audio-book production

Where to Sell Your Audiobooks Part 2

 

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In the previous blog, we listed already distribution platforms for audiobooks and how to sell your work from your own website.  In order to avoid placing “all your eggs into one basket”,  here are more retailers and distributors to sell your audiobooks. 

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Audiobook Library Distributors

Think twice if you choose ACX to let your audiobook create – and being forced to sign an exclusivity contract for seven years.  This eradicates all your chances to sell your audiobook to libraries.  The following distributors are helping you to get your audiobook into libraries.

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Findaway Voices

However, if you invested in your audiobook – and stayed clear of any narrator revenue-sharing contracts – you are better off.  Choose any of the many library distributors or sign up with Findaway Voices, who distribute audiobooks to the libraries in Europa and North America, maybe one day even worldwide.  Motto: “There’s a big world of potential listeners out there. You will reach them all with Findaway Voices.”


Using Findaway Voices as the main distributor makes it somewhat easier to get into the library market.  They work not only with Overdrive, but also with Hoopla, Wheelers, PermaBound, 3Leaf Group, Odilo, MLOL, EBSCO, Baker&Taylor, and Follett in order to distribute to libraries in Europe and North America.

https://findawayvoices.com/selling-audiobooks/#distributor-list

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Author’s Republic

Another great library distributor (and audiobook creator) is Author’s Republic: Sell your audiobook through over 30 major retailers, library providers, such as Overdrive, Hoopla, PermaBound, 3Leaf Group, Odilo, MLOL, EBSCO, and Follett, with new channels added monthly.
https://www.authorsrepublic.com/

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SpokenRealms

A worldwide audiobook distributor to libraries and online retailers that also offers audiobook narrations and free promo codes.  Authors reserve the right to sell both physical and digital copies of your audiobook anywhere in addition to their global U+ Distribution package which includes currently:

24symbols, 3Leaf Group, Apple (iTunes/Apple Books), Amazon, Audible, Audiobooks.com, Audiobooks.net, AudiobooksNZ, Audiobookstore.com, AudioEngine, Baker & Taylor, Barnes & Noble/Nook Audiobooks, Beek, Bibliotheca, Books-A-Million, Chirp, Costco, Deezer, Downpour, EBSCO , eMusic, eStories, Findaway, Follett, Google Play, Hastings, Hibooks, Hoopla, Hummingbird, Instaread, Kobo/Rakuten, LeapFrog, Libro.FM, Mackin, MLOL , Nextory, Odilo, otto Radio, OverDrive, Perma-Bound, Playster, Reado.com, Scribd, Storytel , TuneIn, Walmart, and Wheelers.

https://www.spokenrealms.com/distribution/

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Odilo

Ingram Library Services, a leading provider of comprehensive services to public libraries.  It includes access to over 16.5M titles, has teamed up with ODILO, an internationally recognized leader and provider of technology and digital content for US libraries.  This new offering provides access to an additional 1.4M+ multilingual eBooks and audiobooks with 60 Spanish magazines and 35 Spanish newspapers to be added in the upcoming months.  This robust catalog of titles in 240 languages including Spanish, Arabic, English, Chinese and more will be easily accessible by library patrons.  In a few simple steps your content will be available for libraries and public and private organizations:

https://www.odilo.us/marketplace-providers/

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EBSCO eBooks & Audiobooks

Make your e-book and audiobook content available to thousands of academic, public, and special libraries worldwide. EBSCO allows libraries and institutions to build their own collections from a growing selection of best-selling and award-winning titles across a wide range of subject matter and genres.

https://www.ebsco.com/publishers-partnerships

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OverDrive

They are distributing ebooks and audiobooks to libraries.  In the US alone, there are tens of thousands of libraries.  It means that distribution with OverDrive could get your books worldwide into more than 40,000 partners/libraries and into the hands of countless potential readers.  The main caveat is that OverDrive is very selective of the authors it chooses to include in its platform.  Most of the books in OverDrive were placed by traditional publishing companies.

If you have over a dozen audiobooks available, you are more likely to get accepted into OverDrive’s catalog than if you have only one. However, there’s no guarantee that OverDrive will select you. If you have a non-exclusive contract with Audible, then there’s no harm in applying to OverDrive, just make sure that you don’t get your hopes up.
https://company.overdrive.com/publishers/

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Libraries Are Lamenting…

Major ebook publishers are charging unfair prices.  Some of those publishers also have even more restrictions: For example, each copy of a Macmillan ebook expires after only 52 circulations or two years, whichever comes first.  Audible – the company that owns the rights to many digital audiobooks – is declining to share audiobooks at all. Maybe your chance to get your audiobook via distributors into the library market?

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Books by Doris-Maria Heilmann:

To the TOP

Smart Free Marketing for Entrepreneurs and Self-Employed

ebook: https://books2read.com/u/mqv8Z1

print: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1988664381

ebook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08957T6XN/


Audiobooks for Success

Valuable guide book for authors, audiobook publishers, narrators, voice-over artists, and audiobook listeners. Learn how to create, produce, publish, and market your audiobooks.

https://books2read.com/u/bPRRyJ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W81MN2Z


111 Tips to Create Impressive Videos

How to Plan, Create, Upload, and Market Videos
https://www.books2read.com/u/3GYnpa

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BYDH41S/

 

111 Tips To Make (More) Money With Writing
The Art of Making a Living Full-time Writing –
An Essential Guide for More Income as Freelancer
https://books2read.com/u/bWZMjz

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1988664187

 

111 Tips on How to Market Your Book for Free
Detailed Plans and Smart Strategies for Your Book’s Success
https://books2read.com/u/bMre1a

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018RA72LY

 

111 Tips to Get Free Book Reviews
Best Strategies for Getting Lots of Great Reviews
plus 1,200+ reviewer contact links
https://books2read.com/u/mZ5nx5

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018RA72LY/

 

111 Tips to Create Your Book Trailer
How to Create, Where to Upload, and How to Market Your Videos
https://books2read.com/u/mVZkjr

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CHWX6X2/

 

Book Marketing on a Shoestring
How Authors Can Promote their Books

Without Spending a Lot of Money
https://books2read.com/u/mZ5gdp

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1988664225

 

Hello Friends, visit my Author Page here:

https://books2read.com/ap/n4EYY8/Doris-Maria-Heilmann

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Where to Sell Your Audiobooks? Part 1

Self-Publishing

Reading Audio Books for Success You might have found already quite a few tips.  Here are more distribution platforms for audiobooks available.  ACX and its sales platform Audible are still the leaders in self-published audiobooks.  However, there are some instances in which you might want to consider going a different route.  While ACX recently opened its doors to British self-published authors, there are still many parts of the world in which ACX is not available.

