FAQ

1. Why should I record an audiobook?

An audiobook opens up a whole new audience. This audience can listen to your audiobook anytime during the day while enjoying a variety of activities. An audiobook creates a new income stream. An audiobook allows you to share your voice, passion, and unique emphasis on your material, more so than with any other format.

2. Should I read my book or hire a narrator?

I’d suggest you (the author) read your material because no one else has the same passion for the subject as you. If you cannot read it or want it to have a different intensity, you can hire a narrator through RecordYourAudiobook.com. I have vetted narrators—male and female—from all age groups.

3. What equipment do I need to record?

You need a quiet space to record, some acoustic absorbing material to reduce reflections, a computer or other device to record your narration, and a decent microphone. I show you how these pieces fit together in the video course 5 Ridiculously Simple Steps to Record Your Audiobook at Home.

4. When I record, what should I read from?

Read from a script on a digital device, like a phone or another tablet. This removes any page turn noise created when using a printed manuscript. A digital script is quieter and produces less frustration when you go to edit. You could use a computer but use caution. If the internal fan turns on, you get excessive noise in the recording.

5. How long will it take for me to record?

The average reading and comfortable listening rates are 2.5 words per second. At this pace, a 30,000-word manuscript takes about seven hours to record, and a 35,000-word manuscript takes about eight hours. Any variation of 5000 words changes the time by about an hour.

6. Do I have to read it in one sitting?

Absolutely not. This is the beauty of editing. Your voice won’t last for eight hours of straight reading. I suggest taking individual chapters in one sitting with breaks in between. Never break your recording in the middle of a chapter, especially if you’re going to rest for any significant amount of time. The change in your voice (from a tired voice to a rested voice) becomes highly noticeable to the listener.

7. What do I do if I make a mistake?

The question is, “What do I do when I make a mistake” because you will make mistakes. You are human, and therefore mistakes happen. When you make a mistake, stop, pause briefly, go back to the beginning of the sentence, and re-read the sentence the same way you read it the first time. Use the same inflection, tone, and volume without emphasizing the word you misspoke. This gives you multiple places for a seamless edit when you (or I) go back and clean it up.

8. Should my recording be in one file or individual files?

Record each chapter or each part of your book as an individual file. This makes editing much easier when it’s finally submitted. Audiobook distributors require each chapter in separate files.

9. In what format should I record?

An uncompressed format, such as a .wav format, is ideal. Record it at either at a 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz sampling rate. These sampling rates are industry standards in digital recording and will give you the best recording for speech without creating a huge digital file size. (see Blog #2 – for more questions email me)

10. What should I do about breathing when I record?

Breathing is a natural part of the conversation, and people expect you to breathe when you talk to them. Therefore, it sounds natural to hear breathing when listening to an audiobook. However, excessively loud breathing, or multiple breaths during a sentence, sound unnatural and should be avoided. Read for meaning and phrasing as they work together.

11. When recording, what do I do when I need to take a break?

When you need a break, simply pause your recording, take your break, and go back to recording. Don’t break for an excessive time in the middle of a chapter. Finish the chapter and then take a more extended break.

12. What clothes should I wear when recording?

Recording is all about comfort. If you’re comfortable, you sound more natural, and your listener feels at ease. Wear comfortable clothes. Avoid nylon because it is noisy, and you’ll hear that noise when you move. Cotton fabric is an excellent option because it is a quieter material.

13. My recording setup looks terrible. Does that matter?

Not at all. The question is, “Does it sound good”? No one watches you record your audiobook. It’s all about how it sounds, and if it sounds clean and tight, that’s all that matters.

14. What time of the day should I record?

Several variables determine recording times. 1. When is your recording space the quietest? 2. When your vocal strength is at its highest. 3. When you’re the least tired.

Determine your optimal recording time based upon those three criteria. If you’re best in the morning, and your voice is strongest in the morning, that’s your optimal time to record. It all is up to you, the ambient noise around your recording space, and your strength.

15. Technology scares me. Are there other options?

Absolutely. RecordYourAudiobook.com has three different options: DIY, Hybrid, and Full Service. So you may choose to do it yourself (DIY) with a little coaching from me. With the Hybrid option, you can do some of it yourself, along with my help. In the Full-Service option, I coach you every step of the entire project. If you have questions, let’s discuss the possibilities. Or check out the videos explaining each here.

16. I want to record, but the other steps scare me. What can I do?

If you can do the recording, then RecordYourAudiobook.com can take those recordings and put them into acceptable audiobook formats. If you have questions, contact me, and we’ll talk through your options.

17. How do I know if my recording will be accepted?

Before your audiobook is available for sales, a copy needs to be completed and approved by ACX.com. All packages at RecordYourAudiobook.com prioritize that end goal. The DIY and Hybrid options offer an hour of sample coaching to answer your questions, and each package includes my review of your sample recording. The course 5 Ridiculously Simple Steps to Record Your Audiobook at Home shares all the required steps for audiobook acceptance.

