Step by step guide to create your first profitable audiobook (by a book coach)

let's map out your audiobook success roadmap! Here's the step-by-step guide to transforming your manuscript into an audio revenue generator:

Step 1: Prepare Your Manuscript

  • Ensure your final edited manuscript is completely polished

  • Create a clean, formatted document specifically for narration

  • Remove any complex formatting that might confuse a narrator

  • Highlight any pronunciation notes or special character voices

  • Prepare a character list and pronunciation guide if needed

Step 2: Choose Your Production Method. This is a big decision. You've got three primary paths to record your audiobook. Here are the key considerations for each choice to support your decision:

Should I do it myself? Maybe you’re thinking should I just record the audiobook myself or should I be hiring a professional narrator? Before we jump into the three options, let me share a metaphor I always offer my book writing clients at this key crossroads moment. There are personal, time, and financial repercussions for each pathway.

Embarking on the audiobook narration journey is like choosing between a luxury cruise and a thrilling DIY sailing adventure. Hiring a professional narrator is like having a seasoned captain navigate your literary ship—they bring polished expertise, professional sound quality, and the nuanced emotional interpretation that can transform your words into an auditory masterpiece. These vocal artists can breathe life into characters, handle complex pronunciations, and deliver a consistently engaging performance that might be beyond the reach of a first-time narrator. But—and it's a big but—this expertise comes with a hefty price tag, often ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 for a full-length book.

On the flip side, narrating your own book is like captaining your own vessel. You know your characters' voices intimately, can infuse the narrative with your unique passion and personal touch, and save a significant chunk of change. However, this route demands serious audio skills, professional recording equipment, sound engineering knowledge, and the ability to maintain consistent vocal quality and energy across hours of recording.

It's a bit like performing a marathon while simultaneously being a sound technician—challenging, but potentially rewarding for authors with the right mix of vocal talent and technical prowess.

Your choice ultimately depends on your budget, technical skills, book genre, personal comfort level behind the microphone, and access to a sufficiently quiet recording space for enough time to get the job done right.

Now lets check out the key considerations around audio narration more carefully, before continuing on the journey of every step required to get you from beloved manuscript to published, perfected audiobook.

  1. Professional Narrator Route

  • Most expensive ($2,000-$5,000)

  • Highest production quality

  • Best for fiction and complex narratives

  • Platforms: ACX, Findaway Voices, Voices.com

    2. AI Voice Generation Route

  • Most affordable ($0-$500)

  • Quick production time

  • Best for non-fiction, technical books that don’t require full range of human emotional expressions and character variety

  • Platforms to consider: Eleven Labs, Amazon Polly

  • Good for testing market interest before hiring a professional narrator

    3. DIY Narration

  • Cheapest option (equipment costs)

  • Perfect if you have a great speaking voice and time

  • Requires audio recording and editing skills

  • Minimum equipment: Good microphone, audio interface, quiet recording space

Step 3: Narration Selection If Using a Professional Narrator:

  • Listen to multiple narrator demos

  • Ensure narrator matches your book's tone

  • Request audition samples specific to your manuscript

  • Check narrator's experience in your genre

  • Negotiate rates (per finished hour or flat fee)

If Using AI to Create Your Audiobook, Remember to:

  • Select voice that matches book's tone

  • Test multiple AI voices or pay Eleven Labs to clone your voice (yes, that’s a thing now and it’s not overly expensive)

  • Adjust pronunciation and intonation

  • Run a full manuscript test to see if you can tolerate how non-human or human it comes across.

Step 4: Technical Production Audio Quality Requirements:

  • Minimum 192 kbps bit rate

  • Noise floor below -60 dB

  • Consistent volume levels

  • Clean, professional sound

  • No background noise

  • Proper chapter breaks

  • Consistent pacing

Your Editing Checklist Should Include:

  • Remove mouth sounds

  • Eliminate background noise

  • Consistent volume

  • Smooth chapter transitions

  • Add intro/outro music (optional)

Step 5: Distribution Platforms Top Recommended Platforms:

  • Audible/ACX (largest market)

  • Findaway Voices (widest distribution)

  • Author's Republic

  • Draft2Digital Audio

  • Spotify (emerging audiobook market)

Royalty Considerations:

  • Exclusive distribution: Higher royalties (40%)

  • Non-exclusive: Lower royalties (25%) but more flexibility

  • Negotiate terms carefully

Step 6: Marketing Your Audiobook Promotional Strategies:

  • Leverage existing book reviews

  • Create audiogram samples

  • Share short audio clips on social media

  • Offer first chapter free

  • Cross-promote with ebook/print versions

  • Use podcast and book review platforms to BAA (Borrow an Audience) which I talk you through extensively in my book Born to Write: Transform Your Wisdom into a Bestseller in 90 Days

  • Target audiobook-specific review sites

Your Pricing Strategy Can Include:

  • Match print book pricing

  • Offer launch discounts

  • Consider bundle options

  • Use promotional codes

Bonus Pro Tips from Your Book Doula, Emily:

  • Start with shorter works to learn the process

  • Reinvest initial profits into better production

  • Track your metrics obsessively

  • Be patient - building audiobook audience takes time

Realistic Potential Revenue Breakdown Per Book:

  • First Year Potential: $500-$5,000

  • Long-term Potential: $1,000-$10,000 annually

  • Top performers: $20,000+ per year

    Take The Portfolio Approach

  • Remember you don’t have stop at just one audiobook. Keep writing, perfecting your craft and testing different genres. You may wish to aim for a long term vision of having 5-10 audiobooks out there. And if you have 5-10 books on Audible and other platforms making on average $10,000 each a year, and have a $50,000-$100,000 a year income off it… then that’s a life-changing situation. We can agree, right?!

  • That’s my wish and vision for you, dear friend.

Remember that just like any business, publishing audiobooks is not a place where success is guaranteed. Treat it as a strategic investment, not a guaranteed windfall, and always stay curious about how you can improve your business model as a growing author.

If you’d like to learn about getting personalized support and having your burning questions answered, check out my coaching packages! It would be an honour to support your author journey. CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT OPTIONS.

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