Thinking About Making an Audiobook? You’re Not Alone.

Audiobooks are growing fast—and for good reason. They let your readers listen while driving, walking, or folding laundry. Plus, audiobooks can earn you extra income without writing a new word.

But we get it—figuring out how to actually make one can feel tricky at first. The good news? You’ve got options. Whether you want to narrate it yourself or hire someone else, we’ll walk you through the steps to get your audiobook out into the world—without getting overwhelmed.

Affiliate Note: This post contains a few affiliate links. That means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase—at no extra cost to you. We only share tools and services we personally recommend.

Step 1: Narrate It Yourself (or Hire a Pro)

🎙️ Option 1: Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Narration

If your book is personal—like a memoir or how-to guide—readers might actually prefer to hear it in your own voice.

You’ll need:

• A quiet space with no echo
• A quality microphone  (like the highly rated  Blue Yeti)
• Free editing software like Audacity
• Some practice reading slowly and clearly

Don’t worry if it takes a few tries. You’ll get better as you go! 

Pro Tip: Record in small parts, not in whole chapters. Keeps up your energy and offers you more vocal breaks.

👤 Option 2: Hire a Voice Actor

If you’d rather not be behind the mic, you can hire someone to narrate your book for you. Look for a narrator with experience in your genre and a tone that fits your audience.

Best places to hire:

• Fiverr: Great for affordable voice talent
• Voices.com: Curated professionals with audio samples
• ACX: Amazon’s official audiobook platform—more on that below
• Findaway Voices: Draft2Digital’s independent audiobook narration partner company

Always ask for a sample read before hiring someone to ensure it sounds right for your book.

Important Note on AI voices: ACX is allowing some authors and genres to use their AI voice technology instead of human voices. From the reader reviews and our listening experience, it’s clear that the technology isn’t ready to completely replace human narrators.

Publishers don’t have as much creative control over the pronunciation, pacing, and timing, which hurts storytelling and listener experience. The technology is evolving quickly, so we will keep you updated. If you use an AI narrator, be sure to check the platform rules regarding the use of AI voices, as some platforms have banned them.

Step 2: Pick Your Platform (And Understand the Royalties)

Now it’s time to publish your audiobook. You’ve got two main options: ACX (Amazon’s platform) or Findaway Voices. Each one has different rules, royalty rates, and reach.

📘 ACX (Audible, Amazon, iTunes)

This is the easiest way to publish to Audible, the largest audiobook platform in the U.S.

When using ACX, you’ll choose between:

• Exclusive Distribution
  • Earns you 40% royalties
  • But your audiobook must stay exclusive to ACX for 7 years
  • You can’t sell it anywhere else—not even on your own website
  • You can’t set your price (Audible tells you)
• Non-Exclusive Distribution
  • Earns you 25% royalties
  • You can also distribute through other platforms or stores
  • You can’t set your price (Audible tells you)

Important: If you hire a narrator through ACX using a royalty share deal, exclusivity is required. This is the rule today. Please check the ACX website for the most up-to-date information.

🌍 Findaway Voices (Wide Distribution)

If you want to reach libraries, Spotify, Google, and other retailers—not just Audible—this is your best bet.

With Findaway, you can publish to:

• Apple Books
• Google Play
• Scribd
• Kobo
• Chirp
• Libraries like Hoopla and OverDrive

Perks of Findaway Voices:

• No exclusivity—sell anywhere you want
• You keep 50–90% of royalties from direct sales (depending on the retailer)
• You control your pricing (ACX doesn’t allow this)

🎧 Bonus tip: You can also connect Findaway to Draft2Digital to manage everything in one place.

Step 3: Prep Your Files the Right Way

Audiobook files must meet certain technical standards to be accepted on platforms like ACX or Findaway. Luckily, once you know what they want, it’s not that hard.

You’ll need:

• One MP3 file per chapter
• Opening/closing credits
• Constant bit rate of 192kbps
• Each file must start with a few seconds of silence (called “room tone”)
• Consistent audio levels across all chapters

If you’re working with a narrator, they’ll usually handle all of this for you. 

If you’re doing it yourself, tools like Audacity make it easy. Audacity has an Audiobook plugin that will help you set up your recording for the right settings and an Audiobook checker that tells you if your recording will be rejected or accepted by the platform.

Step 4: Create a Square Audiobook Cover

Audiobook covers need to be square (2400 x 2400 pixels). You can reuse your print book artwork—just make sure the layout still looks good in a square format.

Tools to try:

• Canva: Drag-and-drop templates for audiobook covers
• Fiverr: Hire the same designer who made your print book cover

Step 5: Launch and Promote

Don’t just upload and hope—plan a simple launch!

Try this:

• Announce it to your email list and social media followers
• Add an audiobook tab to your website
• Share behind-the-scenes of the recording process
• Offer free promo codes from ACX to early listeners in exchange for honest reviews
• Hire a Fiverr audiobook marketing freelancer to help promote your launch on niche sites

📣 Pro Tip: If your ebook is on Amazon, use Whispersync—it gives readers a discount on the audiobook if they’ve already bought the ebook.

Need Help With the Whole Publishing Process?

🎁 Get our free “Publish Like a Pro” Toolkit
It includes tips, checklists, and links to the exact tools we use for formatting, covers, and audiobooks.
👉 Download it free here

📘 Want a step-by-step roadmap?
Grab the Author’s Quickstart Blueprint for $17—it shows you how to publish your book from start to finish, with tips for all formats.
👉 Click Here to Get the Blueprint Now

💼 Add-On Bonus: For $17 more at checkout, grab our Author Toolbox Templates with ready-to-use audiobook promo emails, launch checklists, and royalty tracking spreadsheets.

Final Thoughts

Creating an audiobook might seem technical, but once you break it down, it’s totally doable. Whether you read it yourself or hire a voice pro, what matters most is getting your book into more hands—and ears.

Audiobooks help your words reach more people. And you’ve got everything you need to make it happen.