Skilled or unskilled, a narrator therefore has tremendous impact. He or she can illuminate or flatten, enhance or destroy . . . OK, the clock is ticking, all the little lights are flashing, clear the throat, quick sip of tea . . . Most fiction authors do not read their own work, for the listeners' sake, for budget reasons, and ultimately for sales. Large audio publishing houses expect to cast professional voices for fiction titles, and sometimes for nonfiction as well.
Some authors read their own books or script with outstanding results.
Others are painful to listen to. Pick 20 pages or so from your script. Record them on a home machine. A top-quality recording isn't important. You just need to be able to hear yourself on playback.