How to Turn Your Book Into an Audiobook (2026 Guide)

To turn your self-published book into an audiobook: confirm you hold the audio rights, finalize the manuscript, estimate the length, choose a narrator, approve a 15-minute sample, have the full book recorded and checked against retailer specs, add a square cover and credits, then distribute it. A 60,000-word novel runs about 6.5 hours and usually takes six to ten weeks.

Below is every step in order, with what it costs, how long it takes, and the mistakes that cost authors the most time. We publish audiobooks for indie authors every week, so this is the process as it really runs, not the theory.

Step 1: Make sure you own the audio rights

If you self-published, you almost certainly hold your audiobook rights. Publishing an ebook or paperback through Amazon KDP or IngramSpark does not give away audio rights.

If you ever signed a contract with a publisher, read the rights section before you do anything else. Audio rights are often listed on their own. If the publisher holds them, you need them back in writing before you can make an audiobook. If you used a co-author, illustrator or translator, check what your agreement with them says about new formats.

Step 2: Get the manuscript ready for a narrator

Use the final, proofread text, the same file you would send to a printer. Changing the text after recording means paying to re-record those lines, and it slows the whole book down.

Then make a few changes for listening:

• Remove what can't be heard. Tables, charts, maps, links and "see page 40" references need a spoken version or a cut.
• Make a pronunciation list. Character names, places, invented words and anything foreign. One page saves hours of retakes.
• Write short character notes. Age, accent, attitude. A line each is enough.
• Pick an audition passage. Two or three pages that show the hardest parts of the book: dialogue between two characters, an emotional scene, any accent you need.

Authors who read the book aloud once before posting it catch clumsy sentences that look fine on the page and trip up on the ear.

Step 3: Estimate the length and the budget

Narrators are usually paid by the finished hour, so length drives cost. About 9,300 words make one finished hour. Divide your word count by 9,300 to get a close estimate.

Per-finished-hour rates run from about $50 for newer narrators to $400 or more for union veterans. At $100 per finished hour, a 6.5-hour book costs about $650 for narration. Our audiobook cost breakdown goes through every price range with examples, and the calculator on our How It Works page works it out from your word count.

Step 4: Decide who narrates

You have three choices.

Narrate it yourself. This works best for memoir and nonfiction where your voice is the point. It takes a quiet room, a good microphone, editing software and a lot of time. A 10-hour book takes about 50 hours of work, roughly 20 to record and 30 to edit, according to Authors Republic's guide. Most fiction authors who try it find a trained narrator does the characters better.

Hire a narrator per finished hour. You pay a set rate, you own the audio, and the narrator gets no royalties. This is the cleanest deal if you can afford it. You don't have to pay it all at once: with us you can use Klarna or Affirm, if approved, or split it into 2 to 5 parts.

Share royalties. The narrator is paid from sales instead of up front. On ACX this requires Audible exclusivity for seven years, per ACX's royalty page. With us it does not: royalty share books are sold everywhere. A hybrid, Royalty Share Plus, adds one payment to the narrator and brings more experienced narrators to audition. Our post on royalty share vs per finished hour helps you choose.

Step 5: Hear auditions and pick your narrator

Post your book with the audition passage and your notes. Narrators record that passage and send it in. When you listen, ask four questions:

1. Does this voice fit my main character or my narrator's point of view?
2. Can I tell the characters apart in the dialogue?
3. Would I listen to this voice for six hours?
4. Is the sound clean, with no hum, echo or mouth noise?

Listen on headphones and on a phone speaker. Many listeners hear audiobooks in the car or through earbuds. Our guide to hiring a narrator covers contracts, deadlines and red flags in detail. You can also listen to our narrators' samples before you post.

Step 6: Approve the first 15 minutes

Before the full book is recorded, the narrator sends the first 15 minutes. This is your checkpoint. Listen for pace, character voices, pronunciation and sound quality. Ask for changes now. A note here costs a few minutes. The same note after 30 chapters costs a re-record.

