How to Make an Audiobook—Part 1
This is a big topic, so I’m going to address it in two parts. Part 1 will provide a general outline of how an audiobook is made, and Part 2 will dive into the particulars of hiring a narrator and other details.
My ACX Experience
Well, I’ve finally done it. I’ve made They Will Be Coming for Us into an audiobook. My dream has become a reality! (If you’re curious to hear a sample, you can click this link to its Amazon page.) The great thing about making an audiobook is that it requires a relatively small amount of time compared to writing and publishing a novel. That said, I found the narrator I wanted very quickly, and after that, we happily flew through the process.
My narrator’s name is Tracy Odom, and she is not only seriously talented and professional but also a joy to work with.
As far as projects go, the creation of an audiobook via ACX (the audiobook maker/distributer associated with Amazon) is pretty straightforward. Here’s a list of the basic steps.
Create an account on ACX.com and list your book. It’s similar to (but less involved than) filling out the forms on Kindle Direct Publishing.
Audition narrators/producers, and choose the right one for your book. Many narrators are also producers. (Much more on selecting a narrator next week, in the Part 2 blog post.) You'll find information concerning the cost following this list.
Sign contracts. My narrator is a member of SAG, so there was an ACX contract and a SAG-AFTRA contract to sign.
Pay an upfront percentage of the estimated price the narrator/producer asks for. My narrator asked for 50 percent.
Provide your narrator with a PDF of your book (if that’s what they prefer).
Approve and/or provide feedback for a 15-minute sample the narrator has created for you. The narrator will select a chapter (or just a scene or two, depending on how long they are) to read and record. You’ll listen to it, noting the different characters’ voices, the speed at which the narrator reads, the emotional quality, etc. Take notes while you listen so you remember what changes you’d like made. It’s your last chance to give the narrator notes before they go into “full record.”
Consider how to market the audiobook. While the narrator works their magic, reading and then editing the book in its entirety (this took about four weeks), you can start to think about how you’ll market your audiobook. You will not have a say when it comes to setting the price. (More information about this below.) Consider who you will ask to listen to the audiobook when it launches, in order to get the word out and get some reviews. This might be people from Facebook groups you belong to or book reviewers you already know or simply readers that you think will enjoy the audio version and leave a positive review. When ready, the files will be downloaded to the ACX site.
Once the narration is complete, listen carefully to the entire book, keeping an ear out for any misreading of the text or anything else that needs attention. You are allowed two rounds of changes. Provide your change requests, then make sure the changes have been made to your liking when they are returned to you.
Press the button to accept the files when you’re ready to do so. At this point, you will pay the balance due to the narrator/producer (as well as the SAG-AFTRA fee, if there is one).
Go through the QA check. Once paid, the narrator/producer will indicate to ACX that they have received payment, and ACX will perform a Quality Assurance (QA) check. If the files pass muster, they will be uploaded to the Amazon, Audible, and iTunes sites. This can take up to two business weeks. My book went through QA and appeared on Amazon in just two days, so be prepared!
Distribute promo codes. ACX will provide a number of promo codes that you can send to listeners/professional reviewers who will be able to download your audiobook for free (I received 25 US codes and 25 UK codes)—in the hope that they will review it for you. Some will, some won’t, but you already know how that goes because you have a published book in the world. Give the codes to people and reviewers who enjoy your genre or have read the book and are eager to hear the audio version. (As I said earlier in this newsletter, please let me know if you’d like to listen to They Will Be Coming for Us for free in exchange for a review!)
Here are some guidelines concerning the length of your book and the price you’ll pay to create the audio version.
Since narrators are individual contractors, they set the price per finished hour according to their experience and demand. An internet search I did resulted in a price range of $150 to $500 per finished hour. My narrator/producer’s cost fell within this range.
According to PublishersWeekly.com, a 90,000-word book (roughly 350 pages) will come out to around 10 hours of finished audio. In that case, if your narrator charges $350 per finished hour and your book is 90,000 words, the estimate will be for around 10 finished hours. When you do the math, that comes to $3,500.
Here is a general guide for the way ACX lists Audiobook prices (taken straight from the ACX.com website):
"Each retailer of your audiobook independently prices your product and determines such price in their sole discretion. While not always the case, the regular price on Audible for the product is generally priced based on its length, as follows:
under 1 hour: under $7
1 - 3 hours: $7 - $10
3 - 5 hours: $10 - $20
5 - 10 hours: $15 - $25
10 - 20 hours: $20 - $30
over 20 hours: $25 - 35
To be clear, although the above represents general guidelines, as retailer of audiobooks sold on the Audible website, Audible retains the sole discretion to set the price of the audiobooks it sells."
And that's it, the general process for making your book into an audiobook. Next week, I’ll post Part 2 in this short series, which will focus on the details of selecting an audiobook narrator.
