How to Turn Any Book Into an Audiobook (6-Step Author Guide)

Author Playbook: Learn to Turn Books Into Audiobooks

There’s no denying that audiobooks are here to stay. In fact, they are the fastest-growing format in publishing, with U.S. audiobook sales surging 13% in 2024 to more than $2 billion, surpassing eBook sales. As today’s world becomes more mobile and fast-paced, consumers are realizing that audiobooks offer many benefits for their busy lives, from on-the-go listening to a more immersive reading experience. As an author, it is essential – now more than ever – to turn books into audiobooks and capture the attention of this new, expanding audience. Not only will learning how to create an audiobook help you maximize your book earnings, it will also bring your story to life in new and exciting ways. In this 6-step guide, we’ll walk you through how to turn a book into an audiobook, from manuscript preparation to publishing and distribution (and everything in between).

Important Considerations Before You Turn Books Into Audiobooks

While it might be tempting to jump right in and start recording your audiobook, it’s not quite that simple. If you want to know how to create an audiobook that is the best possible version of your book, take some time to think about a few core elements of audiobook publishing.  

• Audiobook production: Options include recording in a professional studio, choosing a fully managed virtual production, hiring a narrator through The Author’s Republic Studio, or taking the DIY approach.
• Audiobook narration: Options include self-narration, hiring a professional narrator, or using AI narration. 
• Audiobook distribution: Options include exclusive and non-exclusive agreements, or a hybrid approach, publishing non-exclusively with Audible and selling everywhere else (including retail, streaming, and library partners across the globe) with Author’s Republic. 
• Audiobook rights: This includes understanding the essentials of audio rights, licensing rights, and book copyrighting. 

How to Turn a Book Into an Audiobook: A Step-By-Step Guide

Once you have decided on your production route and your distribution strategy, it’s time to get to work on the actual process of audiobook creation. 

Prepare Your Manuscript: 

How do you make an audiobook using your existing written work? Before you do anything, it’s essential to review your manuscript and make it voice-over ready. This includes identifying any visual elements, such as images, maps, or charts, that will either need to be described by the narrator or removed from the script. You may also want to create a pronunciation guide for your narrator, especially if your work contains foreign words or uncommon terms. If your story incorporates multiple characters, you should decide ahead of time what each voice should sound like and audition narrators accordingly. And if you are narrating the book yourself, be sure to do at least one or two complete read-throughs aloud before you record.

Find Your Narrator (if applicable): 

Author’s Republic makes selecting a narrator for audiobook recording easy. Simply create a production project and upload a portion of your manuscript as a sample script for narrators to use when auditioning. You can make auditions public and wait for auditions to roll in, or request private auditions from individual narrators. Once you receive auditions, listen to the uploaded audio file and choose your favorite narrator. In addition to finding the perfect voice for your story, you’ll also want to take into account narrator pricing, which is based on a set per-finished-hour (PFH) rate.

Prepare to Record: 

Creating a desirable recording environment is crucial to producing high-quality audiobooks. Imagine trying to record your audiobook with birds chirping outside your window or your AC unit humming loudly. If you aren’t recording in a professional studio, do your best to minimize any sort of background noise. Having the right equipment, including an excellent microphone, high-quality headphones, and professional-grade recording software, will also help you turn books into audiobooks with an amazing sound experience. 

Finalize Your Audio:

Once you’ve recorded your audiobook, the next step is to make sure that your finished audio files sound as good as possible. Working with a skilled audio engineer will help with this, but if you’re going the DIY route, it is crucial for you to review and understand the audio requirements of the various distribution platforms. When reviewing your audio recording, listen for extraneous noises and edit them out, and pay attention to pacing to ensure a consistent listening experience.  

Position Yourself for Promotion:

With your final recording polished and ready, you can upload your finished files to the Author’s Republic Studio and get ready to promote your audiobook to the world. But how do you make an audiobook sellable? You’ll need to create an appealing audiobook cover image, write an enticing audiobook description, optimize your audiobook’s metadata, and put together a short book trailer video to make your audiobook as marketable as possible. From there, selling your audiobook is all about getting the word out. Use all of the tools at your disposal to make sure your core audience and potential new listeners know about your audiobook; this includes everything from your author website to your social media channels to your email newsletter. 

Start Selling: 

You’ve put in the work; now it’s time to make some money! After all, one of the main reasons for learning how to turn a book into an audiobook is to generate another income stream. After determining your suggested retail price, or MSRP, the best way to maximize your audiobook earnings is to partner with Author’s Republic and submit your audiobook to the world’s largest distribution network, including more than 50 retail, streaming, and library channels. 

How Do You Make an Audiobook: Essential FAQs

Now that you understand the process of how to turn any book into an audiobook, let’s explore some common author questions to help you on your audiobook creation journey.  

• Why should I turn my book into an audiobook?
  When you turn books into audiobooks, you unlock a multitude of opportunities for yourself as an author. The benefits of creating an audiobook version of your story include gaining an additional source of income, expanding your reach to new and diverse audiences, and making your work more widely available through greater accessibility and increased purchasing options (hint: audiobooks never go out of stock!).
    
• Can any book be an audiobook?
  It’s a common misconception that certain types of books don’t translate well to audiobook format. But in reality, any book can be an audiobook! From educational non-fiction to dramatic fictional thrillers, audiobooks bring an author’s words to life. If you need a little extra assistance converting your work to a high-quality audiobook format, you can always enlist the help of a professional audiobook producer and an experienced narrator.
    
• How much will it cost to turn my book into an audiobook?
  The cost to produce an audiobook can vary based on the length of your audiobook and your narrator’s PFH rate. To give you a rough idea, a six-hour audiobook with professional narration typically costs between $700 and $2,500. 
     
• How long does it take to create an audiobook?
  From pre-production to distribution, creating an audiobook can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months. The recording portion typically takes about 50 hours (20 hours of recording and 30 hours of editing) to produce a 10-hour finished audiobook. Factors that influence audiobook production timelines include your book’s length, the complexity of the storytelling, and whether you have opted for DIY or professional audiobook production.
    
• How much will I make when I turn my book into an audiobook?
  With Author’s Republic, you will take home 80% of earned royalties from all sales across all distribution channels, including Audible, Apple, Spotify, Hoopla, Overdrive, and more.