Financial modeling for independent authors and publishers comparing Per-Finished-Hour (PFH) flat buyouts against 50/50 ACX Royalty Share contracts.
| Book Word Count | Finished Audio Length (PFH @ 9,300 wph) | Legacy Publisher Studio Cost | Direct Vetted Narrator PFH Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20,000 Words (Short Non-Fiction) | 2.15 Finished Hours | $1,100 – $1,800 | $340 – $580 |
| 45,000 Words (Standard Business Book) | 4.84 Finished Hours | $2,400 – $4,100 | $780 – $1,250 |
| 75,000 Words (Full-Length Novel) | 8.06 Finished Hours | $4,000 – $6,800 | $1,290 – $2,100 |
| 100,000 Words (Epic / Biography) | 10.75 Finished Hours | $5,500 – $9,000 | $1,720 – $2,800 |
When you sign an ACX Royalty Share agreement, you lock your audiobook exclusively into Audible for 7 full years and surrender 50% of net receipts—meaning you cannot distribute to Spotify Audiobooks, public libraries (OverDrive/Hoopla), or sell direct on your website.
By funding narration upfront on a flat Per-Finished-Hour (PFH) basis, you retain 100% copyright ownership of the audio master and unlock multi-platform revenue from day one.
A full-production PFH rate includes studio recording, punch-and-roll editing, de-clicking, proof-listening against your manuscript, mastering to ACX specs, and one round of character/pronunciation pickup edits.
Turnkey Per-Finished-Hour (PFH) audiobook narration, character differentiation, proof-listening, and guaranteed ACX QA compliance.
Best For: Business & finance non-fiction, sci-fi/thriller novels, memoirs, and Amazon KDP authors launching simultaneous Audible & Spotify editions.
Studio Turnaround: 5–10 Days per Book
Acoustic Verification: 100% pass rate on the ACX Audio Lab Analyzer across 140+ published titles. Zero mouth clicks, plosives, or automated noise-gate pumping.
Intimate, expressive storytelling recorded on a Sennheiser MKH 416 & RME Babyface Pro FS—crafted for memoirs, psychology, wellness, and romance.
Best For: Memoirs, psychology & leadership books, dual-POV fiction, and guided meditation / wellness audio programs.
Studio Turnaround: 4–8 Days
Acoustic Verification: Exceptional long-form vocal stamina: maintains identical tonal warmth and micro-dynamics from Chapter 1 through Chapter 25 without listener fatigue.
Step-by-step mastering signal chain for audiobook narrators and authors to pass ACX, Findaway Voices, and Spotify QA on the first upload.
Audition script selection, vocal age matching, and dual-narrator POV strategies that drive 4.8+ star listener performance ratings on Audible.