Audiobook listeners are some of the most loyal readers there are — but they're picky about narration. You hear auditions, choose your narrator, and keep the rights, with files built to Audible's technical standards.
4.9/5 from 441+ Google reviewsHuman narrators onlyPay once, keep your royalties
9,300
words per finished hour (industry benchmark)
100%
of your royalties kept with pay-per-hour
8–14
to 14 weeks from casting to release
5+
major audio stores plus libraries
Human narratorsAuditioned by you
ACX-compliantLevels & noise floor
Pay per hourNo royalty split
Wide or exclusiveYour choice
Chapter reviewBefore mastering
Sound familiar?
What authors need to know before making an audiobook
"Royalty share sounds free. What's the catch?"
With royalty share, the narrator takes half your audiobook royalties for seven years, and the title must stay Audible-exclusive. If the book sells, that can cost far more than paying upfront. The calculator below compares both.
"How do I pick the right narrator?"
Listen to auditions of your own pages, not a generic demo. Genre fit, accent and pacing matter — and for memoir, whether the voice matches yours.
"Can I use an AI voice to save money?"
Some stores accept AI narration with disclosure, but ACX/Audible limits it and many listeners avoid it. For fiction and memoir especially, human narration still sells better.
"Why was my audio rejected by ACX?"
Usually loudness, peak levels, room tone or noise floor out of spec, or missing retail sample. Our engineers master every chapter to meet the requirements before submission.
What we do
Full audiobook production
Casting & auditions
Short auditions from narrators matched to your genre and tone, recorded from your manuscript.
Accent and age matched
Pronunciation guide prepared
You approve before recording
Recording & mastering
Professional studio recording, chapter-by-chapter editing, proofing against your text and mastering to retailer specs.
Chapter review for you
ACX technical compliance
Retail sample prepared
Distribution
Audible via ACX, plus Apple, Spotify, Google Play, Kobo and library platforms when you choose wide distribution.
Exclusive or wide advice
Audio cover (square)
Metadata & pricing setup
Audiobook samples
Listen to narrators we work with
Different voices, accents and styles, each matched to the book. Press play on any sample.
AOAmara OkaforFemale · British (RP)Fiction
Warm, measured, literary
0:00 / 1:02
“The road out of Carrow was straight and white with salt, and Mara had walked it every day for eleven years, so she knew something was wrong the moment she saw the car.”
The Salt Road
DRDaniel ReyesMale · American (General)Fiction
Deep, cinematic, tense
0:00 / 1:11
“The train did not stop at Holloway. It never had. So when the brakes screamed at 2:14 in the morning, every light in town came on at once.”
Night Freight
CWClaire WhitfieldFemale · AustralianMemoir
Bright, honest, conversational
0:00 / 0:58
“My father drove me to my first shift. He didn’t say much. Neither did I. We passed the bakery on Elm Street, and he pointed at its chimney.”
What the Fire Left
JCJames CarterMale · AmericanNon-fiction
Authoritative, friendly, clear
0:00 / 0:54
“Most founders hire too fast. They see a gap, write a job description in an afternoon, and hire the first candidate who seems good enough.”
Hire Slow, Grow Fast
PNPriya NairFemale · CanadianChildren’s
Playful, multi-character
0:00 / 0:47
“The moon is shy,” hooted Juniper the owl. “It only comes out for someone brave enough to light the way.”
Pip and the Lantern Moon
OGOwen GallagherMale · IrishFiction
Gentle, lyrical storyteller
0:00 / 1:06
“There are islands that appear on no map, and there are maps that show islands that are no longer there. The Hollow Isles are both.”
The Hollow Isles
Every sample is a human narrator reading. Before recording starts, you’ll hear auditions of your own pages.
How it works
How your audiobook is made
You stay involved at the moments that matter.
01
Quote & plan
We estimate finished hours from your word count and agree budget, timeline and distribution.
02
Auditions
You hear your own pages read by several narrators and choose one.
03
Record & review
Chapters recorded and edited; you review the first chapters early to catch anything.
04
Master & publish
Final mastering, quality check and upload to the stores you choose.
Narration: Professional narration is usually priced per finished hour (PFH), with the final quote depending on the project. Editing, proofing, and mastering are included, so there are no unexpected add-ons later.
How we protect your book, your money and your rights
Authors are right to be careful — the industry has plenty of companies that over-promise. Here's exactly how we work.
Your accounts stay in your name
Your KDP, IngramSpark and ACX accounts are created in your name, so royalties are paid straight to you.
Milestone payments
You pay in stages tied to work you have seen and approved, never the whole fee up front for large projects.
You own everything
Copyright, files and ISBNs (when you buy your own) belong to you. You receive editable source files.
No sales guarantees
Anyone who guarantees bestseller status or sales is guessing. We give you honest forecasts and the reasoning behind them.
Written scope before you pay
A plain-English agreement lists deliverables, revision rounds and dates, so nothing is left to memory.
Independent, not "Amazon"
We are an independent author-services team. We never claim to be Amazon, KDP or any retailer.
Author stories
What authors say about working with us
“I cried listening to the first chapter. The narrator captured exactly the tone I'd imagined — tender in the right places, tense in others.”
MMelissa D.Memoir · Single narrator
“My fantasy series has a dozen named characters and I was terrified they would all sound the same. Listeners now mention the character voices in reviews.”
RRyan T.Fantasy · Multi-voice
“I almost chose royalty share. After walking through the maths, paying upfront made more sense — this year's sales already covered production.”
CCarlos V.Business book · Single narrator
FAQ
Audiobook Production: your questions, answered
How long will my audiobook be?
Roughly one finished hour per 9,300 words. An 80,000-word book runs about 8.5 hours.
Per finished hour or royalty share — which is better?
Pay per finished hour costs more upfront but you keep all your royalties and can distribute anywhere. Royalty share costs nothing upfront but splits royalties for seven years and requires Audible exclusivity.
Which stores will my audiobook be on?
Audible and Amazon (via ACX), plus Apple Books, Spotify, Google Play, Kobo and library services if you go wide. Exclusive distribution pays a higher royalty rate on Audible but limits where you can sell.
Can I narrate my own book?
Yes — especially for memoir and business books. We can coach you, arrange studio time and handle editing and mastering.
How long does production take?
Usually 8–14 weeks from casting to release, depending on length and the narrator's schedule.
Do you use AI narration?
No. We work with professional human narrators only.
Pick the question closest to your situation. You'll get a straight answer here — and you can take it further with your own AI assistant if you'd like a second opinion.
Exclusive pays a higher Audible royalty rate; wide reaches Spotify, Apple, Kobo and libraries. Library-heavy and international readerships often favour wide.
Consistent loudness within a set range, peaks below a ceiling, a low noise floor, room tone at the start and end of each file, and one chapter per file. We handle all of it.