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How long does an audiobook take to record? Start with the word count. At a normal audiobook pace, about 9,000 words make one finished hour. So a 60,000 word book is about 6.5 hours, and a 90,000 word novel is 10. Nobody narrates in real time, though. Allow two studio hours per finished hour for an experienced narrator, and three for an author reading their own book for the first time. After the room comes editing, then proof-listening, where someone reads along and marks every misread word, then pickups, then mastering. Hourly sessions in the treated room, with an engineer, are from 39 pounds plus VAT. Granary Digital. A working studio since 2005.
Start with the word count
Narrated at a normal audiobook pace, about 9,000 words make one finished hour. So:
| Manuscript | Words | Finished hours |
|---|---|---|
| Novella or short business book | 30,000 | about 3.5 |
| Typical non-fiction | 60,000 | about 6.5 |
| Typical novel | 90,000 | 10 |
| Long novel or memoir | 120,000 | about 13 |
Fast, dense text runs slightly under; dialogue-heavy fiction with character voices runs over. Use 9,000 to plan and let the first session correct it.
Studio hours per finished hour
Nobody narrates in real time. Allow two studio hours per finished hour for an experienced narrator and three for an author reading their own book for the first time, once retakes, water breaks and page turns are counted. A 60,000-word book is therefore around thirteen to twenty hours in the room, best spread over four to six sessions so the voice stays consistent.
What happens after the room
- Editing: mistakes, mouth noise and long gaps removed, chapters assembled. Roughly one to one and a half hours of editing per finished hour.
- Proof-listening: someone reads along with the manuscript and marks every misread word. Real time plus a bit, per finished hour, and the step most self-produced audiobooks skip and regret.
- Pickups: the misreads re-recorded and dropped in, matched for tone and level.
- Mastering to the platform's specification.
Delivery specifications
Most retail audiobooks go through ACX (Audible) or an aggregator, and they all check the same things: one file per chapter, measured loudness within a set range, peaks under a ceiling, a quiet noise floor, a short silence at the head and tail of each file, and opening and closing credits. Recording in a treated room with a good microphone chain gets the noise floor right at source, which is far cheaper than fixing it afterwards. We deliver to spec, per platform.
What it costs
Whole books are quoted on the word count, which now you can convert yourself. Hourly audio sessions in the treated room with an engineer are from £39+VAT. The audiobook page has the detail and the booking route.
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Ready when you are
Availability and a firm quote, usually same day. No pressure, no hard sell.
Questions we get asked
How many words are in an hour of audiobook?
About 9,000 words narrated at a normal pace. A 90,000-word novel is roughly ten finished hours.
How long does it take to record an audiobook?
Two to three studio hours per finished hour, so a 60,000-word book is thirteen to twenty hours in the room, plus editing, proof-listening and pickups afterwards.
What are the ACX audio requirements?
One file per chapter, loudness within a set range, peaks under a ceiling, a low noise floor, silence at the head and tail, and credits. We deliver files to the platform's current specification.
granary.digital · 01243 884993 · studio@granary.digital · The Old Grainstore, Adsdean, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 9DN · Prices exclude VAT unless marked inc VAT