In short: Divide the word count by about 9,000 to get the finished hours. Multiply that by 2 studio hours for an experienced narrator, or 3 if you are reading your own book for the first time. Add one to one and a half hours of editing for each finished hour, plus time to listen back. A 60,000-word book is about 6.7 finished hours, or roughly 13 to 20 hours in the room.
You can start from a word count or a page count (250 words a page is a convention you can change). Choose 9,000 or 9,300 words per finished hour, or your own figure, and a ratio of 2, 3 or 5 studio hours per finished hour, or your own. Add the length of a session to see how many sessions the recording needs, and a studio hourly rate of your own if you want a cost.
Use the calculator before you book studio time or agree a schedule with a narrator. It turns a word count into finished hours, studio hours and editing hours, and those are the figures a budget and a calendar need. Most people underestimate the editing, so the method below includes it.
Who uses it
Authors planning an audiobook, publishers and producers setting a budget, and narrators quoting for a project. It also helps decide whether to narrate your own book or hire someone, which the author-narrated or professional narrator guide covers.
How to use it, step by step
- Get the word count from the manuscript. Use the count from your word processor, not a figure from the back cover or a guess. A rough count can be out by enough to change the schedule.
- Divide by 9,000. About 9,000 words make one finished hour. ACX's own figure is about 9,300, and the calculator uses the lower number because it is the safer estimate.
- Choose the studio ratio. Use 2 studio hours per finished hour for an experienced narrator, and 3 for an author reading their own book for the first time. Our ACX guide notes that new narrators often take 5 to 7 hours to record one finished hour, so a first-timer on a difficult book should plan towards the top of the range.
- Multiply. Finished hours multiplied by the ratio gives the time in the room. The ratio already allows for retakes, water breaks and page turns.
- Add editing and listening. Allow one to one and a half hours of editing for each finished hour, plus time to listen back to the whole book at close to real time.
- Spread the sessions. Divide the studio hours into sessions you can keep to. Our worked example for a 60,000-word book spreads the recording over four to six sessions.
A worked example
Take a 60,000-word non-fiction book.
| Step | Working | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Finished hours | 60,000 divided by 9,000 | About 6.7 |
| Studio hours, experienced narrator | 6.7 multiplied by 2 | About 13.3 |
| Studio hours, first-time author | 6.7 multiplied by 3 | About 20 |
| Editing | 6.7 multiplied by 1 to 1.5 | About 6.7 to 10 |
| Sessions | 13.3 to 20 hours over four to six sessions | Roughly two to five hours a session |
The editing and listening come on top of the studio hours, so the total work is well beyond the time spent in the room.
Common mistakes
- Using a word count from a publisher's blurb or a rough guess.
- Treating the studio ratio as the whole job. It covers the recording, not the editing.
- Planning no editing time at all. ACX estimates about 6.2 hours of total work for each finished hour, of which about 2 are recording, 3 are editing and 1.2 are reviewing.
- Recording in a room that is not quiet enough. The gaps between words need to be very quiet, and heavy noise reduction can colour the voice. The ACX recording guide covers the room.
If you would rather have an engineer in the room for the recording, the audiobook recording studio page covers how sessions run at the barn. For the longer explanation behind these figures, read the finished-hour maths, and check timing for any voiceover with how many words fit in 30 seconds.
Sources
- Granary Digital, How long does an audiobook take to record? The finished-hour maths, read 5 November 2026
- Granary Digital, Recording an audiobook for ACX: specs, maths and the room, read 5 November 2026
Related guides
- How many words fit in 30 seconds? Timing a voiceover script
- Recording your audiobook for ACX: the specs, the maths and the room
- All guides and tools
The picture at the top of this page is an illustration, not a photograph of a client or a real job.
Questions we get asked
How long does it take to record an audiobook?
About two studio hours for each finished hour for an experienced narrator, and three for an author reading their own book for the first time. Editing and listening back take longer than the recording itself.
How many words is one finished hour of audio?
About 9,000 words. ACX's own figure is nearer 9,300, and the lower number gives a safer estimate for planning.
How long does editing an audiobook take?
Roughly one to one and a half hours of editing for each finished hour, plus proof-listening at about real time. ACX's estimate of total work per finished hour is higher still.
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