How to Create an Audiobook

In this article, we’ll show you how to Create an Audiobook

Audiobook consumption reflects an upward trend that began in 2018.

The number of audiobook titles published yearly increased tenfold over the past decade.

This popularity means you are missing out on an entire audience if you are not pursuing this book format. It also gives an excellent reason to join the world of audiobooks. So, how can you make an audiobook?

This guide examines all you need to know when creating an audiobook, from the creation process to marketing techniques.

Stage 1: The Creation Process For an Audiobook

Although many people often assume audiobook creation only requires a professional, you can do it yourself. Creating it yourself enables you to save money, develop your creative skills, and enjoy control over the entire project. Hiring a professional offers a straightforward solution, albeit expensive.

Making an audiobook involves a few steps you need to follow for an effective and productive journey. The following is a systematic procedure on how to create your audiobook:

1.     Research the Production Process

Lin Yutang, a 20^th-century Chinese inventor, once stated that art is both creation and recreation.

Research is a critical step since it opens the door to achieving both goals. It enables you to find creative ways to undertake audiobook production and deliver an interesting piece for listeners’ recreation.

Sixty-two percent of the US population is weekly online audio listeners.

Getting the production process right considerably increases your chance of tapping into this vast audience. Researching allows you to understand the two options in audiobook production. One involves working with a freelancer who can engineer audio and narrate.

You can get narrators from freelancer websites, such as Fiverr and Voices, that suit your needs.

Some narrators only offer narration services, requiring you to hire a sound engineer. However, most freelancer narrators provide start-to-finish services. You give them a manuscript, and they send back an audiobook ready for publishing.

The other option features collaborating with a full-service production and distribution enterprise.

Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) and Findaway Voices are examples of the most prominent full-service companies you can evaluate.

• ACX – It presents Audible‘s production and distribution branch. ACX lets you publish your work on Amazon, iTunes, and Audible. You can conduct auditions for producer narrators and manage your projects if you post your audiobook on ACX.

ACX allows you to pay a producer in two ways. You can pay the total fee upfront and retain 100% of your royalties. Alternately, you can pay a lowered fee upfront and split the royalties 50/50. The splitting option is available only if you sign an exclusive contract with Amazon.

• Findaway Voices – This option makes it easier for authors to sell audiobooks through over 20 sellers across the library, retail, and school markets. It takes 20% of your retail royalties in return for the platform’s global distribution network.

You can allow Findaway Voices to match you with audiobook produces from their casting lists. This method lets you manage everything in a single place. Alternatively, you can use it exclusively for distribution. Similar to ACX, you can pay the producer upfront or via royalties.

2.     Complete the Book

The next step is finishing your book and preparing the content for recording.

If you start from the beginning, you want to get your eBook content ready for recording. This process forms a script you can read when recording your book’s audio version.

It involves removing everything that does not make sense in the audio style.

Some things you can do in the preparation include deleting hyperlinks, captions, and visuals. You also want to remove calls to action.

Once your new script is ready, read through it a final time to ensure the audio form makes sense.

Some sections may sometimes read better than they sound aloud. You can identify the oddities and reword them to sound as natural as possible.

Choosing Between Abridged and Unabridged

The completion process requires you to pick between creating an abridged or unabridged audiobook. An abridged version is a shortened, audio form of your original book. It keeps your main themes, storylines, and plot points while omitting the less important details. In contrast, the unabridged style is your original, complete, and printed book in audio version.

The abridged option offers a cost-effective solution, especially for indie authors. Its goal is to shorten your manuscript, reducing the time and cost spent on production services.

Sending the Manuscript

It is essential to note that most narrators prefer to get manuscripts as Word documents. They like a standard file featuring 12pt double-spaced Times New Roman, with an indented first line of every paragraph. Another preference they have is that you do not mark up anything.

Annotating the script is a critical component of work for many narrators. It lets them note pace, emphasis, and pronunciation while understanding the reasons for the markup. They also like to annotate the script because it offers an excellent chance to read the entire work before recording.

Nevertheless, voice actors appreciate it if you flag up hard-to-pronounce words. Examples include proper nouns, made-up words, words in a foreign language, regional pronunciations integral to a character, and technical jargon. You can identify these awkward words by having friends read your book aloud. Your friends’ stumbles in pronunciation signal any potential trouble for your narrator.