ACX is (2019) only open to residents of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Ireland who have a mailing address, valid local Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and banking details for one of these countries.
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Library Sales
If you are interested in getting your books on non-Amazon platforms – and most important: into libraries – then you may want to consider selecting the non-exclusive contract and better distribute your audiobook (additionally to Audible) on a variety of platforms.


Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
Here are a few options you might consider if you want to get your audiobook elsewhere.  By far the best distributors with the widest outreach are Findaway Voices and Author’s Republic.  Both are creators, distributors, and online retailers for audiobooks.

They are working currently with over thirty retailers and library distributors.  Your best choice to reach audiobook listeners worldwide!  And so much easier to work with them — than to contact all these retailers separately — often only to learn that they are not dealing directly with author-publishers.  Libraries definitely don’t!

Self-Distribution can be a tricky path.  Some retailers have self-service portals that are difficult to use, some require varying formats of audio files, metadata, and images that you may or may not have before they will accept your work.  You also would have to deal in foreign currencies, you often would have to pay high banking fees, do the accounting, and controlling yourself. And in the worst-case, run after your money – in a foreign country.

The benefit of working with only one worldwide distributor outweighs the 20% commission from your net revenue. See the example calculation of a $10 audiobook on their website:
https://findawayvoices.com/selling-audiobooks/#distributor-list

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Author’s Republic

Sell your books through retailers, distributors, and library providers.  Restrictions can make things tough for authors outside of North America.  They accept submissions from rights holders all over the globe. You’ll receive 70% of what your audiobook earns across over 30 channels, including major distributors such as Audible, Audiobooks.com, and iTunes.  Forget about managing over a dozen different accounts. We display all your sales on a handy dashboard and cut you one monthly paycheck, too.

https://www.authorsrepublic.com/

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If You Want to Work Directly With Retailers:

Audiobooks.com and Downpour

They are the number two and number three audiobook-only subscription services in the USA.  With the rapid growth of the audiobook industry, it might be smart to try to get your self-published audiobooks on these two platforms.

It is likely that you’ll need to negotiate individually with both Audiobooks.com and Downpour if you hope to get your books on those platforms.
http://www.audiobooks.com/

Downpour’s audiobook service has been around since 2012.  They are a company that developed one of the best audiobook subscriptions on the market.
https://www.downpour.com/

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CD Baby
This platform is best known for its distribution of indie music.  By giving up a small portion of their royalties, indie musicians are able to post their albums to Amazon, iTunes, and other platforms.  Since CD Baby doesn’t usually handle audiobooks, it places the books into Amazon’s spoken word category.

By circumventing Audible, the CD Baby method also keeps your books from being accessible through the convenient Audible app.  If you plan on only selling your book directly to your fans, and you don’t want to deal with a file-sharing service, CD Baby may be a viable option for you.
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eBookIt
Want to be on ACX/Audible but you are in a country that doesn’t allow for it (worldwide web doesn’t exist for them…).  eBookIt is an ebook and audiobook aggregation service that lets you submit your book to get it on ACX no matter what country you reside in.

Audible is expanding as fast as the audiobook industry itself.  Since eBookIt takes a fee for every sale, it may be worth waiting until Audible opens up in your country.  If you can’t wait, and you want your book on Audible now, then eBookIt is a good way to make it happen.
https://www.ebookit.com/

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AudiobookStore
Good, if you are an existing content partner of AudiobookSTORE.com, or if you have content you would like to see your title added to AudiobookSTORE.com.   This includes audiobook authors and publishers, as well as blog content and the like.   Please email content@audiobookstore.com.  Their representative will reply back to you within 48 hours.

https://audiobookstore.com/business-inquiries.aspx

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Scribd Audiobooks
This is the second of two imprints named by the company.
“If you are an independent author or publisher with only a handful of titles, please sign up with one of the following publishing service providers/distributors. Scribd has signed distribution agreements with them and will make books distributed through their platforms available in our membership program.”
https://www.scribd.com/publishers

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Awesound
A retailer that lets you sell your audiobook, securely, on your terms.  Upload your audiobook and start selling within one hour. Listeners can stream online on any device, or download within a mobile app. Simply direct listeners to your sales page on Awesound.  Listeners around the world can pay with almost any debit/credit card, or quickly with Google Pay or Apple Pay.
With every purchase, you’ll receive an instant email notification and an immediate transfer of funds to your Stripe balance.  View, search or download your accumulated earnings in your payments dashboard. Your payments table shows every payment.  Funds are transferred to your bank account on the 1st of each month.
You get access to each listener’s information (e.g., name and email) just like you would if you sold any other product directly from your own website. This is very important, as it lets you see which members of your mailing list have already bought your audiobook, and which customers are new fans.
You set your own selling price (which you’re free to change at any time).  This is the fastest way to get started.
https://awesound.com/sell
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Sellfy
For starters, with Sellfy, you can embed your store and products on social media and on your website so everyone can see and buy your audiobooks!  To market your audiobooks, take advantage of our built-in email marketing features that allow you to keep in touch with your customers.  Send updates, newsletters, and information when you launch a new product or start a sale.

Sellfy’s other features like unlimited storage, products, and bandwidth as well as optimized downloads and intuitive platform will give you everything you need to see success in your online store.  No need to sweat over anything other than creating your audiobook.  Create promotional discounts and coupons to hype up your product with Sellfy’s discount feature.  They don’t make you wait for your money on Sellfy. When you use PayPal or Stripe, you get instant access to your money whenever you make a sale.  Sellfy offers unlimited bandwidth and storage for all of your files.
1. Sign up for a Sellfy account.
2. Upload your audiobooks and write descriptions.
3. Add more information to get paid.
4. Start sharing your audiobooks on your social media accounts and website.
https://sellfy.com/sell/audiobooks/

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Selling From Your Own Website

In a former blog post and in my book marketing guide “Successful Book Selling – the Non-Traditional Way” I explained that authors could sell books from their own website. What are your benefits:

  • You will receive higher Revenues.  Directly selling means you earn around 85% of your retail price
  • You get paid faster.  You get paid before your customers download your audiobooks. Unlike with online retailers, you don’t have to wait until you receive a statement months after your book was sold. The money for your books is right away in your account.
  • You will know your listeners.  Selling your audiobook solely at online retailers, you will never know who orders and listens to your books no matter how many are sold. These are not your customers anymore, but the retailers’ and they won’t let you know any details about your customers.

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How to Set up an Online Audiobook Store

There are dozens of ready-to-go online stores available, called “e-commerce” which can be installed on your existing website or blog – relatively easy and quick. You have to have your own (hosted) website or blog – the paid versions – not a free website.

