How To Make Your Book An Audiobook

The audiobook market has skyrocketed in recent years and only continues to do so. After all, many people prefer listening to books on the go, whether during their morning commute or at the gym. Even better, audiobooks provide an elevated book experience. Listeners can feel completely immersed in the story thanks to the narration.

So, if you are wondering whether to make your book an audiobook, the answer is a resounding “yes.” As for how to make an audiobook, fortunately, you have plenty of options.

Options for Audiobook Production

When it comes to audiobook production, you can either record your audiobook yourself or seek out a narrator. Both choices have advantages and disadvantages, all coming down to time, money, and resources. If you want to save costs, you can go with the self-recorded route, though you’ll have to ensure you have all the proper equipment and a recording location.

If choosing to hire a narrator, you’ll have to put more money down upfront, though you can enjoy a professional narrator taking care of the hard work. This lets you focus on the post-production processes, including editing the narration and getting your audio files ready for publishing.

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ACX

The most popular platform for self-publishing your audiobook is Audiobook Creation Exchange commonly referred to as ACX. With this Amazon-owned platform, you can distribute your audiobook through Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. ACX also has a large variety of narrators who record audiobooks at a competitive price.

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Audiobook Production Studio

If you want to refine your work before publishing and distribution, you can look into audiobook production studios. These studios focus heavily on post-production efforts. 

Once you’ve gotten your narration, whether done by yourself or a hired narrator, you will have to edit, mix, and master the sound. These studios take care of these tasks to help get your files ready for final export.

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Audiobook Distribution

The last step of how to make an audiobook is through distribution. ACX is the most popular audiobook distribution platform and offers two contract options. The first is to publish exclusively with ACX, where you are tied to a 7-year contract and earn 40% on all book sales. The second is a non-exclusive contract, where you are able to publish elsewhere and receive 25% of profits. Popular publishing platform alternatives to ACX include Findaway Voices and Author’s Republic, which offer different distribution retailers and profit percentages

Luckily, there are plenty of resources to assist you with the audiobook process.

The audiobook process involves several important steps, but it can lead to sales from many audiobook fans when done correctly. Contact Palmetto Publishing for help along this exciting publishing journey.