3.     Choose a Narration Style

An excellent recommendation is to survey popular audiobooks to determine the best fit for your genre. Even though a production company may guide you on the styles, it is best to be familiar with your selections. You can choose between creating a theatrical experience and using the pared-back tactic.

Besides, you can decide whether to use single or multiple narrators.

Ensemble Narration

The younger generation enjoys dynamic digital media that delivers a theatrical experience. An ensemble cast for your narration enables you to meet millennials’ demands. Furthermore, a wide cast of characters combined with music and sound effects mimics popular Netflix shows and podcasts.

You can use a small cast for a simpler narration style. This option is ideal if your book requires listeners to invest in more than one character. It also works for a storyline with several points of view.

Single Narration

Using a single voice actor is common among indie authors seeking the best value for money. Single narration is perfect for some authors who feel that the one voice resembles the internal voice readers develop the most. Hence, it feels more natural since it is similar to your mental voice when reading in silence.

It also reflects people’s childhood experience of listening to a parent or teacher read stories to them. You can replicate the comfort and nostalgia using this narration style in your audiobook.

Typically, you want one narrator if your book features a single character’s perspective. The expert narrator’s natural variation in volume, tone, intensity, and inflection enables listeners to differentiate between characters. This dynamic use of the voice also helps the audience continue engaging in your story.

4.     Find a Narrator

You need to create a proposal in your search for a narrator. It allows you to outline the required work, featuring the terms of your offer and the task scope. After this, you want to make a sample of your audio content to share with prospective freelance voice actors.

You can share this retail audio sample during the hiring phase for a freelancer. Alternately, you can share it later with your future audience to intrigue their interest in your work. Once your entire proposal is ready, you can commence your search for a quality narrator.

How do you find a narrator?

Here are a few points to help you know where to start when searching for a narrator:

• They read the correct genre – It is advisable to research narrators’ previous work to confirm if they have experience with your genre. This verification allows you to know that they know what they are doing. It also increases the likelihood that your audience will enjoy your audiobook.
• The narrators’ tone matches the protagonist – You want to pick someone whose voice personality and tone match your protagonist. For instance, if your main character is male, have a male voice actor, and vice versa. Search through the narrators’ portfolios to learn how they sound when impersonating various voices. You can find some voice qualities you need in your character, such as energetic, intense, loose, or sarcastic.
• They have a following – Although optional, finding a narrator with a following can help your marketing efforts. Some voice actors have many fans following them from book to book. As a result, they typically cost more. Despite this, a famous narrator may not help if your book does not sell well in eBook format.

As mentioned earlier, you can find narrators on different freelancer websites. They come in varying degrees of quality, requiring you to evaluate your options thoroughly. Some factors to consider in guiding your decision include:

• Authentic accents – You want your narrator to be able to pull off accents your characters have. In addition, you want it to sound authentic and avoid stereotypes.
• Voice variation – You want sufficient voice variation that allows listeners to differentiate characters in a dialogue.
• Authentic gender voicing – Your voice actors should be able to narrate female and male voices. You also want the voice alteration to be moderate to avoid excessive changes that sound inadvertently comical.
• Articulation – It is best to find a narrator with the perfect expression that neither over nor under-articulates. You can only go for a stronger or weaker articulation if your character has a distinct manner of speech.
• Passion – You want to get narrators that sound like every line hooks them. They should commit to each mood, wholeheartedly expressing scary, romantic, sad, or funny moments. A bored voice actor will bore the listener.
• Pacing – Excellent voice actors possess intuitive pacing when reading. These experts know when to speed up, slow down, and pause.

What is the cost of hiring an audiobook narrator for an audiobook?

Generally, you agree on a price with a producer or narrator when making an offer. Most audiobook producers charge per finished hour, typically between $150 and $400. On average, a voice actor reads approximately 8,000 words per hour. If you have a 60,000-word book, it produces a 7.5-hour reading. With the price range of $150 to $400, you can expect the hiring cost to be from $1,125 to $3,000.

You can discuss with your producer a preferred payment method.

It may be necessary to consider paying via a percentage of your royalties if you do not wish to pay the calculated cost upfront.

Nonetheless, you want to be wise with your choice. Your royalties can add up to a considerable amount if your book sells well.

Despite the appearance, hiring a professional might be cheaper than narrating yourself.

