You’ve written a book, you’ve seen the ongoing growth of the audiobook market, and you want to turn your work into an audiobook. Offering an audio version is a way to increase visibility for your title. There are lots of choices out there for making it happen – whether you do it yourself or sell the rights to an audio publisher who will manage the process. 

To produce it yourself you can use a Do-It-Yourself platform like ACX.com, work directly with a narrator, or work with a production studio. Professional Production Studios who are members of the Audio Publishers Association (APA) help make your audiobook creation process seamless. 

Regardless of how you produce your title, follow the tips below to make the experience smooth and produce results your audience will love. 

1. Build the Timeline

Be aware of the timeline – it generally takes 4-6 weeks for production and another 4-6 weeks to get the title live on the sites used by your distribution network. Prepare for the process to take at least 8-12 weeks once recording starts.  

2. Establish a Budget 

Set your budget and be realistic. A lot of hard work goes into recording and editing a high-quality production, and production studios and narrators will generally quote estimates Per Finished Hour (PFH), usually calculated from manuscript word count. 9000 words per hour is used as the average professional rate, but final run time depends on the pace of the narrator’s reading and the style of the work, so can vary quite a bit.

3. Determine Distribution

What company/companies will help you get your title into the retail and/or library markets? Check out the distributor options at the APA website’s Getting Started page. This will help your studio know the required delivery specs (which differ by format and distributor) and help keep the process smooth. 

4. Communicate 

Know your point of contact and who you will be working with at each stage of the production process so you can direct questions to the right place.

5. Prepare Your Manuscript

You’ll need to supply the final edited version of your book/script as a PDF (text changes after production begins will increase your costs). Reading text aloud often reveals small errors in the manuscript that you will want to address, so review your work carefully. And be prepared to address the question of any visual content in your book, e.g. graphs, charts, images. Consider which are essential and which can be skipped. Create descriptive sections to explain the visual, and/or add instructions to your audiobook script that tell your listeners to go to your website to download related materials. 

6. Create Casting Notes 

Consider how you want to cast your work. For instance, if the book has two main characters who speak in the first-person perspective you might want those read by different narrators. If your book is third-person perspective you should expect that one talented narrator can, in fact, do it all! Perhaps there’s a particular type of voice you’d prefer – age, gender, accents can all be considerations. Considering these options beforehand can help speed up the casting process.

7. To Read or Not to Read It Yourself

Consider if you would like to narrate your own book or work with a professional audiobook narrator. The script preparation above has given you a clearer sense of what you want the audiobook to sound like - bear in mind that this is an acting job and if you don’t have experience or training, you may find this too challenging. Authors recording their own work can be successful, but it requires vocal and physical stamina and concentration. If you do decide to record your own work, remember to: a) dress right – no jewelry or rustling clothing – soft cotton is best; b) eat moderately beforehand and bring snacks – a rumbling stomach means a break in recording; and c) make narration a priority – it will take longer than you think, and you should protect your voice, avoiding social events on or before recording days because loud talking will compromise your vocal quality.

8. Casting a Narrator

Listen to samples of audiobooks and read reviews to get a sense of what audiobook consumers like and don’t like. You might work with a producer who offers you a few auditions to choose from, or you might audition narrators directly. Narrators are freelance professionals and know that an audition is not a guarantee of work, so be respectful of their time – keep your audition piece short. Choose text that showcases the book and includes dialogue, a scene with multiple characters interacting, or other complex elements so you get a real sense of how they’ll interact with your work. And set your narrator up for success by discussing creative choices and providing a pronunciation list (especially difficult or made-up character and place names). Make yourself available to answer questions and review the audio they produce in a timely fashion.

9. Audiobook Artwork

Audiobook artwork is a different size than ebook art, so be prepared to create a square option (3000x3000) as a cover. 

10. Spread the Word

Once your title is complete you will be responsible for marketing it – send it out to bloggers and publications to get it reviewed, talk about it on your social media, advertise it in audiobook-centric places, make the purchase options available on your website. Leverage your audio sample and create “audio trailers” to share. Mention your audiobook wherever and whenever you talk about the title. Audio is just another way for your title to reach consumers, schools, and libraries – make sure everyone knows the format exists based on the distribution network you have chosen and who that network targets.