Audiobook Production
Author-narrated: $79/hr, or $70/hr for self-published authors. Typical 50k-word book: from ~$3.1k* (self-published rate)
*Excludes pickup sessions, billed separately if needed.
Audiobook Pricing
Record a professional, self-narrated audiobook at Safe House Studios in Ultimo, Sydney. Self-narration is priced hourly, $79/hr standard or $70/hr for self-published authors, with a typical 50,000-word book running from around $3,045 to $3,832 depending on rate and narration experience. Already have your narration recorded? Post-production only, editing, mastering, QC and delivery, is quoted separately after a quick sample review. Every project runs on a 50% deposit, 50% on delivery, with your full quote confirmed once we've seen your manuscript.
Choose your option
Self-Narration (In-Studio, Hourly)
$79/hr standard
$70/hr self-published author rate
Both rates: 50% deposit to secure your booking, 50% on delivery of final masters. Includes engineer-led recording, full post-production (edit/cleanup + mastering), QC, chapter splits/file naming, and final delivery.
If you run over your included studio time: no stress, additional recording time is simply billed at your chosen hourly rate.
Post-Production Only (You supply the narration)
If you already have narration recorded, we can handle editing, mastering, QC, chapter files, and an upload-ready delivery package. Pricing depends on how "managed" the audio is, clean takes versus lots of restarts. We'll confirm after a short sample review.
Professional Narrator (PFH)
If you're using a professional narrator, or you want us to manage narration and production, PFH pricing keeps your budget predictable. We'll confirm the final PFH quote after a quick manuscript review.
Self-Narration Pricing Calculator (Estimate)
Enter your manuscript word count to see an estimate. Self-narrated projects are priced hourly because pacing and pickups vary. Your quote is confirmed after a quick manuscript review.
Self-Narration Pricing Calculator (Estimate)
Enter your manuscript word count below to generate a fast estimate. These numbers assume +500 words for opening/closing credits, and post-production time is scaled to your narration experience, first-time or experienced narrators have different editing needs.
Overages are simple: if recording exceeds the included allowance shown by the calculator, extra time is billed at your selected hourly rate. Pickup sessions, if needed, are billed separately at the same rate. Your final quote is confirmed after a quick manuscript review.
Quick examples (standard rate estimate)
These are estimates only, your actual session time depends on pacing, pickups, and revision cycles.
20,000 words: approx. $1,699
50,000 words: approx. $3,832
90,000 words: approx. $6,439
What can change the quote?
Heavy pickups or multiple rewrite rounds beyond the typical allowance
Dense technical content (pronunciations, citations, figures)
Tight deadlines or priority scheduling
Audio supplied from home that needs heavy repair (noise, room changes, inconsistent levels)
Narration experience, first-time or experienced, is already priced into your estimate above, just select the right option in the calculator.
If you'd like a confirmed quote, send your word count + manuscript (or a sample chapter) and your target aggregator (Author's Republic, Spotify for Authors, direct-to-listeners, etc.).