You do not have to purchase equipment, saving extra expenses. Additionally, if you get a narrator with an excellent following, you enjoy a narration plus promotion deal, cutting some marketing costs.

5.     Record

Upon finding a narrator, you can give him or her your manuscript to begin the recording.

You also want to discuss your book with your voice actor before the official work begins. Speaking about your voice preferences, such as tone, pacing, and pronunciation, is also crucial.

You can get in contact after he or she records the first twenty minutes or so. This step verifies that there are no crossed wires.

If you work with a production company, you can relax until the professionals provide you with the finished product. In contrast, you often need to give your feedback to a freelance narrator before proceeding to sound engineering.

It is wise to set aside sufficient time to play the audio files entirely when dealing with a freelancer. You want to listen out for inconsistencies in character speeches, pronunciation mistakes, and sudden background sounds.

Upon identifying an error, write down the time reference and the point to fix before sending your feedback. Once your narrator corrects the mistakes, listen again via your time reference to confirm that all is good to go.

Aside from professional voice actors, you can choose different recording options according to your preferences.

Recording Your Audiobook Yourself

You can opt to self-record in a studio. It may be more costly since it requires more time, effort, and expenses, especially when using a pro recording studio. Thus, it is generally advisable to block out plenty of time dedicated to completing the self-recording. You can create a home studio or hire a professional studio, with both options requiring considerable investment.

A guiding timeline you can follow involves you booking a recording studio three weeks in advance. After that, record your book in the studio, planning for up to 16 hours of recording time.

You also want to prepare a minimum of two weeks for post-recording editing, ensuring you deliver a professional product. Remembering the time frame may change once you commence the project is essential.

Working with a Producer

The other recording option is working with a professional producer. A producer can assist you through technical difficulties if you are new to audiobook recording. The producers collaborate with you as you undertake self-recording. They ascertain the audio tracks’ quality and master your file for the final production load.

Audiobook producers, also called audiobook engineers, are available online on multiple sites, such as Upwork and Fiverr.

6.     Audio Review

An audio review involves checking on confirming your recorded product is perfect and refined. You can use some technical tools to modify the recording to ensure it meets technical standards. For example, you can check your sampling rate via Audacity, with the aggregators typically requiring a 41-kHz rate.

You can also set volume boundaries, letting your files fall within a specific range. The average loudness is between -23dB and -18dB, with the peak value not exceeding -3dB. Besides, a review enables you to identify and remove audio gaps and mouth sounds. You can get assistance using Audacity’s editing manual or GarageBand tutorials for narration voice.

7.     Upload the Audiobook

After completing the recording, you need to upload your book to ACX. Publishing on ACX means your audiobook is available on Audible, Amazon, and the Apple audiobook store. It is the ideal platform for ensuring your book reaches as many people as possible.

Furthermore, ACX lets you retain all the audio rights as it handles all your distribution needs. The platform has submission requirements to ensure quality customer service, including consistent overall sound and limited running time. ACX also offers a user-friendly uploading guide:

Step 1: Access the ACX website

Step 2: Sign in to your amazon.com account

Step 3: Click on “Add Your Title”

Step 4: Search to find your book and click “This is My Book”

Step 5: Click “I have this book in audio and I want to sell it”

Step 6: Select your territory and distribution

Step 7: Select your preferred selling language (s)

Step 8: Agree to the “Audiobook License and Distribution Agreement” and complete the “About My Book” part

Step 9: Complete the correct copyright details

Step 10: Complete information on the audiobook publisher, narrator, and reviews

Step 11: Click “Add audio file”

Step 12: Browse your audiobook’s first section to ascertain successful addition

Step 13: Repeat this process until you upload your entire book while changing the section and chapter titles as you continue

Step 14: Upload your book cover with square dimensions

A recommendation for the sixth step is to choose the “World” rights option, offering 40% royalties for best outcomes. You can also duplicate your Amazon page or form original content for Step eight’s “About My Book” section.

It is critical to confirm that all your printed book details match those of your audiobook. The cover should be the same as the eBook’s, and your author’s name should be the same.

ACX discontinues your upload if it discovers any discrepancies in the identifying information.

You also want to remember to select the high-quality compression option at 192 kbps. After that, you can upload all audiobook parts, including the opening credit, chapter, and closing credit. You also want to include a 1 to 5-min sample clip for listeners to try.

