Audiobooks & Self-Publishing Help in Hot Springs
You wrote the thing. Getting it onto Amazon as a proper book, then as an audiobook people can actually listen to, is a different job entirely — formatting, cover spines, ISBNs, audio mastering specs. That job gets done here.
Nineteen titles published end to end — written, formatted, covered, narrated and trailered. The process on this page is the one used on our own books first, which is the only reason to trust anybody with yours.
Audiobooks are the part most self-published authors skip, because studio narration runs into the thousands of dollars. There is a cheaper road — and the honest caveat is that it reaches Google Play, Spotify, Apple Books, Kobo and the libraries, but not Audible, whose ACX programme requires a narrator it has approved.
Hot Springs • Hot Springs Village • Little Rock • Anywhere in the US — manuscripts travel fine
Who this is for
Almost everybody who arrives here has a finished manuscript and a stalled next step. That is a production problem, not a writing problem.
You finished the manuscript
It's written. It's been sitting in a folder for a year because the next step is formatting, covers, ISBNs, and an upload process that looks like a tax return. That part is the easy part — for somebody who's done it nineteen times.
You want it as an audiobook
Audiobooks outsell ebooks in a lot of categories and almost nobody self-publishing gets one made, because studio narration runs into the thousands. There's a cheaper road now — Google Play, Spotify, Apple Books, Kobo and the libraries, though not Audible.
Your book is published and nothing is happening
A live listing isn't a launch. No trailer, no sample, nothing to post. That's usually the whole problem, and it's fixable in a week.
It's a family book, not a business
A parent's memoir, a family history, a cookbook of recipes nobody wrote down. Small print runs for the family are absolutely worth doing, and they're some of the best work there is.
You want it in your own voice
Authors narrate better than strangers — it's your book. If you can read it cleanly in a quiet room, it gets produced and mastered to broadcast spec without a studio.
You have a backlist doing nothing
Older titles that never got an audio edition or a refreshed cover. The manuscript already exists, so this is the cheapest new revenue you have.
How it works
Send the manuscript
A Word file or a Google Doc is fine. You get an honest read on what it needs and what it costs before anything starts.
Print and ebook first
Interior formatted to KDP's 6×9 spec, cover designed as a proper wraparound with the spine calculated for your page count, front and back matter, and the upload done.
Then the audiobook
Chapter-by-chapter production, mastered to broadcast standard — RMS between −23 and −18 dB, peaks under −3 dB, noise floor below −60 dB — and checked chapter by chapter before it goes anywhere.
Then something to post
A trailer and a set of clips, so there's a reason for anyone to look. A published book nobody sees isn't finished.
What it costs
Nothing starts until you have a number and you have said yes to it.
- Book trailers — from $79. A short piece you can post, with clips cut for social.
- Cover art, flyers & graphics — from $50. Wraparound covers with the spine calculated for your page count.
- Print & ebook production — quoted from the manuscript. Formatting, cover, front and back matter, and the upload.
Audiobook production
Priced by the length of the manuscript, because that is the number you already know.
| Manuscript | Finished audio | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 30,000 words | about 3 hours of audio | $300 |
| 30,000 – 60,000 words | about 3–6½ hours | $500 |
| 60,000 – 100,000 words | about 6½–11 hours | $750 |
| Over 100,000 words | quoted from the manuscript | Ask |
Questions people ask
How much does an audiobook cost to produce?
By word count, because you know your word count: $300 up to 30,000 words, $500 to 60,000, $750 to 100,000, and quoted above that. No hourly rate to work out and no surprise at the end.
Where does the audiobook get sold?
Google Play Books, and Findaway Voices — which distributes to Spotify, Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and the library systems. Audible's ACX is not one of them: ACX requires human narration it has approved, so an audiobook produced this way does not go there. That is worth knowing up front rather than after you have paid.
Can I narrate it in my own voice?
Yes, and for memoir and family history it's usually the better choice — it's your book. You need a quiet room and the patience for a few takes. The production and mastering are handled here.
Do you write the book for me?
No. This is production, not ghostwriting. You bring a finished manuscript; it gets turned into a book, an audiobook and something to sell it with.
What does a book trailer cost?
Trailers start at $79. Flyers, graphics and cover art start at $50. Longer promotional pieces are quoted based on what they need.
Have you actually published anything?
Nineteen titles are live on Amazon, produced end to end — writing, formatting, covers, audio and trailers. This isn't theory; it's the same process run on our own books first.
Do I have to be in Arkansas?
No. Manuscripts and audio move over the internet, so this works anywhere in the United States. Being local to Hot Springs just means we can sit down at the same table.