Jonathan Waters
Preferred: Romance, Erotica, Sci-fi, Fantasy, General Fiction, Nonfiction, Historical Fiction, Military History, Religious History
Excluded: Political, Religious, and Opinionated/Dogmatic pieces
Sample Work
Sample 1
Sample 2
Audiobook Production
Thanks for your interest in audiobook production! We've produced more than one hundred and fifty audiobook projects, and we'd love to help with yours too.
Our Production Process
Seven straightforward steps from manuscript to finished audiobook.
The author makes any minor adjustments for the audio edition that might be necessary, as well as include a pronunciation guide for any potentially tricky words. Full submission guidelines below.
Once received and reviewed, we determine the final word count and can give you a confirmed quote.
You select from several narrators we work with (listed below). You can listen to samples/demos to decide if there's a good fit. We're also happy to have our available narrators record a 200 word sample excerpt that you provide, so you can assess for your project.
Once a narrator is established, we finalize an audio agreement and make payment.
We do not include music or sound effects, and unless there is an error on our part (technically or due to divergence from the script), we ask for artistic discretion on performance. Requests for changes after the fact not due to our error may incur additional costs.
We produce the finished files as per the specifications of ACX, though you are welcome to use them for whatever legal purposes you choose (including distribution elsewhere outside of ACX, offering the audiobook for free, bundling it with a course or video, hosting on your site or elsewhere, etc.). Full rights are transferred to you upon final file delivery.
Depending on scheduling of our team, a 20k word project would be delivered in approximately 4–6 weeks from the time the script is finalized and payment is issued. We can confirm production time once payment is received based on the project queue at that time.
Our Narrators
Listen to samples/demos and decide if there's a good fit. We're also happy to have our available narrators record a 200-word sample excerpt that you provide, so you can assess for your project.
Male Talent
Ray Weaver
Preferred: Nonfiction with a focus on how-to and informational
Sample Work
Mike Norgaard
Preferred: Nonfiction with a focus on finance, business, management, self-improvement, investing, and technology
Sample Work
Listen to samples on AudibleJim Johnstone
Preferred: All genres
Sample Work
Female Talent
Teagan McKenzie
Preferred: Nonfiction
Sample Work
Bryn Striepe
Preferred: Fiction with a focus on LitRPG and Romance
Excluded: Religious and some political
Sample Work
Aimee Smith
Preferred: All genres except Political, History, Erotica
Sample Work
Amy Barron Smolinski
Preferred: All genres with a focus on children's books, nonfiction, and adult fiction, with training in character voices and accents and dialects
Excluded: Religious and Erotica
Sample Work
Nikki Lyons
Preferred: All genres with a focus on Sci-Fi/Dystopian
Sample Work
Production Fee
$0.05
per word (USD)
Minimum Project
$500
total cost
Submission Guidelines
If you'd like to submit your book for an audiobook production quote, please follow these guidelines. After review, we can offer your individualized quote.
File format: Please send the manuscript in MS Word format, rather than other formats such as MOBI, EPUB, or PDF.
01
Images & URLs — consider show notes
If your book has lots of images or URLs, consider compiling them on a PDF or dedicated website page to be made available for people who download the book. That way readers don't have to listen in and follow a slew of spoken URL addresses or wonder about any images referenced. Some authors create "Show Notes" with an easy to remember URL so listeners can find any products or websites referenced in one easy location.
"Thanks for purchasing the audio version of (Title). I know what it's like to listen to audio content. You hear an important link, but can't immediately write it down. So I've put together show notes of every link that's mentioned in (Title). You'll also be able to obtain a PDF reference edition to accompany this audiobook, which contains all the images referred to in the text. You can find all of that here: [URL]"
02
Adjust reading-specific phrasing
Any sections where there's a reference to "reading" or "browsing" you might consider adjusting to something more audio-appropriate. For example, "As you read earlier…" might become "As you heard earlier…" Or "Re-read that last line" might become "Let me repeat, (that last line)…"
03
Provide a pronunciation guide
Any words, phrases, or names that are uncommon or unfamiliar, please include a pronunciation guide. For example, the Hungarian author "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi" was referenced by one author. Another mentioned the DSM IV (which is pronounced as the number 4, not the letters I-V). Another author had the term "PI Clients," which stood for "profitable implementor" and was pronounced P-I — but the narrator initially pronounced it as "pie clients," and we had to retake dozens of instances. Anything that may trip up a narrator, please list ahead of time and provide phonetic support so we can ensure a proper recording. Otherwise we will use our best judgment.
04
Remove non-audio content
You can remove anything not fit for audio recording outright, such as any reference list or index. Those don't translate well to an audio edition, so we generally advise authors to excise them.
05
Submit a final, complete manuscript
Please make sure that the manuscript you send us is final and complete. Audiobook production is the most labor-intensive means of book delivery we utilize, and any change after we begin work requires the efforts of two to three individuals (narrator, engineer, audio proofer) and may incur additional costs.
That covers it — we'll scan through the manuscript once received and can make any other minor suggestions as needed.
We look forward to helping you create your audiobook!