Audiobook Formats

You can find two primary categories of audiobook formats:

1.      Lossy Compressed Audio

This format loses data during the compression process, meaning you sacrifice fidelity and quality for file size. Despite the loss, you cannot hear the difference in most cases. Examples of this audio format are:

• MP3 – MP3 refers to the extension’s name and the title of file type for MPEG, audio layer 3. This layer is one of the three coding schemes for audio signal compressions. Layer 3 utilizes psycho-acoustic compression and perceptual audio coding to eliminate redundant information. In addition, it adds MDCT (Modified Discrete Cosine Transform), implementing a filter bank to boost frequency resolution.
• AAC (Advanced Audio Coding) – It offers a more advanced and technical compression algorithm than MP3. The AAC format produces better sound quality that MP3 recordings of the same bitrate. It is the standard audio compression technique used by iOS, Android, YouTube, and later PlayStations.
• M4A – Apple uses this audio-only MPEG-4 file for unprotected music downloaded from their iTunes Music Store. This format can contain metadata, such as images, chapter markers, and hyperlinks. AAC typically encodes the M4A audio files, although you can also use lossless ALAC.
• WMA (Windows Media Audio) – Microsoft created it initially to address some flaws in the MP3 format, making it the better of the two. WMA’s proprietary status limits the platforms and devices that support it.
• AAX – Audible creates the AAX format. It encodes the files with DRM (Digital Rights Management), controlling access to copyrighted materials. Consequently, you can only listen to Audible audiobooks using assigned software. However, you can use Audible Converter to change the AAX file to MP3 and play it on your preferred audio player.

2.      Lossless Compressed Audio

This formatting method minimizes file size without any quality loss between your original source and the resulting file. Its con is that the process is not as efficient as the lossy compression. Hence, your equivalent files can be two to five times larger. Some lossless compressed audio formats include:

• WMA Lossless – It offers a lossless alternative using the same extension. This type has lower compression efficiency than FLAC and ALAC. Mac and Windows systems natively support it to enhance different users’ convenience. It is also a propriety format made by Microsoft.
• FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) – It can compress an original file by up to 60% without losing data. FLAC is also a royalty-free and open-source format instead of a propriety one. You can use it without encountering intellectual property constraints. Most major devices and programs also support FLAC, making it the primary alternative to MP3 for CD audio.
• ALAC (Apple Lossless Audio Codec) – It started in 2004 as a proprietary format but switched to royalty-free and open source in 2011. iOs and iTunes offer native support for ALAC but none for FLAC. ALAC is also slightly less efficient than FLAC.

Stage 2: Distribution of your Audiobook

The decision on the distribution channel to use is among the most crucial in audiobook creation. ACX and Findaway Voices are the two biggest options, and chances are you will want one or both.

Audiobook Creative Exchange (ACX)

As earlier mentioned, ACX is an Amazon-owned company created to link narrators and authors and for selling your books online. It distributes to Apple books, Amazon, and Audible, meaning you can access and expand your fan base by publishing a well-produced audiobook. For instance, a Codex Group research revealed that Audible accounts for 41% of US audiobook sales.

Audible’s self-serve production and distribution service provides authors with two distribution options:

• Exclusivity to ACX – This option stops you from selling or distributing your audiobook via any other channel. You cannot use another subscription service, retailer, website, or a physical CD copy. In exchange for being exclusive, ACX gives you a 40% royalty rate of the list price.

The exclusive contract also lasts for seven years. Nevertheless, ACX recently modified its terms. It now permits authors with full ownership rights to their audiobooks to leave exclusivity after 90 days. Hence, it does not apply if you produce your book under a royalty-share deal.

• Non-exclusivity to ACX – This option permits you to distribute the audiobook elsewhere in any form you wish. However, you only get a 25% royalty rate of ACX’s list price.

Pricing and Royalties

Regardless of the distribution option, the audiobook price is the only aspect you cannot control. The retailers ACX reach have the freedom to discount or price your audiobook at their sole discretion. Typically, the price depends on your audiobook’s length. ACX helps you learn the price you can expect using the following price breakdown:

• 20+ hours: $25 to $35
• 10 to 20 hours: $20 to $30
• 5 to 10 hours: $15 to $25
• 3 to 5 hours: $10 to $20
• 1 to 3 hours: $7 to $10
• <1 hour: below $7

Publishing via ACX makes you earn between 20% and 40% of their title royalties. Depending on your payment deal, you must share a royalty with your producer. Hence, the rate you receive relies on how your audiobook engineer’s compensation. If you work alone or pay the whole producer fees upfront, you keep the entire 40%. Splitting with an engineer means you each receive 20%.

