How to Upload an Audiobook to Audible
If you desire to acquire how to make an audiobook, our 10 footstep guide explains what equipment you need and the nuts and bolts of audiobook production.
According to Deloitte, global audiobook sales reached over four billion dollars in 2020, that's a 2% twelvemonth-on-year increment.
Every bit a self-published writer, audiobooks grade an increasing proportion of my monthly revenue from book sales. It'south easier than e'er for indie authors to create or self-publish their commencement audiobook. You need the right equipment, some technical know-how and a budget for working with an audiobook narrator.
In this guide, I'll explain how to make an audiobook, based on my experiences narrating and self-publishing the Art of Writing a Non-Fiction Book and several other audiobooks
Should You Create an Audiobook?
Audiobooks are a great way ofearning more income from your writing. Many readers today have smartphones and lots of books to go through. Plus thanks to Apple CarPlay and Google Auto, net sound is available in cars.
So, why notgive readers the option of listening to your book on the become?
Indie authors in several countries can publish their audiobooks on Aural via ACX too. When ACX added Ireland to their list, I jumped at the risk to create an audiobook of The Art of Writing a Not-Fiction Volume. Alternatively, authors can use popular audiobook product services like Findaway voices.
Narrating a book will help y'alldevelop an ear for writing that sounds good. Information technology'll also help amend your book's natural catamenia. It's hard to narrate clunky and confusing language, which means revising for clarity… and that's a good thing for your readers and listeners.
Hiring an Audiobook Narrator
I hired a professional narrator for several of my books. A potential narrator will look an extract starting time. They'll record a sample chapter for you to mind to. While reviewing this sample consider:
- Does their voice and accent match the tone of your piece of work?
- How do they handle unusual words?
- Tin can you lot hear whatever odd background noises?
- Do they characterize slowly or rapidly?
I waited until I received ten samples before selecting a narrator. When I hired vocalisation actors and professional person narrators, I agreed on a set fee for the contract equally I didn't want to hand over a cutting of book royalties. I paid approximately $1500 for a five-hour audiobook, edited and mixed for ACX. Some vocalism talent wanted to charge more than, but this was beyond my budget at the time.
All the same, if coin is an consequence some audiobook narrators will have a reduced fee for a cut of the audio rights. Narrating a book yourself is cheaper once more.
Narrating An Audiobook
Kickoff, consider if you lot're writing fiction or non-fiction.
Non-fiction, like self-help or business, is easier to characterize than fiction, similar thrillers or mysteries. You don't have to spend equally much time worrying near characters' voices or putting on accents.
There's also something reassuring about hearing the author of a non-fiction book narrate his or her materials. That said, you can narrate your fiction book, but it'due south a little more than work.
Side by side up:
Are you comfy speaking in front of a microphone?
Narrating an audiobook is a performance. It's your job to entertain, inform or inspire your readers…. or in this case, listeners.
That could mean enunciating certain words, using dramatic pauses, and learning when to talk loudly or quietly. Information technology'southward a different skill to writing.
Also, consider:
Can listeners understand your emphasis?
As an Irish person, I sometimes speak as fast as a race-horse. When people from outside of Ireland hear me speaking for the first fourth dimension, they ofttimes look at me with a dislocated expression.
While narrating, I forced myself to sloooowwww dowwwwnso listeners could sympathize what I was saying. Finally:
Are you lot comfy editing your audiobook… or do you have the ways to hire a professional audio engineer?
Near ten years agone, I worked as a radio producer for a news station in Ireland. Just, please don't let this put you off. You lot don't demand technical skills to produce an audiobook.
You come across, I'd forgotten most of my radio production skills and to exist honest, I wasn't a very skillful producer.
While making an audiobook, I wanted to avoid any editing where possible. Instead, I relied on an audio engineer to take intendance of my files.
How Long Does it Accept to Narrate an Audiobook?
Information technology takes between five and x minutes to record 1,000 words, depending on how fast you speak. And expect to spend at least an hr recording and/or editing for every 15 minutes of audio.
