Audiobook Production Services Compared: ACX, Findaway, Studios, and AI

You've decided your book needs an audiobook. The next question: who produces it?

A few years ago, indie authors had two real options - hire a narrator through ACX or pay for a traditional studio. Today the landscape is broader. Marketplace platforms, wide-distribution services, independent studios, and AI-powered production tools all compete for your project. Each has genuine strengths, real tradeoffs, and different price points.

This guide compares the major audiobook production paths available to indie authors and publishers in 2026. We'll be straightforward about what each option does well, where it falls short, and who it's best suited for.

The audiobook market continues to grow. Global revenue surpassed $10 billion in 2025, and listenership keeps expanding across platforms like Audible, Spotify, Apple Books, and Google Play. For indie authors, audiobooks represent a real revenue opportunity - but only if you can produce one at a price that makes financial sense.

The good news: authors have more production options than ever. The tradeoff is that choosing between them requires understanding what each actually delivers.

Here's what we'll compare:

• ACX - Audible's marketplace connecting authors with narrators
• Findaway Voices - wide-distribution platform with narrator marketplace
• Traditional recording studios - professional studios with human narrators and engineers
• AI-powered full-cast production - automated production with multiple character voices, music, and sound effects

Let's look at each one honestly.

How it works

ACX is Amazon/Audible's platform for audiobook production. You post your book, audition narrators, select one, and they record your audiobook. ACX handles Audible and Amazon distribution. The process is largely self-managed - you're responsible for finding and vetting your narrator, reviewing the final product, and approving the master.

Pricing models

ACX offers three payment structures:

• Per-finished-hour (PFH). You pay the narrator upfront - typically $200-400 per finished hour for experienced narrators. A 10-hour audiobook runs $2,000-4,000.
• Royalty share. No upfront cost. Instead, you split royalties 50/50 with the narrator for 7 years. This sounds appealing, but you're giving up half your audiobook revenue for a long time - and experienced narrators rarely accept royalty share for unproven titles.
• Royalty share plus. A hybrid: reduced upfront payment plus a smaller royalty split.

Pros

• Audible distribution. ACX is the direct path to Audible, the world's largest audiobook platform. Your audiobook gets listed on Audible and Amazon automatically.
• Large narrator pool. Thousands of narrators are available, across many genres and styles. You can audition multiple narrators before committing.
• Established platform. ACX has been around since 2011. The process is well-documented, and there's a large community of authors sharing their experiences.
• Human narration. You get a real human voice performing your book. Skilled narrators bring genuine emotional depth and interpretive nuance.

Cons

• Exclusivity pressure. ACX offers higher royalty rates (40%) for exclusive distribution through Audible - but that means you can't sell your audiobook on Apple Books, Google Play, Spotify, or anywhere else for 7 years. Non-exclusive drops your royalty to 25%.
• Single narrator only. ACX audiobooks use one narrator. No matter how talented they are, every character sounds like one person doing voices. There's no music, no sound effects, no cinematic production.
• Quality varies widely. Narrator quality on ACX ranges from excellent to poor. Vetting narrators takes time and careful listening. Inexperienced authors may end up with subpar recordings.
• Limited editing control. Once the narrator delivers the finished audio, making changes means paying for re-records. You don't have a timeline editor or fine-grained control over the output.
• Timeline. Depending on narrator availability, production takes 4-12 weeks from booking to final delivery.

Best for

Authors who want Audible distribution, prefer human narration, and are willing to either pay upfront or accept a long-term royalty split.

How it works

Findaway Voices (now part of Spotify) is both a narrator marketplace and a distribution platform. Like ACX, you can search for and hire narrators. Unlike ACX, Findaway distributes to dozens of audiobook platforms - not just Audible. You pay narrators directly per finished hour, with no royalty share model.

Pricing

Narrator rates on Findaway Voices are comparable to ACX: $200-400+ per finished hour, paid entirely upfront. There's no royalty share option. For a 10-hour audiobook, expect to pay $2,000-4,000+ for narration alone, plus any post-production costs.

Findaway charges no upfront fee for distribution, but takes a percentage of sales revenue (varies by retailer, typically 20-30% of net).