The e-commerce shops take a small fee every month. Some like Ecwid, for example, are free if you have less than 10 books to offer.  E-Junkie provides a shopping cart and buy-now buttons to let you sell book downloads.  They offer one-week trials and their fees start with $5/month for less than 10 downloads. They also offer lots of features, such as tax and shipping calculators, discount management, affiliate management, etc.   Almost all e-commerce shops work with PayPal systems for secure and easy payments.


Check these e-commerce platforms out:

https://www.ecwid.com/pricing

https://www.e-junkie.com/

https://www.shopify.ca/sell/ebooks

https://squareup.com/ca/en/ecommerce

https://hummingbirddm.com/

 

This is just a small list of online retailers where authors can offer their audiobooks.  No matter how incredible your audiobook is, it’s tough to sell if people aren’t aware of it. Spreading the word and expanding your potential audience is key.  With the right tools and a little bit of effort, you can ensure your work reaches as many people as possible—increasing your fan base and your sales.

If your audiobook is also available in eBook or print, your marketing strategies should generally try to encompass all formats.  Sales of one format will drive sales of another, so a well-designed marketing plan will efficiently and effectively help grow sales across all channels.

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Books by Doris-Maria Heilmann:

To the TOP

Smart Free Marketing for Entrepreneurs and Self-Employed

ebook: https://books2read.com/u/mqv8Z1

print: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1988664381

ebook: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08957T6XN/


Audiobooks for Success

Valuable guide book for authors, audiobook publishers, narrators, voice-over artists, and audiobook listeners. Learn how to create, produce, publish, and market your audiobooks.

https://books2read.com/u/bPRRyJ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W81MN2Z


111 Tips to Create Impressive Videos

How to Plan, Create, Upload, and Market Videos
https://www.books2read.com/u/3GYnpa

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BYDH41S/

 

111 Tips To Make (More) Money With Writing
The Art of Making a Living Full-time Writing –
An Essential Guide for More Income as Freelancer
https://books2read.com/u/bWZMjz

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1988664187

 

111 Tips on How to Market Your Book for Free
Detailed Plans and Smart Strategies for Your Book’s Success
https://books2read.com/u/bMre1a

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018RA72LY

 

111 Tips to Get Free Book Reviews
Best Strategies for Getting Lots of Great Reviews
plus 1,200+ reviewer contact links
https://books2read.com/u/mZ5nx5

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018RA72LY/

 

111 Tips to Create Your Book Trailer
How to Create, Where to Upload, and How to Market Your Videos
https://books2read.com/u/mVZkjr

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07CHWX6X2/

 

Book Marketing on a Shoestring
How Authors Can Promote their Books

Without Spending a Lot of Money
https://books2read.com/u/mZ5gdp

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1988664225

 

Hello Friends, visit my Author Page here:

https://books2read.com/ap/n4EYY8/Doris-Maria-Heilmann

 

How to Produce an Audiobook?

Audio-Book-Tips

Producing an audiobook is like building a house: your choices dictate your final cost. Each recording is custom-made rather than mass-produced. Learn about the time and skills necessary for a polished production rather than a firm number. Questions for authors might be: How much do I need to pay upfront? What are the long-term costs?  How long will it take to recoup my investment?

  • Narrate your book yourself (easier than you think)
  • Enter into a revenue share agreement with a narrator
  • Pay a flat “per hour” rate to have your book produced

In order to have no up-front costs, Audible’s Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) is practically the only way for an author to produce an audiobook with a professional narrator and share the revenue. However, in this case, authors must make their audiobook exclusive for 7 years! And you will earn the least – compared to other production options.

Traditionally, publishers have paid narrators, sound engineers, and proof listeners on a per-finished-hour (PFH) basis. However, studio time may be charged in real hours.  The general rule of thumb is that at least six hours of production time are required to produce one “finished-hour”.
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Production Cost for Audiobooks

These six hours cover the recording, editing, proofing, and mastering which is needed to create a retail-ready product. Add the number of people involved and the studio rental costs, production quotes of $4,000 or even more, depending on the length of the book, are what needs to be invested in the audiobook creation.

Many narrators on ACX have created a home recording studio and do not charge a separate fee for its use. At ACX, the narrator is also the producer who is responsible for all phases of production. The narrator may do her or his own editing, proofing and mastering, or hire someone for these tasks.
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How Much to Pay Up Front?

If you want to pay nothing upfront, you could post your book on ACX under a revenue share (RS) contract. Many authors think of this type of production as “free,” but it’s really a deferred payment where the costs of production are repaid to the narrator over time through the shared revenues paid by Audible. Choosing this option means:

You must sign up for exclusive distribution with Audible, which delivers the audiobook solely to Amazon. You won’t be able to sell your audiobook on any other website—including your own—and you won’t be able to sell it on CD – and even worse: your audiobook won’t be available to libraries – which are a very important sales channel for small publishers.

You will have to split the royalties paid by Audible fifty-fifty with the narrator for the whole seven-year distribution period. Under these terms, each of you would earn twenty percent of the net revenues paid during this period.

Narrators also must cover the up-front costs: they must pay the editor and proofer at the time service is rendered. Since a narrator could easily stay in the red for quite a long time on a revenue-split project, most experienced narrators may refuse to consider such a contract.

Authors can decide to pay the production costs upfront by hiring a narrator on a per-finished-hour (PFH) contract, which is a buy-out option that lets the author retain all the revenues. This choice is especially attractive when your ebook sells 1,000 or more copies a month – which means you might sell at least 200 audiobooks/month.

Experienced narrators charge between $200 and $450 per finished hour. For instance, at $200 PFH, a narrator would send a $2,000 invoice for the complete production of a 10-hour audiobook. To select non-exclusive distribution with Audible, choose a PFH – per-finished-hour contract!

Although a revenue-split contract initially seems ideal to authors, many indie authors get frustrated with it over time for several reasons. The author earns only half of the available revenues for seven years and is bound for seven years to absolute exclusivity. It means the audiobook cannot be sold anywhere else!

Audible pays monthly revenues based on the amount it has received for each unit sold, not the title’s purchase price.  As Audible member credits are worth about $10 each and account for the most sales, they will reduce the final sales price. Special sales and currency exchange rates affect the proceeds as well – and the resulting revenues.

For a 10-hour book, Audible pays roughly $4 in royalties per unit sold. On a PFH contract, the author keeps the entire revenue amount. With a revenue-split contract, the author earns only half of the available revenues or around $2 per audiobook sold.

With a PFH contract, the author pays, for example, $2,000 (or more) for production costs. After selling approximately 500 units of the audiobook, the author would break even and from this point forward, all remaining audiobook sales would generate a pure profit of around $4 in revenues paid per unit sold.

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Audio Books with ACX & Audible – Pro’s and Con’s

Most good narrators are picky with their projects. When they consider narrating a revenue-share book, they want to ensure that they get a positive return on investment. If they look at the book on Amazon and see that it only has five reviews and a poor sales rank, then they likely won’t even audition for it.

