice with.

The craft of audiobook narration is one of stamina and commitment. If you’re looking to lend your voice to the world of audiobooks, read these narration script passages aloud to get a sense for what it’s like to marathon through a long-form practice read.

Check out our roundup of expert narration preparation tips to help you excel in your narration development too!

In this article

  1. Narration Script #1 – Example Demo Excerpt
  2. Narration Script #2 – Practice Read

Narration Script #1 – Example Demo Excerpt

Client:

Moby-Dick or, The Whale

Voice Age:

Middle Aged or Mature Sounding

Gender:

Female or Male

Job description:

You’ll find two sample scripts provided here. One lengthy one intended for practicing, and one shorter one intended to give narrators a passage to record for their narration demo to showcase their abilities. Both are pulled from literature found in the public domain, meaning they’re copyright free and available for public uses such as this.

Art Direction:

Have fun with these fiction literature scripts. Try your hand at character reads by giving each character their own distinctive voice. Try to assign personality traits to the characters that will feed into their vocal inflections of how they say things.

Category:

Audiobooks

Industry:

Publishing

Style:

Narrator

Language:

English

Accent:

Narrate this passage in your natural accent. Only assume an accent if prompted by the description of a character’s vocal traits.

Word Count:

266 words

Call me Ishmael. Some years ago—never mind how long precisely—having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen, and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth, whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul, whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet, and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people’s hats off—then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword, I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me.

There now is your insular city of the Manhattoes, belted round by wharves as Indian isles by coral reefs—commerce surrounds it with her surf. Right and left, the streets take you waterward. Its extreme downtown is the battery, where that noble mole is washed by waves, and cooled by breezes, which a few hours previous were out of sight of land. Look at the crowds of water-gazers there.

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Narration Script #2 – Practice Read

Client:

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle

Voice Age:

Middle Aged

Gender:

Female or male

Job description:

You’ll find two sample scripts provided here. One lengthy one intended for practicing, and one shorter one intended to give narrators a passage to record for their narration demo to showcase their abilities. Both are pulled from literature found in the public domain, meaning they’re copyright free and available for public uses such as this.

Art Direction:

Have fun with these fiction literature scripts. Try your hand at character reads by giving each character their own distinctive voice. Try to assign personality traits to the characters that will feed into their vocal inflections of how they say things.

Category:

Audiobooks

Industry:

Publishing

Style:

Narrator

Language:

English

Accent:

Narrate this passage in your natural accent. Only assume an accent if prompted by the description of a character’s vocal traits.

Word Count:

850 words

He flicked the horse with his whip, and we dashed away through the endless succession of sombre and deserted streets, which widened gradually, until we were flying across a broad balustraded bridge, with the murky river flowing sluggishly beneath us. Beyond lay another dull wilderness of bricks and mortar, its silence broken only by the heavy, regular footfall of the policeman, or the songs and shouts of some belated party of revelers. A dull wrack was drifting slowly across the sky, and a star or two twinkled dimly here and there through the rifts of the clouds. Holmes drove in silence, with his head sunk upon his breast, and the air of a man who is lost in thought, while I sat beside him, curious to learn what this new quest might be which seemed to tax his powers so sorely, and yet afraid to break in upon the current of his thoughts. We had driven several miles, and were beginning to get to the fringe of the belt of suburban villas, when he shook himself, shrugged his shoulders, and lit up his pipe with the air of a man who has satisfied himself that he is acting for the best.

“You have a grand gift of silence, Watson,” said he. “It makes you quite invaluable as a companion. ’Pon my word, it is a great thing for me to have someone to talk to, for my own thoughts are not over-pleasant. I was wondering what I should say to this dear little woman to-night when she meets me at the door.”

“You forget that I know nothing about it.”

“I shall just have time to tell you the facts of the case before we get to Lee. It seems absurdly simple, and yet, somehow I can get nothing to go upon. There’s plenty of thread, no doubt, but I can’t get the end of it into my hand. Now, I’ll state the case clearly and concisely to you, Watson, and maybe you can see a spark where all is dark to me.”

“Proceed, then.”

“Some years ago—to be definite, in May, 1884—there came to Lee a gentleman, Neville St. Clair by name, who appeared to have plenty of money. He took a large villa, laid out the grounds very nicely, and lived generally in good style. By degrees he made friends in the neighbourhood, and in 1887 he married the daughter of a local brewer, by whom he now has two children. He had no occupation, but was interested in several companies and went into town as a rule in the morning, returning by the 5:14 from Cannon Street every night. Mr. St. Clair is now thirty-seven years of age, is a man of temperate habits, a good husband, a very affectionate father, and a man who is popular with all who know him. I may add that his whole debts at the present moment, as far as we have been able to ascertain, amount to £88 10s., while he has £220 standing to his credit in the Capital and Counties Bank. There is no reason, therefore, to think that money troubles have been weighing upon his mind.

“Last Monday Mr. Neville St. Clair went into town rather earlier than usual, remarking before he started that he had two important commissions to perform, and that he would bring his little boy home a box of bricks. Now, by the merest chance, his wife received a telegram upon this same Monday, very shortly after his departure, to the effect that a small parcel of considerable value which she had been expecting was waiting for her at the offices of the Aberdeen Shipping Company. Now, if you are well up in your London, you will know that the office of the company is in Fresno Street, which branches out of Upper Swandam Lane, where you found me to-night. Mrs. St. Clair had her lunch, started for the City, did some shopping, proceeded to the company’s office, got her packet, and found herself at exactly 4:35 walking through Swandam Lane on her way back to the station. Have you followed me so far?”

