You have written the book. Maybe it took you a year, maybe it took you five. Either way, there is a whole audience out there who will never read it on a page. They listen on the bus, on a run, while doing the washing up. If your book is not an audiobook, you are simply not reaching them.
That is where we come in. Northern Star Press is an audiobook production service in Dublin, built for authors, publishers and businesses who want their words to sound as good as they read. We handle the whole job, from the first script check to the finished file ready for Audible, Spotify or your own website. We are based here in Dublin, and we know this market. We understand Irish voices, Irish pacing and what an Irish audience expects from a good narrator. That local knowledge shapes every project we take on.
Audiobooks are one of the fastest-growing ways people take in stories and information. More readers now finish a book with their ears than with their eyes, and that trend shows no sign of slowing. Authors who ignore audio are leaving a large part of their potential audience untouched. For a business, the same applies to training material, guides, and internal documents. Turning written work into audio opens it up to people who simply prefer to listen, whether that is during a commute or while getting other work done.
Making an audiobook is not just pressing record and hoping for the best. It is a proper production process, with several stages that each need their own skill set. Here is how we break it down.
Before anyone touches a microphone, we go through your manuscript. We flag anything that reads awkwardly out loud, check for repeated words, and note where a chapter break or a pause needs to sit differently for audio than it does on the page. This step alone saves hours in the studio later.
This is the heart of what we do. We match your book with a narrator whose voice and tone suit the material, whether that is a warm, easy voice for a memoir or something sharper for a thriller. Recording happens in a proper, treated space, not a spare room with a duvet over the window. Background hiss, echo, and outside noise are the biggest giveaways of a rushed recording, and a treated room is the only way to avoid them properly. We also record in manageable sessions rather than pushing through hours in one sitting, since a tired narrator's voice starts to sound flat, and that shows up clearly once you are listening back at home.
Raw recordings always need work. Every breath, every mouth click, every stumble gets cleaned up. We cut out mistakes, smooth over edits so they cannot be heard, and balance levels so the whole thing sounds even from the first chapter to the last. This part of the process is where a good audiobook becomes a great one, and it is easy to underestimate how much time it takes when it is done properly.
Once editing is done, we master the file to meet the technical standards that platforms like Audible and Apple Books actually require. Loudness, noise floor, file format - all of it gets checked. We also listen back to the entire book, start to finish, before anything is signed off. Nothing goes out the door until it sounds right.
We take on projects of all shapes and sizes. Our clients include:
If you have a manuscript and a vision for how it should sound, we can help. It does not matter if this is your first book or your tenth. What matters is that the finished audio sounds like it was made with care, not rushed through to hit a deadline.
Not every studio that offers this service will do right by your book. Before you commit to anyone, ask these questions:
A studio that answers these plainly, without dodging, is usually one worth trusting.
It is tempting to think any recording will do. It will not. Here is why the details matter:
Getting it right the first time protects the work you already put into writing the book. Think of it this way: the recording is now the version most new listeners will meet first. If it sounds amateurish, that impression sticks, no matter how strong the writing underneath it is.
Send us your manuscript, along with any notes on tone, pacing, or a narrator style you have in mind. We will read it over and come back with honest feedback on what the project needs.
We record a short sample so you can hear how your book sounds before committing to the full project. This is your chance to adjust pace, tone, or narrator before we go further.
Once you approve the sample, we move into the full audiobook recording studio in Dublin for the complete manuscript. Sessions are scheduled around chapter length and complexity, not rushed to fit a fixed slot.
Every chapter goes through a full cleanup pass. Mouth noise, breath sounds, mistakes, and inconsistent pacing all get addressed here before anything moves further down the line.
We master the finished audio, check it against platform requirements, and do a full listen-through before sending it your way.
You receive finished files in whatever format your chosen platform needs, along with any supporting material like chapter markers or metadata.
We understand Irish accents, phrasing, and pacing, and we bring that understanding to every recording.
You are not passed between departments. The same team stays with your book from first sample to final file.
No hidden add-ons appear halfway through the project.
We do not take on more projects than we can give proper attention to.
If a manuscript needs work before it is ready for audio, we will say so, rather than rushing ahead.
We built our service list around the real gaps that stop authors from finishing and launching their books. Here is what falls under our roof.
Every project is different. A short story collection takes far less time than a four hundred-page novel, and a book with a single narrator costs differently to one needing multiple voices. The condition of your manuscript matters too, since a clean, well-edited text moves through recording faster than one that still needs tidying up. Cost depends on:
Because of all this, we do not publish a flat rate. Instead, we look at your manuscript, talk through what you need, and give you a clear, written quote before any work begins. That quote covers the full job: recording, editing, and mastering, so you know exactly what you are paying for from the start. There are no surprise costs added once the project is underway, and if anything changes along the way, we talk it through with you before doing extra work, not after.
Writing, editing, design, printing and marketing under one roof. Pick the stage your book is stuck at and we will take it from there.
If you have a manuscript sitting there waiting for a voice, get in touch. Send us a sample chapter, tell us what you are picturing, and we will talk you through the best way to get your audiobook production in Dublin moving, from first recording session to finished file.
It depends on the length of your book and how many narrators are involved, but most full-length titles take several weeks from first recording to final delivery. We will give you a realistic timeline once we have seen your manuscript.
While our studio is based in Dublin, we work with authors from all over Ireland and beyond. Everything can be handled by email and video call if you cannot get to us in person.
We can match you with a narrator from our network based on your book's tone and genre, or work with a narrator you already have in mind. Either way, we run the recording, editing, and mastering.
You will receive finished audio in whatever format your chosen platform requires, whether that is Audible, Apple Books, Spotify or your own website. We can also provide raw files if you need them for archiving.
Yes. We take on shorter projects as often as full-length novels. The process is scaled to fit the length of the piece, so you are not paying for a package built for a much longer book.
Yes. Alongside audio work, we prepare manuscripts for Kindle, Kobo and other ebook platforms, so both formats can be managed as one project rather than two separate jobs.
Send us your manuscript, or even just a sample chapter, along with a note on what you are hoping for. We will read it over and come back with a clear, written quote, with no obligation to go ahead.
Whether you have a finished manuscript or just an idea you keep coming back to, tell us about it. We will map out your fastest route to publication, free of charge.
Speak with a real publishing consultant in London. No bots, no pressure, just honest advice about your book.
Call us, email us, or fill in the form on this page, and a member of our team will be in touch.
Fill in the form below and our team will get back to you within one business day.