Audiobook Production That Sounds Like a Real Studio Made It

Full audiobook production typically covers pre-production and manuscript prep, narration (by a professional voice or by you), recording sessions, audio editing and mastering to retail standards, quality control, ACX/retail compliance checks, and distribution support. Everything is scoped individually and confirmed in writing before work begins.

It depends on the book and on you. Memoirs and personal development books often work best with the author's own voice, because the emotional authenticity comes through. Fiction, business, and instructional books often benefit from a professional narrator with delivery experience across genres. We will give you an honest recommendation during pre-production, including a coaching plan if you decide to narrate yourself.

It depends on runtime, narration approach, and revision rounds. A short non-fiction book with a professional narrator can be ready in a few weeks. A long fiction novel with character-voiced narration and multiple revision rounds can take a few months. We do not quote timelines before pre-production because the honest answer depends on the actual scope.

Cost varies widely — from a modest single-narrator non-fiction project to a full-cast fiction production with extensive editing and multi-platform distribution. Rather than publishing a misleading per-hour rate, we quote every project individually after pre-production. You will always know what is included, what is not, and what the total is before you commit.

ACX and Audible set specific technical requirements for audiobook audio — RMS loudness within a defined range, peak levels below a defined ceiling, a specified noise floor, and consistent chapter file naming. Files that miss these requirements often get rejected on submission. We master to these standards and verify compliance before anything is uploaded.

Yes. We deliver to Audible, Amazon, Apple Books, Spotify, Kobo, Google Play, and other supported platforms through aggregators. Whether you should go exclusive with Audible or distribute widely is a genuine strategic decision — we will walk you through the trade-offs for your specific book and audience.

You do — completely. Master audio files, session files, and full commercial distribution rights transfer to you on final payment. There is no ongoing licence fee, no restriction on which platforms you list on, and no agency-owned middle layer. If you ever want to move distributors, you can.

Yes. Chapter markers are aligned to the print or eBook edition where relevant, and metadata — title, author, narrator, description, categories, and keywords — is prepared for each retail platform. Retail descriptions are written to match the audiobook, not just copied from the print edition.

Audiobook platforms often have specific cover requirements (square aspect ratio, minimum resolution, legibility at small sizes). If your existing cover does not meet these, we can adapt it or design an audiobook-specific version. This is a small but important step — a cover that fails platform requirements will block your upload.

Yes, in many cases. We frequently take over recordings that need re-editing, re-mastering, or full QC because they failed platform requirements. We will review what exists and give you an honest assessment of whether it is worth repairing or re-recording. There is no point polishing audio that will never pass retail compliance.

Retail-ready master files are delivered as high-bitrate MP3 or WAV as required by the platform, along with any intermediate files you need. All source files, session files, and the finalised metadata package are yours on delivery. If you need additional formats for internal use or archival, we can supply them.

No. We produce human-narrated audiobooks. AI narration has a place for some internal and experimental use cases, but it is not appropriate for retail audiobooks sold under your name — listeners notice, reviews reflect it, and most major retail platforms have restrictions. If you are specifically interested in AI narration for a non-retail use case, tell us during Discovery and we will discuss it honestly.

No. Audiobook production is a fixed-scope engagement — you pay for the production, and you own everything on delivery. Distribution support and ongoing updates afterwards are optional rolling plans or fixed-scope work. There is no mandatory twelve-month retainer and no exit clause you have to negotiate.

Fill in the inquiry form below with a short description of your project — the book, its length, whether you plan to narrate or use a professional voice, and what platforms you want to publish on. We will reply with an initial assessment and, if it looks like a good fit, schedule a pre-production call. Nothing is quoted until we understand the scope, and there is no obligation to proceed after that conversation.