Turn a finished ebook into a producible audiobook

Confirm what you can produce

Confirm that you control the relevant audio rights for the intended languages and territories. Review publishing, agent and contributor agreements. Illustrations, lyrics, quoted material and forewords can carry separate permissions. Seek qualified advice when ownership is unclear.

Prepare the performance manuscript

Start from the definitive text and remove visual-only material that will not make sense aloud. Mark chapter titles consistently. Create a separate pronunciation sheet for names, invented words, places, abbreviations and specialist terms, with recordings where helpful.

Build a character brief with age, background, relationships, emotional trajectory and only the accent details the text supports. Flag tables, footnotes, URLs and image captions for an editorial decision.

Choose the narration structure

Solo narration gives one performer responsibility for narration and every character. Dual narration usually divides sections or viewpoints between two performers. Duet has performers voice their characters across shared scenes and requires more coordination. Multicast can suit dramatised or large-ensemble work, with a larger production burden.

Do not use labels as shortcuts. Write down exactly who reads narrative, dialogue, headings and credits.

Estimate, audition and contract

Use the audiobook length calculator to turn word count into a range. Budget for preparation, recording, editing, proofing, pickups and mastering, not only microphone time.

Give auditioning narrators the same representative passage. Include dialogue, exposition and any central accent challenge. Listen for interpretation, consistency, stamina and emotional truth. For a regional casting reference, hear how a working Scottish narrator approaches audiobook performance, then compare several suitable voices.

Record, proof and master

Agree file format, naming, delivery stages and pickup terms before recording. A proofer should compare edited audio with the approved script and log errors with timestamps. The narrator records agreed corrections; the engineer integrates them without audible changes in room tone or level.

Master files to the current distributor specification only after content approval. Keep unmastered edits and project files until the title is accepted.

Distribute with realistic expectations

Direct and aggregated routes differ in reach, exclusivity, controls and reporting. Requirements change, so use the official resources linked in our publishing resources page. Prepare consistent title metadata, contributor credits, cover art, retail sample and territory information.

Production commonly takes weeks rather than days. A longer or more complex book, multiple performers, author availability and pickup rounds can extend the schedule. Reserve decision time as well as recording time.