Some publishing houses and independent contractors charge an exorbitant amount to publish your audiobook, taking advantage of the fact that you may not feel equipped to do so yourself.
While the reality is, there is a huge amount of work that goes into publishing your audiobook, it can be done on your own with some effort and the right tools.
Instead of finding all of this information through different sources on the internet, use this guide as your one stop shop to publishing your audiobook, through a step by step process.
Before we begin, a quick note: There is certainly more than one way to publish your audiobook. However, this particular way I've found to be the easiest for non professionals and have used it myself for dozens of clients:
Step 1: Record and produce audio files with your voice or a narrator's voice. Find my complete guide on choosing a narrator and recording tips here. (This is an important and involved step, but for the purpose of this post, we'll move on and focus on the publishing portion.
Step 2: Ensure audio meets ACX standards. The following are the standards that need to be met, requiring advanced editing:
Step 3: Create an account with Author's Republic, verify your identity, and follow necessary steps to open your audiobook project.
Step 4: Fill in necessarily fields, upload covers and files, and submit for review. Note: Covers have specific requirements, must be high resolution, and square cover must be exactly 2400 x 2400 pixels. (There are online tools that can help edit covers to meet requirements)
Another Note: Audio files must include: Opening Credits, Closing Credits, Sample Track (maximum 5 minutes) and Chapter Tracks.
Step 5: Review agreement and submit for review. The platform will show you the 30+ sites that will carry your book once it is distributed. After submitting, you can go back to the project page and view the distribution progress. (Red and green dots next to the list of platforms will indicate which have been distributed and which have not)
If the project is denied by Author's Republic for any reason, it will also be denied by any other publisher affiliated with Amazon/Audible. Since Audible holds a more than 50% market share of the audiobook market, it is essential to prioritize getting your book an Audible.
If your project is not accepted, you will receive an email from Author's Republic addressing the issues that need to be corrected. Your project will be reopened, and you can make the necessary changes. Most often, any issues will be related to the audio standards not being met. They are kind of tricky, so this can happen, especially for those uploading their audio for the first time. The key is to stay patient and thoroughly review standards, and it will pass!
Publishing your audiobook is definitely not an immediate process. It may take up to 30-60 days to see your audiobook showing up on all the platforms. But once it is, it is a great asset to have as an author!
Hopefully this guide has helped if you're looking to publish your audiobook on your own. It can absolutely be done!
However, if you would like someone to guide you through or complete part of the process for you, Jon Goehring Voiceovers specializes not only in audiobook narration and production, but the editing and publishing process too. If you would like part of or the entire process handled for you, contact Jon today!