What Goes Into a Finished Hour?
ACX says
it takes about 6.2 hours to produce a finished hour. When you're first
getting started, it will likely be quite a bit longer than this. Even
once you get a few years under your belt, there is a minimum number of
hours it takes to create something of appropriate quality.
The following is based on a graphic created by my friend Derrick McClain to communicate the
time required to produce an audiobook. For the most part, I think it's
accurate - including the fact that there are some broad ranges in
different activities.
Please note that the outsourcing rates are estimates and will differ depending on the 3rd-party with whom you engage. These happen to be the prevailing rates at the time of publishing this article.
| Production Step | Labor Hours per
Finished Hour | Responsible | Outsourcing
Cost |
| Pre-Production | 1-3 |
|
|
| Prereading, Script Preparation | 1.5 | Narrator |
|
| Research | 1 | Narrator or Outsource | $25.00 |
| Narration | 2-4 | Narrator |
|
| Post-Production | 4 |
| $75.00 |
| Proofing | 1.5-2.5 | Outsource | $25.00 |
| Editing | 1-2.5 | Narrator or Outsource |
|
| Mastering | 0.25 - 1 | Narrator or Outsource | $25.00 |
| Final QC | 1.5 | Rights Holder |
|
|
|
|
|
| Total Estimated Narrator Effort | 6 - 8 Hours |
|
|
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