If you’re here, I’m assuming you’ve written a book… congratulations!!

Now you’ve entered the somewhat-confusing yet always-exciting world of audiobooks.

Welcome.

Before we get started, let me just get this out of the way: I am not an Amazon affiliate. CRAZY, I know. But I’m not. That may change in the future. But for now, the things recommended here I do NOT get a commission on, and I have used them personally.

Whew, now that’s out of the way, let’s get to it.

There are 3 major components of creating an audiobook.

1. Prep
2. Recording
3. Editing/Mastering

I’ll go over each of them briefly. If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment or send me an email at emily@emilysuhrvo.com

Now, let’s do this…

PREP

First, you gotta read the book. If you’re the author, I know you’ve done it a million times. But you need to do it again. Sit down and read it out loud.

You’re going to want to markup or “notate” the text. I prefer PDF format because there’s a plethora of programs you can use to mark them up.

What kinds of things are you marking up?

Tricky words. Tongue twisters. Troublesome passages. You get the idea.

You can also make notes of where you’re going to breathe. You’d think that wouldn’t be necessary. Who needs reminders to breathe?? You’d be surprised at how sentences that sound amazing in your head are incredibly difficult to read in one breath. 

After you’ve marked up your script (it’s a script, not a book now. I don’t make the rules), you’re ready to record!

But are you?

RECORDING

I will assume at this stage you have at least THOUGHT about a microphone. If you haven’t, a Blue Yeti by Logitech will be a solid choice. It will not have the same production quality as a pro studio, but it will get the job done to the standards of ACX and Findaway Voices, two of the big players in audiobook distribution.

Another option is a pro studio! I would recommend this option if you’re higher on the budget side, because renting a pro studio could potentially cost you more than hiring a pro narrator.

Figure out WHERE you’re going to record. I personally have my studio set up in a walk-in closet – the winter coats make it where the sound doesn’t reflect and echo off the walls. Think of the last time you had a bad headache – you wanted it quiet and still and cozy. When you spoke, the sound was muted. THAT’S what you’re looking for in a recording space.

Once you’re in front of a mic, the key things to remember are this:

1. Stay hydrated. Your audio will have less mouth noise to edit out if you drink sips of water regularly.
2. Maintain a consistent distance from the microphone. This will ensure consistency in how your audio sounds! 6” is typically a good distance, but play with it before you start for real to see what sounds best for you!
3. Learn what “punch and roll” is. You’ll thank me when you’re editing.
4. Have fun!

Special! Pay attention: 

5. Don’t speak directly AT your mic – think of it this way: put your hand in front of your mouth and say “Peter Piper Picked…”. 

Feel that air on your hand? That will go right into your mic. It’s called a “plosive”, and it almost always means you have to redo that section.

Instead, turn your face so you’re speaking NEXT TO your mic, but not directly into it. This will lessen plosives immensely. If you’re still noticing it in your audio, get a pop filter. 

That’s the essentials of recording. There is more that can go into it, but that’s the basics. You record the words you see on the page the way you want the listener to hear it. I suggest practicing a short section a few times to get a feel for how you want to do the whole book.

Now the hard part…

EDITING/MASTERING

Editing is pretty basic – no coughs, no hiccups, big obvious breaths need to be cut, if the neighbor mows their lawn or the dog barks, etc. All that has to go.

Pacing is another thing – you want to be fairly consistent on how long you wait between sentences, paragraphs, and sections. 

A tip I found very helpful was to select a piece of silent audio to my clipboard about 1 second long, and use it to replace long pauses or big breaths. There’s a lot of ways to do this, but that’s my method.

Now, mastering…

Remember those technical standards I mentioned? I will start with those.

The basics are as follows:

1. RMS between -23db and -17db: this is basically how loud the audio is. Every file has to fall within these parameters for consistency.
2. Peak – the loudest point in any file has to be under -3db. The “limiter” function is your friend.
3. Noise floor – cannot go above -60db. This is how quiet the background noise is (apart from you speaking). There’s a number of ways you can achieve this, but this is just an overview post!
4. Encoding – files should be mp3, can be EITHER stereo or mono (not a mix of both), have to be a Constant Bit Rate (CBR), and a bit rate of 192 kbps or higher. (these are all export settings that you can set after you’ve recorded and edited)
5. Structure – each chapter must be its own file. You must also have opening credits and closing credits. These must be their own file as well! 
6. Room tone – this simply means the amount of silence on each file prior to speech – my preferred format is ex: 1.5 seconds of silence “Chapter 1” 2 seconds of silence “First line of book”. At the end of the chapter, 1 second of silence.

There are a ton of great resources on YouTube that show you how to accomplish these requirements. You can also just record the book, and hire a pro editor to assist you with these as well! That’s a service I offer (shameless plug) so use the contact me function on the site to inquire!

Well that’s the basic overview of how to DIY your audiobook. If I didn’t cover something fully, feel free to drop me a line! I’m more than happy to answer questions about audiobook production, or have a conversation about lending my voice to your project!!

Happy listening!

E