Pricing
There's a lot to consider when evaluating the cost of an audiobook. Luckily for you, our prices are transparent, consistent, simple, and fair.
Affordable Quality Audiobook Production
We believe that every book published by an indie author or a small press deserves to grow & bloom into a high-quality audiobook.
Our team of expert narrators and audio engineers (many of which have produced audiobooks for The Big Five) share this core belief, and are happy to help your audiobook compete with the big wigs.
Our pricing structure ensures our talented team is always compensated appropriately for the work and time they put into their craft: making your book the very best audiobook it can be!
Comparison to The Big Five
While audiobooks produced by large studios under The Big Five can cost over $20,000 to make, we've found that most audiobooks we produce cost around $6,000 total for an 93,000 word novel.
That's about $600 PFH (per finished hour.)
Check out Scribe Media's excellent article on Audiobook Costs for Authors.
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How is this possible?
You may be asking, "How is AudioBee Productions able to produce a great quality product at an affordable cost?"
You might worry that we use AI voices to achieve this. Let us ease your fears. We do NOT and will NEVER use AI voices in our audiobooks. AudioBee Productions is firmly against using AI to replace human voices in the audiobook industry. Genuine human emotion and talent can never be replicated by a machine. Our listeners want to hear stories written and told by living, breathing people. Rest assured that we will never use text-to-speech or synthetic voices in our work.
We are able to make our prices more affordable for our clients simply because don't charge hundred of dollars in hourly rates for expensive recording studios located in New York City or Hollywood. All of our vetted voice actors use their own professional-grade recording studios to bring you their very best (and real) vocal work without breaking your bank.
Comparison to DIY
If you are an author who wishes to narrate your own audiobook, you are not alone! Many authors have considered this option, and for non-fiction or memoir authors, it could potentially be a great way to bring your book to life. However, if your sole reason for wanting to narrate your own book is to save money, think again. We've found it actually costs authors MORE money (and time) to successfully record their own audiobook at the level that a hired professional could achieve.
Step One: Estimate your book's finished length.
In order to know how much it would cost you to produce an audiobook, you must first take your total word count and divide it by 9,300 (the average number of words per hour of finished audio.)
With AudioBee Productions, final billing is always adjusted according to actual finished length.
Example: 75,000 (word count) / 9,300 (average) = 8.06 Estimated Finished Hours
Our Pricing Formula
There are many factors that influence how much it would cost to produce an audiobook. Here is a break-down:
Narrator Rate
$150 - $400 PFHOur Narrators set their own rates per project at their discretion.
Proofing, Editing, & Mastering
$250 PFHOur expert audio engineers proof, edit, and master all audio files so they are guaranteed to match your manuscript & pass distributor requirements.
Production Fee
$280 PFHCovers production management & coordination, author support, coaching & assistance, etc.
ACX Royalty Share Plus (Optional)
If applied, you share 20% of the audiobook's sales with us for the duration of the contract (usually 7 years.) See ACX's Royalty Share documentation.
Perks: You get a 15% discount on the Editing & Mastering costs and a 15% discount on the Admin Fee!
Included: Basic Marketing and Promotions Services. (See the Bumble Bundle on our Services page.)
Note: If you are an Indie Publishing Company or a Small Press and have your own accountant, Independent Royalty Share agreements are negotiable.
Circumstantial Add-On Costs
- Explicit NSFW sexual scenes
- Priority Rush Deadlines
- Dual Narration
- Full cast (3 or more narrators)
Still have Questions?
Reach out to schedule a free consultation. We'll be happy to help you navigate through your audiobook journey.