You can improve the chances of your book being selected by a narrator if you secure a stipend from ACX. The audiobook retailer will provide revenue-share narrators with $100 per finished hour of work for stipend books. To secure a stipend, you need to craft a pitch to ACX detailing your plan for how you will sell your book. They will only award the stipend to projects they think will sell well on the platform.
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ACX wants to lock you into a seven-year contract!

Seven years is a really long time to get stuck with one specific company and not be able to change. Worst of all, during this time you are not able to sell your audiobook to libraries. And after seven years they might not be interested in an “old” audiobook. For some people, this isn’t really a problem. After all, ACX is giving you a low cost (or free) way of entering an entirely new market that you probably haven’t even dipped your toes into before.

ACX controls the price of your book and also when it will put your book on sale. You will not receive a notification when your book is discounted either. If you previously used discounts as your number one marketing method, then you will need to think outside the box when it comes to your audiobook promotion.

If on Audible, for example, the suggested retail price of $19.95 is displayed, for Audible members the cost might drop to $13.90 or one credit. The revenue is 25% of the $13.90 price… and even less if you are on a revenue-share model with your narrator. The majority of books are purchased using membership credits.

For authors, the most favorable revenue is for sales to readers who are not Audible members. Under a complex formula, per-book royalties for membership sales are about half the retail price, according to Audible’s website. Since the formula for membership, sales incorporates many variables, and Audible does not reveal the sums attached to any of them, you really don’t know how much the revenue is going to be.

At ACX/Audible you are entitled to use 15 minutes or 10 percent of your finished book, whichever is larger, to promote your work as well. You can use this to create audio-specific promotion through a sort of trailer on YouTube or SoundCloud.

ACX is incredibly easy to use. You just offer up your rights, pick the narrator you want who is also interested, and wait. Then, you listen and approve the narration and let it out into the world.

Should you hold onto your rights just in case something changes in the future and you get a better deal? Maybe. But, there really isn’t much to be lost by loading up your rights. The potential for being in the ground level of the growth of the audio industry means you could get lucky and strike it big.

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Audiobooks

This blog article is an excerpt from Audiobooks for Success
Valuable guide book for authors, audiobook publishers, narrators, voice-over artists, and audiobook listeners. Learn how to create, produce, publish, and market your audiobooks.
https://books2read.com/u/bPRRyJ
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W81MN2Z
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DIY Narrating and Audiobook Production

 

 

Narrating


With modern software, it’s easy to record your own audiobooks. So, going it alone is an option.  However, excellent post-production is needed – as well as an aggregator to distribute it to online retailers, bookstores, and libraries.

Don’t underestimate the amount of time it will take you to produce an audiobook.  Your listeners want you to narrate the story with complete conviction – just like a good actor, you should completely immerse yourself in the story.
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Vocal Coach Training
You don’t need to spend a lot on equipment or have any prior experience to get started – but taking classes and/or working with a vocal coach is advised if you want to create a professional narrated book and to improve your skills over time.

ACX, the Audiobook Creation Exchange gives tons of good advice on how to narrate your own audiobook or what to look for when outsourcing.  I was positively surprised by how well they explain in detail the whole process for authors on their website, including case studies, how much you will earn, contract samples, and how to promote your audiobook. Check it out before you start your project!
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Rework Your Manuscript for Narration
No matter if you work with a narrator or if you create the audiobook yourself: You will need to rework your book manuscript as a marked-up script where you add natural pauses and emphasize certain words.  You may also have to rework clunky or long sentences.  It’s called Scripting.
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Practice, Practice, and Practice Even More
You cannot practice your script enough if you are going to read your own work.  Using Garage Band or audio software record yourself and then critique and re-work pieces if necessary.  
Employing some voice-over techniques is a must for you and your voice.  Here are some voice-over technique tips:

  • Say it with a smile
  • Emphasize the product
  • Stop reading the script – make it conversational
  • Chat with a child
  • Pace yourself – slow down
  • Be expressive and believable
  • Play with characters
  • Mysterious like Casey Kasem

Read the details and more tips here:

https://www.suchavoice.com/2018/06/28/top-ten-voice-over-technique-tips/


Your Recording Studio

Where, in a typical home would you install a recording studio?  In a room or den that’s small, contained, preferably has a carpeted floor – best in a walk-in-closet.  The clothes hanging around serve to absorb the sound and it’s the closest thing if the typical private residence has to mimic an isolation booth.
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Audiobook Narrator Tools

Narrating

 

Avoid All Sources of Noise
To get a high-quality professional sound, make sure there are no sources of noise in the vicinity, such as an air conditioner, refrigerator, an open window, or even a water fountain running in your garden.  A good method to improve the quality of your recording is to place clothes rack behind you, covered with blankets or thick clothes.  This will dissipate the sound and reduce any echo. What’s coming from behind you is the most important, but if possible also put blankets or foam panels at the sides and rear of the mic to further restrain the sound.
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Recording
If you have your recording environment set up properly, it’s time to narrate your audiobook.  Do a test recording first to see if everything sounds okay and if your file meets ACX requirements.  So just record a few paragraphs or a chapter and master the file.  Then check whether it meets the requirements.
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Don’t record your entire book – only to find out later
that
the files aren’t within ACX guidelines!

 

If you are recording a non-fiction book you can just read the book out loud in a conversational style.  For fiction, it can be a little harder to find the right style of narration.  Record some paragraphs and get feedback from friends and family to see whether you are on the right track.

Make sure you record in mono at 44.1 kHz. Record each chapter individually, but if you want you can also record the audiobook as one file and then later break that down in separate files for every chapter.
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Mastering
If you are publishing your audiobook through ACX, it’s essential that you know and adheres to all their submission requirements.  When you are done recording, there are two more things you need to do: mastering and editing.

When you master the file first, it will amplify all sorts of mouth and background noises, which you will then have to go back and edit out again.  So, mastering your file first will save you a lot of time.  By applying different effects to your sound file, you can ensure that it meets all ACX submission requirements.  Follow the mastering steps using Audacity to get a professional quality recording that meets all requirements.
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Noise Reduction
Highlight a few seconds of room noise.  Then in Audacity go to Effects > Noise Reduction, and click “get noise profile”.  Then, select the entire track, choose a noise reduction of between 12-24db, and click OK to apply noise reduction to your file.

Use a high pass filter to get rid of low frequency sounds like low rumblings, cars passing by, etc. Select the entire track. Then go to Effect > High Pass Filter.  Set the frequency at 80 Hz and Roloff at 12 db.

Use compression by selecting the entire recording and going to Effect > Compressor in Audacity.  Use the following settings: Threshold: -25 dB, Noise Floor: -40dB, Ratio 2:1, Attack Time 0.20 secs, Release time: 1 sec. Click OK.

