Your success might be endangered if your book does not have an audiobook version. That means you have to know how to make an audiobook to solve the problem. Audiobooks are growing in popularity, and if you're an author not taking advantage of this medium, you're losing an entire audience who might be interested in your story.
The following guide will explain how to make an audiobook, along with the steps you need to follow.
1․ Getting Your eBook Ready for Audiobook Recording
You may have no idea how to convert written content to an audio file, especially when you're just getting started. As you prepare your written content for recording, consolidate it into a single document. When you record the audio version, you can read the script while recording it. While reviewing the manuscript, remove anything that won't make sense when narrated to avoid getting confused.
For recording your audiobook, you'll need to do the following:
1) Remove hyperlinks, captions, visuals.
2) Make sure there aren't any call to action or click here prompts (unless you still want them to visit a specific link to download a lead magnet, in this case, create a short/beautiful link they can remember)
Once you've finished writing the script, listen to it one last time to make sure it all makes sense. Checking whether you have difficulty reading over things aloud is another factor to consider. For difficult sections to read aloud, reword or rewrite it to sound as natural as possible.
2. Choose the person who will record your audiobook
The next step in creating your audiobook is to record it. To begin with, you should decide who will record the book.
You have the following options when choosing who will record your audiobook:
1) Hire a professional to record it for you
2) Record it yourself in a studio
3) Work with an audiobook producer
4) Make your studio set up at home (using a DIY system)
5) Hire a narrator for ACX
It's now up to you to settle on the option that works best for you. For instance, if you're writing nonfiction or your own story, you might prefer to record it yourself. You can still hire a narrator if you're unsure how to produce the best quality audiobook. If you're writing a fiction book, you will likely need a narrator who is proficient in acting.
3. Hire an audiobook narrator
Most audiobook authors find that hiring a professional to record their books is the most efficient and least time-consuming way to go. If you are anxious about the cost of hiring a pro for voice work, you may be surprised to find that it can be fairly affordable. Authors are generally concerned about cost when it comes to audiobook narration.
What is the cost of hiring an audiobook narrator, and where do you find one?
The cost of having your self-published book converted to an audiobook by a professional is less than half the cost of converting it yourself, mainly because you won't need to purchase any equipment. Fiction can be much more expensive due to the required acting skills. With some packages, narrators will also share their audience with you, which means you are paying for both narration and promotion.
It may be difficult for you to find the right talent if you've never hired a freelancer before. The first thing you'll need is a proposal.
The purpose of your proposal is to identify the tasks that need to be accomplished. Your proposal should clearly state the scope of the work and the terms of the offer you will make. Creating audio sample content to share with potential freelance narrators is the second step. Think of it as your retail audio sample.
Your retail audio sample serves two purposes:
1) During the freelance-hiring phase, it can be shared with potential narrators.
2) Later on, you can share it with your future readers on Amazon to spur their interest in your book.
Enjoy making your retail audio clip-it can be anything you want it to be! The highlights of a chapter will suffice, or you can choose to read the entire chapter.
Retail audio samples are designed to entice both narrators and your target audience. The more you can capture their attention and pique their interest in your book, the more likely they want to learn more.
If you have never worked with a freelancer before, you can find a list of narrators on Voices or Upwork. You can also find experienced narrators by searching on Google.
4. Record the audiobook yourself
Creating an audiobook by yourself in a studio is the second option. It is essential to realize that self-recording is more time-consuming, costly, and involves more effort, especially when you have to pay for time to use a recording studio.
You should block out a substantial amount of time to finish your self-recorded audiobook.
An ideal timeline for self-recorded audiobooks is as follows:
1) Plan your recording studio booking three weeks in advance.
2) During the recording process, record your book. Allocate sixteen hours for the recording studio.
3) Make sure you have two weeks to edit your recordings after recording.
However, these are only guidelines; once you start your project, the timeline may change. An extended book will obviously take longer to record and edit. Give yourself plenty of time to proofread, edit, and finalize your work.
5. Partner with an audiobook producer
Hiring a professional producer is the third way to create an audiobook. Working with a producer would help you handle technical difficulties if you have never recorded an audiobook before. Audiobook producers can keep the audio tracks of top quality and master the output for the final product.
Using freelancing platforms, such as Fiverr or Upwork, can help you find audiobook producers. Simply type "audiobooks" in the search bar on Fiverr or Upwork.
The mixing and mastering option is on the left-hand side of Fiverr. The results of this will give you plenty of opportunities for finding audio engineers, editors, and producers.
6. Record an audiobook at home
Authors tend to feel very close to their work, so they prefer to tell it in their own words. It is especially true if the book is a family history or a collection of personal stories. When told from the author's perspective, many books sound much better. Are you confident and able to speak clearly to create your audiobook at home? You may already have the equipment necessary for recording your audiobook if you are a podcaster or music producer.
Making an audiobook requires the following equipment:
1) A decent USB mic. We recommend Blue Snowball condenser mic. or the Samson Meteor Mic USB Studio Microphone.
2) The pop filter. We recommend the Earamble Studio Microphone Pop Filter.
3) Audacity. Audacity is a cross-platform audio recording and editing application that is free and open source. Here is the link to download Audacity.
Buying higher-end equipment could be a better option. However, these tools should be more than enough for getting the job done.
7. Publish your audiobook on Audiobook Creation Exchange
Once you've recorded your book, either by yourself or with the help of a freelancer, you'll need to upload it to ACX, also known as Audiobook Creation Exchange.
Audiobooks published on the ACX will be available on Amazon, Audible, and the Apple store. There's no better place to make sure as many people as possible hear your audiobook. You retain all audio rights while ACX manages distribution for you, similar to how the Kindle Direct Publishing platform works. Uploading may require a lot of steps, but it is a self-explanatory and straightforward process.
Ensure that the information in your printed book matches the information in the audiobook. Similarly, the book cover and author name should match those on your eBook. ACX will not allow you to proceed if there are variations in identifying information.
A well-produced audiobook can help you gain new readers and expand your fan base. Don't be discouraged by the notion that creating an audiobook is out of your comfort zone- we guarantee you that it isn't!
Your audiobook can be completed in weeks with professional assistance, resulting in increased sales.
