Your Audiobook Production Budget
May 26, 2022
What is the cost to produce an audiobook?
Well, it depends! The cost of creating your audiobook with a professional audiobook narrator through The Author’s Republic Studio will depend on two things:
- The length of your audiobook
- The per finished hour (PFH) rate of the narrator you choose to hire
You won’t have to budget for any administration fees, because here at Author’s Republic, there aren’t any! There are no hidden percentage cuts. Your production budget goes directly to the narrator producing your audiobook.
The Length Of Your Audiobook
What is the expected run time of your audiobook in hours? Narrators typically read at an average rate of 9,300 words per hour (155 words per minute). By that estimation, a 56,000-word transcript will work out to about 6 hours of finished audio.
You'll need to know the word count of your completed manuscript. Review your manuscript and exclude any sections that will not be recorded (table of contents, glossary, copyright page etc). You may need to copy your manuscript into Microsoft Word, or a Google Document and use the built in word count features.
To calculate your audiobooks estimated final run time, take the word count of your finished manuscript and divide by 9300 (avg. words/hour).
Word Count / 9300 = Estimated Audiobook Length in Hours
Payment Structure
Currently The Author’s Republic Studio offers audiobook production on a per finished hour (PFH) basis. Using the PFH structure, the cost of a 6 hour audiobook produced by a professional audiobook narrator can range anywhere from $300 to $2,500 and beyond ($50 - $400+ Per Finished Hour).
To calculate the estimated total cost to produce your audiobook, choose up to 10 narrators to invite to audition within the 'Find a Narrator' tab of your project. Multiply the (Estimated Audiobook Length in Hours) by (the Per Finished Hour Rate of your preferred Narrator).
Estimated Audiobook Length (hours) x The Narrator's PFH Rate = Estimated Total Cost to Produce your Audiobook
Total Production Budget
As narrators audition for your project, you can review them within the 'Review Auditions' tab of your project.
Narrators will provide:
- A custom audition file based on your audition script
- The Per Finished Hour Rate (PFH) in USD they wish to be paid
- An estimate of how long the final project will be (based upon their average words per hour and the word count of your manuscript)
- A total bid in USD to produce your audiobook
Once you review all your custom auditions and find the perfect voice for your project, hire your narrator and let production begin!