As a result, authors often like to produce the audiobook themselves whenever possible. The high royalty delivers a bigger pay bump for the effort, although sometimes it comes at the cost of quality.

Wide Distribution

Other distributors emerged over recent years to provide a competitive alternative to ACX. They also offer greater reach into hundreds of audiobook subscription services, retailers, and libraries. Consequently, this option means you forfeit ACX’s exclusivity distribution option, leaving you to earn 25% on Audible sales.

It may pose a considerable risk if most of your audiobook income is via Audible. Nonetheless, the audiobook landscape’s fragmentation and diversity are often worth considering. Advantages you can expect from using wide distribution concern the price control and an expanded reach. You can control price via price promotions and enjoy a greater reach with diverse outlets.

Findaway Voices

Findaway Voices is the leading non-ACX distributor in the market, with a network that accesses more than 170 countries. They have a Draft2Digital function, facilitating seamless integration to carry over your metadata.

This feature eliminates the need for re-entering the data from scratch. Additionally, you can select your preferred distribution outlets, allowing you to work in tandem with ACX non-exclusively.

Royalties

This distributor offers authors 80% of the royalties obtained from the distribution partners. The royalty can significantly vary, depending on the partner’s retail model, such as subscription service vs. straight sale.

Even so, many non-Amazon major retailers pay 40% to 50% of the list price. After Findaway’s distribution cut, the author gets a net royalty of 32% to 40% of the list price.

Findaway receives 25% of the list price for sales via Audible or Amazon. Thus, you earn a net royalty of 25% of 80%. This outcome also adds up to 20% of the list price. It means you get half of what you would make if you were exclusive to ACX.

Understanding Sources of Royalties in Audiobook Retailers

Audiobook royalties come via a la carte sales, subscription services, and library sales. A la carte sales refer to listeners purchasing the audiobook at full price via one of the major retailers. It represents a small section of the total income, with most earnings coming from library sales and subscription services.

Libraries

Libraries offer an a la carte option. They buy a license to lend your audiobook to one patron at a time. You receive a royalty based on the library price, which often is higher than the retail price.

Libraries also provide a cost-per-checkout option. They get a license to lend your audiobook to one client at a time. You get remuneration per checkout, earning each time someone borrows the book. The amount differs based on the library distributor. It comes as the library price or a function of your audiobook’s length.

Subscription services

You can get royalties via unlimited subscription services. The listeners pay a monthly subscription fee to access as many audiobooks as they like. It offers a chance to earn similar royalty via a la cart sales. You receive the same royalty if a subscriber listens to 15% or more of your audiobook.

The other royalty-earning option is through credit-based subscriptions. Subscribers pay a monthly fee to earn credits that they can redeem against audiobooks. Likewise, you can make the same royalty to an a la carte sale. This royalty is achievable when a client buys your audiobook using credits.

The last option is to subscribe to a revenue pool share. Listeners pay a subscription fee per month, contributing to a sum revenue pool. You get a percentage of the revenue pool according to your pro-rata share of total listening time.

Stage 3: Marketing Tips

Once you complete and upload your audiobook, it is critical to adopt effective marketing strategies. The last thing you desire is to produce an excellent workpiece that nobody sees, despite being publicly available.

Henry Ford once stated, “Stopping advertising to save money is like stopping your watch to save time.” Thus, investing in quality marketing techniques is necessary to get the word out about your audiobook. The following tips feature tactics you can use to expand your reach in your target audience.

1.     Start Recording Early

Timing is crucial if you intend to publish your story in multiple formats. It is advisable to have your audiobook ready for release approximately the same time you release your eBook. The simultaneous release allows readers to pick their preferred format while their interest is high. You can also avoid running separate marketing campaigns.

Beginning your recording early also aids you in streamlining your marketing strategies. The proper time management carries on to your advertising schedules and ideas. Hence, you can effectively undertake your marketing efforts with quality results.

