Turning your book into an audiobook should feel exciting, not complicated. Northern Star Press provides complete audiobook production in Cardiff for authors, publishers and businesses seeking clear narration, polished sound and a professional listening experience.
From choosing the right narrator and recording each chapter to editing, mastering, and final quality checks, we manage the entire process for you. Every detail is carefully handled to ensure your audiobook sounds consistent, engaging, and ready for listeners.
Poor audio quality can quickly weaken a great story. Background noise, uneven volume, and rushed narration can distract listeners and reduce the emotional impact of your writing. Our Cardiff audiobook production service ensures your words are delivered with clarity, confidence and the right tone.
Whether you are self-publishing your first novel, creating a business audiobook, or producing several titles for a small press, we can transform your manuscript into a finished audiobook people will enjoy listening to from beginning to end.
Audiobook production involves several important stages, and each one needs careful attention. From choosing the right narrator to preparing the final audio files, every step affects the listening experience. Here is what our complete audiobook production service includes.
The right voice can shape how listeners connect with your book. We help you select a narrator who suits your genre, characters, audience, and overall tone. A voice that works well for a thriller may not suit a children’s story or memoir. You can review suitable voice samples before making a decision. If you already have a preferred narrator, we can work with them and guide the recording process.
Recording takes place in our audiobook studio in Cardiff, which is designed for clear and consistent spoken-word audio. The space is treated to reduce background noise, echo, and unwanted sound. We use the same microphone and recording setup throughout the project, helping every chapter sound consistent. Sessions are arranged in manageable blocks with regular breaks, so the narrator’s energy, pacing and vocal quality remain steady from beginning to end.
Once the recording is complete, every chapter is carefully reviewed and edited. Our audiobook editing service in Cardiff removes mistakes, repeated lines, distracting breaths, mouth clicks, page sounds, and background noise. We also adjust pauses and transitions so the narration flows naturally without sounding heavily processed. The goal is to create clean and polished audio while preserving the warmth, personality and emotional impact of the narrator’s original performance.
Audiobook platforms have specific technical requirements for volume, noise levels, file format, and overall sound quality. We professionally master every chapter so the audio remains clear, balanced, and consistent across the full book. Each file is prepared to meet the submission standards required by platforms such as Audible and Apple Books. This reduces the risk of technical rejection and ensures your audiobook is ready for distribution without unnecessary delays or revisions.
Before the final files are delivered, we listen to the complete audiobook from beginning to end. This detailed quality check helps us identify issues that automated software may miss, including incorrect pronunciations, unusual pauses, missing sentences, or changes in tone between sessions. Any problems are corrected before the audiobook reaches you. This final listening stage ensures every chapter sounds consistent, complete, and ready to provide listeners with a smooth experience.
We take on projects of different sizes and from different types of clients, including:
If you are not sure whether your project fits, get in touch and describe it. Most audiobook jobs share the same basic steps, even if the subject matter is completely different.
We also take calls from people who are simply curious. Not everyone knows how the process works before they start, and that is fine. A short chat is enough to work out roughly what your book will need, what it might cost, and whether recording it as an audiobook makes sense at this stage of your publishing plan.
Not every studio offering audiobook recording in Cardiff will suit your project. Before you commit to anyone, including us, ask these questions:
A studio that answers these clearly and honestly is worth trusting. One that dodges the questions is a warning sign.
Some authors think any decent microphone and a bit of home recording will do. Sometimes it can. But there are real reasons professional production changes the outcome:
We start with a short conversation about your book, your budget, and your timeline. If you want, we can record a short sample chapter first, so you can hear the voice and style before committing to the full project.
Once you are happy with the sample, we put together a clear quote based on your word count and any extra work needed, such as multiple character voices or a rush turnaround. We then book studio time and set a realistic delivery date.
Your narrator records the book in sessions, usually a few chapters at a time. We check in after early sessions to make sure the pace, tone, and pronunciation are all on track before the rest of the book is recorded.
Every chapter goes through editing to remove noise and mistakes, then mastering to meet platform loudness standards. This is usually the longest part of the process, since it needs a careful, patient ear.
We do a full listening pass, flag anything that needs a quick fix, and then deliver your finished files in the format your chosen platform requires, ready for upload.
Being based in Cardiff means you can visit, talk things through in person, and avoid the back and forth that comes with working remotely with a studio in another city.
You deal with the same person throughout your project, not a different name every week.
We tell you what your book will cost before we start, and we explain what affects the price, rather than adding surprise charges later.
We build every file to match the technical standards of the major audiobook platforms, so submissions do not bounce back.
Editing is not just about cutting noise. It is about protecting the pacing and emotion that the narrator gave to the performance.
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.
There is no single flat rate for this kind of work, because every book is different. A short 20,000-word novella takes far less studio time than a 100,000-word epic with ten different character voices. Cost depends on:
We will always give you a clear, written quote before any work begins, so there are no surprises later. If your budget is tight, tell us early. We can sometimes suggest ways to keep costs down, such as a single narrator instead of a full cast, without cutting corners on the parts of production that actually affect quality.
Writing, editing, design, printing and marketing under one roof. Pick the stage your book is stuck at and we will take it from there.
Your manuscript deserves to be heard, not left sitting on a screen. Get in touch with Northern Star Press and tell us a little about your book. We will explain how the recording process could work for your project, including the narrator, production timeline, and likely cost. There is no pressure and no confusing technical language, just clear and honest guidance to help you decide what feels right.
It depends on the length of your book and how busy our schedule is, but most projects take a few weeks from the first recording session to final delivery. Rush jobs can sometimes be arranged if you tell us early.
Not always. Many authors are happy to let us manage the whole process remotely. But if you are local, you are welcome to sit in on a session or two if you would like to hear how things are going.
Yes. If your book is set in Wales or uses Welsh place names, we can match a narrator who can pronounce these correctly and naturally.
We deliver files in the format required by your chosen platform, whether that is Audible, Apple Books, or a direct-to-consumer store. If you are unsure which format you need, we can advise.
Yes, we recommend it. A short paid sample chapter lets you hear the narrator's voice and our editing style before you commit to the full project.
We flag any issues during our quality control pass and fix them before delivery. If something needs a re-record, we will discuss this with you as part of the process, not as a surprise extra charge.
Yes. While we are proud to be a Cardiff-based studio, we regularly work with authors and publishers from across the UK, managing the whole process by post, courier, or digital file transfer.
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.
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