How Much Does It Cost to Make an Audiobook? PFH Rates Explained

The cost of making an audiobook depends on three things: how long the finished audiobook is, who narrates it, and how much post-production (editing, proofing and mastering) you hand off. This guide explains how audiobook production is priced, what each stage typically costs, and how to estimate your own budget.

What does PFH mean?

Almost every part of audiobook production is priced per finished hour (PFH). A finished hour is one hour of final, edited audio — not the time spent recording or editing. If your finished audiobook runs 8 hours and an editor charges $75 PFH, editing costs 8 × $75 = $600.

PFH protects you: you pay for the result, not for retakes or slow sessions. One finished hour usually takes a narrator and editor 4 to 6 hours of combined work.

How long will my audiobook be?

A narrated audiobook averages about 9,300 words per finished hour (around 155 words per minute). Divide your word count by 9,300 to estimate finished hours, or use our audiobook length calculator.

Word count	Approx. finished hours
30,000	3.2
60,000	6.5
80,000	8.6
100,000	10.8
150,000	16.1

Typical audiobook production costs by stage

These are typical market ranges for independent authors in the US and UK. Prices vary with experience, genre and turnaround.

Stage	What it covers	Typical range (PFH)
Narration only	Professional narrator performance	$100 – $400+
Editing	Removing mistakes, noises, pacing	$50 – $150
Proofing	Word-for-word listen against the script	$30 – $75
Mastering	Loudness, noise floor, ACX formatting	$25 – $100
Full post-production	Editing + proofing + mastering	$100 – $250
Full production	Narration and all post-production	$250 – $600

Example budgets

Self-narrated 80,000-word novel (8.6 hours): you record it yourself, then pay for editing, proofing and mastering. At $110 PFH for complete post-production, that is about $946.

Hired narrator, same book: a mid-range narrator at $250 PFH costs about $2,150. If the narrator’s rate does not include post-production, budget another $650–$950.

Royalty share on ACX: some narrators work for a 50/50 royalty split instead of an upfront fee. You pay nothing upfront but share royalties for seven years, and experienced narrators accept fewer of these deals.

What makes audiobook production cost more?

• Raw audio with lots of noise, echo or mistakes takes longer to edit.
• Multiple narrators or many character voices.
• Technical or non-fiction books with names, terms and data to check.
• Rush deadlines.
• Music, sound effects or full-cast productions.

How to keep costs down without hurting quality

• Record in a quiet, soft room so editing focuses on performance, not noise.
• Use punch-and-roll recording so mistakes are fixed as you go.
• Send your final, locked manuscript — text changes after recording mean pickups.
• Choose the package you need: mastering-only is enough if your audio is already clean and edited.
• Ask for a free sample edit before you commit.

Our rates

AudiobookEditing.net offers three simple packages: ACX Mastering at $35 PFH, Edit + Master at $75 PFH, and Complete Production (editing, proofing and mastering) at $110 PFH. See full details on our pricing page.