How to Create Audiobooks from Your Self-Published Work

If you’ve self-published a book in print or ebook format, a logical next step could be to turn it into an audiobook and tap into this growing market.

Why bother with audiobooks

The audiobook market has grown immensely, especially in the last few years, as listeners value the convenience of consuming books while commuting, exercising, or doing household chores. 

For authors, turning a print book or ebook into an audiobook can open an additional revenue stream, re-engage existing readers, and reach new audiences, including people who prefer listening, those with visual impairments, and busy readers who consume books on the go. Audiobooks also often sell at higher prices than ebooks, which means greater revenue per sale.

Producing your first audiobook

Audiobook production might seem daunting, especially if you’ve never done it before. But breaking the process into manageable stages makes it much easier to approach.

Optimizing your manuscript for narration

Before you even consider narration, your manuscript needs what we call an “audio-adaptation edit.” Start by reading your book aloud. Does it flow naturally? Are there awkward phrases or overly long sentences that sound clunky when spoken? If so, this is the right time to make minor edits that optimize your writing for an audiobook.

Nonfiction may require more substantial adaptation editing because the genre frequently depends on visual structures to explain complex concepts.

For nonfiction, the main things to work on are:

• Visual references such as “See the chart below” may need to become something like “Here are four things…” Important images and illustrations can be converted into spoken prose. Decorative images usually don’t need to be narrated.
• Long or complicated URLs that are difficult to follow when spoken can be replaced with shorter, more memorable destinations when possible.
• Decide which headings should be spoken and simplify overly technical numbering. For example, “3.2.1 Understanding Risk” may simply become “Understanding Risk.” Make the structure of bulleted and numbered lists clear to listeners with transitions such as “first,” “second,” and “finally.”
• Dense punctuation may be easy to follow on the page but confusing when heard. Some passages may need to be broken into shorter sentences. Italics, bold text, capitalization, spacing, or unusual typography may also communicate meaning visually that the narrator will need to convey through emphasis or wording.
• Decide how numbers, dates, and units should be read aloud. For example, $4.75 could become “four dollars and seventy-five cents” or “four point seven five dollars,” depending on the context.
• Decide which elements of the front matter and back matter should be narrated. Copyright pages, tables of contents, dedications, disclaimers, epigraphs, and acknowledgments don’t necessarily need to be handled the same way. References, bibliographies, indexes, appendices, and resource lists may need to be shortened, adapted, or provided separately rather than narrated in full.
• Make it clear where a quotation begins and ends, and identify the source in a way listeners can follow without relying on indentation or quotation marks.
• Exercises may need instructions such as: “If you’d like to complete this exercise now, pause the audiobook here.” That sentence wouldn’t necessarily belong in the print edition.

For fiction, you usually don’t need to rewrite the prose heavily. Instead, the adaptation edit focuses on making the narration clear to listeners. Important checks include:

• dialogue involving several characters
• pronunciation of character and place names, invented languages, and texts or letters presented visually
• italics representing thoughts
• scene breaks that need audible separation
• passages where punctuation creates meaning that a listener cannot see

For example, the following may still work perfectly well in audio:

She looked at John. “You knew?”

“I knew.”

But a long scene containing six characters exchanging one-line dialogue may need additional dialogue tags to prevent listeners from losing track of who is speaking.

In essence, I would separate the work into three passes:

1. Content adaptation: Fix material that cannot be understood without seeing the page, such as tables, images, references, URLs, footnotes, visual exercises, and formatting-dependent passages.
2. Read-aloud editing: Fix sentences that are technically correct but cumbersome when spoken, such as overlong sentences, ambiguous dialogue, awkward lists, and excessive parentheses.
3. Narration preparation: Add pronunciation notes, narrator cues, character-name guidance, acronym handling, and instructions for numbers, symbols, foreign words, and special formatting.

The goal is simple: a listener should receive essentially the same information and experience without needing to see the printed page.

Narrating your book

A narrator’s voice, pacing, and interpretation can define the listener’s experience. Deciding whether to narrate your own audiobook or work with a professional largely comes down to your budget, available time, and ability as a narrator.

If you have a clear, expressive voice, good diction, and a suitable recording environment, narrating the book yourself can save a substantial amount of money.

If you decide to hire an audiobook narrator, platforms such as ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) can help you find one. You can post an audition script and receive submissions from a range of voice actors and narrators.

When reviewing auditions, pay close attention to voice quality, emotional range, pacing, and clarity. Always request a sample reading from your actual manuscript so you can judge whether the narrator’s style matches the tone of your book. Professional narrators may also have their own studio setups and experience producing audio that meets distributor requirements.