I narrated a 40,000-word non-fiction book at a rate of two chapters a day. It took me about 3 weeks to finish narrating my piece of work. I also checked each affiliate earlier narrating with Grammarly. An experienced audiobook narrator could probably narrate ane faster. My advice?
Be realistic!
Narrating an audiobook isn't a small or quick little project.
You lot have to read through each chapter aloud, narrate each chapter so work with an audio engineer or edit your files yourself.
Plus, y'all will need to heed back to the final audio file and cheque it for errors.
Unless you accept the freedom to spend all day narrating a book, I recommend setting bated at to the lowest degree four weeks to narrate your audiobook. I'k assuming you'll dedicate at least an hour a twenty-four hour period to narrating your book.
I also recommend allowing for contingencies such equally having to re-record a chapter.
Tip:TheVoiceRealm.com can aid you summate how long information technology will take to narrate your book.
Step 1. Consummate Your Manuscript
There's little signal in narrating an audiobook if your book isn't finished. Narrating and writing at the same time is also much work. I made my audiobook only after preparing the book for publication, getting my cover.
Ideally, characterize a manuscript that you've already sent to an editor, beta readers, and a proofreader. I get that a volume is never actually finished… but aim to narrate a manuscript that's as close equally possible to the finished version. Believe me, writing, editing, and narrating a book at once is a recipe for overwhelm.
This way, y'all can reduce time spent re-recording sections of your book.
Tip: Keep a notepad and pen nearby in case you spot an errant typo while narrating.
Step 2. Buy The Right Sound Equipment
I spent most $300 on equipment and some other $250 working with an audio engineer. Y'all don't need a fancy studio or large upkeep to narrate and edit an audiobook book.
My set upwardly or approach isn't definitive, only information technology should requite you an idea of what to spend on making an audiobook.
- Blue Yeti USB microphone (1) for narrating my volume. Cost: From USD128
- RODE PSA1 Swivel Mount Studio Microphone Boom Arm (ii) to move the microphone near my mouth. Price: From USD99
- The Auphonix Aluminium Shockguard (three) for the above microphone to avoid picking upward vibrations from my desk. Price: From USD29
- A pop filter (4) to prevent explosive popping sounds when speaking P or B sounds, e.g. "punch", "interruption" etc. Toll: From USD19
- Audiobook editing software – I used Reaper. Other options include Garage Ring and Audacity (both free).
- A small, quiet room – some narrators tape their books in walk-in wardrobes as their voice sounds 'softer' and there'southward less echo.
- A modest upkeep for hiring an audio engineer. Cost: I spent about $300 to hire an engineer from Eastern Europe via UpWork.
- A modern computer. I used an iMac, but I'll presume y'all accept one already.
- Headphones for monitoring yourself. If y'all don't own a ready, your telephone'due south earphones volition do.
- Background music or a jingle for the introduction and conclusion to give your book a polished experience. I bought a track on Audiojungle. Cost: From USD7
Step 3. Set up Your Homestudio
No, you lot don't need to ready your equipment in a fancy studio… but the location of your recording space matters. You could record in a small room in your house or flat or even a closet. I opted for my home role. I closed the curtains and blinds and dropped towels over the wooden floor and desk-bound to reduce echo. Whatsoever your choice, eliminate all background noise.
Turn off your phone.
Close down anything on your computer that comes with noisy or distracting notifications. Let friends and family unit know what you're doing… or expect until they're out for they're a few hours
Side by side, get your positioning right.
- Face your microphone caput-on, i.e. not to the right or left
- Angle it at 45-degrees, titled away from your mouth
Tip: An ideal recording session is at least an hour-long, as yous demand to set, warm-up and get into a country of flow.
Footstep 4. Check the Noise Flooring
Turn on your microphone and record a minute or ii of dead air. Mind dorsum to this recording with headphones, and check if you tin hear any unintentional noises like traffic exterior or creaking pipes.
This is chosenchecking the racket floor.
For our purposes, the noise floor is the sum of all noise sources and signals in a room other than what you're saying or actively recording.
Each time yous record a chapter, turn on your mic and tape the sound of your room for at least thirty seconds and listen back to this recording.
For case, turning down the gain will reduce a hissing audio. Or the fan on your computer may be besides loud. Your home studio could sound ok today, just that may change.
