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Introduction
An audiobook can reach readers who never pick up print. Publishing one takes three decisions: who narrates, how you pay for production, and where you sell.
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Step 1
1. Choose who narrates
Option Cost Best for
Professional narrator (paid per
finished hour)
about $100 to $1,000 per
finished hour
Fiction, memoir, anything voice-driven
Royalty share with a narrator $0 upfront; you split royalties Authors without a budget (limits where you can
sell)
Narrate it yourself Studio time or home-studio
gear
Nonfiction, memoir, authors with a good voice
AI or synthetic voice Low Some nonfiction; must be disclosed, and some
stores restrict it
A typical narrator reads about 9,300 words per finished hour, so an 80,000-word novel runs about 8.6 hours. At $100 per finished hour that's about $860; at $200, about $1,700; experts cost several times more.
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