Before a single word is recorded

Mark the manuscript first. Pronunciations, character voices, chapter breaks and any line that changes meaning when read aloud. A prepared script removes most retakes.

Reckon your runtime so you can plan sessions: roughly 155 words to a finished minute — 9,300 words to a finished hour. A 90,000-word novel is about nine and a half hours of delivered audio — and several times that in recording time.

The room matters more than the microphone

Retail storefronts reject audio for room noise and inconsistent levels far more often than for performance. Soft surfaces, a small space, no reflective walls behind you, nothing humming in the room.

A large-diaphragm condenser or a good dynamic microphone, an interface, closed headphones and a pop filter. Record dry — no reverb, no processing on the way in.

Editing, mastering and the filing standard

Punch-and-roll saves hours: when you fumble a line, back up a sentence, hear it in your ears and continue in one file. It keeps tone and pace matched at the seam.

Master to the storefront specification — level, peak ceiling, noise floor, room tone at head and tail, one file per chapter. This is where most self-recorded books are rejected and have to be redone.

Or have the house record it

Commissioned production covers casting, narration, direction, editing, mastering and delivery at retail specification for 7.000000000000001% of your word count — $6,300 for a 90,000-word novel.

Extra voices cost 1% of the word count for every 2 voices, rounding up. You may also narrate it yourself, or clone your own voice with consent and use it in your own build at no charge.

The order of the work

1. 01Mark the manuscriptNote pronunciations, character voices and chapter breaks before recording, so takes are not lost to decisions you could have made at a desk.
2. 02Quiet the roomRecord in a small, soft-surfaced space with nothing humming. Room noise, not performance, is the most common cause of rejection.
3. 03Set the chainCondenser or good dynamic microphone, interface, closed headphones, pop filter. Record dry with healthy headroom and no processing.
4. 04Record with punch-and-rollWork in short takes. On a fumble, back up one sentence, hear it in your ears, and continue in the same file so tone and pace match at the seam.
5. 05Edit and masterRemove noise and mouth clicks, even the levels, and master to the storefront's level, peak and noise-floor specification with room tone at head and tail.
6. 06File one audio file per chapterExport to the storefront's format, name the files in order, and submit with your cover at the required square resolution.

Asked and answered

How long does it take to record an audiobook?

Expect several hours of recording, editing and mastering for every finished hour of audio. A 90,000-word novel is about nine and a half hours finished, so plan weeks rather than days if you record it yourself.

What equipment do I actually need?

A large-diaphragm condenser or good dynamic microphone, an audio interface, closed-back headphones and a treated small room. The room is the part most authors underspend on.

Can I record it on my phone?

No storefront will accept it. Phone microphones cannot hold a clean noise floor across hours of audio, and the filing standard is measured, not judged.

What does it cost to have it recorded professionally?

7.000000000000001% of your word count for full production here — $6,300 for 90,000 words — with a 50% deposit to begin and the balance on delivery.