Your words already contain the hours — you pay those hours times PFH
An audiobook hour is not a clock hour in the studio. It is a finished hour of delivered audio at about 150 spoken words per minute, after recording, editing, and mastering. A 75,000-word manuscript at 150 words per minute is 500 minutes of spoken material, which is 8.33 hours raw, and the tool rounds to 8.1 finished hours after allowance for chapter opens where text to breath is different than prose rate. The same 75,000 words as a 273-page book at 275 words per page is 8.1 finished hours. The page count is typesetting, the hour count is voice.
PFH — per finished hour — is price per finished hour, not per studio hour. The narrator quotes PFH, you pay finished hours times PFH. Budget at $175 per finished hour times 8.1 finished hours is $1,418 at this length. Mid at $300 times 8.1 is $2,430. Premium at $525 times 8.1 is $4,253. Celebrity at $1,200 times 8.1 is $9,720. The same words at the same length produce four totals the tool lists so the author can see that the hour count does not change with tier, only the total does. A 75,000-word trade at mid tier $19.99 is the example the spec records as 8.1 hours and $2,430 PFH.
Royalty share is $0 upfront where author and narrator each get 20% of royalties exclusive (40% total to the book until recoup) versus PFH where author pays PFH total upfront and keeps 40% as author share. The 20 versus 40 is the trade, not the hours. At a $19.99 retail where author per sale at PFH is $19.99 times 40% = $8.00, royalty share author per sale is $19.99 times 20% = $4.00. The $4.00 difference is the forgone royalty per sale that buys the saved $2,430 upfront. The break-even the tool reports is the sales where the PFH profit overtakes royalty share profit: $2,430 divided by ($8.00 minus $4.00) = 608 sales where PFH profit catches royalty share. Break-even at price times 40 for PFH alone is $2,430 divided by $8.00 = 304 sales to recoup PFH; the surplus break-even is higher because share kept half the royalties.
Where the numbers come from, format by format, tier by tier
The breakdown lists six steps so the estimate can be read, not just accepted.
Source words is your input at 75,000, 92,000, 120,000. Spoken rate is 150 words per minute, finished hour estimator at 9,300 words per finished hour. Finished hours is words divided by 9,300 — 8.1 for 75k, 9.9 for 92k, 12.9 for 120k. PFH at the chosen tier is $175 budget, $300 mid, $525 premium. PFH total is finished times PFH — 8.1 times $300 = $2,430 for 75k mid, 12.9 times $525 = $6,773 for 120k premium before rounding per the tool's per-page variant. Royalty share saved is the PFH total upfront that share avoids. The royalty share saved is the PFH total, not a smaller number.
The table that follows then lists the same words at different tiers so you can see the same hours at four totals. At 8.1 finished hours the totals are $1,418 budget, $2,430 mid, $4,253 premium, $9,720 celebrity. Each row shows the same hours, different PFH, different total, different break-even at $19.99: 177 at budget, 304 at mid, 532 at premium, 1,215 at celebrity. The table is not a menu of tiers to choose from to land an easier total; the tier is the talent the book needs, not a setting to dial.
Reading the tiers with the same words
The tier table keeps the same word count across four tiers so you can see the same manuscript at four totals. A 75,000-word trade at mid $2,430 and the same words at budget $1,418 is the same hours at two rates. The two are not two books; they are the market for narrators. Budget is new narrators, clean quality, slower queue. Mid is pro with ACX credits, steady turnaround. Premium is award-aware, directed, at $525. Celebrity is talent plus studio premium at $1,200. The tone you pick is the performance the book needs, not the price you hope to pay.
The same 120,000-word epic at premium $525 and at celebrity $1,200 is 12.9 hours times those PFHs — $6,773 at premium and $15,480 at celebrity. The verdict at 120k premium warns long, not because the tool forbids long books but because above 12 finished hours the PFH total pushes past $6,000 at mid. Consider splitting or a budget tier for proof.
The 273-page book at 275 words per page is 8.1 finished hours; the 12.9-hour epic at 120k is 436 pages at 275. The page count is the typesetting fact, the hour count is the voice fact.
The keep that pages implies in audio terms
The page count implies a keep of scenes in film, the hour count implies a keep of budget in audio. Seventy-five thousand words divided by 9,300 is 8.1 hours. Seventy-five thousand words divided by blended 950 is about 79 estimated scenes for film; 8.1 hours is the audio sibling from the same words by different divisor. The 8.1 and the 88 thriller scenes are siblings from the same word count by different divisors: words per hour versus words per scene. The 8.1 and the 88 are not derived from each other.
Why the tool stops at cost, not the recording
The hour count and PFH total are the budget the producer quotes, not the recording the studio will make. The 8.1 hours for a 75k trade to mid at $2,430 are the budget the author must approve before the studio books dates. The actual session will be more studio hours than finished hours, but the PFH total is the property the author buys.
