How Audiobook Production Works, From Narrator to Retail

Audiobooks let people enjoy your book on a commute, at the gym or while cooking dinner. For many authors, they reach readers who would never pick up the print edition. But producing one is a real project with its own steps, its own technical standards, and its own costs.

Here is how the audiobook production process works, from preparing your script to getting the finished files approved for sale.

Step 1: Make sure you have the audio rights

If you self-published, you almost certainly own your audio rights. If you have a traditional publishing contract, check it carefully. Many publishers hold audio rights, and you cannot produce an audiobook without them.

Step 2: Choose where you will produce and sell it

ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) is Amazon's platform for producing and distributing audiobooks to Audible, Amazon and Apple Books. It is open to rights holders in a limited set of countries, including the US. It connects you with narrators and producers and handles distribution once your book is approved.

You can also hire a narrator or studio directly and distribute through other aggregators that reach libraries and a wider range of retailers. Many authors start with ACX because it is straightforward, then consider wider distribution later. Exclusivity terms and royalty rates differ depending on the route you choose, so read the current terms before you commit.

Step 3: Prepare the script

Your final, edited manuscript is the script. Before recording, go through it for things that work in print but not in audio:

• Charts, tables and images that need a short spoken description, or a PDF companion for listeners.
• Phrases like "see page 47" or "as shown below" that need rewording.
• Unusual names, places or terms. Give your narrator a pronunciation guide.

Step 4: Find your narrator through auditions

On ACX, you post your title with a short audition script, usually two to five pages that show the range of your book. Narrators record and submit auditions, and you listen to each one.

Listen for more than a pleasant voice. A good narrator understands the material, paces it naturally, and handles dialogue without overacting. For nonfiction, clarity and warmth matter most. For fiction, look for someone who can carry different characters while keeping them distinct.

The right narrator should make you forget you are listening to someone read.

Some authors choose to narrate their own memoir or business book. That can work well, provided you have a quiet, treated recording space and are comfortable with long sessions and re-takes.

Step 5: Understand finished hours

Audiobook work is priced and measured in finished hours, meaning the length of the final edited audio. A common rule of thumb is that one finished hour equals about 9,000 to 10,000 words. A 70,000-word book will therefore run around seven to eight finished hours.

One finished hour takes far longer than an hour to produce. Recording, editing out mistakes and breaths, proofing against the script and mastering often add up to several hours of work for every finished hour.

Step 6: Recording, editing and mastering

The narrator records the book chapter by chapter. Editors then remove errors, long pauses and noises. A proofer listens against the manuscript to catch skipped lines or misreads. Finally, mastering brings every file to consistent levels that meet the retailer's specs.

ACX's technical requirements

ACX checks every file before your book goes on sale. Its core audio standards include:

• Overall loudness (RMS) between -23dB and -18dB.
• Peak levels no higher than -3dB.
• A noise floor below -60dB, so background hiss is not audible.
• Each chapter delivered as its own file, with a short stretch of room tone at the start and end.
• Consistent sound across all files, with no music or effects that drown out the narration.
• Opening and closing credits, plus a short retail sample.

File format and bitrate requirements also apply. Check ACX's current audio submission requirements before production starts, so the narrator or studio works to the right specs from day one.

Step 7: Choose how to pay your narrator

Pay per finished hour

You pay the narrator or producer a set rate for each finished hour, and you keep all of your royalties. Rates vary widely with experience. Newer narrators may charge a modest amount, while established professionals charge several hundred dollars per finished hour. This option costs more upfront but tends to attract more experienced narrators.

Royalty share

On ACX, you can instead offer to split your audiobook royalties with the narrator, typically half each, for a set term. You pay nothing upfront. The trade-off is that experienced narrators are selective about royalty share projects, since they only get paid if the book sells. It suits authors with an established audience or a strong sales track record.

ACX also offers a hybrid option on some titles, where a narrator receives a per-hour payment plus a royalty share. Check what is available for your book when you post it.

Step 8: Review, approve and release

Once all chapters are uploaded, listen to the full audiobook, or at least spot-check every chapter. Approve the production, and ACX runs its own quality review. That review can take a few weeks. After approval, your audiobook goes live on Audible and other connected retailers.

The audiobook production process rewards preparation: clear rights, a clean script, the right narrator and files mastered to spec. If you would like help weighing your options or finding the right voice for your book, our team is glad to talk it through in a free consultation.