18. How do I keep from recording my whole book, finding out there is a problem, and having to start over?

I can save you that frustration. Start with a sample recording using the suggestions in the 5 Ridiculously Simple Steps to Record Your Audiobook at Home video course. Then send me a 30- second to a 1-minute sample recording. I will give you written feedback on any issues and how to make them better. We can discuss the issues via an online video chat and correct them if necessary.

19. Should I use transition music?

We don’t recommend transitional music. Audiobook listeners have told Audible.com that music can be distracting for audiobooks. Music files can also cause the Whispersync for Voice feature to fail, which means that your audiobook and ebook versions will not be linked together for Whispersync and immersion reading. Source: ACX.com

20.  I don’t live in a quiet environment. Are there other options for me to record?

Yes. You can record in my studio, or I can come to a location near you and record in a quiet environment. I have contacts in multiple areas for location recording.

21. What if I don’t have the time to record my audiobook?

If you don’t have the time to set up your studio and record your audiobook in multiple takes, choose RecordYourAudiobook.com’s Full-Service option. You will record the book, but avoid the time and expense of setting up your studio. Also, if you do not have time (or the desire) to record yourself, RecordYourAudiobook.com can hire a narrator to read your book for you.

22. What if I don’t like the sound of my voice?

Your voice sounds different to you than it does to everyone else. It’s possible that even though you may not like the sound of your voice, others do. If you determine you don’t want your book recorded in your voice or there are reasons why you can’t record your audiobook, RecordYourAudiobook.com can hire a narrator for you.

23. How is my final cost calculated?

We calculate the final pricing for your audiobook on your manuscript word count. The estimated production time is based upon 2.5 words per second reading rate. There will be portions of your book that you will not read, such as the Table of Contents, copyright page, and any endnotes. Once we remove these portions, we get your final word count.

24. What if I start with the DIY package and want to upgrade to the Hybrid or Full-Service option?

When you select any package, you can upgrade to another option at any time. We’ll credit any payments to the upgraded package.

25. What does “editing and mastering” mean?

Editing is the process of removing pauses, mistakes, and awkward breaths to make your audiobook a seamless conversation. Mastering takes the edit files and corrects any issues that may have happened during the recording process, which brings all the files into compliance with the upload standards. This blog explains some of the terminologies of recording your audiobook in more depth.

26. What is the difference between an audiobook studio and a podcast studio?

The two studio setups are similar. Most podcasters don’t worry about acoustical treatment to minimize room noise, reflections, and background noise in a Podcast studio. We carefully reduce room reflections, background noise, and other distracting sounds in an audiobook studio.

27. Do you have sample recordings I can listen to?

Absolutely. Contact me and I can send you several samples of previous recordings.

28. What is ACX?

ACX stands for Audiobook Creation Exchange. They are a marketplace for authors, publishers, literary agents, and other Rights Holders to connect with narrators, engineers, recording studios, and other producers to produce a finished audiobook.

Audible.com owns ACX.com. Think of Audible.com as a grocery store where you walk in, and see all the products displayed. ACX.com is the back of the store where all the behind-the-scenes work happens.

Audible.com is the audiobook leader with the most extensive library of titles, including over 200,000 audiobooks in its library.

29. Has anyone ever started and given up?

No. I have not had any clients who have started the process and given up because of frustration. This vital step as an author celebrates your work, and I make it an enjoyable experience with a final product you will be very proud of.

30. How will people find my audiobook once it’s done?

Tell everyone about it once your audiobook goes into retail distribution on ACX.com. You can direct people to your audiobook through a link in your email signature line, social media accounts, podcast, and other interviews, or you can give out a free promo code. Your book is also searchable by title and author’s name on the distribution website. Also, your Amazon book listing now includes the audiobook link.

ACX.com offers 50 promo codes (25 for US audiences; 25 for UK audiences) with every audiobook upload. Use the promo codes in a marketing campaign or as review requests from your listeners or influencers. Through their bounty referral program, you can offer your audiobook as an incentive to join Audible.com. When someone joins Audible.com, you receive a bounty from ACX.com. Click the link to read more information about this program.

Other audiobook distribution options exist if you are in a country that doesn’t allow access to ACX.com, Audible.com, or Amazon.com. Email me to discuss these options.

31. I travel a lot. How can I record my audiobook?

If you travel a lot and don’t have the time to set up a studio at home, I can meet you, and we can record while you’re traveling. I am a master at making a hotel room into a professional-sounding recording studio.

Another option is to travel to my studio and record there.

32. Is my book too small for an audiobook?

Absolutely not. I have produced audiobooks of all sizes, from 100,000+ words to 1200 words. No manuscript is too small for an audiobook.

33. Why does my billing statement say “Anpassa Custom”?

RecordYourAudiobook.com. is a licensed dba of Anpassa Custom, Inc, its parent company.