How to Record and Edit Your Own Audiobook

00:00 Intro
00:26 The numbers
01:07 Considerations: External Sounds & Recording location
01:57 Equipment: Microphone
03:43 Setting up microphone and stand
05:39 Microphone settings (gain is a heluva thing)
07:22 Software for audio editing: Audacity plugins and Settings
12:05 Macros
15:43 Practice Makes Perfect
16:25 Narration best practices
19:47 Acting
21:11 Editing: Punch copy and punch paste
24:06 Editing: Truncate Silence
25:19 Editing: Opening and Closing Silence
25:49 Editing: Removing / Repairing Mouth Noises
31:05 My Editing Workflow
32:47 One Final Pass
35:38 Distributing your audiobook: ACX / Audible / Amazon / iTunes
40:19 Distributing your audiobook: Findaway Voices / Spotify
47:29 Lessons Learned

It turns out that my notes are much too long for a youtube video description, so you can find even more detailed notes here:

https://hastewriting.wordpress.com/20...

A summary of tips and links follows:

Start here:
https://blog.reedsy.com/guide/audiobo...

Consider buying a microphone isolation shield:
https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/bu...

Microphone research:
https://audiobookaddicts.com/best-mic...

https://selfpublishingresources.com/b...

Blue Yeti USB on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T1DJTL8

How to get the most out of your Blue Yeti:
   • How to Get the BEST sound from BLUE Y...  

Microphone settings here:
https://playthetunes.com/blue-yeti-se...

Audacity for editing audio files:
https://www.audacityteam.org/download/

There's a support page explicitly for audiobook mastering:
https://support.audacityteam.org/audi...

Go to that support page, then go down to "Custom Tools". Get and install Acx-check:
https://wiki.audacityteam.org/w/image...
This is a plugin that will determine if your audiobook files meet ACX standards.
https://www.acx.com/

Get a plugin for normalizing your audio. Go to this forum post:
https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/rms-...

You've got plugins installed, next let's set up all the Audacity settings:
https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/t...

First select your whole clip. Control-a is the short cut to do so. Then go to "Process" on this webpage...
https://support.audacityteam.org/audi...
...and complete all the steps.

ACX technical requirements:
https://www.acx.com/help/acx-audio-su...

A macro for processing your audio file is provided on the Audacity audiobook support page under "Process":
https://support.audacityteam.org/audi...

Narration / voice acting advice:
   • Audiobook Performance Tips w/ Scott B...  

Downloads for punch copy and punch paste:
https://forum.audacityteam.org/t/punc...

EDITING WORKFLOW:

The presentation of my actual workflow is out of order, so to be clear, my editing workflow went as follows:
1. Save unprocessed draft
2. Apply macro
3. Copy room silence over outtakes and background noise. DO NOT worry about breath noises or anything else on this editing pass, just cut it down to the takes you want to keep.
4. Save a backup of this draft
5. Do another revision pass repairing clicky, poppy, wet, dry mouth noises
6. Save a backup of this draft
7. Truncate silence, then pad the start and end with room silence
8. Save this draft. Congratulations, it's probably your final draft!

You need to create an ACX account.
https://www.acx.com/
Or just log in with your existing Amazon account username and password.
This hooks you up to sell thru Amazon, Audible, and iTunes.

Info on opening credits:
https://help.acx.com/s/article/what-s...

A retail audio sample between 1 and 5 min must be uploaded as well:
https://help.acx.com/s/article/how-do...

ACX distributes to Audible, Amazon, and iTunes and if you're going Amazon exclusive, that's all you need, but I wanted to go broad and accessible, so I also had to set up an account with Findaway Voices.
https://my.findawayvoices.com/

How ACX determines audiobook pricing:
https://help.acx.com/s/article/can-i-...

I hope I have provided valuable information to you.

If so, may I recommend purchasing a copy of my novel, Crew of Exiles, whether it be audio, paperback, or e-book.

Note that if you're a new audible member and my audiobook is the first one you purchase using this link:
https://www.audible.com/pd/B0CDQQ7KB1...