Echo the same practise, this time narrating a page of your book. While narrating, plug in your headphones or earphones so you tin can monitor for or hear odd sounds.
Heed back to your recording and suit until y'all (or your audio engineer) are happy with the levels, quality, and so on. If you're nonetheless unsure, tape a chapter and send information technology to an editor to check before proceeding.
Tip:Place a towel over your desk-bound beneath your microphone. This volition assist you soften the noise flooring around your microphone and reduce echoes.
Step 5. Print Out The Affiliate
Print out the chapter you intend to narrate using a big double-spaced font. Prop the pages up on a certificate holder then you can transition from one page to the side by side without making much noise.
Alternatively, open your Kindle volume on an iPad or tablet and prop it on a stand.
Tip: Keep your manuscript at heart level. If you lot narrate while looking downwards, it volition compress your animate and affect vocalization delivery.
Step half dozen. Warm Up Your Voice
An athlete stretches earlier a big race so they can run faster or lift harder. If you lot're narrating a volume, yous should warm upwardly too.
So earlier you record a version for editing, read the chapter in question aloud. You tin can tape yourself and mind dorsum if you want, but this first read-through isn't the live version.
This practice will help your vocalisation warm up so information technology doesn't sound dry and croaky. Information technology'll too help you lot effigy out where and when to intermission and how to inject some colour into your narration. You're less probable to stumble over your words while narrating because you'll be familiar with what you're reading aloud.
While narrating, you lot'll sometimes need to coughing or articulate your throat. And so, keep a bottle of water nearby that you tin can sip from.
If you want more help, check out this guide to making your vocals sound professional.
Tip: Avoid sipping sparkling water while narrating. I drank from a bottle of sparkling water and concluded up belching into the mic… non good.
Step seven. Narrate
Your goal is to narrate several pages without pause. If you lot haven't narrated much before, don't worry if you merely manage a folio or two. Getting into the flow of narration is why you need at least an hour of fourth dimension.
I sat on a serenity chair, took care not to habiliment whatever clothes that make a lot of noise (eastward.g. wool), and kept my hands off the desk. I besides took off all my Mr.T jewelry.
Then, I opened upwardly a PDF version and turned on my microphone.
I permit the microphone run for 30-seconds without speaking so my editor or engineer had some clean audio to piece of work with.
So, I began narrating.
Using a trackpad, I silently navigated downwards through the affiliate.
You lot can read from a printout, but this arroyo meant I didn't have to worry nearly the microphone picking up the shuffle of papers.
When I made a fault, I re-read the sentence and kept on narrating the chapter in question.
Occasionally, I constitute an error in my manuscript or a sentence that didn't audio correct. I took annotation of what these were in a notepad and keep going until the stop of the chapter.
This way, I avoided editing and narrating at the same time. On a few occasions, I re-recorded the troublesome sentences at the finish of the audio file. I then asked the audio engineer to fix these bug.
I too monitored myself while narrating using my headphones, so I could hear any odd sounds that the mic picked up.
Tip: Identify mistakes for editing by clapping. This volition help you (or the sound engineer ) find these sections faster, as the clapping sound is easily identifiable.
Step viii. Send Your Files to Professional Sound Editor
Unless you have solid audio editing skills, I recommend sending your files to an editor. They volition detect and set audio errors you may miss and assist master the files for publication. This frees you up to characterize faster.
I hired an editor to set my audio files for ACX on UpWork. This cost me around $200. He too exported each chapter as a separately labeled audio file.
Years ago, I worked as a radio producer. I could have cocky-edited these audio files, but it takes a novice or inexperienced audio engineer up to four times longer to edit an audio file.
For example, a 15-infinitesimal audio file tin can take an hour to edit. And so on.
And then, it would have taken me 24 hours to edit a six-hour audiobook. This is time I'd rather spend writing, blogging, or even watching Netflix.
If you're commissioning an audio editor or engineer:
- Detect an editor or audio engineer that speaks English and has feel preparing books for ACX
- Hold on an hourly rate or a projection rate within your budget
- Send them a sample chapter to review before starting piece of work
- Concur on what they'll do for you. For example, I asked my editor to export the finished sound files for me also.