Select the entire recording and go to Effect > Normalize.  Check “Remove DC offset”. Then check “Normalize maximum amplitude to” and input a value of -3.0 dB.

To check whether your files meet ACX’s requirements of an RMS between -23 dB and -18 dB, select the entire track and then go to Analyze > Contrast.  Then click on Measure selection.
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Editing
Now it’s time to edit your file. Edit out all mistakes, coughs, background noises, etc. Editing is time-consuming and not the most exciting part of recording an audiobook, but it has to be done to get a good quality audiobook.
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Export to MP3
The final step is to export your file to MP3. In order for Audacity to export, you first need to download an MP3 encoder.  Then go to File > Export Audio and select save as MP3 at 192 kbps and Constant Bit Rate Mode.  You can now upload your MP3 files to ACX.
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This was a short excerpt from Audiobooks for Success
A valuable guide book for authors, audiobook publishers, narrators, voice-over artists, and audiobook listeners. Learn how to create, produce, publish, and market your audiobooks.
https://books2read.com/u/bPRRyJ
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W81MN2Z

 

Audiobooks
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How to Manage Your Audiobook Distribution 

Headset

 

ACX and its sales platform Audible are still the leaders in self-published audiobooks. However, there are some instances in which you might want to consider going a different route. While ACX recently opened its doors to British self-published authors, there are still many parts of the world in which ACX is not available.

ACX is (2019) only open to residents of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland who have a mailing address, valid local Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), and banking details for one of these countries.

If you are interested in getting your books on non-Amazon platforms – and most important: into libraries – then you may want to consider selecting the non-exclusive contract and better distribute your audiobook (additionally to Audible) on a variety of platforms.


Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

Here are a few options you might consider if you want to get your audiobook elsewhere. By far the best distributors with the widest outreach are Findaway Voices and Author’s Republic. Both are creators, distributors and online retailers for audiobooks.

They are working currently with over thirty retailers and library distributors. Your best choice to reach audiobook listeners worldwide! And so much easier to work with than to contact all these retailers separately, often only to learn that they are not dealing with author-publishers. Libraries definitely don’t!

Distribution can be a tricky path. Some retailers have self-service portals that are difficult to use, some require varying formats of audio files, metadata, and images that you may or may not have before they will accept your work.
You also would have to deal in foreign currencies, you often would have to pay high banking fees, do the accounting and controlling yourself, and in the worst-case run after your money – in a foreign country.

The benefit of working with only one worldwide distributor outweighs the 20% commission from your net revenue. See the example calculation of a $10 audiobook on their website:
https://findawayvoices.com/selling-audiobooks/#distributor-list

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Author’s Republic

Sell your books through retailers, distributors and library providers. Restrictions can make things tough for authors outside of North America. We accept submissions from rights holders all over the globe. You will receive 70 percent of what your audiobook earns across over 30 channels, including major distributors such as Audible, Audiobooks.com, and iTunes.

Forget about managing over a dozen different accounts. We display all your sales on a handy dashboard and cut you one monthly paycheck, too.

https://www.authorsrepublic.com/

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If You Want to Work Directly With Retailers:

Audiobooks.com and Downpour

They are the number two and number three audiobook only subscription services in the USA. With the rapid growth of the audiobook industry, it might be smart trying to get your self-published audiobooks on these two platforms.

It is likely that you’ll need to negotiate individually with both Audiobooks.com and Downpour if you hope to get your books on those platforms.
http://www.audiobooks.com/

Downpour’s audiobook service has been around since 2012. They are a company that developed one of the best audiobook subscriptions on the market.
https://www.downpour.com/

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CD Baby

This platform is best known for its distribution of indie music. By giving up a small portion of their royalties, indie musicians are able to post their albums to Amazon, iTunes, and other platforms. Since CD Baby doesn’t usually handle audiobooks, it places the books into Amazon’s spoken word category.

By circumventing Audible, the CD Baby method also keeps your books from being accessible through the convenient Audible app. If you plan on only selling your book directly to your fans, and you don’t want to deal with a file-sharing service, CD Baby may be a viable option for you.
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eBookIt

Want to be on ACX/Audible but you are in a country that doesn’t allow for it (worldwide web doesn’t exist for them…).  eBookIt is an ebook and audiobook aggregation service that lets you submit your book to get it on ACX no matter what country you reside in.

Audible is expanding as fast as the audiobook industry itself. Since eBookIt takes a fee for every sale, it may be worth waiting until Audible opens up in your country. If you can’t wait, and you want your book on Audible now, then eBookIt is a good way to make it happen.
https://www.ebookit.com/

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AudiobookStore

If you are an existing content partner of AudiobookSTORE.com, or if you have content you would like to see your title added to AudiobookSTORE.com This includes audiobook authors and publishers, as well as blog content and the like. please email to content@audiobookstore.com. Their representative will reply back to you within 48 hours.

https://audiobookstore.com/business-inquiries.aspx

This is just a shortlist of online retailers where authors can offer their audiobooks. For more opportunities check websites for “authors”, “publishers”, “business inquiries” or just “contact”.

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Selling From Your Own Website

In a former blog post and in my book marketing guides  “Successful Book Selling – the Non-Traditional Way” I explained that authors could sell books from their own website. What are your benefits:

1. You will have higher Revenues – Directly selling means you earn around 85% from your retail price

2. You get paid faster – You get paid before your customers download your audiobooks. Unlike working with online retailers, you don’t have to wait until you receive a statement months after your book was sold. The money for your books is right away in your account.

3. You will know your listeners – Selling your audiobook solely at online retailers, you will never know who orders and listens to your books no matter how many are sold. These are not your customers anymore, but the retailers’ and they won’t let you know any details about your customers.
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How to Set up an Online Audiobook Store

There are dozens of ready-to-go online stores available, called “e-commerce” which can be installed in your existing website or blog – relatively easy and quick. You have to have your own (hosted) website or blog – the paid versions – not a free website.

The e-commerce shops take a small fee every month. Some like Ecwid, for example, is free if you have less than 10 books to offer. E-Junkie provides a shopping cart and “buy-now” buttons to let you sell book downloads. They offer one week trials and their fees start with $5/month for less than 10 downloads. They also offer lots of features, such as tax and shipping calculators, discount management, affiliate management, etc.  Almost all e-commerce shops work with PayPal systems for secure and easy payments.


Check these e-Commerce providers out:

https://www.ecwid.com/pricing

https://www.e-junkie.com/

https://www.shopify.ca/sell/ebooks

https://squareup.com/ca/en/ecommerce

https://hummingbirddm.com/

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Choose the Best Audiobook Listening Experience

 

HeadSet-iPhone


Audiobooks which let you multitask, are a great way to listen to books while driving long distance, walking the dog, or laying on the beach. And certainly, a wonderful way for blind people to easily enjoy books.

