Frequently Asked Questions

An Immersive Audiobook turns a book into a richer listening experience.

Instead of one narrator performing every character, different characters can have their own individual voices. Carefully selected music, atmosphere and sound effects are then added where they strengthen the story.

The words remain at the centre. The purpose is not to overwhelm the listener with effects, but to make the story feel more immediate, dramatic and alive.

Until recently, a full-cast audiobook was normally an expensive studio production involving numerous actors, directors, engineers and sound designers.

AI technology has changed the economics dramatically. It is now possible to create sophisticated multi-voice productions at a price an independent author can realistically consider.

At the same time, audiobook listening itself has become mainstream. Recent US industry research says 58% of American adults have listened to an audiobook, while US audiobook sales reached $2.43 billion in 2025.

Globally, the market is larger still. Evolvance Market Research estimated the worldwide audiobook market at US$11.38 billion in 2026 and forecasts it to reach US$77.18 billion by 2035, representing annual growth of approximately 23.7%. Other major market researchers also forecast annual global growth of more than 20%, although estimates of the precise market size vary.

Yes — and we think that is part of the opportunity.

The overwhelming majority of audiobooks are still conventional single- or dual-narrator productions. Fully cast productions with music and sound design remain a relatively small part of the overall catalogue, but according to some industry insiders, this part of the market is growing much more rapidly than conventional mono-voice audiobooks.

That means an author commissioning an immersive version is not simply adding another conventional audiobook to an enormous catalogue. The production itself gives the book a point of difference.

Absolutely — although, as with every form of publishing, results vary enormously from title to title.

There are striking examples at the top end of the market. Audible's full-cast The Sandman became the best-selling Audible Original in the company's history.

More recently, Pottermore Publishing reported that the new Harry Potter Full-Cast Audio Editions sold one million units in their first 30 days. Those productions use more than 200 performers, original music and extensive sound design.

Those blockbuster results are obviously not a prediction of what an independent novel will sell. They do, however, demonstrate that listeners will buy premium, full-cast audio in very substantial numbers.

Traditionally, yes.

A conventional professional audiobook can cost several thousand dollars, and a studio-produced full-cast version can cost many times that because of the number of performers and the additional editing, music and sound-design work.

FAB's use of modern AI production technology is what enables us to offer a full immersive production from US$695 rather than the five-figure budgets historically associated with this kind of audio.

For manuscripts of up to 50,000 words, the production price is US$695.

For longer books, the price increases by US$50 for each additional 5,000 words or part thereof.

And you do not have to commit to the complete production before hearing what we can do with your book.

Yes.

Create a free author account, upload your manuscript and we will prepare Chapter One free of charge.

You can listen to it through your account before deciding whether to commission the complete audiobook.

If it isn't for you, you do not proceed.

No.

No credit card is required to create your account or receive your free Chapter One.

We ask for payment only if you have listened to the sample and decide that you want us to complete the audiobook.

We analyse the manuscript and the characters before casting them.

That includes factors such as age, gender, accent or nationality where relevant, personality, dramatic role and the way the character interacts with others.

We then recommend voices intended to fit those characters rather than simply allocating voices at random.

You have choices.

Your production includes up to two alternative AI voice suggestions at no additional charge. We offer them one at a time; if the first replacement does not suit you, we can prepare the second.

If you want further AI alternatives after those two, they are charged at US$50 each.

Yes, provided the person whose voice is being cloned has given the necessary consent and you have authority to use it.

Up to two authorised voice clones are included in the production price. Additional clones are US$50 each.

This can be useful if, for example, an author wants their own voice, or another properly authorised voice, to appear in the production.

No.

Good immersive audio is about judgement.

A tense scene might benefit from a subtle score. A railway station might need the distant sound of a train. A storm may need atmosphere. Another scene may work best with nothing except the voices.

Music and sound effects are there to strengthen the story, not compete with it.

The first five music or sound-effect changes are included free of charge.

Additional replacement tracks are US$50 each.

The underlying AI production process is dramatically faster than traditional full-cast studio production.

There is still human work involved in character analysis, casting, review, quality control and any changes you request, so the final timetable depends upon the length and complexity of the book.

The important difference is that we are talking about a production process measured in days rather than coordinating a large cast and studio over many weeks or months.

You do.

Uploading a manuscript to First Audiobooks does not transfer ownership of your book or your underlying copyright to us.

You simply grant us the rights necessary to create the audiobook and provide the services described in our Terms & Conditions.

You do.

Once the production has been paid for, the completed audiobook belongs to you, subject to the underlying technology and third-party licensed material described in our Terms.

You can sell or distribute it elsewhere as well as through the First Audiobooks Store.

Because we think immersive audiobooks deserve a place where listeners can find them deliberately.

