How I Self-published my audiobook
I self-published my debut novel last year in June, and almost exactly a year later, I released my audiobook on Audible! This was my first time self-publishing an audiobook, and I learned A LOT in the process. So if you are looking to self-publish an audiobook, or if you are curious about the process, here was my experience from research, to grant writing, to production, to release!
Research
I wasn’t sure where to start, so I turned to Google! One of the first things that became extremely apparent was that audiobooks cost money. Here’s how the cost often breaks down:
Many authors publish through ACX, which connects authors with recording artists. Here is a cost breakdown that ChatGPT whipped up for me:
Average ACX production costs
Professional audiobook narration through Amazon ACX is typically priced per finished hour (PFH).
Newer narrators generally charge between $100 and $200 per finished hour, resulting in an estimated cost of $800 to $1,600 for an 8-hour audiobook or $1,000 to $2,000 for a 10-hour audiobook.
Experienced professional narrators typically charge $200 to $400 per finished hour, with an estimated total cost of $1,600 to $3,200 for an 8-hour audiobook or $2,000 to $4,000 for a 10-hour audiobook.
Premium narrators generally charge $400 or more per finished hour, bringing the estimated production cost to $3,200 or more for an 8-hour audiobook and $4,000 or more for a 10-hour audiobook.
Audio Production Studio
I used Noisefloor Sound Solutions, an audiobook production studio in Chicago. I found this studio by simply googling “Audiobook Production Studios in Illinois.” Here’s how the cost brokedown for me:
Noisefloor also charges Per Finished Hour, not by word count, even though a longer word count will often translate to a longer recording time!
This was the cost breakdown for my novel. It is 66,633 words, and it was around 7.4 finished hours.
Voice Casting = $600.00
Production = $2,887.50
Talent = $3,512.50
Total = $7,000.00
The total would’ve been less if I had decided to narrate my own book, but I chose to hire a narrator. Noisefloor was more than helpful with casting and assisting us in booking the talent, as well as producing the final product.
Grant Writing
I don’t know about you, but I definitely don’t have $7,000 laying around! So, step two was looking for money!
Most states and regions have grant programs for artists. I’m located in Illinois, so I applied for grants offered by the Illinois Arts Council.
I also found the Mid-America Arts Alliance and the Regional Arts Commission, which support artists practicing in the Midwest.
Google and ChatGPT are also very useful in finding grants specific to your region! There is money out there for artists, you just have to find it!
Through the Illinois Arts Council, I applied for two grants. One was a random lottery grant, and the other considered your work, mission, and plan to determine if they would award it. I had to create and submit a Project Feasibility document. This is a plan that outlines a timeline, budget, quotes, and goals with the aim of proving that the project can be completed with the grant. To do this, I made sure to start the grant application a month before it officially went live to give me time to gather quotes from Noisefloor. It’s a good thing I started early because even though the grant didn’t have a deadline, the funds were exhausted before the month was over. So if you are going the grant route, I encourage you to prepare your application beforehand and apply as soon as it goes live.
Thankfully, I got one of the grants to fund the audiobook production and marketing! After signing some documents and sending some thank-you letters, I was set to receive it. Even though I was awarded the grant in August 2025, I didn’t receive it until February 2026.
Production
Noisefloor is located in Chicago, and the grant funded my travel expenses, too. I was able to direct recording in-person for the first three days, then we finished recording on Zoom.
The first day, I met Sòl, my narrator, whom I cast through Noisefloor. I also met some audio producers at Noisefloor, one of whom worked with Sòl and me through the whole recording process. After introductions, Sòl headed into the recording studio and read from the book, while I directed by giving her pointers on characters, tone, and her reading of the scene. The audio producer also helped by making sure the sound levels were good and that we got all the words. Our trio was able to record the full audiobook, including title and credits, in six days. I think we were all tired by the end, but we were also super excited!
Release
It took about a month and a half for Noisefloor to edit, mix, and put all the recordings together to create a smooth, professional audiobook. ACX, the platform for audiobooks published through Audible, has certain guidelines for its audiobooks. Here is the link to ACX’s specific guidelines. While I have no idea what these guidelines mean, Noisefloor knew and was able to meet them! Noisefloor gave me the finished files for each chapter and credits. I uploaded these files directly into ACX, and after passing their initial inspection, they took about two weeks to make sure the files were up to par. After these two weeks, ACX sent me an email, and my audiobook was officially on Audible!
ACX generously gave me 40 free promo codes to give to my listeners, so I put a promotion on my social media pages as my first line of marketing. I’m continuing to learn how to market my audiobook, and I’ll be sure to post any new revelations here!
Self-publishing my first audiobook was a smooth process, mostly because I had a flexible timeline, and research was easily available. Finding the grant made all the difference. This was my experience, but I still hope that sharing it was helpful to you! I’m in the process of finding a grant to publish my second audiobook, which will be a split pov, so I’ll have to record with two narrators. I’ll be back to tell you how it goes!
