You as the author or rights holder should always have the final say in who will narrate your audiobook. Different audiobook producers have different processes, so ask about this when seeking out your producer to make sure it’s a good fit.
At Pro Audio Voices, here’s how we typically do casting:
You’ll first meet with someone from the Casting Team who will ask you questions to understand what the qualities are for the voice/s needed.
The Casting Team will create an audition script from your manuscript.
A Casting Call will be sent out to the talented team of narrators with information about your book, the voice/s that are needed, and special info about accents or languages as well as things like if it contains any explicit material. The Casting Call also includes the audition script and a deadline for auditions.
When that deadline arrives, the Casting Team vets the auditions based on the info gathered in the initial call with you.
They will deliver to you the audition samples in groups of Top Selects (their top choices) and Second Wave (other good auditions that might interest you) with their recommendations.
If for any reason the Casting Call doesn’t draw in a voice that feels like a fit, we will do a further outreach and an additional Casting Call.
Do keep in mind that it’s pretty much impossible to find a voice that sounds like the one you may have imagined. But enter the process with an open mind and you’ll probably be very happy with the options, as our clients typically are.