Choose the book you want to record.
Set the built-in microphone on your computer at mouth level - or plug in a free-standing microphone to a free USB slot on your computer. Plugging in is the preferable method for quality and ease of use. Set the microphone on a table or desk. Hand-holding the microphone may become cumbersome after a while and you could get sounds of movement on your recording, so it's best to have it stationary.
Settle into a comfortable position in a noiseless chair.
Open the application GarageBand on your Mac OS X.
Choose New Podcast Episode. Name your project (be sure to select the folder you wish to save the project under so you may find it again easily).
Delete all tracks other than "male voice" or "female voice," depending on your gender. The GarageBand software will show that there are five tracks that can be recorded. More may be added if you wish to add sound effects. For simplification, one track will be recorded for this project. To delete a track, place the arrow in the colored field of the track on the left, then click "select track," and then click "delete track." Do this until you are left with just the track you are going to use.
Select GarageBand "preference," then "audio," then "MIDI," THEN "audio input". Select the microphone you have plugged into the computer, or use the built-in microphone if you do not have a plug-in microphone.
Push the red button to begin recording and again to stop recording.
Speak clearly and at a speed that is appropriate for your listener and the subject matter. If you are reading a children's story to a toddler, you will want to speak slowly and with entertaining inflection to keep your listener hooked. If you are reading an educational book on math or English to a youngster, you will want to read slowly enough for the child to grasp the material clearly. If you are reading a mystery story for an adult, reading just slower than normal tempo would be sufficient.
When you are finished recording the book, save the file and select "share," then "send song to I-Tunes." The book will automatically load into I-Tunes and begin playing. You may listen to it entirely if you like before burning it to a CD or you may listen to just enough to make sure the book was uploaded completely to I-Tunes.
Close GarageBand. I-Tunes will remain open.
Select the book you want to burn onto a CD.
Select "burn disc," which is at the bottom right of the screen. You will be instructed to insert a CD into the CD burner of your computer.
Select "audio CD." If you select MP3 CD or Data CD or DVD, the book will not be audible in a standard CD player.
Select "burn." When the CD is finished burning, eject it, mark it clearly and you're finished.