On a general audiobook platform, a premium full-cast production can sit among an enormous number of conventional single-narrator titles.

Our aim is different: to build the FAB Audiobook Store into a specialist destination for listeners specifically looking for immersive, multi-voice audiobooks with music and sound design.

That gives each participating author the opportunity to be discovered by people who are already interested in this kind of premium listening experience.

Yes.

Rather than trying to be another general bookstore carrying every possible kind of audiobook, we want the FAB Store to become a go-to destination for immersive audio.

There are specialist immersive producers with their own catalogues, but our objective is to create a broader home where immersive work from different authors can sit together and be marketed as a distinct category.

That should also make discovery easier: an immersive audiobook is not competing for attention with a vast catalogue of inexpensive mono-voice productions.

The Author receives 50% of Qualifying Store Receipts, as defined in our Terms & Conditions.

FAB pays the payment-processing, BookFunnel delivery and store administration costs from FAB's share, rather than deducting those routine costs from the Author's 50%.

Royalty statements are issued quarterly, with balances below US$25 carried forward.

It is up to you to tell us what the standard retail price in our store should be, subject to a minimum price of US$9.99. Under our Terms & Conditions, while the FAB Store licence is in force, you should not knowingly set a lower standard retail list price for the same audiobook through another retail outlet under your control. This does not restrict temporary promotions, retailer-controlled discounts, subscription or credit pricing, library lending, bundles, taxes or other pricing arrangements over which you have no direct control. One current 2026 industry guideline, for example, recommends US$19.99 for audiobooks of five to ten hours and US$24.99 for ten to twenty hours.

Because a FAB audiobook is a premium multi-voice production rather than a standard mono-voice recording, you may wish to lean towards the upper part of the appropriate range. Also, if your book is part of a series, a popular tactic is to price the first book in the series at an introductory lower price and subsequent books in the series at a higher price. However, it’s your call.

We think it can.

The customer is not simply buying the spoken text of the book. They are buying a production with individual character voices, casting, editing, music, sound design and a more cinematic listening experience.

That is why we regard FAB audiobooks as a premium audio format and why we expect many titles to sit toward the upper end of normal standalone audiobook pricing.

Not for sales through the FAB Store.

First Audiobooks manages the sales infrastructure and the applicable transaction, delivery and tax/compliance arrangements for purchases made through our store.

That leaves the author free to concentrate on the book and its readers rather than administering individual international digital sales.

If you choose to sell independently elsewhere as well, those separate sales remain your responsibility.

We use BookFunnel as part of our fulfilment system.

BookFunnel is widely used by independent authors and publishers to deliver digital books and audiobooks directly to readers and provide listening through supported devices and apps.

The author therefore does not need to create a separate delivery system.

Yes.

The FAB Store licence is non-exclusive.

You own the finished audiobook and remain free to distribute it through other retailers or distributors that accept the production.

So the FAB Store gives you an additional specialist sales channel rather than taking other channels away from you.

Audible now permits AI narration in certain Audible-authorised programmes, including its own Voice Replica technology. However, ACX's current submission rules still require an audiobook to be human narrated unless otherwise authorised, and unauthorised AI or text-to-speech recordings remain prohibited. Audible says it is working towards accepting third-party TTS content, but that is not yet generally available.

That means an immersive production or one using third-party AI voices cannot presently be assumed to qualify for normal ACX/Audible distribution. In addition, ACX specifically warns that music and sound effects can cause its Whispersync for Voice / Read & Listen technology to fail. Audible's policies are evolving, and we will keep the position under review.

You certainly can—and for some books that may be the right choice.

But character-driven fiction can benefit enormously from hearing different people rather than one narrator performing every role.

Thrillers, mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, romance and other dialogue-rich fiction can particularly lend themselves to this approach.

FAB gives independent authors the opportunity to test that difference before paying, because you hear your immersive Chapter One first.

The technology is developing quickly, but immersive audio itself is anything but experimental.

Some of the world's largest publishers and entertainment companies are now investing in large-scale full-cast productions. The new Harry Potter full-cast editions, for example, combine more than 200 performers with original music and detailed sound design—and sold one million units in their first 30 days.

What AI changes is not the attractiveness of that format. It changes the cost of producing it, making something previously reserved largely for major publishers accessible to independent authors.

Yes.

Every audiobook entering the FAB Store receives our included launch visibility support.

We also offer optional paid promotional packages for authors who want additional advertising and launch support.

Our longer-term goal is especially important: as the FAB Store develops a following among listeners who prefer immersive audio, every participating author should benefit from being part of a catalogue aimed at that audience.

Very little.

You don't pay to create an account.

You don't provide a credit card.

You don't pay for the free first chapter.

And you don't have to commission the full audiobook until you have actually heard what an immersive version of your own book sounds like.