How Audiobooks Are Made (Step-by-Step)

Reading can be really tiring sometimes, right?

Yet you stay awake to read those tiny little letters in the novel with the curiosity to know what will happen next!

But with audiobooks, you can peacefully close your eyes and listen to the narrator and imagine yourself in the fictional universe amongst all the fictitious characters.

Interesting, right?

Audiobooks can be really interesting and the reason that they have become so much popular in such a short time since they first started is that they have made many lazy people find their love in books!

Completing a 200/250-page novel seems boring for most people but someone narrating it as you read makes it easier to just “look” at the words and not mutter them out of your mouth making the experience of reading more delightful.

Another reason for the sudden rise in audiobooks have become common is because of “how audiobooks are made”

Variety of cultures and sentiments

They are made with different tones, different accents, a different pace, emotional feel in the voice, providing the reader with a sentimental feel which cannot be the case if you read it yourself.

For example, I cannot change the accent as each character speaks or low down my tone if the character is mourning over something for the whole book as I read. This is something only audiobooks can do!

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Choosing the Narrator

Audiobooks are made with a lot of effort and for the success of an audiobook, the most important thing is to choose a good narrator.

For high-budget audiobooks, which are written by famous authors, a process of auditioning is done to choose a narrator for the book.

It is essential to know that not all voiceover artists can be good narrators and not all narrators can be an incredible job with every book. This solely depends on the niche.

Narrators belong to different niche/genre. For example, a narrator who narrates a horror audiobook can narrate a comedy horror book. It’s because of his tone more of angry/shocked/wild and cannot be funny/humorous.

Some authors who have a high budget for their books also hire different narrators for different characters, while for some audiobooks, there is only one narrator who would change voices as each character speaks. This entirely depends on the choice and the budget.

How much does audiobook narrator get paid?

Audiobook narration is a very rewarding career. If persistent with it, audiobook narrators can make really good and like other jobs, they also have annual increases in their hourly rate.

The increase in pay is also on how “good” they do. For example, if a narrator did a very good and if the book gets hit for whatsoever reason (maybe the story, the plot, the strong characters) but as soon as it gets the popularity, the narrator also gets the fame

As more and more hits are recorded by the narrator, the better that narrator gets paid. Every author would want the same narrator for his book as people now buy audiobooks more to “listen” to their favourite voice who creates an imaginary scene for them than to “read”.

This obviously makes the narrator to increase his hourly rates, giving his career a boom. This tells us that, the career of audiobook narration pays very well but is not an overnight success.

Working hard, trying to get better, modifications and alteration to your voices, notes, pitch, creating variation are what makes an audiobook narration successful.

Can I be an audiobook narrator?

Yes, if you enjoy reading and has what it takes to be a good narrator, you can definitely get your shoes in the narration business.

The fundamentals of narration have to be under understood. It is not like a regular reading but an emotional building with tones and voices in a suspicious manner.

The narrator has to keep the reader connected to the book. If a reader loses interest in the mid of the book, it is maybe because the narration is not very fascinating.

However, a bad narration can make a good story boring while a good narration can make an ordinary story exciting.

Learning how to add the fun element in narration is not a very difficult task but only takes some practice.

Some youtube videos can be very helpful to know the do’s and don’t of narration, if you learn that, the narration is comparatively one of the very easy jobs out there.

Can I record myself reading a book and sell it?

Have you ever caught yourself reading a book with the accent of each character, giving each of them a unique tone, putting up emotions in each scene? Then you should definitely try recording and then selling it.

I would suggest to first record it on your phone while reading a book and when you finish it, listen to your recording and judge yourself. How much will you rate yourself out of 10?

If less, then narrate again, record again, listen again.

Now is there any improvement in your rating?

The most common problem that occurs here is the loss of interest of the narrator due to tiredness or maybe any other reason.

You need to make sure that your audience isn’t feeling a difference in the energy of your tone from the start of the book.

When you think you can narrate with the same energy throughout, go for it!

Another advice here is to record each chapter each day. This way it will take longer to record a book but will definitely not risk the quality of the narration of your audiobook.

The key element in “audiobook” is as the name suggests, the “audio” so you need to ensure the audio is perfect.

It is not necessary to get it recorded in a studio by giving a hefty amount, it can be recorded at home in an empty room, or you can also record some scene in a car to add the sound effect of the moving cars or in rain (depending on the scene you can do a lot of different things like these).

But you need to have a good phone with a microphone or any other device with voice input and clear output so that your words are clear enough to the listener and he doesn’t have to emphasize a lot to know what you are trying to say. This can make a reading experience unpleasant

Selling the audiobook is not a difficult task, you just need to sell it online, if you have used someone else’s story you have to give copyrights to the author or you can also use your own story and sell it online.

How much does it cost to get an audiobook made?

The cost to get an audiobook made from a normal book is not very high but can give you huge profits.

Audiobooks rate depends on many things. Whether you are getting a story written by some and then converting it into an audiobook or you are using some already published book and converting it into an audiobook.

If you just have to convert the pre-written book into an audiobook you just have to pay the narrator. The rate differs according to the nafrat company you choose/ narrator you use.

The question should not be how audiobooks are made but how the audiobooks are sold?

Audiobooks are a very advantageous business because it is a thing of 21st century and has comparatively less competition in the market than the paper published book.

But the audience that buys audiobooks has drastically increased from the mid-2019’s till today, especially in the United States. As mentioned before, it is because it gave everybody a chance to develop an interest in reading without tiring.

It made reading more interesting and filled with a trill. We have seen that people now prioritize reading an audiobook on a story than watching its movie.

The reason is simple, a movie just shows you the already made scenarios, you cannot think out of the box or imagine the characters’ appearances because you already have them designed in front of you while reading a book, you get a chance to make characters out of your own creativity, imagine the scenarios, the environment, etc

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Does audiobooks help with creative thinking?

Audiobooks readers can easily be differentiated from movie watchers/ non-readers. This is because they can speak confidently, have ideas, better creativity, and think critically.

Audiobooks also increase the listening power especially when children in early age are given access to audiobooks, they can grow up to some very imaginative individuals. Some preschools have this practice of reading with audiobook sessions.

It is recommended to read and listen to audiobooks for at least 30 minutes every day. This is recommended for children mostly because increasing the time can result in loss of interest and learning abilities while a lesser amount of time cannot provide focusing features and attraction. Thus, a moderate and average of 30 min time is recommended for better understanding and active learning.