“It is very clear.”

“If you remember, Monday was an exceedingly hot day, and Mrs. St. Clair walked slowly, glancing about in the hope of seeing a cab, as she did not like the neighbourhood in which she found herself. While she was walking in this way down Swandam Lane, she suddenly heard an ejaculation or cry, and was struck cold to see her husband looking down at her and, as it seemed to her, beckoning to her from a second-floor window. The window was open, and she distinctly saw his face, which she describes as being terribly agitated. He waved his hands frantically to her, and then vanished from the window so suddenly that it seemed to her that he had been plucked back by some irresistible force from behind. One singular point which struck her quick feminine eye was that although he wore some dark coat, such as he had started to town in, he had on neither collar nor necktie.

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Comments

  • Avatar for Michael Gaines
    Michael Gaines
    July 5, 2019, 7:08 pm

    Been told for YEARS I should do voice-over work. This is, finally, my first step!
    I’ve studied acting and performed stand-up at some top clubs in L.A.
    I appreciate your providing sample narrative passages for me to practice with!
    Let’s see what I can do!

    Any suggestions where to turn next?

    Reply
  • Avatar for Kumud Kumar
    Kumud Kumar
    January 29, 2020, 7:28 am

    I m Kumud Kumar from INDIA. By profession i m a faculty for UG level students. So, i just want to say that speaking is my essential task.
    Therefore i just want to work as a voice actor for clients.

    Reply
    • Avatar for oliver
      oliver
      January 29, 2020, 11:18 am

      Hi Kumud,

      Thanks for reaching out! To start searching for work as a voice actor, the best place to begin is by creating a profile on Voices.com.

      Follow this link to learn about our different membership levels.

      Feel free to peruse our FAQ, and contact us for support anytime.

      Happy recording,
      Oliver

      Reply
  • Avatar for Madison Bailey
    Madison Bailey
    April 9, 2020, 11:53 pm

    I like when I get to play multiple parts like a play but only the voices

    Reply
    • Avatar for oliver
      oliver
      April 15, 2020, 1:21 pm

      Hey Madison,

      Thanks for the positive feedback! We’re glad you like the scripts.

      If you’d like to record your script reads to audition for voice over jobs, you can register for a Voices talent account and build a voice acting profile, browse through voice over job listings, and begin auditioning for the work that most appeals to you.

      Happy recording,
      Oliver

      Reply
  • Avatar for Nisha
    Nisha
    April 14, 2020, 2:57 pm

    I’m so into this voice over world! Can anybody please tell me how to record & how do I post it ?

    Reply
    • Avatar for oliver
      oliver
      April 15, 2020, 3:07 pm

      Hey Nisha,

      Thanks for reaching out! To post your demo on Voices, first you have to register for a talent account. From there, you’ll get the opportunity to fill out your profile, get access to our vast job board of voice over casting calls, and post your demo.

      Feel free to check out our Talent Help page, and never hesitate to send us an email with any questions at [email protected].

      If you’re simply looking for the best way to record your voice, we’ve got you covered! Our Beginner’s Guide to Voice Acting is a really helpful resource that’s jam-packed with info about the voice over world. Based on your comment, you might want to jump straight to these chapters of the guide:

      How to Record Voice Over
      Audition Online: Getting Voice Over Jobs From Home

      I hope that helps. Happy recording, and best of luck on your voice over journey!
      Oliver

      Reply
      • Avatar for Nisha
        Nisha
        May 6, 2020, 8:01 am

        Hi,
        Can I know if I a voice over Course on Voices.com will voices.com give a job for me/ find me a job?

      • Avatar for oliver
        oliver
        May 19, 2020, 4:04 pm

        Hi Nisha,

        To browse voice over job postings, you should sign up for a Voices.com Talent account. Once you do that, you’ll have the opportunity to fill out your profile (where you can list your vocal qualities, preferences, and any languages or accents you’re capable of performing), upload your demo, and begin auditioning for any pertinent job postings listed on our vast board of available voice over work.

        I hope that helps!

        Oliver

  • Avatar for Nisha
    Nisha
    May 3, 2020, 3:32 pm

    Where can I find story for my narration audition?

    Reply
    • Avatar for oliver
      oliver
      May 13, 2020, 11:58 am

      Hey Nisha,

      If you’re looking for material to practice with, or to use to record your own voice over demo, you can check out our library of voice over sample scripts, which are entirely royalty-free and available for you to use.

      I hope that helps!
      Oliver

      Reply
  • Avatar for Santhi
    Santhi
    June 16, 2020, 1:02 am

    I have a good voice

    Reply
  • Avatar for Kalenebari Kpabep
    Kalenebari Kpabep
    May 29, 2021, 5:43 pm

    I had always been told I had a nice voice, and the concept of voice acting had always fascinated me. So, I decided to start as a narrator and I’m glad I found this site , it really helps. Are there tips you can give me? I’d really appreciate.

    Reply
  • Avatar for Aisha
    Aisha
    August 17, 2023, 6:12 pm

    This is wonderful. I can finally look forward to something this good .

    Reply
  • Avatar for Arianna Fox
    Arianna Fox
    February 20, 2024, 11:41 am

    As a professional voice-over actress and fanatic of the original Sherlock Holmes books (and classic literature in general), I STRONGLY approve of the choice of books they have here. XD

    Reply