I’ve read quite a few books about voice acting and doing voice overs, and so I’ve got my fair share of top picks that I recommend to beginners. Just to let you know, pretty much all of these books CAN’T be readily found at your local bookstore (even the really big bookstores).
If you crave the expert knowledge found in any of the voice over books listed below, then your best bet is to order through the Internet… and by clicking on the links below you’ll be whisked away to the exact page at Amazon.com! (Ain’t I a nice guy? 
)
NOTE: Since Amazon doesn’t carry a lot of these books in reserve, if you see the ones you want are in stock, then it’s a good idea to grab them right away. If you decide to get them later, then the books might be out of stock and you’ll have to wait even longer to get them.
The Art of Voice Acting, Fourth Edition: The Craft and Business of Performing for Voice-Over by James R. Alberger If you want to know the details of a voice over career, hear from other professional voice over actors, and read sometimes detailed explanations of about voice acting, then this is the book for you. You’ll learn a lot about acting and how to get your own unique personality into your reads. It includes a CD complete with tips on voice care, vocal warmups, commercial examples, demos, and more.
Get it at Amazon: The Art of Voice Acting – NEW Fourth Edition!
There’s Money Where Your Mouth Is: An Insider’s Guide to a Career in Voice-Overs by Elaine A. Clark This is one of my favorite books on doing voice overs. Author Elaine Clark gets right to the good stuff: teaching you how to become a proficient voice actor. There isn’t a lot of talk about the small details of the business (which most beginners don’t need at first anyway) nor does she repeat herself over and over (like some books I’ve read). You get clear, easy to follow direction. The book includes many different scripts complete with her analysis on how to best interpret them. My only gripe: no CD, but the book’s content makes up for that lack. (NOTE: I actually did some coaching with her after reading this book… it’s that good!)
Get it at Amazon: There’s Money Where Your Mouth Is
Voice Actor’s Guide to Recording at Home and On the Road by Harlan Hogan and Jeffrey P. Fisher A must-have book for the budding and professional voice actor. Media engineer Jeffrey P. Fisher and master voice actor Harlan Hogan and shows you how to set up and effectively use you own inexpensive — but professional-sounding — personal recording studio to make professional-quality home recordings quickly and easily. Everything is covered to help you get auditions and jobs, from setting up your studio with the right hardware and software, recording at home, and production basics, and advanced production.
Get it at Amazon: Voice Actor’s Guide to Recording at Home and On the Road
VO: Tales And Techniques of a Voice-Over Actor by Harlan Hogan Good book! I mean, really! But it’s not quite what you think. Author Harlan Hogan takes you on an insightful and humorous journey through this career as a voice over artist. Along the way, he’ll drop some fantastic pearls of voice-acting wisdom for you to grab. Don’t let the fact that these bits of sage advice often arrive surrounded by tongue-in-cheek humor detract from their potency. Remember them well. This book is a must-have to accompany any other voice acting book you buy. Yes, it’s that good! (even without a CD )
Get it at Amazon: VO: Tales and Techniques of a Voice-Over Actor
Talking Funny for Money: An Introduction to the Cartoon / Character / Looping Area of Voice-Overs by Pamela Lewis This is the first of two books focusing specifically on how to do character voices. What I like about this book is that it’s almost like a workbook that accompanies the two CDs that come with it. That’s right! TWO CDs! Of course, the book contains valuable advice and information not contained on either of the two CDs, so be sure to read the book, too. My personal favorite is how Pamela Lewis goes through step by step on how to build a memorable character voice.
Get it at Amazon: Talking Funny for Money
Voice-Over for Animation by Jean Ann Wright and MJ Lallo Don’t you just love the chicken on the cover? I do! But that’s not why I’m recommending it. This book on how to do character voices also comes with a CD. But what I like about this CD is that most of it came from an actual one-on-one coaching session, so you get to hear what a real coaching session would sound like (and learn a mess of good stuff!) Also, the book comes with a pronunciation list of the most common foreign dialects. The only drawback is that these aren’t on the CD. Instead, you have to read them using the phonetic alphabet (luckily the book includes a quick brush-up section in case you forgot how to pronounce æ, Ə, or even Ɵ)
Get it at Amazon: Voice-Over for Animation
Speaking Clearly: Improving Voice and Diction with Pronunciation CD-ROM by Jeffery C. Hahner, Martin A. Sokoloff, and Sandra L. Salisch This book doesn’t come with only one or two CDs. It comes with FOUR! But, this book has nothing to do with voice acting… so to speak (pardon the pun). It’s a very detailed textbook/CD set that teaches you correct pronunciation. The exercises on the CDs are not tongue twisters (like some books) but rather regular sentences that more closely match everyday speech. The set is a little pricey, but if you want to really master cleanly spoken English, then this is the set that will do it (NOTE: Many apologies to my friends from the UK, New Zealand, Australia, and any other non-American countries. This set is for learning American English. But hey, if you want to master the standard American accent, then this set is your best bet.)
Get it at Amazon: Speaking Clearly: Improving Voice and Diction