Audiobooks can be listened to on an iPod or iPhone/SmartPhone or MP3 player, even on most e-readers such as Kindle and Nook or your laptop.  If you’ve never tried an audiobook, give it a go. You may be pleasantly surprised!  Or maybe get addicted. Here is where you can find audiobooks:

Libraries

Let’s start with free audiobooks at your local library.  Having a library card allows you to borrow an audiobook for free, but also via the Overdrive and Hoopla apps (both are library suppliers).  These digital files are on loan from the library, and you eventually have to return them, so someone else can check them out.

To get started, borrow an audiobook that’s available in the “OverDrive Listen” format from your library.  Then, click or tap the Listen (in your browser) button on your Checkouts page (under your Account) to begin listening to it immediately using OverDrive Listen.

Due to the distribution rights of publishers, libraries have a finite number of digital audiobook files they can lend to their users at any one time.  This is one of the downsides of using a free library service – if one of the titles you want to listen to is currently being used by another patron, you end up on the waiting list. You have to order them again or you may want to invest in a paid subscription.
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Kobo Audiobooks
$9.99 USD/month, £6.99 or CAD12.99 after a 30 day trial period – including a FREE audiobook.  You can cancel anytime.  Get one credit per month after trial, good for an audiobook of your choice regardless of price – choose from well over 100,000 titles.  Keep all your audiobooks forever, even if you cancel
Currently, audiobooks in English and French are available to Kobo customers living in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Audiobooks from Kobo are in MP3 or MP4 format.
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobooks

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Apple Books

They have a large selection, especially of popular audiobooks.  Apple Books has about as many titles and popular books as Audible.  However, you do have to purchase them.  There isn’t a membership program. Everything you need is in the Apple Books app.  You can search for, download, and sync audiobooks.  Be aware that their online pricing might change from day to day.
To browse audiobooks, open the Apple Books app and tap the Audiobooks, tab at the bottom of the screen.  Explore new, featured, and trending audiobooks, or tap the Browse button at the top of the screen to see all genres and book store sections.
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT208929

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NOOK Audiobooks
Everyone can listen with the free NOOK Audiobooks app.  One of the most popular apps, it’s free to install and use on most phones and tablets.  Get it for your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone or tablet.  And don’t miss the “Daily Find”. https://www.nookaudiobooks.com/
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Hibooks

A library of more than 100.000 Audiobooks.  Listen to over 5,000 titles – unlimited. Use coins to unlock additional titles.  Try free for three days. https://www.hibooks.com/

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Chapters-Indigo Canada
Find bestselling audiobooks from such authors as John Grisham, Michelle Obama, David Baldacci, Stuart Mclean, Bob Woodward or James Patterson at their website or in one of their many stores all over Canada.
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/audiobooks/

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Audiobooks
More than 125,000 incredible audiobooks which will take you anywhere you want to go.  Get your first audiobook for free!  Once you’ve finished your free trial, you’ll enjoy one audiobook every month for $14.95 (USD).  If one book just isn’t enough, you can buy additional credits at any time.  
Download or stream audiobooks on your smartphone or tablet with their free apps for iOS and Android.
https://www.audiobooks.com/

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Audio Books Now
Choose one bestseller premium audiobook for free with activation of the Club Pricing Plan 30 day free trial.  Club Pricing is a great way to save money on all your audiobook purchases.
With their monthly Club Plan, you’ll get the first audiobook you purchase each month at 50% Off, then you will receive the normal Club Price (35-40% off). And, if you do not use your 50% discount, it automatically rolls over to the next month.  You can cancel your monthly Club Plan at any time.
https://www.audiobooksnow.com/

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Scribd
You get more media options for less money (only $8.99) than with Audible – the membership also includes access to eBooks, magazines, sheet music, and documents.  Read free for 30 days.
After you spend your credits for the month, you can’t make additional purchases on the site.  It’s a good option for listeners who don’t get through more than one audiobook a month.
https://www.scribd.com/

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Playster
Playster’s monthly membership includes unlimited streaming and digital downloads, making it the best option if you listen to more than one book each month. Similar to the Netflix model, you get access to a library of eBooks, games, music, movies, and audiobooks, and you can use everything as much as you want, but you also lose access to it all when you cancel your membership.
https://www.playster.com/

Audible
Audible is a good choice if you listen to your favorite audiobooks over and over. This popular audiobook membership (with more than 300,000 titles) costs $14.95 per month.  The first book is free. It’s the best subscription service for its price, as long as you don’t listen to more than one or two audiobooks a month. Audible also has a plan that comes with two credits a month for only $11.48 per credit.  While other audiobook subscription sites only allow you to borrow books, the ones you download on Audible are yours to keep.  Even if you cancel your membership, you can still access your books on the app.  And if you don’t like a book – just swap it for free!
https://www.audible.com

Conclusion:
Audiobook services with memberships, such as Audible, Kobo, and Playster are valuable for avid audiobook readers, but Barnes & Noble’s Nook audiobooks might be the cheapest retail alternative for infrequent listeners.  Last but not least: make sure that whatever platform you choose is compatible with your computer, smartphone or tablet’s operating system.

 

This is a small excerpt from our latest title – aiming at readers, writers, narrators, and audiobook publishers:

Audio Books for Success
How to Create, Publish, and Market Your Audiobooks and Podcasts.

Available as eBook and in print:

https://books2read.com/u/bPRRyJ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W81MN2Z

https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1475989056

https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/audio-books-for-success

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/audio-books-for-success-doris-maria-heilmann/1132883497
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Equipment for Audiobook Narrators

Narrating

A friend of mine who started out as an amateur narrator, creating her own audiobooks, received so many offers from writer friends to narrate theirs, that she quit her day job.  She read everything she could get her hands on about this profession, started to take online workshops, and then went to a professional voice-over training school.
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High Demand
Narrator voices are increasingly in demand for commercials, cartoon characters, announcements, and most of all, to narrate audiobooks. Voice-over Artists artists are hired to sell, advise, or entertain, across a wide variety of media.
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The Basic Hardware Required is Rather Inexpensive
However, the quality of your voice-overs will only be as good as the methods you use to capture and control the sound.  To create a professional audiobook or to perform any voice-over jobs, you will want to look for quality studio equipment.  The essential components of an audiobook narrator studio are:
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Microphone
The quality of your microphone will have a large impact on the overall quality of your recordings.  A Dynamic Broadcast Microphone is generally used in radio broadcasting.  Dynamic Broadcast Microphones have a forgiving and warm sound, with slightly less detailed sounding upper frequencies.  It will be more forgiving when it comes to plosive sounds, and a little easier to work with, compared to Large Diaphragm Condenser microphone.   Additional equipment is required to use them with a computer.

