Plot & Publish
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Audiobook Guide

Quick Start

Enter the fastest-growing book format

  1. 1Review the audiobook market overview β€” it's growing 20%+ annually
  2. 2Compare production paths: self-narrate, hire a narrator, or use ACX
  3. 3ACX exclusivity = higher royalties. Findaway Voices = more distribution platforms.
Full guide

Audio Book Production

Tools, settings, and guidance for creating professional audiobooks

Adobe Audition Settings

Recording Settings

  • β€’ Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz
  • β€’ Bit Depth: 24-bit (for recording), export as 16-bit
  • β€’ Format: WAV (uncompressed)
  • β€’ Channels: Mono (most audiobooks are mono)
  • β€’ Input Level: Peak around -6 dB to -12 dB (avoid clipping)

Processing Chain

  1. Remove silence at beginning/end
  2. Noise reduction (Effects β†’ Noise Reduction/Restoration β†’ Noise Reduction)
  3. EQ to reduce rumble below 80 Hz (Effects β†’ Filter and EQ β†’ Parametric Equalizer)
  4. Compression (Effects β†’ Amplitude and Compression β†’ Single-band Compressor)
  5. Normalize to -3 dB peak level (Effects β†’ Amplitude and Compression β†’ Normalize)
  6. Limiting to prevent clipping (Effects β†’ Amplitude and Compression β†’ Hard Limiter)

ACX Audiobook Technical Requirements

  • β€’ Bitrate: 192 kbps MP3 or higher quality
  • β€’ Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz
  • β€’ Peak Level: Between -3 dB and -6 dB
  • β€’ RMS (average loudness): Between -18 dB and -23 dB
  • β€’ Noise Floor: -60 dB or lower
  • β€’ Room Tone: 1 second of room tone at beginning and end
Other Audio Software Settings

Audacity (Free)

  • β€’ Use the same sample rate and bit depth as Adobe
  • β€’ Apply Noise Reduction: Effect β†’ Noise Removal and Repair β†’ Noise Reduction
  • β€’ Normalize: Effect β†’ Volume and Compression β†’ Normalize (set to -3.0 dB)
  • β€’ Compress: Effect β†’ Volume and Compression β†’ Compressor
  • β€’ Use ACX Check plugin to verify audio meets standards

GarageBand (Mac)

  • β€’ Create a new Voice project
  • β€’ Enable monitoring to hear yourself while recording
  • β€’ Use the Speech Enhancer preset for voice clarity
  • β€’ Apply Noise Gate to reduce background noise
  • β€’ Export as WAV file at 44.1 kHz, 16-bit

Reaper (Affordable Pro Option)

  • β€’ Set project sample rate to 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz
  • β€’ Use ReaFIR plugin for noise reduction
  • β€’ Apply ReaComp for compression
  • β€’ Use ReaEQ to roll off low frequencies below 80 Hz
  • β€’ Render as WAV (PCM), 44.1 kHz, 16-bit, Mono

Meet the Creator

AJ Stevenson

Published Works

I'm AJ Stevenson, author of It All Begins & Ends with a Kiss (Amazon), Ego Tripping (BookBaby), and the creator of the Dancing with the Code saga, launching with Dancing with the Dead. That first book only took me fifteen years to finish, which sounds either deeply committed or mildly unhinged. Possibly both.

I've lived every frustration a writer can have. Plot holes. Shiny-object syndrome. Editing costs that feel like ransom notes. Formatting nightmares. The paralyzing "What the hell do I do next?" phase. After tripping over every possible landmine in the writing and publishing process, I finally decided to stop complaining and build something better.

That something is Plot & Publish.

Plot & Publish doesn't write your book for you. If it did, you wouldn't learn a thing and I'd feel dirty about it. Instead, it mentors you through the entire process. It helps you plan, organize, revise, and move forward without drowning you in minutia or convincing you that publishing requires a second mortgage. The goal is simple: remove the friction so you can do the one thing that actually matters… write.

Beyond the Pages

When I'm not building worlds or tools for writers, I'm raising three daughters, breeding peacocks (yes, that's a real thing), and enjoying a thirty-year love affair with my wife, Tracy. Somewhere in there I also make music, chase new ideas, and stubbornly believe stories still matter.

If Plot & Publish helps you finish the book you've been carrying around in your head, then it's doing exactly what I built it to do. Now stop overthinking it. Write the damn book.