Pros

• Wide distribution. Findaway distributes to 40+ audiobook platforms, including Audible, Apple Books, Google Play, Spotify, Kobo, Libro.fm, and many others. No exclusivity required.
• Non-exclusive. You retain full rights and can distribute through multiple channels simultaneously. No 7-year lock-in.
• Professional narrator pool. Access to vetted, experienced narrators across genres.
• Spotify integration. As a Spotify-owned platform, Findaway has strong positioning as Spotify expands its audiobook offering.

Cons

• Cost is similar to traditional. You're paying professional narrator rates with no royalty share option. For indie authors on tight budgets, the upfront cost is significant.
• Still single narrator. Like ACX, Findaway audiobooks are single-narrator productions. No full cast, no music, no sound effects.
• Distribution fees reduce margins. Findaway takes a cut of every sale on top of retailer fees. Your effective royalty rate is lower than selling direct.
• No production tools. Findaway connects you with narrators and distributes the finished product, but doesn't offer editing tools, sound design, or production management.
• Timeline. Same as traditional: 4-12 weeks for production, depending on narrator availability.

Best for

Authors who want wide distribution across many platforms without exclusivity, prefer human narration, and have the budget for upfront narrator fees.

How it works

Hiring a traditional recording studio gives you the most control over your audiobook production. You work with a director, narrator(s), and audio engineer in a professional studio environment. The studio handles recording, editing, mastering, and quality control.

Some studios offer full-service packages - they cast the narrator, manage the production, and deliver finished files. Others provide studio time and engineering while you supply the narrator.

Pricing

Traditional studio production is the most expensive option:

• Narrator fees: $200-400 per finished hour
• Studio time and engineering: $50-150 per finished hour
• Direction and production management: $50-100 per finished hour (if included)
• Full-cast production: Multiple narrators multiply costs accordingly
• Music and sound design: $2,000-5,000+ if you want a custom score or sound effects

Total cost for a typical novel: $5,000 to $50,000+, depending on length, cast size, and production complexity.

Pros

• Highest production quality. Professional studios produce audiobooks with the best possible audio quality. Room acoustics, equipment, and engineering are all top-tier.
• Human performance. Skilled narrators bring interpretive depth, emotional range, and artistic choices that only human performers can deliver. For literary fiction and character-driven work, this matters.
• Full creative control. You can direct every aspect of the performance - pacing, tone, emphasis, pronunciation. Some studios let you attend sessions and provide real-time feedback.
• Full-cast capability. Studios can produce genuine full-cast audiobooks with multiple human actors. This is how major publishers produce high-profile dramatized audiobooks.

Cons

• Cost. This is the most expensive option by a large margin. For indie authors, $5,000-50,000+ per title is often not financially viable.
• Timeline. Production takes 2-6 months. Scheduling multiple narrators, studio time, and post-production creates a long pipeline.
• Limited scalability. If you have a backlist of 10 books, producing all of them through a traditional studio is a major investment in both money and time.
• Revisions are expensive. Changing your mind about a performance, re-recording chapters, or adjusting the mix after delivery all cost additional money.
• Access barriers. Finding the right studio, negotiating rates, managing the relationship, and reviewing technical audio files requires experience and time.

Best for

Authors and publishers with significant budgets who want the highest possible production quality, particularly for high-profile titles where a renowned narrator or full human cast is a genuine selling point.

How it works

Midsummerr takes a fundamentally different approach. You upload your manuscript, and the platform produces a full-cast audiobook - with distinct character voices, background music, ambient sound effects, and cinematic sound design - automatically. You then review, edit, and refine the output until you're satisfied.

The workflow: upload your manuscript, organize chapters, select and customize character voices, configure sound design preferences, generate, review, edit, and export. The entire process takes hours rather than months. See our step-by-step guide for the full walkthrough.

Pricing

• Self-Serve: $5 per thousand words - full cast, music, SFX, unlimited editing
• Director-Led: $10 per thousand words - everything above plus a dedicated director, chapter-one checkpoint, and managed production
• Voice Conversion (Beta): $7 per thousand words - upgrade existing narration to full cast

For context: an 80,000-word novel costs $400 in Self-Serve or $800 in Director-Led. Full pricing details.