For self-narration:

• You’ll need a good-quality condenser microphone, pop filter, shock mount, and headphones.
• A quiet, acoustically treated space is essential. Closets filled with clothes can make surprisingly effective makeshift recording booths because the fabric helps absorb sound and reduce echo.
• Read aloud regularly, practice any character voices you intend to use, and work carefully on your pacing.

If you’re hiring a narrator:

• Never rush the audition process. Remember, the narrator is your book’s voice.
• Provide clear guidance on character voices, pronunciations, and the overall tone you envision for the book.
• Fully understand the payment model—whether per finished hour, royalty share, or another arrangement—before committing.

Regardless of who narrates the book, meeting the required sound-quality standards is essential for a professional result. Platforms such as Audible have technical requirements for audiobook files, including noise-floor, RMS, and peak-level specifications. Your recording therefore needs a quiet environment, consistent microphone distance, and careful management of unwanted sounds. Even minor background noises can become surprisingly obvious when someone listens through headphones.

Quick tip: Invest in a good-quality microphone and spend some time learning the basics of audio-editing software. Even if you ultimately hire an audio editor, understanding the fundamentals will help you communicate more effectively and evaluate the finished product.

Polishing your audiobook

Once the raw audio has been recorded, the next stage is editing and mastering the audiobook.

Editing involves removing mistakes and unwanted noises such as breaths, pops, and clicks while maintaining consistent pacing and volume throughout the recording.

Mastering applies the final audio processing—such as equalization, compression, and limiting—to prepare the files for distribution and ensure they meet the required audiobook sound standards.

Many authors hire a professional audio engineer for this stage because it requires specialized skills and software. However, you can also learn to perform basic editing yourself with digital audio workstations (DAWs) such as Audacity, Adobe Audition, or Reaper.

Distributing your mastered audiobook

Several major platforms and distributors serve the audiobook market, each offering different advantages for self-published authors.

Amazon’s ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) remains one of the primary options if you want to publish an audiobook on Audible. ACX’s two distribution options are Exclusive (50% royalty but limited to Audible, Amazon, and iTunes) and Non-Exclusive (30% royalty while allowing you to distribute elsewhere). You can upload a finished audiobook, hire and pay a narrator or producer through its marketplace, or—in eligible projects—use a royalty-sharing arrangement instead of paying the full production cost upfront.

If you use ACX’s Royalty Share, the audiobook must be exclusive, and the royalty is split equally with the producer—under the new model, typically leaving the rights holder with 25% and the producer with 25%. ACX’s distribution agreement can run for seven years, and ACX currently does not distribute directly to libraries, making non-exclusive distribution a better fit if library availability or wide distribution is important to your strategy. ACX also has geographic eligibility requirements, so confirm that the service is available in your country before planning your audiobook production around it.

Findaway Voices is a popular aggregator that distributes audiobooks to more than 40 platforms, including Apple Books, Kobo, Google Play, Chirp, and library services such as OverDrive and Hoopla. Findaway Voices allows you to retain non-exclusive rights, giving you greater flexibility over distribution.

Kobo Writing Life Audio allows you to distribute directly to Kobo’s audiobook platform, providing access to its international audience, including markets such as Canada and Europe.

While primarily known for ebooks, Google Play also has a dedicated audiobook section, providing another direct distribution channel for your work.

Beyond these major platforms, you can also sell your audiobook directly through your own website. Doing so gives you greater control over revenue and the customer relationship, but it also means handling hosting, payment processing, and marketing yourself.

Marketing your audiobook

Your audiobook launch strategy and ongoing promotion can have a major influence on how well the book sells.

Start building anticipation before the audiobook goes live. Announce the upcoming release on your website, social media channels, and newsletter. Share short narration samples, offer behind-the-scenes glimpses of the recording process, or release a brief audiobook trailer.

If you worked with a professional narrator, take advantage of their existing audience as well. You can also consider offering advance review copies to audiobook bloggers or reviewers in exchange for honest reviews when the book launches.

Direct readers to purchase links for Audible, Apple Books, and any other platforms where your audiobook is available. You might also run a limited-time promotion, where permitted by your distributor, or collaborate with other authors. Continue engaging with your audience on social media and encourage listeners to share their thoughts about the audiobook.

Selling more audiobooks over time usually comes down to consistent promotion, experimentation, and figuring out which channels actually reach your readers.

At Falcon Edits, we copyedit audiobook adaptations, book descriptions, website copy, blog posts, and other marketing materials so they read clearly, sound natural, and stay consistent with your voice.

Get a Free Editing Sample – See what professional editing can do for your audiobook.