- Ask them to check a sample audio file for quality, background noise, and other issues before you narrate a large part of your book
Tip: Buy a short jingle on Audiojungle and ask your editor to employ this as part of the introduction and decision.
Pace 9. Proof Your Audiobook
Much like with self-publishing a digital or paperback, y'all need to proof the audio version.
I listened to each of the audiobook capacity with a set of headphones. I also asked another person to help.
When I found an issue, like a popping audio, a mangled sentence, or a clumsy edit, I noted the fourth dimension and recorded the issue in a spreadsheet.
In some cases, I re-recorded sure sentences. Then, I gave all this to my audiobook editor to set up.
Tip: This spreadsheet saved my audiobook producer and me a lot of time.
Get my Audiobook Narration Spreadsheet
Step 10. Publish Your Audiobook
In one case I was happy with the audio recordings, I uploaded each m4b file to ACX and submitted them for approval. I also contacted my book cover designer and asked her to create an audiobook cover for ACX.
I also uploaded a iii-minute sample of an interesting affiliate to capture the attending of would-be customers.
If you can upload photos to Facebook, you'll take no problems uploading a finished audiobook to ACX. Remember to name each sound file to stand for to the chapter number or ask your audio engineer to do this.
It took most 10 business days to get blessing from ACX and for my audiobook to continue sale. There were a few issues with my championship's description, which I resolved by contacting ACX support directly.
Tip: Use free copies of your newly published audiobook to attract reviews.
How To Brand An Audiobook: The Final Word
Information technology took me a lot of fourth dimension to narrate The Art of Writing a Non-Fiction Book, proof the recordings, and re-record troublesome parts of this championship.
I enjoyed doing information technology, merely the procedure was more than involved and tiring than I first realized.
With respect to professional person audiobook narrators everywhere!
That said…
Narrating and publishing an audiobook is a great way to serve readers in different ways and fifty-fifty earn more money from writing.
It'll help you better your volume's quality , and information technology's easier than ever.
All yous need is a modest budget for the correct equipment, a willingness to practice, and some time to become your audiobook right. Get this right, and you'll earn your outset audiobook sale in no time!
The Fine art of Writing a Non-Fiction Book is on sale on Kindle, print, and audio now.
Resource:
- Joanna Penn from the Creative Penn explains how to utilize audio for book sales and marketing in her podcast.
- ACX take video lessons and more than that will help you brand an audiobook faster
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How To Make An Audiobook: FAQs
What are the benefits of turning your book into an audiobook?
You'll earn more money from book sales and more than and more readers, especially those of non-fiction like to consume audiobooks over Kindle or print. It'southward also a adept way of finding and serving a unlike audition who don't buy traditional books. Audiobook listeners aren't always readers!
What are different means to create an audiobook?
You can record an audiobook yourself and work with an editor before self-publishing it. Alternatively, y'all can use a service like ACX of Findaway voices to observe a narrator who will record and edit the volume for you. The onetime is cheaper and slower. The latter costs more but is easier.
How much does it price to turn your book into an audiobook?
If y'all decide to record and narrate an audiobook yourself, upkeep for up to $500 on equipment and on working with an audio engineer. Hiring a narrator and editor will price you over $grand. That'south an approximation based on an audiobook 40,000 words in length. Professional narrators with additional experience will toll more depending on the contract.
What tips and tricks practice y'all recommend for publishing an audiobook?
If yous're happy to narrate your audiobook, break it down into milestones that you'll tackle each solar day. For case, aim to record one to two chapters every solar day rather than the entire book at one time. That, way you tin can transport files to an audiobook engineer and become feedback on issues and mistakes. It'll besides feel less tiring.
If you lot want to avoid narrating the book, consider using a service like Findaway voices. They will help you observe a narrator and distribute your book to pop stories like Audible, Google, Kobo, Apple Books and many more.
Resource
How To Become An Audiobook Narrator
The Best Audiobook Service
Best Audiobook Recording Equipment
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Source: https://becomeawritertoday.com/how-to-make-an-audiobook/
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