Step 1 :  Evaluating the Manuscript

So, where does one start? With the manuscript! Audiobook pricing is based on the finished hour, so we need to assess your manuscript and calculate it’s approximate finished length. If you have a finished (or nearly finished) book, you can send that to us as either a word document or an unlocked PDF.  We use the finished length as well other book details to plan the production. We also use this data in developing a quote for your project.

We occasionally need to consider the difficulty of the production. A single voiced, straight-ahead nonfiction title is probably going to be easier to narrate than a complicated nonfiction title with technical terms, foreign languages (be they dead or alive), illustrations, charts, graphs, etc. If you are interested in exploring a multi-cast recording (exciting!), that is going to cost more, too. Rates for narration and a la carte audio services are listed below.

What sort of things affect the production:

• Word count
• Cast (single or multicast)
• Fiction or nonfiction
• Genre
• Difficulty estimate: does your manuscript have a lot of foreign or Latin words? Describe challenges the narrator might face in bringing your work into audio, like the inclusion of graphs, tables, charts, and other illustrations.
• Are you looking to record your book or do you want us to quote based on recording with a professional narrator?

Step 2: Casting

Our basic rate is for a straightforward fiction or nonfiction book with a single narrator (we work with professional union actors – UBCP/ACTRA, SAG-AFTRA).

If you want a multi-cast recording (exciting!), or if your book has a significant number of technical terms, foreign languages (be they dead or alive), illustrations, charts, graphs, etc., we may require additional preparation fees. If you’re hoping to cast a popular, in-demand narrator or celebrity, they are going to cost more, too, and we are happy to negotiate on your behalf and provide quotes.

Once we have a manuscript to work with, we can start the auditioning process. Many publishers and authors want to choose the narrator, and we are happy to provide as many auditions as it takes to find the right reader(s).

Note: Our actors are real; no synthetic voices for us.

Step 3: Pre-planning

Before we record, we go through the text and prepare. This includes checking the pronunciation of words and names, and specialized terms. If this is fiction, the narrator will be pre-reading and planning character voices. If we are doing a multi-cast, we will be coordinating actors and character voices.  This is the time to consider if we will be using any music or foley (sound effects) and start planning for them.

Step 4: Recording with an Engineer /Director

We record in one of our studios with an engineer/director.  Our director reads along as the talent narrates and catches any mistakes and makes performance notes.  This rough audio then proceeds to Post Production for finalizing.

Step 5 Post-Production

At this point another set of ears is going to listen to the production whilst reading along with the text. They will be listening for mistakes, mispronunciations and extraneous noises. They prepare a list of pickups and we go back into the studio to record corrections. Once corrections are recorded they are cut into the original. The audio is then scrubbed and mastered (we use iZotope tool to clean and level the audio).  Final step is a quality control listen to ensure everything sounds PERFECT!