Audiobook production for independent authors
Nova Publishers (thenovap.com) turns your finished book into an audiobook, mastered to ACX standards and set up in your own Audible, Apple Books and Spotify accounts. We cast the narrator, record, edit and master, and you approve the voice before recording starts. You own the audio rights and keep every retailer royalty.
Human narrator from $2,800. AI voice from $1,800.
Hear the narrators before you choose
Five human-narrated samples, each under a minute. Tap one to listen.
Audio sample 1
“In the first instant, I discovered my husband. My first thought was, no.”
Audio sample 2
“In the hours leading up to my discovery, the morning began as a cold Sunday six days before Christmas.”
Audio sample 3
“When Mariana arrived upon Ruby Hill once again, it had been ten years to the day that her beloved mother had passed.”
Audio sample 4
“The chipped paint on the windowsill mirrored the cracks in Clara’s spirit.”
Audio sample 5
“On top of that, I had a career, and I was working on my bachelor’s degree.”
Every sample here is a human narrator. An AI voice is available on request, from $1,800.
Two ways to make your audiobook
I want a narrator
We send you voice samples from narrators matched to your book's genre, tone and characters, and you choose. We handle the casting, contract and schedule, and re-match if the first samples don't fit.
I want to narrate it myself
We can produce an author-narrated audiobook, which often suits memoir, business books and self-help, as long as the recording meets ACX standards for room sound and quality. Plan extra time for recording and retakes.
Human narrator or AI voice
The voice is the biggest choice in an audiobook. A human narrator performs the book: they give characters their own voices, carry the emotion of a memoir and keep a listener with them for hours.
| Compare | Human narrator | AI voice |
|---|---|---|
| Price | From $2,800 | From $1,800, on request |
| Timeline | 8 to 12 weeks from final manuscript to live | Faster than a human-narrated book |
| Best for | Fiction, memoir and books people read for pleasure | Straightforward nonfiction: business, self-help and how-to |
| Where it sells | Audible, Apple Books, Spotify, Google Play Books, Kobo and library platforms | Some retailers have their own rules for AI narration. We confirm where your edition can be sold before production starts |
What you get
Casting
Voice samples from narrators matched to your book. You choose the voice.
Recording
Chapter by chapter, checked for pronunciation, consistency and pacing.
Editing
Cleaned and leveled, with a proof listen and one round of pickup corrections.
Mastering
Mastered to ACX retail specifications and checked chapter by chapter.
Retail-ready files
The finished audio files, ready for every retailer. You own them.
Distribution
Set up in your own accounts. Retailers pay your royalties straight to you.
Where your audiobook is sold
- Audible
- Apple Books
- Spotify
- Google Play Books
- Kobo
- OverDrive
- Hoopla
Your audiobook is set up in your own accounts. On Amazon it's linked to your existing listing, so readers see the ebook, print and audio editions together. You choose exclusive or non-exclusive distribution, and we explain both before you decide.
How it works
Choose the voice
We audition narrators matched to your book's genre, tone and characters and send you samples. You pick one.
Record
Your narrator records chapter by chapter. Every chapter is checked before post-production.
Master and check
Cleaned, leveled and mastered to ACX specifications. You review a proof listen.
Go live
Listed on Audible, Apple Books, Spotify, Google Play, Kobo and library platforms, in your own accounts.
What affects the price and timeline
Audiobook pricing depends on the finished length of the recording. A typical 60,000-word book runs about 6.5 finished hours, and longer books need more recording and editing time. Your quote is fixed before work starts and covers casting, recording, editing, mastering and distribution.
A human-narrated audiobook usually takes 8 to 12 weeks from final manuscript to live, including casting, recording, pickups, mastering and retailer review. AI-voiced audiobooks are faster.
You own the audio rights and keep every retailer royalty. Audiobook production is included in Signature at $3,799 and Elite at $5,499, and any package, or any book that is already published, can add it as a single service.
From the Nova bookstore
Each author owns their book and keeps their retailer royalties.
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers about this service
Nova Publishers turns a finished book into an audiobook in four stages: casting a narrator or choosing an AI voice, recording, mastering to ACX standards, and distribution to Audible, Apple Books, Spotify and library platforms in your own accounts. Human narration starts at $2,800 and an AI voice at $1,800.
Audiobook production at Nova Publishers starts at $2,800 with a human narrator and $1,800 with an AI voice. The final price depends on the length of the finished recording; a typical 60,000-word book runs about 6.5 finished hours. Signature and Elite include audiobook production.
Nova Publishers offers both: a human narrator from $2,800, who brings acting and character voices and suits fiction, memoir and books read for pleasure, or an AI voice from $1,800, which suits straightforward nonfiction. Some retailers have their own rules on AI narration, and we'll tell you where it can be sold.
Nova Publishers sends you voice samples from narrators matched to your book's genre, tone and characters, and you choose. We handle the casting, contract and schedule, and re-match if the first samples don't fit.
Nova Publishers distributes audiobooks to Audible, Apple Books, Spotify, Google Play Books, Kobo and library platforms such as OverDrive and Hoopla, set up in your own accounts.
Nova Publishers sets up either: exclusive distribution through ACX pays a higher royalty on Audible but keeps the audiobook off other stores for a set term, and non-exclusive pays less on Audible but lets you sell everywhere. We walk you through both before you choose.
Nova Publishers publishes your audiobook on Audible through ACX, Amazon's audiobook platform, as part of its audiobook production service. It is set up in your own account and linked to your existing Amazon listing.
Yes, Nova Publishers can produce an author-narrated audiobook, which often suits memoir, business books and self-help, as long as the recording meets ACX standards for room sound and quality. Plan extra time for recording and retakes.
With Nova Publishers, a human-narrated audiobook usually takes 8 to 12 weeks from final manuscript to live: casting, recording, pickups, mastering and retailer review. AI-voiced audiobooks are faster.
Yes, Nova Publishers produces audiobooks for books already on Amazon or elsewhere, and links the audiobook to your existing listing in your own account.
