ACX-Ready Audiobook Editing

I am recording a 6–7-hour audiobook, but my raw takes will be closer to 10 hours because I leave long pauses after each paragraph to preview the next one and I clap before every re-read when I make a mistake. I need those pauses, claps, and duplicate paragraphs removed, every breath and mouth click softened, background noise tamed, and the entire project balanced, limited, and mastered so each finished file meets every ACX requirement (-60 dB noise floor, ‑23 dB to ‑18 dB RMS, peaks no higher than ‑3 dB, consistent loudness).

Workflow
• You will receive one chapter at a time as soon as I finish narrating it.
• After each edit, return a fully mastered chapter (24-bit WAV plus the final 192 kbps MP3) along with a quick note confirming it passes ACX Check.
• When all chapters are complete, provide a single QC’d set ready for upload.

Guidance Needed
Before we begin, please show me how to capture and export a one-minute test so you can confirm my recording chain will comply with ACX. Once that test passes, we move straight into chapter-by-chapter production.

If you have solid experience turning raw narration into polished, ACX-approved audiobooks, I’d love to hear how you approach de-breathing, spectral repair, loudness normalization, and final QC.