Headphones
The narrator needs to be able to hear the material, so headphones are essential. It’s necessary to wear headphones when recording audiobooks because you don’t want the microphone to pick up sound from your speakers.
It’s necessary to wear headphones when recording voice-overs because you don’t want the microphone to pick up sound from your speakers.

Microphone Stand
When the mic stays in a fixed position on a mic stand, your recordings will be more consistent and even-sounding.

Shock Mount
A shock mount suspends the microphone and helps reduce unwanted vibrations and rumbling.  It eliminates most of the vibration and handling noise the mic would otherwise pick up.  The kind of shock mount you need depends entirely on what kind of microphone you’re using.

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Audiobook Narrator Tools

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Pop filters
Sometimes microphones pick up too much of the plosive and sibilant sounds that the mouth makes (“P” sounds pop and “S” sounds hiss).  A pop filter is a screen that diffuses these sounds.  It attaches to a microphone stand with a clamp. A short gooseneck runs from the clamp to the screen, so you can position it a couple of inches in front of the microphone capsule.  The screen diffuses rushing air created by these problematic plosive and sibilant sounds.

Acoustic Treatment
Being able to hear the ambiance of a room can be very distracting in a voice-over, so it must be controlled if you aim to achieve professional results.  Professional recording studios usually have a specially designed vocal booth that enables the engineers to record neutral sounding vocal tracks that are free of room ambiance.
One of the most cost-effective ways to cut down on room ambiance is to use an Isolation Filter.  An Isolation Filter is a curved baffle that surrounds the back and sides of a microphone with acoustic absorption material.

Software to Finish Audiobooks
The good thing about applying these tools in post-production is that you can experiment with them until you achieve the desired result.

  • If you prefer using audio software and you don’t mind creating a sound mix that’s entirely separate from the video edit, then you should use the audio program you are most familiar with.
  • Audio software plug-ins are useful for blending a recorded voice-over into a mix.  They help you to make better sounding voice-overs
  • Why adding sound effects and music to audiobooks?
    Attaching music, sound effects, and atmospheric sounds can really give your work a professional touch.

Read many more tips for narrators, voice-over artists, and videographers (with illustrations) in a helpful and comprehensive article by Sam Mallery from Explora:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/pro-audio/buying-guide/a-guide-to-voice-over-equipment

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Books by Doris-Maria Heilmann:

111 Tips to Create Impressive Videos:
How to Plan, Create, Upload and Market Videos 
https://www.books2read.com/u/3GYnpa
or https://www.amazon.com/dp/1988664241

 

111 Tips To Make Money With Writing
The Art of Making a Living Full-time Writing
An Essential Guide for More Income as Freelancer
https://books2read.com/u/bWZMjz
or https://www.amazon.com/dp/1988664187

 

111 Tips on How to Market Your Book for Free:
Detailed Plans and Smart Strategies for Your Book’s Success 
https://books2read.com/u/bMre1a

 

111 Tips to Get Free Book Reviews:
Best Strategies for Getting Lots of Great Reviews 
plus 1,200+ reviewer contact links 
https://books2read.com/u/bzarl2
(worldwide from Apple, B&N, Kobo to Tolino) or here:
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B01M2Y3E5W/

 

111 Tips to Create Your Book Trailer
How to Create, Where to Upload and How to Market Your Videos 
https://books2read.com/u/mVZkjr

Book Marketing on a Shoestring:
How Authors Can Promote their Books Without Spending a Lot of Money 
https://books2read.com/u/mZ5gdp

13 Tips on How to Market Your Audiobook

Audiobook


Similar to market your print or ebook: start promoting your audiobook long before it is produced.  
Let your future listeners participate in every step of your audiobook adventure via your blog articles.

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Create Your Blog Story
Write about your search for the production company – or if you narrate it yourself about the training sessions, the equipment purchase including what you pay for each piece or the software you have to buy.

If you go with a professional narrator, let your readers know about the search, and add links to voice samples.  Offer them a survey (with your future audiobook as a prize for a randomly picked winner) in order to find the most popular narrator.

Write about the sign-up process with the narrator/production company.  Don’t be shy to mention the quoted price to let your listeners know about the investment you make with your audiobook.  Post, link and tweet frequently about the blog articles you wrote about the audiobook creation process.

Once the recording is finished, write another article about the mastering and editing process.  And finally, a blog post to announce the audiobook launch and where your latest title is available for sale.
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Giveaway Codes
Giveaway your ACX, Findaway, Authors Republic, etc codes to interested listeners. Get them hooked on your audiobooks so they’ll tell others. Word of mouth – or word of mouse? Check out this inexpensive service: https://audiobookboom.com/authors

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Find Audiobook Reviewers
Ask all your readers, listeners and giveaway recipients to write an honest review for your title. See also the chapter “reviewers” in our upcoming book where else you can find audiobook reviewers (more than two dozen websites, one carries even the direct email addresses of hundreds of audiobook reviewers).
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Interviews
Host your narrator on your blog for an interview.  If your narrator has a blog, ask if they will interview you.  Create a podcast during these interviews and post it on social media.
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Announce Your Audiobook in Your Newsletter
Inform your newsletter mailing list about your audiobook release and add a link to your podcast with a short excerpt of your audiobook.
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Important: List Your Audiobook Everywhere
List your audiobook not only on your blog and website and ask your followers to re-post it on their own website too. For sure, you are a Goodreads member, so list your new audiobook there too – and on Shelfari and LibraryThing, two popular book lover websites.
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Join Audiobook Groups
Join all the audiobook groups you can find on Goodreads, Facebook, also follow and join Karin Commins’ member list of audiobook lovers and reviewers.
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Improve Your Author Platform:

  • Include a link to your (audio)books on your email signature.
  • Post in forums to show your expertise
  • Write articles that can be reprinted in e-zines
  • Offer to speak at a library event about the audiobook creation process.
  • Set up an e-commerce page on your website and sell your audiobooks there (unless you are exclusive with ACX)

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Contact AudioBookRadio
You might have heard about this free internet radio station, broadcasting a varied and compelling range of spoken word content 24/7.  The company has now expanded.  This way, it can produce, acquire and broadcast a greater and more current depth of material.  http://audiobookradio.net/

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Using these strategies will improve your success in marketing your audiobooks – especially when you record your future audiobook independently and without an exclusive ACX contract…

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Excerpt of our upcoming book:
Audio Books for Success – 
How to Create, Publish, and Market Your Audiobooks and Podcasts

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Can You Afford to Produce an Audiobook?

Audio-Book-Tips

Producing an audiobook is like building a new home: your choices dictate your final cost.  Questions for authors might be: How much do I need to pay up front?  What are the long-term costs?  How long will it take to recoup my investment?  Get tips in an excerpt from our upcoming book “Audiobooks for Success”.

