Andrew H.

I help first-time authors turn their own narration into a polished, ACX-ready audiobook - from home-studio setup through to broadcast-quality mastering. If the idea of narrating your own book appeals but the technical side feels daunting, that's exactly where I come in with the experience and expertise to guide you through the process and support you at every step. Hi, I'm Andrew. I've worked in professional audio for over twenty years, including editing for the BBC, award-winning film, and the Audible Original Defiance podcast. I now bring those same standards to independent authors producing their first audiobook. What I enjoy most is making a process that can feel overwhelming on paper feel calm, guided and genuinely enjoyable - wherever in the world you're recording from. 🏆 Broadcast-Quality Standards, Trusted by Creatives Worldwide - Best Sound award winner (for an Upwork client), International Film Festival (2024) - Professional audio for the BBC and the Audible Original Documentary Series "Defiance" - winner of the Sports Podcast Award and the SJA British Sports Journalism Award for Audio Documentary (2022) - Experience supporting authors, meditation teachers, game developers and documentary producers - "Andy would appear on an extremely short list of the very best that I've ever worked with." - Simon Clancy, BBC & Co-founder, Folding Pocket Productions 🎧 What To Expect | A Guided, Step-by-Step Workflow Recording an audiobook involves a number of unfamiliar steps. Here's how we'll work together, from your first studio setup to your finished files: 1. Studio & recording setup. We set up your recording environment together - choosing equipment, improving the sound of your room, finding a comfortable mic position, and getting your recording software configured. The small, practical details here make a real difference to your final clarity. 2. Finding your delivery. Before committing to the whole book, I'll help you find your narration style - pacing, tone, warmth, natural storytelling. Narration is its own craft, and I'll guide you from an understanding of what actually works, so your delivery is confident, genuine, and carries the hallmarks of skilled narration. This is where first-time narrators gain their confidence, rather than being left to second-guess themselves. 3. A benchmark test chapter. We complete one chapter and take it all the way through to a finished edit, so you can hear the end product, confirm you're happy with the quality, and see for yourself that it meets ACX standards. Every chapter that follows is produced to this same benchmark. 4. Recording, review & QC. As you record, I stay closely involved - reviewing each chapter as it arrives, quality-checking it against ACX requirements, and sending back clear pick-up sheets flagging any sections worth another take. Nothing slips through, and you always know exactly what (if anything) needs revisiting. 5. Professional editing & ACX mastering. Once your recordings are in, I handle the full technical pass: editing and assembling each chapter, noise reduction, de-breathing, de-essing and mouth-click removal, levelling and mastering to ACX's exact technical specification - RMS, peak and noise-floor targets, correct room tone, and headers/footers to spec. The result is a clean, consistent set of files that will pass ACX inspection. 6. Getting published. ACX/Audible account setup, rights registration and platform submission are tasks that need to be completed in the name of the Rights Holder (that's you) or Publisher, so as your audio editor I'm not able to upload the finished files on your behalf. What I can do is talk you through what to expect, and jump on a call to stay with you through the upload if you'd like a hand. 7. By the end, you'll have a polished, professional audiobook! 🔊 Field Recording, Atmosphere & Music (Optional) Alongside your narration, you may want gentle ambience or a little music to set the tone of a chapter or introduce the book. I can guide you on what works well and how to keep it subtle - and if it suits your project, I can compose original ambient pieces or provide natural field recordings (forests, rivers, birdsong) captured with professional equipment. 📆 Free Consultation | Let's Talk About Your Book Message me with your book's genre and roughly how far along you are (still planning, mid-recording, or recordings finished), and I'll tell you exactly what your project needs to reach ACX-ready quality. If you have a sample or an early chapter, send it over and I'll give you honest feedback and clear next steps. I also offer video consultations if you'd prefer to talk it through face to face - just book one directly through this profile.