Howdy!
I'm a seasoned VO actor (over a decade of professional experience) working in a professional studio. If you're publishing through ACX, I'm very familiar with the requirements and can assure you that my files won't be rejected because of technical specs.
To hear samples of some of my published audiobook work, find me on Audible by searching for Joshua Nicholson. I've narrated fiction and nonfiction titles alike, such as "Sophistication," "Dead Weight," and "Peace, War, and Liberty: Understanding U.S. Foreign Policy."
You can hear more of my stuff in the new app Bound on which I narrated and produced "Purgatorio" and "The D.O.D.O. Files."
$5 for 3,000 words is an insult. It takes at least 6 hours to produce 1 hour (9,000 words) of content. That means you're offering less than $3 for every hour of work.
By my estimations, the book will come out to at least 10 hours. I charge $400 per finished hour (including partial hours) which comes to at least $4,000 for the finished product.
I hope to hear from you soon!
Thanks,
Joshua Nicholson