After going through the extensive details of writing a book that is ready for public viewing, the question of where and how to publish comes to mind. Numerous articles and websites will tell you about several different ways to get your book out there, so I am not going to bore you with that. Instead, I’d like to focus on one of my newest favorite ways to publish stories. That is by creating audiobooks. 
Having a book read aloud might seem a bit intimidating, especially if you’ve never done it for yourself. However, a couple of ways make this endeavor a whole lot easier. 

The first way is relatively straightforward. That is by having a producer on a production platform read and produce the audio files for you. There are several different platforms, but the most cost-effective ones for authors are ACX and Findaway Voices. For ACX, your book has to be available on Amazon. You select your book from their drop-down menu and choose how you want to set it up. Once you fill in the details, you can go through the lists of producers and narrators and opt for your favorites to audition for the story. Some producers require a specific amount of money to do the job, while others are fine with simply sharing the royalties with the author after the audiobook is published on Audible. 

On Findaway Voices, you upload your manuscript and add all of the information in the correct places. Then, you look through the lists of producers and narrators and invite the ones you like to audition for the story. On this platform, you can apply for a shared royalty plan or pay the producer their fee at the end of the project. Another way to create an audiobook is simply by reading and recording it aloud on your own. The best way to record your audiobook is by downloading a good audio suit like Audacity. You will need good earphones and a microphone that cancels out most or all noise. Noise cancellation and reduction can only do so much, so it is worth noting the importance of recording in a quiet area regardless of your mic's quality.

Make sure to keep a simple list of recorded sections, such as beginning credits, and then each chapter recorded as an audio file of its own, and the ending credits. You can also add a dedication or a simple message from yourself to the readers. However, those are optional add-ons for an audiobook. While this can be a lot of fun to try, most writers have someone else do it for them. If you decide to try and do an audiobook on your own, listen to it when you’re finished. Much like the editing phase of the manuscript itself, you will want every audio file as error-free as possible. 

However you chose to create your audiobook is up to you. When you’re ready to have it published, you can do it straight through the platform you used to have it produced, or upload your files in the correct places on ACX or Findaway Voices, then select how you want the work distributed. I have discovered that the list of distributors changes sometimes, so it would be great to compare both sites before deciding what works best for you and your work.