The honest answer: anywhere from $0 upfront to about $3,500, depending on which of three routes you take. Here's exactly what drives the number — and what each option really costs.
The three ways to produce an audiobook
1. Pay a narrator upfront (per finished hour)
The most common professional route. You pay a one-time fee based on the finished length of the audio, and you keep 100% of your royalties.
- Finished hours = word count ÷ ~9,300 (ACX's estimate). An 80,000-word book ≈ 8.6 hours.
- PFH (per-finished-hour) rate: ~$100–$400+. Professional non-union work is commonly $250–$400; the SAG-AFTRA minimum is $250.
| Book length | ≈ Finished hrs | At $250 PFH | At $350 PFH |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40,000 words | 4.3 | $1,075 | $1,505 |
| 60,000 words | 6.5 | $1,625 | $2,275 |
| 80,000 words | 8.6 | $2,150 | $3,010 |
| 100,000 words | 10.8 | $2,700 | $3,780 |
2. Royalty share ($0 upfront)
On ACX, a narrator can produce your book for no upfront fee in exchange for splitting royalties 50/50 over a 7-year exclusive term. Great if cash is tight or sales are uncertain — but you keep only ~20% instead of 40%. Whether that's the better deal depends on how many copies you'll sell — we compare the two models in detail here.
3. Narrate it yourself (DIY)
No narrator fee — but real costs hide here: a decent mic and treated space ($150–$600+), the software learning curve, and 2–6+ hours of work per finished hour. Many self-narrated files also fail ACX's technical checks and need professional cleanup to pass.
🧮 Get your exact number
Enter your word count and rate — see production cost, break-even, and upfront vs royalty share.
Open the free Audiobook ROI Calculator →The extras people forget
- Audiobook cover — ACX needs a square cover; $0 (DIY) to ~$100.
- Proofing / pickups — catching errors and re-records; included with good narrators, time-consuming if DIY.
- Mastering to ACX spec — RMS, peak and noise-floor compliance. Pro narrators include it; DIY may need it added.
So what should you budget?
For a typical novel: ~$2,000–$3,000 upfront to hire a pro and keep all royalties, $0 upfront via royalty share, or mostly your time if you DIY. The right choice depends less on the sticker price and more on whether the book will sell enough to justify it — which is the real question: will my audiobook make money?