With Academy Voices, you can switch to a different narrator at no cost until you approve this sample.

Step 7: Recording, editing and the technical check

Once you approve, the narrator records and edits the book. Every store has rules for the files. Audible's are the strictest and the most published. From ACX's audio requirements:

• MP3 at 192 kbps or higher, constant bit rate, 44.1 kHz.
• Peaks no higher than -3 dB.
• Average loudness between -23 and -18 dB RMS.
• Noise floor no higher than -60 dB RMS.
• Room tone at the start and end of each file, no more than 5 seconds.
• One chapter per file, with opening and closing credits as their own files.

Files that miss any of these get rejected, and the book waits while they are fixed. If you go through ACX, checking is your job. With us, our team checks every chapter against these rules before you hear it and sends any fixes back to the narrator.

Plan on two to six weeks of recording for a typical novel, depending on length and the narrator's schedule.

Step 8: Cover, credits and the retail sample

Audiobook covers are square, not the tall shape of a print cover. Audible asks for at least 2,400 pixels on each side, and we make ours 3,000. Your print cover can usually be adapted. Keep the title readable at thumbnail size.

The opening credits name the title, author and narrator. The closing credits end with "The End" or similar. Stores also want a retail sample of five minutes or less, usually the opening of the book.

Step 9: Distribute it everywhere

This choice decides more of your income than any other. You can go exclusive to Audible through ACX, which also sends the book to Amazon and Apple Books, or go wide through a distributor to Audible plus libraries, Spotify, Kobo, Google Play and dozens more.

In our catalog, only about one dollar in three comes from Audible. Libraries and other stores bring in the rest. Read more in where to sell your audiobook besides Audible. When you produce with Academy Voices, wide distribution to nearly 50 stores, libraries and streaming services is part of it, and your book is also in our own store.

Step 10: Set the price and tell your readers

Most stores set the retail price from the length, and some let you choose. Then tell the people who already like your writing: your newsletter, your social accounts, the back of your ebook. Ask your narrator to share it too. They have listeners of their own, and with royalty share they have a reason to.

The mistakes that cost authors the most time

• Editing the book after recording starts. Every changed line is a retake, and the narrator has to match their voice from weeks earlier.
• Skipping the pronunciation list. A name said two ways across a series is something listeners notice and mention in reviews.
• Choosing on price alone. The cheapest audition is not always the one listeners will finish. Pick the voice you would listen to for hours.
• Approving the sample on laptop speakers. Hum and room echo hide there. Use headphones.
• Locking the book to one store without checking the term. Read the exclusivity and length of any royalty share deal before you sign.

A real timeline for a 60,000-word novel

Questions authors ask about turning a book into an audiobook

How much does it cost to turn a book into an audiobook?

It depends on length and how you pay the narrator. A 60,000-word book at $100 per finished hour is about $650 in narration. With royalty share there is no narrator fee up front. With Academy Voices there is also a one-time $350 production fee, due only after your narrator signs.

How long does it take to make an audiobook?

Six to ten weeks is typical for a novel, from posting the book to release. Short books can be faster. Very long books, or narrators with full calendars, take longer.

Can I turn my book into an audiobook for free?

You can avoid paying up front with royalty share, where the narrator earns from sales instead. Recording it yourself also costs no narrator fee, but it costs equipment and many hours.

Do I need to publish on Audible?

No, but you probably want to be there. Wide distribution includes Audible alongside libraries, Spotify, Apple, Kobo and others, so you don't have to choose.

What if I already recorded my audiobook?

If the files meet the specs above, you can skip to distribution. We publish finished audiobooks for a one-time $150 fee.

Ready to start? See how it works and post your book free to hear real narrators audition. Fees and terms are on our Facts page.

Rates, specs and terms are from ACX, Authors Republic and our own pricing as of October 2026. We'll update this post if they change.