Managed Audiobook Recording & Production Service
Audiobook recording and production using curated, professional voice overs and audio producers to deliver your audio product to a high standard. We manage the whole recording and production process, you just need to listen to your book as it comes to life.
Listen to our Voice Overs:
Are you missing out on the estimated 2.8 billion dollars audio book industry?
If you are a writer or book publisher creating an audio book is a business decision worth considering. Are there other businesses that sell audiobooks besides Audiobooks.com or Audible? You might have heard about these two companies but there are also other big sellers of audio book products including Amazon, Talking Books, Audible, and iTunes.
Selling your book on CD, an audio download or as part of a subscription service is a great way to maximise your sales potential and get your message out to the widest possible audience.
The Recording & Production Process
Recording and producing such a large section of audio requires good organisation between the voice over, audio producer and client. For this reason, Media Music Now takes on the role of project manager and acts as your point of contact throughout the process. In order to protect your investment and our reputation we only work with voice overs we trust and pay them when the audio is complete to our satisfaction.
You will be provided with a studio quality downloadable version that can be used by reputable CD duplicators or can be used by streaming and download services too. We can also provide mp3 versions and any other format at no extra cost.
Despite the picture of an old tape machine, we do use the latest digital technology but can make your audio sound like old tape if required 🙂 In fact, we can provide numerous production techniques to emulate most sounds and can even make your book into a radio style production with sound effects and music if that is what you require.
All artwork, physical duplications and marketing is down to you. However, we are happy to offer basic advice when your book is finished and we
do have some contacts in publishing and CD duplication.
We work on audio books over a few weeks, this is the outline of the process:-
- Once we are ready to go, the voice over records the raw audio in batches over a few weeks.
- We organise the editing and audio production alongside the recording process.
- You will receive fully edited proof files to listen to and provide feedback.
- We make any amends and send you a new proof file.
- We do this until the book is complete (usually a few weeks depending on the size of the production).
Frequently Asked Questions
I have seen on other websites a cph (cost per finished hour), why do you provide prices per 1000 words?
We avoid that method of calculating a price as it is meaningless because you do not know how many hours your book is going to be until it is recorded. Cost per 1000 words is easy to work out as you will know how many words your book is.
Will you provide a custom demo?
If you are interested in a particular voice over and happy with their rates, we can ask them to do a short demo as a sample.
Will you promote my book?
No, we are audio specialists, you will have to enlist the services of marketing specialists or learn the online skills to do this yourself.
Will you provide artwork?
No, we only provide audio services, all artwork and printed material needs to be sourced from other providers.
Can I record my own audiobook and get you to edit it?
Yes. It is possible to record your own audiobook (we have a guide for this) and get us to edit it. See our De-breath & Polish Service for editing and production costs.
Will it be Audible Standard?
Yes. We can conform to any industry audio standard as required.
Are there any books you won’t work on?
We will work on most books. however, we always give the voice over the opportunity to decline working on a book if the subject matter is deemed as offensive, inappropriate or extreme.
I see that on your demos you have some voice overs that have flexi production and some that have full. What is this?
Many voice overs only allow there voice to be heard fully edited and produced. This means all noises and breaths are removed by an audio producer and processing is then applied to make the audio clean and loud. However, some voice overs are happy to have their breaths left in the audio. This means the editing and production is less involved and can save time and money.
It seems like a lot of investment, why does it cost so much?
It is fair to say it is an investment, however, there is a lot of work involved by professionals. For example, a 10 hour finished book can easily take a voice over 15-20 hours to record. Full editing and production typically takes 2-3 times the audio run time. So, 30 hours editing and production plus 20 hours for the studio recording time = 50 hours work to produce your 10 hour audiobook.
What are your terms?
We do have some terms to protect all parties involved. Buyout agreements or unclear terms of engagement are a recipe for disaster. These terms are to make things amicable and fair if you (hopefully) have the next Harry Potter on your hands but without restricting your ability to achieve a sizeable return on your investment. Other services will have restrictions too, but you may have to ask. We’d rather be upfront and transparent.
These are our standard copyright terms and conditions for our audio book service.
It is understood and assumed by us that you are the copyright holder of the material you’re asking us to record / produce. This copyright is your responsibility to clear before engaging with us.
Under copyright law there are 4 elements of copyright to be considered
- Recording Copyright – The recording copyright is administered by Media Music Now on behalf of the voice over.
- Production Copyright – The production copyright is with Media Music Now.
- Music / Sound effects – Any additional audio used, such as sound effects or music will be licensed with the relevant copyright holders.
- All audio recording, music or sound effects require licensing. This is a legal requirement and is also required by reputable CD duplicators. As Media Music Now is a licensor of audio this is included in your audio book production cost.
We also request a production credit in the audio and on any associated literature or links where the voice over or production is mentioned.
We provide a license with your audiobook. Below are the standard terms, however, we are open to negotiation on these and can offer buyouts in certain circumstances.
Our standard Audiobook Production License covers you for up to 20,000 SOLD duplications / copies in total whether physical, streaming or download. Free offerings are not included in this count. If your audio book exceeds these amount of sales we will be happy to arrange a mass license option. This would mean that we reserve the right to negotiate a royalty of up to 15% on sales beyond 20,000 copies (split between Media Music Now and the voice over).
This is our standard agreement, however, we can tailor any agreement to suit you, this is open to negotiation.
Produce your own audiobook – we have a guide for this – but it is a lot of work. Voice overs have the knack of being consistent and more professional sounding. Not only that, the editing and production is a big process in itself.
If you do decide to record your own and need editing and production we can help with that. See our De-breath & Polish Service.
However, if you want a great sounding professional voice over, we have some of the best. With our complete audiobook production service, we have a choice of professional voice overs and can edit and produce your audio book to a professional standard, managing the process from start to finish.
Your audiobook will be provided as a download ready for your CD duplications or any other distribution format. Each audio book also has a choice of pre-licensed music that is mixed into the beginning of your chapters. We also provide any alternative formats that you require, such as mp3 and can create a short sample version if you want to provide a demo on your own website or need one for Audible.
We project manage the process with the voice over and organise any re-records from your feedback. You will be able to proof listen to mp3 versions of the book as it progresses and we can blend any alterations into the recording.
Get started, listen to some demos: Voices for AudioBooks |
How much will it cost?
Costs vary depending on the voice over you choose. Voice overs charge a variety of rates depending on industry experience and current work load.
We have made this simple by working out a guide price for all of our listed voice overs. The price is per 1000 words for a finished, fully edited audiobook narration. This gives you an easy way to get an estimate for your book. You just need to know how many words are in your book to the nearest 1000 words and times that by the guide rate for the voice over(s) you are interested in. If you feel the estimate is inline with your budget you can get an accurate quote here.