Estimating audiobook length
Length decides budget, schedule and retail price tier. The free audiobook length calculator turns a word count into finished hours.
The basic formula
Divide the word count by the narration speed in words per hour. Most narration falls between about 9,000 and 9,500 words per finished hour.
What changes the pace
Dense non-fiction, technical terms and children's books are read more slowly. Fast dialogue heavy fiction moves a little quicker.
Using the estimate
Multiply finished hours by a per hour rate to budget each stage. Recording time is usually at least twice the finished length because of retakes.