Pros

• Full cast included. Every character gets a distinct voice. Dialogue sounds like dialogue - not one narrator doing impressions. This is standard, not an upsell.
• Music and sound effects. Original background music, ambient sound, and sound effects are included in all tiers. No additional cost for sound design.
• Cost. Orders of magnitude less than traditional production. What costs $5,000-50,000+ in a studio costs $400-800 on Midsummerr.
• Speed. Production takes hours, not months. You can have a finished audiobook the same day you upload your manuscript.
• Unlimited editing. Re-generate lines, swap voices, adjust music levels, fix pronunciation - all included. No per-revision fees.
• Full ownership. You own the audiobook outright. Commercial usage rights included. No royalty splits, no exclusivity, no lock-in periods.
• Scalable. Have a 10-book backlist? You can produce all of them in a week. The economics work for single titles and large catalogs alike.

Cons

• AI voices, not human voices. Current AI voices are expressive and distinct, but they don't match the interpretive depth of a top-tier human narrator. For some listeners and genres, this matters.
• Newer platform. Midsummerr doesn't have the track record of ACX or traditional studios. The platform is growing, but it's still building its reputation.
• Self-directed quality control. In Self-Serve mode, you're responsible for reviewing and editing the output. This takes time and a good ear.
• No built-in distribution. Midsummerr produces the audiobook; you handle distribution. This gives you full control, but means you need to manage uploads to retail platforms yourself (or use a distributor like Findaway).

Listen to real productions to judge the quality yourself: Frankenstein, Alice in Wonderland. Explore the full feature set.

Best for

Indie authors and publishers who want full-cast audiobooks with music and sound effects, need to keep costs low, value speed, and want full creative and commercial control.

There's no single best answer. The right production path depends on your specific situation.

Choose ACX if:

• Audible is your primary sales channel
• You want a human narrator and are willing to pay for one (or accept a royalty split)
• You're comfortable with potential exclusivity restrictions
• Your book doesn't need full-cast treatment or sound design

Choose Findaway Voices if:

• Wide distribution across many platforms is your priority
• You want a human narrator without exclusivity requirements
• You have the budget for upfront narrator fees
• You prefer working with an established marketplace

Choose a traditional studio if:

• You have a significant production budget ($5,000+)
• You want the highest possible audio quality with human performers
• Your title is high-profile and a renowned narrator would drive sales
• You want or need a genuine full human cast
• Timeline isn't a constraint

Choose Midsummerr if:

• You want a full-cast audiobook with music and sound effects
• Your budget is under $1,000 per title
• Speed matters - you need a finished audiobook in days, not months
• You want full creative control and unlimited editing
• You have a backlist of multiple titles to produce
• Full ownership and non-exclusive distribution are important to you
• Your genre benefits from dramatized audio - fantasy, romantasy, thrillers, mystery, romance

Consider combining approaches

Can I switch from one production service to another?

Yes. If you've produced an audiobook through ACX on a non-exclusive basis, you can also produce a dramatized version through Midsummerr and distribute both. If you're under ACX's exclusive agreement, you'll need to wait for that window to expire before distributing through other channels. Audiobooks produced on Midsummerr come with full ownership, so you're free to distribute or re-distribute them however you choose.

Do AI-produced audiobooks sell as well as human-narrated ones?

Sales depend on many factors - your book's audience, your marketing, the platform you distribute on, and the quality of the production. Full-cast audiobooks with music and sound effects offer a different listening experience than single-narrator recordings, and some readers prefer the dramatized format. The best way to judge is to listen to samples and decide whether the quality meets your audience's expectations.

Which option is best for a series?

Series benefit from consistency - once you start with a narrator or production style, listeners expect continuity across books. For human narration, this means re-hiring the same narrator for every book (at the same rates). For AI production, voice consistency across titles is built into the platform. If budget is a factor, AI production makes it practical to produce an entire series without the costs compounding across multiple titles.

What if I already have a narrated audiobook and want to upgrade it?

Midsummerr's Voice Conversion tier ($7 per thousand words) is designed for exactly this. You can upgrade an existing single-narrator recording to full cast - keeping the human narration feel while adding distinct character voices, music, and sound effects. This lets you offer both a traditional and a dramatized edition of the same title.