Contact person: Italian Audiobook Narration & Production

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Location: Naperville, United States

Budget: Recommended by industry experts

Time to start: As soon as possible

Project description:
"Project Overview:

We’re producing a professional Italian-language audiobook from a completed fiction manuscript. We’re open to three production paths:

A) Human narration (single narrator, ACX/Audible-grade audio)
B) AI narration (top-tier TTS with disclosure; intended for Apple Books / Google Play Books / Kobo / Findaway) ([login to view URL], Google Play, [login to view URL])
C) Hybrid (human lead + AI for back-matter/secondary voices, or human voice-replica if eligible via ACX beta; must be clearly disclosed and compliant). ([login to view URL], [login to view URL], The Verge)

Note on stores & policies:
Apple Books: supports digitally narrated audiobooks. ([login to view URL], [login to view URL])

Google Play Books: supports auto-narrated audiobooks. (Google Play)

Kobo Writing Life: accepts AI narration with required metadata labels.

Audible/ACX: rolling out AI/voice-replica tools with labeling; availability is limited and evolving. Human narration remains the safest path for ACX listings outside approved programs. ([login to view URL], [login to view URL])

About the Book:

Language: Italian

Genre: Character-driven literary/romantic adventure

Preferred Voice - Male

Length: ~380 manuscript pages (final word count provided to shortlisted candidates under NDA)

Preferred style (for human or AI): Natural Italian delivery; subtle character shading (no exaggerated/cartoonish voices)

Deliverables (choose per track):
Track A — Human narration (ACX-ready):
Mastered audio meeting ACX/Audible specs (RMS −23 to −18 dB, peak ≤ −3 dB, noise floor ≤ −60 dB; MP3 192 kbps mono + archival WAV 44.1k/16-bit). (ACX Help)

Opening/closing credits; 1–5 min retail sample; one file per chapter; room-tone leaders/tails.

QC pass (de-ess/de-click, breaths, tone consistency).

Pickups: up to 2 rounds after our QA notes.

Track B — AI narration (disclosed):
Top-tier TTS output (WAV masters + 192 kbps MP3 deliverables), consistent prosody, punctuation-aware timing, and Italian diacritics handling.

Platform-compliant labeling & metadata (e.g., “Digitally Narrated” / “Synthesised voice,” per store guidance). ([login to view URL])

Voice license/rights: Provide documentation confirming commercial use rights for the selected voice/model

SSML-aware workflow for emphasis, pauses, numbers/dates, and foreign names; deliver SSML scripts used.

Human QA polish: light editing to remove glitches, retakes, breath bursts, and to normalize pacing.

Two rounds of pickups via revised SSML or regenerated lines.

Track C — Hybrid (human + AI / voice-replica):
Human-narrated primary chapters plus AI for non-dialogue back-matter or an approved voice-replica session if available (must include narrator consent and platform labeling). ([login to view URL])

Single-mix tone matching; consistent room tone; unified mastering to ACX/Audible targets. (ACX Help)

What We’ll Provide:
Final manuscript (PDF/Word) + chaptering

Pronunciation/glossary & character brief

Short NDA for audition script

Ideal Talent:
For Human: Native/fluent Italian narrator with ACX-approved titles (link portfolio), treated booth, pro chain (mic/interface/DAW), reliable editing/mastering

For AI: Proven Italian TTS workflow (vendor/engine listed), SSML expertise, rights compliance, ability to deliver human-level mastering and seamless chaptering.

For Hybrid: Comfort coordinating human + AI pipelines; experience with voice-replica projects is a plus. ([login to view URL])

How to Apply (Required)
Short cover note: availability + your studio chain (mic/interface/DAW) or your AI toolchain (engine/model, SSML editor, mastering stack).

Links to recent Italian samples (Audible/ACX/Apple/Kobo/Google Play/Findaway portfolios).

Custom audition (60–90s) from the script we provide after NDA (human: raw + mastered; AI: final audio + SSML used).

Your PFH and per-1,000-words rates; confirm you can meet ACX specs (for human/hybrid) and store labeling rules (for AI/hybrid). (ACX Help, [login to view URL], Google Play)

Confirm 2 pickup rounds are included

Rights & Credits
Work-for-hire for narration/production; we receive global distribution rights to the final audio.

Narrator/producer may keep a 30–60s clip for reel (non-spoiler, with our approval)." (client-provided description)