LibriVox is a volunteer-driven project with a mission to create free downloadable audiobooks of titles that are copyright free and available in the public domain. So far on the site you can access nearly 4000 titles and the number is growing. You’ll find fiction, non-fiction, poetry and dramatic works. Authors include William Shakespeare, George Bernard Shaw, Anton Chekhov, Jane Austen and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Search the LibriVox catalog.
They are looking for volunteers to join the online community and record readings (no experience required!). Find out how to volunteer.
You can also sign up to receive their excellent podcasts which include short stories, poetry and info from the LibriVox community.
I just checked the stats — as of today, there are 4564 completed works in the catalogue, and another 500+ in progress. New readers are very welcome, and as you say, no experience is required, just a microphone and some free time.
There are works in at least 37 different languages, too, very helpful for people learning new languages or those who would love to hear great books read in the languages they already speak.
I’m a reader there myself, would love to hear some readers from here too.
An excellent site indeed. I stumbled across this site looking for free audiobooks and became enchanted with it. As a reader, editor and proof listener (yes, they need people to listen to finished recordings to make them as easy to listen to as possible) I have lots of fun and feel I’m contributing to the world’s knowledge. Did it mention it is FUN?