Audiobook production
An audiobook is not a reading of your book into a microphone. It is a produced edition: narrated, edited to remove every stumble and background noise, mastered to the retail loudness standard, and submitted in a file format the platforms will accept.
Done properly it opens a second edition of your book to listeners who will never read it in print. Done badly it is rejected on submission, or published sounding amateur.
What production involves
- Preparing the text for narration — numbers, abbreviations, foreign words and anything ambiguous to the voice need a pronunciation pass before recording starts.
- Narration, either by the author or a professional narrator, chapter by chapter.
- Editing: removing stumbles, repeats, breaths above the tolerance, clicks and background noise.
- Mastering to the platform's specification — loudness levelling, noise floor, and consistent spacing between chapters.
- Quality control, checking the whole file set for consistency and errors before submission.
- File preparation and distribution to the retail and library channels.
Author-narrated or professional narrator
Author-narrated
Common for memoir, self-help and business books, where your voice is part of what the listener came for. Authenticity is the advantage; the risk is inconsistency over six or seven hours, and a home recording that fails the technical standard.
Professional narrator
A trained narrator delivers a consistent performance across a long book and handles accent, character and pacing. Standard for fiction and academic titles. Narrators either charge a rate per finished hour or work on a royalty share.
The decision is about what the listener wants.For a business book, the author's voice carries authority. For a novel, a professional performance carries the story. Choosing against the genre's expectation is audible to the audience.
Why files get rejected
Audiobook platforms enforce a specification, and a recording that sounds perfectly acceptable in the room can still fail it:
- Loudness outside the permitted range — inconsistent levels between chapters is the most common fault
- Too high a noise floor: room tone, computer fans, traffic, or an untreated space
- Spacing that does not meet the requirement at the start and end of files and between chapters
- Wrong file format, bitrate or sample rate
- Chapter files that do not align with the book's structure, so navigation breaks in the player
Running time and cost
Audiobook production is priced by finished running time, and running time is roughly the reading time of your text. As a guide:
| Word count | Approx. finished audio |
|---|---|
| 30,000 words | About 3 hours |
| 60,000 words | About 6 to 7 hours |
| 90,000 words | About 9 to 10 hours |
Narration and editing take several times the finished running time, which is why a six-hour audiobook is a project of weeks rather than days. We quote per title once the running time is known, because a 30,000-word and a 90,000-word book are not the same job at any rate.
Cover, ISBN and distribution
- Audiobook listings display a square cover, so a square version is built from the master artwork — not cropped from the print cover.
- Some retail and library channels require an ISBN for the audio edition, because it is a distinct edition in a distinct format. Others use internal identifiers. We confirm per channel.
- Distribution is set up in your name so royalties come to you directly.
- If you already have a print or eBook edition, the audiobook is a third edition of the same work — and if it needs its own ISBN, that is a separate registration.
Frequently asked questions
What is audiobook production?
Audiobook production turns your written book into a recorded, edited and mastered audio edition. It covers narration, studio recording, editing to remove mistakes and noise, mastering to the retail loudness standard, and preparing the files the audiobook platforms require.
How long does an audiobook take to produce?
The finished running time is roughly the reading time of your text, and production takes several times that. A typical 60,000-word non-fiction title runs around six to seven hours of finished audio and takes several weeks to narrate, edit and master properly. Rushing it is audible.
Who narrates the audiobook?
You can narrate your own — common for memoir, self-help and business titles, where the author's voice is part of the value — or use a professional narrator. A trained narrator delivers a more consistent performance over many hours; an author's own voice carries authenticity that listeners often prefer for non-fiction.
What are the technical requirements for audiobooks?
The audiobook platforms specify exact technical standards: a defined loudness level, low noise floor, correct file format and bitrate, specified sample rate, and consistent spacing between chapters and at the start and end of files. Files that do not meet the specification are rejected on submission.
Do I need a separate ISBN for my audiobook?
Audiobook platforms vary. Some retail and library channels require an ISBN for the audio edition, since it is a distinct edition in a distinct format and therefore needs its own identifier. Others use their own internal identifiers. We confirm which channels require one for your distribution plan.
How much does audiobook production cost?
It is priced by finished running time, so a longer book costs more. The variables are the narrator's rate or your own recording, the amount of editing the raw audio needs, and whether you want studio time. Some narrators instead work on a royalty share rather than a fee.
Can I produce the audiobook myself?
You can, and some authors do. What you need is a quiet, treated recording space, a microphone worth using, and the editing skill to meet the platform's technical requirements. The common failure is a recording that sounds fine in the room but fails submission for noise floor or loudness inconsistency.
Which stores can audiobooks be distributed to?
The major channels include Audible and Amazon through ACX, plus library platforms and independent audiobook retailers. Requirements differ by channel — some accept author-narrated work only through specific routes, which is worth checking before recording begins rather than after.
Does the audiobook need its own cover?
Audiobook retail listings display a square cover, not the rectangular print or eBook cover. A square version built from the print cover artwork is normally required, and it should be produced from the master artwork rather than cropped from the print file.