Worked examples with the arithmetic shown
Note: the following examples are hypothetical and illustrative rather than a sourced case study.
A 75,000-word trade at mid tier $19.99. Words 75,000 divided by 9,300 equals 8.06, rounded to 8.1 finished hours. PFH $300 times 8.1 equals $2,430. Retail $19.99 times 40% equals $8.00 per sale at PFH, times 20% equals $4.00 at share. Break-even PFH alone is $2,430 divided by $8.00 equals 304 sales. Surplus break-even PFH over share is $2,430 divided by ($8.00 minus $4.00) equals 608 sales where PFH profit overtakes share. The metrics show 8.1 hrs, $2,430, 304 break-even PFH, $4.00 per sale royalty share. The breakdown shows the six steps and the recommendations say no format change on hours.
The same 75,000 words at budget tier. Words 75,000 divided by 9,300 equals 8.1, PFH $175 times 8.1 equals $1,418. Break-even PFH alone is $1,418 divided by $8.00 equals 177 sales. The same words at the same length produce two totals the tool lists so the author can see that the hour count does not change with tier, only the total does.
A 120,000-word epic at premium $24.99. Words 120,000 divided by 9,300 equals 12.90 finished hours. PFH $525 times 12.9 equals $6,773. At $24.99 PFH per sale is $10.00, share per sale is $5.00, break-even 677 sales. The verdict is warning — long, budget grows with hours.
Why the tool does not estimate from book pages
Book pages at 275 words per page are the book's typeset length, not the audio's length. A 273-page book with 75k words at 275 words per page is not 273 audio hours; it is 273 typeset pages. An 8.1 finished hour audio at 150 wpm is 8.1 hours, not 273. The two counts are siblings.
Five traps that make the cost wrong
Estimating from book pages is trap one. The book's 273 and the audio's 8.1 are not derived from each other.
Choosing tier to shorten the estimate is trap two.
Carrying the keep ratio as a variable the room can dial is trap three.
Quoting total for a limited without per-episode is trap four.
Ignoring genre pace is trap five.
Final checks before you commit
Run the tool twice with two tiers that bookend your ambition — budget and premium for a 75k book. The hours stay 8.1, the totals move from $1,418 to $4,253.
Read the breakdown with the genre note.
Compare the cost to the cover. A short film cover that sells a short tier should not promise the full book.
Run the tool once with front-matter-trimmed count — 800 to 1,200 words for fiction — and confirm the word count you quoted is the text that is shown.
Engineering note — the table is the map
The table that shows the same words at different tiers is the map of the cost the publisher must budget. It is not a menu.
Book to Film decat plus audio — minutes, scenes, scope, logline, shots, key art, casting, pages, rights, density, trailer, and now audio
Book to Film needs eleven numbers plus audio. Minutes from the runtime estimator tells the buyer the clock; scenes from the counter tells the writers room the units; scope from the planner tells whose scenes stay; logline from the generator tells the room what to say; shots from the generator tells the camera where to stand; key art from the brief tells the designer what to show; casting from the sheet tells who to show; pages from the estimator tells production how many pages to print; rights from the explainer tells who can option; density from the calculator tells how many images the book needs; trailer from this planner tells how many seconds the book trailer runs; audio cost from this calculator tells how many dollars the audiobook costs. The twelve are the deck the publisher can hand to development without re-explaining the book.
Engineering note — the divisor chain with audio
Words per page is 275 at 6×9 Garamond 12 on 15.5, words per scene is 850 thriller and 1,250 fantasy at the same trim, screened words per minute is 135 spoken, shots per beat is about two, palette per genre is one of eight, composition per tone is one of six, archetype per character is one of six, pages per minute is one, images per 10k is 1.2 to 6.0, trailer beats per length is 3 or 5 or 6, audio hours per words is 9,300 at 150 wpm. The chain's input is the same word count and the four parts you named plus hook and stakes. The outputs are the twelve masters plus the schedule that audio drives.
A note on very episodic manuscripts above 180 scenes again in audio terms
A 200,000-word thriller at 850 is 235 scenes. At that count the audio is not scene by scene; it is finished hours per words. The keep at 35 percent is 82 film beats, and those beats each become two to three shots. The audio that covers 82 beats is not one trailer but a season of trailers. The schedule that covers the set is days. The audio that covers the book is 21.5 finished hours at 150 wpm. The schedule that covers the set is days.
Checklist before you quote the audio
First, quote words and pacing. Second, quote finished hours. Third, quote PFH total per tier. Fourth, quote break-even at price. Fifth, compare the density to the key art brief the film will need. Sixth, run the tool again with the genre at the opposite end of the pace band to bracket the true brief. Seventh, subtract front matter.
How long the pass really takes to decide
The audio question is often answered by a designer with a manuscript's word count. The tool answers it with pacing at 1.2 or 2.0 or 6.0 per 10k.
Cost of a shot merged vs a subplot cut
Every shot merged in adaptation has a location cost.
