Paying the Price for Past Mistakes

So, remember when you were just starting out and had to forge ahead bravely, even when you weren’t totally sure what you were doing? You made decisions on the fly, crossed your fingers, and hoped for the best.

I had one of those early decisions come back to visit me this past week, and not in a good way.

The year was 2017. I had only recently gone full-time with my voice over business. I was auditioning on Voice123 and Voices.com, working from my home studio, and doing my best to make this dream career a reality. Back then, I didn’t know about the Global Voice Acting Academy (GVAA) or Gravy for the Brain. I had no real guidance on how to quote voice over jobs or what standard voice over rates even looked like.

So, like many beginners, I priced projects by feel, and usually tried to slide in just under the client’s stated budget, hoping it would give me a competitive edge. My quotes likely well below GVAA rate guide standards. But this was my livelihood now, and I needed cash flow. So, I made the decisions I had to make at the time. I was booking so I figured income is income.

Fast forward 8 years. For some reason I was reminiscing as we were driving down the road, thinking about a job I was about to record and how excited I was, way back in the day. I kid you not, I looked at my phone and there was an email from that very customer I hadn’t heard from in 8 years! Wow! This must be kismet! I’m going to think about all my old jobs!

The producer explained that they were considering running the same videos we recorded back then as ads on national TV networks and wanted to know what my quote would be.

Exciting, right?

I dug into my records and found the invoice. I did the job on Voice123. It was for four :15 videos used on YouTube—digital-only usage at the time. Then I pulled up the GVAA Rate Guide to calculate a fair renewal quote. And that’s when it hit me like a ton of bricks.

I saw what I’d charged in 2017. And, friends, it was… low. Painfully low.

According to the GVAA Rate Guide, a proper voice over renewal rate should include the original session fee plus the usage fee, with an additional bump per year. For regional or local ads, that bump is typically 10–15% per year. For national usage, it’s 40–50%.

Back in 2017, I hadn’t even separated session fee from usage fee. I was just tossing out one number that covered everything. So my baseline was already skewed.

Here I was, eight years later, looking at a client who remembered exactly what I’d charged and possibly reached out using the email from that old invoice. I couldn’t, in good conscience, quote a number that was so much higher. Especially without context. I was paying the price for past mistakes.

So, I decided to keep it honest and lighthearted. I explained that they were benefitting from my “rookie rate” from 2017, and I offered them a three-month term at a slightly increased price, still far below GVAA's recommendation. I suggested if they need anything new, maybe they’d like to book me again, with all the training I’ve taken and skills I’ve honed to deliver something really wonderful. They got a bargain. I got a reminder.

You never really know which projects might circle back. Some clients may want to reuse or expand your work years later, and your old pricing decisions can come along for the ride. That’s why knowing how to quote voice over work properly, with usage, session, and renewal fees clearly separated, isn’t just about earning what you deserve. It’s about protecting your future self from regret.

I’ve resolved to make a few key changes moving forward in 2026:

• I’m keeping my rate sheet front and center. I'm reviewing it for 2026 and adjusting as necessary. I’ll be working to honor it with each audition

• And, I’ll be sending the NAVA AI Rider to all my clients, so we’re covered in this new age of AI voice over usage and synthetic cloning.

  
  

The work we do as professional voice actors has long-term value. Sometimes longer than we realize when we’re just starting out. The way we quote, license, and protect our voice over recordings today determines whether those projects remain assets or headaches down the line.

Pricing isn’t just about confidence. It’s about understanding your worth and anticipating the future use of your work. Every quote should reflect your experience, the value you bring, and the reach of the project.

So, if you’re newer to the industry, or even if you’ve been around a while but haven’t reviewed your rate structure lately, consider this your friendly nudge to do it now. Because someday, when that old client pops back into your inbox, you’ll want to be smiling, not sweating.