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AUDIOBOOKS
AUDIOBOOKS
FREE FIRST CHAPTER
Are you an existing author who is thinking about creating an audiobook for your latest book release? We specialize in helping independent writers get their books narrated, recorded, edited, and uploaded to Amazon Audible.
We have extensive knowledge of Amazon’s intimidating technical ACX requirements and can get your work approved for the platform. Audiobook recording demands a fully isolated and acoustically treated recording space with flawless recorded narration.
If you choose to narrate your audio audiobook yourself, we will assist with ensuring all requirements are being met. If you’d like a professional voice actor or narrator, PSS can provide you with audition samples and help you find the perfect voice for your content.
Guaranteed to learn new tips each session. Read about our talented audio engineers who will be there every step of the way through the recording process
We have access to the best recording equipment in the Bay Area. Ask us about the API Vision Console, Neumann U87 or any other equipment you want to try out
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS
You have complete ownership of any work recorded with PSS. This includes 100% copyright guaranteed
H O W T O G E T S T A R T E D
Follow our booking procedure
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prepare
Rehearse and practice the delivery of your audiobook
record
Show up on time for your scheduled session and your audio engineer will guide you to create your superior sound
RElease
After completion, receive your high-quality WAV file with full exclusive rights ready to upload and start releasing
S H O U L D Y O U N A R R A T E Y O U R A U D I O B O O K ?
Take a look at our pro/con list for both self and third-party narration
S E L F N A R R A T I O N
Saving money & not sharing royalties
Bringing your own story to life & connecting with your audience
Improving your writing & oratory skills
Spending hours & days in the studio
Familiarizing yourself with industry standards
Overcoming the learning curve for emphasis, emotion & tone
T H I R D P A R T Y N A R R A T I O N
Professional voice actors can increase audiobook sales
Less time spent in the studio
Variety of voice actors to choose from
Cost of hiring & sharing royalties
Missing out on learning new skills & expanding your portfolio
Spending time finding the "perfect" voice
A C X R E Q U I R E M E N T S M A D E E A S Y
Read our blog on Breaking Down Amazon's Technical Requirements to not miss a thing
BE CONSISTENT
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RECORD CREDITS
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ONE FILE TYPE ONLY
REMOVE UNWANTED NOISE
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Your tone, audio levels, pacing and pronunciation need to be consistent throughout the entire audiobook. Good recording performances go a long way and editing tools like compression, equalizing, noise reduction, and manual volume adjustments will be needed to achieve consistency.
Unwanted sounds are the equivalent of typos in a traditional book. The key to success is having a fully isolated and acoustically treated recording space with a superior audio engineer who can remove any unwanted noise during the mix.
You must record opening and closing credits. Minimum requirements include -
Opening credits: “Title, written by [insert name here] and narrated by [insert name here].”
Closing credits: “The end.”
But get creative and add more content to stand out.
This one is easy. Whether you choose to record in mono or stereo, just make sure all your files are consistent.
INCLUDE AUDIO SAMPLE
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ONE CHAPTER PER FILE
ANNOUNCE EACH CHAPTER
EACH FILE IS < 120 MINS
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The audio sample is what the customer hears when previewing your book. It shouldn't contain explicit material and should make people want to listen to your audiobook. If your title isn’t self-explanatory, here's your chance to summarize your content and give listeners a teaser of what they’re in for. The preview must be between 1 to 5 minutes.
Upload each file as its own chapter or section. This includes
the opening and closing credits. This allows listeners to move forward and backward throughout chapters or sections of your audiobook easily.
The narrator must announce every section or chapter header exactly how it is written within your manuscript. Ex. Prologue, Chapter 1, Section 1, etc. This allows readers to know what chapter or section they’re listening to without ever having to look at their audio player.
If you create a chapter that reads more than 120 minutes break it up! Add another chapter to your audiobook or even a continuation such as “Chapter 2 continued.” into a new file.
RECORD ROOM TONE
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> -3dB PEAK VALUES
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> -60dB RSM NOISE FLOOR
-23dB to -18dB RMS VOL
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Each chapter should have no more than 5 seconds of room tone at the beginning and end. Room tone is the sound of an empty room or in other words silence. This space gives listeners their cue that the chapter or section is either beginning or ending.
The volume range must be between -23dB to -18dB RMS. Listeners will avoid constantly adjusting the volume on their players so you must stay consistent.
The maximum allowable peak value before distortion of the audio quality is -3dB.
The maximum value of the noise floor is -60dB RSM for each file. Background noise is the worst and distracts listeners from your content.
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USE CBR MP3 FILES
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HUMAN NARRATION
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TRIPLE CHECK FILES
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UPLOAD FILES TO ACX
Titles are encoded in a few different formats that allows listeners to choose and download from the Audible store. To ensure the encoding process will work without error files must be Constant Bit Rate MP3 files, 192 kbps or higher. PSS files are saved as MP3s which are preferred by Amazon.
Your audiobook must be recorded by a human. Scroll down to find out if you should narrate your audiobook or outsource the work to someone else.
Before sending your files to ACX triple-check to make sure you have successfully checked off each requirement. You can skip this step if you record with PSS as we know the requirements inside and out and will send you files that will be accepted by ACX.
If all the requirements are met you're ready to upload your files to ACX. Check out our blog post for more detailed information of the requirements.