2.     Get Reviews

It is essential to get reviews on popular sites and audiobook platforms. Positive feedback lets potential clients know that others tested and enjoyed your product. Review scores on audiobook-specific platforms are significant for two reasons. They represent the place where a big pool of audiobook listeners exists. The platforms are also the location where positive reviews have the greatest effect.

You can use promo codes to build reviews, such as via Audible’s ACX. An exclusive ACX contract offers 25 promo codes, enabling free downloads of your audiobook.

3.     Use Bonus Content

You can prepare additional content for promotional purposes. Bonus ideas you can include are adding an extra introduction to your audiobook or interviewing your narrator. You can also interview a character played by your narrator.

Offering an excerpt chapter or a sequence of teaser scenes are excellent options for bonus content.

Additionally, you can provide links to all editions, leading potential listeners to other works of interest.

Uploading bonus content is essential since it helps you pique the interest of current listeners while attracting a new audience. You can share the clips on your author’s website, email list, and social media platforms.

4.     Upload Sample Content on Social Media

Social media provides one of the biggest marketing avenues globally. Statistics show over 4.5 billion people use social media, making it the ideal place to expand your reach. Audio’s versatility means you can use audiobook clips in several ways. For example, you can put small sound bites on your favorite platform.

Soundcloud and YouTube are popular marketing channels you can use. Besides videos, many people use YouTube to listen to music, audiobooks, and podcasts. You can upload a sample section or chapter with your audiobook’s cover providing the visual background. In addition, add links in the description to the audiobook stores.

You could upload the entire piece if you own the rights and use ad revenue for monetization.

5.     Embrace Email Marketing

Email marketing is one of the most powerful tools to promote your audiobook. You can use it to customize content and share snippets of your work to attract a prospective audience. Some tactics to note when emailing a group are:

Segmentation – You want to segregate your audience between audiobook and eBook readers. One identification method is monitoring who clicks on your audiobook links. Another way is running a poll to see which category people prefer. Once you find the audiobook listeners in your email list, promote your work to them.

ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) teams – ARC teams enable you to get some reviews by the time you release your audiobook. A team features a list of listeners that sign up to get your book’s ARC copy. If you have ACX exclusivity, the platform provides you with some promo codes you can give to your team. Alternately, you can hand your team your audio via delivery channels if you use wide distribution.

Launch Promotion – It is essential to excite your email list in advance and let them know that your audiobook is coming. You can give the email recipients a few free samples while keeping them in the loop about the book’s production.

6.     Use an Audible Author Page

You can market your audiobook by creating an Audible Author page. This page lists all your books on the platform and features some details from your Amazon Author Central page. As such, you can promote this page primarily to Audible listeners to find your audiobooks.

7.     Optimize Digital Ads

An essential consideration in advertising is optimizing your cover since it can make or break your marketing efforts. A quality cover speaks a thousand words, enhancing the attraction and message in your ads. Facebook ads and Amazon ads offer effective methods of digital advertising.

Facebook Ads

You can begin by targeting the right genre via your ads. After that, you can narrow your target audience to those who like audiobooks or Audible. This process leaves you with listeners who enjoy your genre and audiobooks.

Amazon Ads

You cannot directly advertise on Audible or straight to an audiobook. Nevertheless, you can promote your work by linking your audiobook and eBook on Amazon. The connection ensures that marketing one will advertise the other. Amazon ads are effective if you list your Audible book as an add-on to your eBook.

You can get plenty of audiobook and eBook sales using a discount on your ads. For instance, an eBook discount means customers pay a little extra to purchase the audiobook. Listeners can enjoy such offers and drive up your overall sales.

There you have it! Using this information, you can know the three stages of audiobook creation. Hence, you can use our comprehensive guide to learn about making, recording, and distributing your audiobook. The marketing tips also let you know the tactics for expanding your audience and growing in the spoken word world.

Sources

https://kindlepreneur.com/market-an-audiobook/

https://www.thecreativepenn.com/2020/04/22/market-your-audiobook/

https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/audiobooks/distribution/

https://self-publishingschool.com/make-an-audiobook/

https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/audiobooks/how-to-make/

https://www.epubor.com/common-audiobook-formats.html

https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/audiobooks/marketing/

http://lolasreviews.com/lolas-advice-how-to-set-up-an-arc-team/#:~:text=ARC%20stands%20for%20Advance%20Reader,ARC%20copy%20of%20your%20book.