1. Confirm the edition you are producing.
Start with a final, edited manuscript and confirm you have the rights needed for the audio edition. If you want an English audiobook of a book written in another language, finalize the English translation before recording. The narration script should be the approved version rather than a file that is still changing.
List material that depends on visuals: charts, URLs, tables, footnotes, exercises and illustrations. Decide with your producer how listeners will understand it. This can mean spoken adaptation or a separate companion file where the distributor supports one.
2. Choose author narration or a professional voice.
Record a short pilot if you want to narrate. For a hired narrator, use representative audition text and a voice brief that includes audience, genre, tone and accent. Agree on performance rights, approval steps and correction handling before the full recording.
Compare the two narration routes or explore casting support.
3. Scope the work and schedule.
Provide word count, manuscript status, pronunciation notes, target language and release goals. Ask what the quote includes: casting, recording, editing, proof listening, pickups, mastering and final files. Finished hours are the runtime of the delivered audiobook, not the hours spent producing it.
A release schedule needs room for decisions and corrections as well as recording. Narrator availability, multilingual review and manuscript changes can affect the plan. Confirm milestones in your production agreement.
4. Edit and proof the complete recording.
Editing removes unwanted takes and distractions while preserving the performance. Proof listening checks the spoken words against the approved manuscript. These are related tasks with different purposes: smooth audio can still contain a missed sentence.
Review pickup notes, record corrections and check that the replacements fit. A final listen should catch changed tone, repeated passages and chapter transitions that a level meter cannot judge.
5. Master, deliver and submit.
Share your chosen platform specification early. Final delivery can include chapter audio, opening and closing credits and a retail sample, with agreed file names and formats. Our ACX audio guide explains a common technical specification.
Production and distribution are separate decisions. Check account eligibility, territories, rights and commercial terms with your chosen distributor. Preparing compliant audio does not itself open a retailer account.
Plan your next step
If you have a final manuscript, full production can take you from casting through delivery. If you have recordings already, editing and mastering may be the right service. Send your book details for a tailored scope and quote.
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