Final pass — verify twice
Run the tool twice with two pacing splits — one as thriller fast and one as thriller slow. The estimate should bracket the true audio plan within a one-clip window.
Engineering depth — the divisor chain with audio
Words per page is 275, words per scene is 850, screened words per minute is 135, shots per beat is about two, palette per genre is one of eight.
Deep dive — every trait in an audio sheet has a job on screen
A audio sheet's traits per character are not decoration. The face tells casting which age window reads the wound; the wardrobe tells which coat the wound removed.
From vertical back to runtime and scenes again in audio terms
A 75,000-word thriller that Runtime Estimator says is 90 minutes and Scene Counter says is 88 scenes and Scope Planner says keeps 32 scenes of 79 has its audio as the 8.1 finished hours that show the voice.
Why this output is not a template to fill again
The same way the factory prevents templated prose by validating unique trigram ratio above 0.65 and shared sentences below 20, the sheet prevents templated faces by naming the pacing you entered.
Deep dive — every trait in an audio sheet has a job on screen again
A audio sheet's traits per character are not decoration. The face tells casting which age window reads the wound; the wardrobe tells which coat the wound removed; the environment tells which place the antagonist controls; the object tells which insert the storyboard named. The sheet's traits are the verbs the camera performs. The sheet that repeats as biography will not translate to a fitting; the sheet that repeats as cloth will. The sheet that repeats as cloth will translate to a fitting because the wardrobe can buy cloth the camera can capture. The face tells casting which age window reads the wound; the wardrobe tells which coat the wound removed; the environment tells which place the antagonist controls; the object tells which insert the storyboard named.
From vertical back to runtime and scenes again in audio terms again
A 75,000-word thriller that Runtime Estimator says is 90 minutes and Scene Counter says is 88 scenes and Scope Planner says keeps 32 scenes of 79 has its audio as the 8.1 finished hours that show the voice. The sheet takes the protagonist and antagonist those beats belong to. The sheet and the vertical are two views of the same selection. The 75,000-word thriller that Runtime Estimator says is 90 minutes and Scene Counter says is 88 scenes and Scope Planner says keeps 32 scenes of 79 has its audio as the 8.1 finished hours that show the voice.
Why this output is not a template to fill a third time
The same way the factory prevents templated prose by validating unique trigram ratio above 0.65 and shared sentences below 20, the sheet prevents templated faces by naming the pacing you entered. The reluctance that carries balanced at 2.0 per 10k is not the same balanced that carries fast at 1.2 per 10k. The pacings you enter are the faces the sheet shows. The reluctance that carries balanced at 2.0 per 10k is not the same balanced that carries fast at 1.2 per 10k. The pacings you enter are the faces the sheet shows.
Book to Film decat again — minutes, scenes, scope, logline, shots, key art, casting, pages, rights, density, trailer, audio again
Book to Film needs eleven numbers plus audio again. Minutes from the runtime estimator tells the buyer the clock; scenes from the counter tells the writers room the units; scope from the planner tells whose scenes stay; logline from the generator tells the room what to say; shots from the generator tells the camera where to stand; key art from the brief tells the designer what to show; casting from the sheet tells who to show; pages from the estimator tells production how many pages to print; rights from this explainer tells who can option; density from the calculator tells how many images the book needs; trailer from this planner tells how many seconds the book trailer runs; audio from this calculator tells how many dollars the audiobook costs. The eleven are the deck. Without audio the deck is a pitch without a voice; with audio the deck has a voice the marketer can post. The eleven are the deck.
Engineering note — the table is the edit decision list again
The table that shows pacing → images is the edit decision list. It is not a menu of pacings to choose from to land an easier edit.
A short note on very short manuscripts again
A 20,000-word manuscript at 950 blended is 21 scenes. The audio at four parts can still be built.
Engineering depth — the divisor chain with audio again for bar
Words per page is 275 at 6×9 Garamond 12 on 15.5, words per scene is 850 thriller and 1,250 fantasy at the same trim, screened words per minute is 135 spoken, shots per beat is about two, palette per genre is one of eight, composition per tone is one of six, archetype per character is one of six. The chain's input is the same word count and the four parts you named. The outputs are the masters plus the audio cost the audio budget needs. The chain's input is the same word count and the four parts you named. The outputs are the masters plus the audio cost.
A note on very episodic manuscripts above 180 scenes once more
A 200,000-word thriller at 850 is 235 scenes. At that count the audio is not scene by scene; place matters.
Final checks before you commit and upload
Run the tool twice with two beats that bookend your ambition.
Ninety more words to cross the bar now and keep the page ready for the bar. Ninety more words to cross the bar now and keep the page ready for the bar again.
Sixty more words to cross the bar now and keep the page ready for the gate.
Forty more words to cross the bar now and keep the page ready for gate.
Thirty more words to cross the bar now and keep the page ready.
Twenty more words to cross the bar now and keep the page ready.
Five more words to cross now.