Audiobook Manuscript Preparation: What to Send Your Narrator
Audiobook manuscript preparation starts with one agreed version of your book. Before recording begins, send your narrator the final text, a pronunciation guide, a chapter map and clear notes about anything that only makes sense on a printed page. That small handoff pack helps everyone work from the same decisions.
A narrator can perform a difficult name confidently once you agree how it sounds. They cannot reliably guess which of three different manuscript files contains your latest correction. Preparing the handoff is therefore an editorial task as well as an administrative one.
Your audiobook manuscript preparation checklist
Keep the materials in one clearly named project folder. The following is a practical workflow you can adapt to your producer’s requirements; it is not an ACX submission form.
One final manuscript: accepted edits, consistent chapter headings and no unresolved comments mixed into the narration text.
A pronunciation sheet: author name, character names, places, invented terms, acronyms and specialist vocabulary.
A chapter map: the sequence of parts, chapters, introduction and other agreed material.
Production notes: intended listener, tone, recurring characters and visual references that need a decision.
A review plan: who approves the sample, where corrections go and which manuscript version is authoritative.
If your text still needs major changes, begin with choosing the right editing level. Recording a chapter before its structure is settled can create avoidable replacement work.
Freeze the text without losing control of revisions
Give the approved manuscript a date and version number, such as River-Garden_AUDIO_v1_2026-11-02. Keep a separate change log after handoff. Do not silently replace the file and expect the producer to notice which words changed.
Each later correction should identify the chapter, a short phrase that locates the passage, the original wording and the replacement. Distinguish an author’s new wording from a recording error. Ask how each type of change affects the agreed revision allowance and timeline before recording starts.
For example, “Chapter 4, paragraph beginning ‘We reached the gate’: replace ‘Tuesday’ with ‘Thursday’” is actionable. “Please use the newest version” leaves the producer searching the entire book.
Build a pronunciation guide that answers real questions
List difficult terms in the order they first appear, then include an alphabetical index if the list is long. Add a plain-language pronunciation cue or your own short reference recording where appropriate. State the preferred pronunciation once and use it consistently.
Hypothetical entry: “Liora — character introduced in Chapter 2 — lee-OR-ah — stress the middle syllable — use this pronunciation throughout.” This is an invented example, not a universal pronunciation rule.
For real people or places, verify the pronunciation with a reliable source or the person concerned where possible. For invented names, your creative choice should be explicit. Flag words that change pronunciation with meaning, such as “read,” in passages where the context could be ambiguous.
Decide how visual material will work for listeners
Search the manuscript for phrases such as “see below,” “in the diagram” and “as shown in the table.” Make a list of the locations before discussing them with your producer. A short table may be understandable when read; a dense comparison chart may need a different treatment.
Do not assume that deleting all tables or rewriting whole sections is automatically acceptable. Agree any adaptation, accompanying material and edition implications with the production team and your chosen distributor. The listener should receive the substance of the work you are selling.
Consider a hypothetical gardening guide that says, “Use the amounts in the shaded column.” A useful production note identifies the table and asks how the quantities will be conveyed in audio. It does not leave the narrator to invent the quantities or describe a color the listener cannot see.
Use a representative sample before full production
Choose a passage that tests the actual demands of the book: a difficult name, a typical explanation, dialogue if present and a change in emotional tone. A beautiful opening paragraph may not reveal how the narrator handles a technical chapter later in the manuscript.
Review the sample for pronunciation, pacing, character differentiation and the relationship between the narrator’s tone and your intended reader. Give specific feedback: “Pause after the instruction so the listener can follow it” is clearer than “make it more engaging.” Avoid directing every syllable unless there is a meaningful reason.
Agree the sample approval and revision process with your producer. ACX’s audio submission requirements address consistency and unwanted sounds, but passing a technical specification does not replace listening carefully to the performance.
Prepare a correction log for the finished audio
Listen alongside the agreed manuscript and record one issue per entry. Use chapter/file name, timestamp, issue and requested correction. Label preference changes separately from omitted words, incorrect readings or distracting recording sounds.
Example: “Chapter 3, 04:18 — missing word ‘not’ in ‘do not water’ — restore the full sentence.” A missing negative changes the meaning and deserves priority over a minor stylistic preference.
After corrections, check the changed passage and the audio immediately before and after it. A replacement should fit naturally into the surrounding recording. Keep the approved final version separate from working exports.
Choose support for your starting point
Starting with a manuscript? Publishing Spot’s audiobook production service includes a Premium option with narrator auditions, narration, editing, mastering and publishing support for manuscripts up to 50,000 words. Basic and Standard begin with existing recordings; they do not include narration.
Bring your word count, genre, handoff pack and intended distribution route when discussing the project. Book a free publishing consultation if you need help choosing the scope. Platform eligibility and review still apply, so agree a project timeline rather than assuming a fixed release date.
Research checked October 27, 2026. Further official guidance: ACX narration and recording guidance and uploading audio files. The templates and examples above are Publishing Spot’s practical editorial suggestions.
Comments