There are three ways to create an audiobook:

  • Narrate your book yourself
  • Enter into a revenue share agreement with a narrator
  • Pay a flat “per hour” rate to have your book produced

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Reasons for Narrating Your Own Audiobook:

  • You know the vision you have for your book better than anyone
  • No one is going to care more about “doing it right” than you
  • You understand the tone
  • You know how to pronounce all of the names and words in your book
  • You might save a lot of money by narrating your own book, especially if you have multiple books

ACX explains: “Narrating your own book can be a rewarding, satisfying way to bring the creative process full circle. When you narrate your own book, all of your audiobook’s revenue goes to you.
You know your characters, your story or subject, and your words better than anyone else. Narrating is a creative way of expressing your thoughts to listeners, just like articulating them on paper is a way to express yourself to readers.”

Using your computer and some basic recording equipment? Then get valuable advice on creating your own home studio:

https://krystalwascher.com/blog-audiobooks-for-authors/how-to-record-an-audiobook-to-sell-on-audible
https://www.acx.com/help/setup/202008260
https://robdircks.com/yes-you-can-record-your-own-audiobook-heres-how/

Best Audio Editing Software
https://techwiser.com/audio-editing-software/

And watch these videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnTC-FYeLkg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBqQcoPoyBs

 

Revenue Sharing Agreement With a Narrator
Audible’s Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) is practically the only way for an author to produce an audiobook with a professional narrator and have no up-front costs. However, in this case, authors must make their audiobook exclusive for 7 years! ACX also is a completely free service to both authors and narrators.

Traditionally, publishers have paid narrators, sound engineers, and proof listeners on a per-finished-hour (PFH) basis.  But studio time may be charged in real hours.  The general rule of thumb is that at least 6.2 hours of time are required to produce that one finished-hour.  The 6.2 hours covers the recording, editing, proofing, and mastering needed to create the retail-ready product.  Given the number of people involved and the studio rental costs, there are production quotes of $5,000 or even more, depending on the length of the book.

On ACX, the narrator is also the producer who is responsible for all phases of production.  Most narrators on ACX have created a home recording studio and do not charge a separate fee for its use.  The narrator may do her or his own editing, proofing and mastering, or hire someone to do those tasks.
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How Much to Pay Up Front?
If you want to pay nothing up front, you could post your book on ACX under a royalty share (RS) contract.  Many authors think of this type of production as “free,” but it’s really a deferred payment where the costs of production are repaid to the narrator over time through the royalties paid by Audible.  Choosing this option means:

You must choose an EXCLUSIVE distribution with Audible, which includes Amazon SOLELY.  You won’t be able to sell your audiobook on any other website—including your own—you won’t be able to sell it on CD, and it won’t be available to libraries.

*****You will split the royalties paid by Audible 50-50 with the narrator for the seven-year distribution period.  Under the current terms, each of you would earn 20 percent of the royalties paid in that timeframe.*****

Narrators also must cover up-front costs: they must pay the editor and proofer at the time service is rendered.  Since a narrator could easily stay in the red for quite a long time on a royalty-split project, most experienced narrators are reluctant or may even refuse to consider a royalty-split contract.

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Audiobooks

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Flat Fee “per hour” Rate 
Alternately, you could decide to pay the production costs up-front by hiring a narrator on a per-finished-hour (PFH) contract.  This option that lets the author retain all the royalties.  This choice is especially attractive when your ebook usually sells 1,000 or more copies a month.

Experienced narrators charge between $200 and $400 per finished hour.  At $200 PFH, a narrator would send a $2,000 invoice for complete production of a 10-hour audiobook.  To select non-exclusive distribution with FindawayVoices or Audible,  choose a PFH contract.  You receive the full revenue (minus distribution fees) and you can sell your audiobook wherever you want!

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Any Long-term Costs?
Although a royalty-split contract initially seems ideal to authors, many indie authors get frustrated with it over time for several reasons.  The author earns only half of the available royalties for seven years and is bound for seven years to Audible distributions only.  On the other hand, a PFH contract has no long-term costs.  The author pays once for the production, retains all royalties and has the freedom of choice in distribution options.

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Re-Couping the Investment?
Audible pays monthly royalties based on the amount it received for each unit sold, not the title’s purchase price. Audible member credits are worth about $10 each and account for the most sales. Special sales and currency exchange rates affect the proceeds – and the resulting royalties.

For a 10-hour book, Audible pays about $4 in royalties per unit sold.  On a PFH contract, the author keeps the entire royalty amount.  On a royalty-split contract, the author can expect to earn only half of the available royalties, or around $2 per audiobook sold. 

For example, using a $200 PFH contract, the author pays $2,000 for production costs of a 10-hour audiobook.  After selling only an estimated 500 units of the audiobook, the author would break even from the royalty payments.  From that point forward, all remaining audiobook sales would generate a pure profit of around $4 in royalties paid per unit sold.

With the enormous increase of devoted audiobook listeners and press coverage about the audiobook industry, can you afford to NOT produce audiobooks of your titles?

Read More:
https://www.savvybookwriters.com/alternative-to-acx-for-your-audio-book/
https://self-publishingschool.com/creating-audiobook-every-author-know/
https://krystalwascher.com/blog-audiobooks-for-authors/how-much-does-it-cost-to-create-an-audiobook

 

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Creating an Audiobook on a Shoestring

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by Patrick Jones, Author of The Wolf’s Moon

Audio-Book

http://www.audible.com/pd/Mysteries-Thrillers/The-Wolfs-Moon-Audiobook/B013TNC3H2
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The Wolf’s Moon has been on the market for the past three years and is still holding its own.  I sent copies to my brothers only to find out unless there are pictures with the words, well… you can imagine the rest.  Then, I met a fourth-grade teacher who told me she no longer had time to read novels anymore. Rachel said she did miss that part of her life, but her kids came first – as well they should.

My plight was how to reach people who just did not read for whatever the reason. After spending some hours talking with my wife, she suggested that we again look into an audio book.
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Creating an audiobook takes a rather long-term commitment to follow-through with the project.  It requires due diligence in learning everything you can about the world of audiobook publishing and it has the same learning curve as print or eBook author publishing.  Anyone who dives headfirst into this career choice is committed to a lifetime of learning about the publishing industry.
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In the following article, I will touch on important points to consider during your path how to create your audiobook masterpiece.
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Is your book ready for audio?
Remember, the book itself must be well on its way to popularity by the use of various marketing techniques. Branding is a critical technique so that your followers recognize all of your works.
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Are you ready for audio?
This project takes time and a lot of critical thinking about bringing the book to life. For example, one must choose the narrator who is capable of transforming the written words from reading to listening pleasure, an entirely different platform altogether.
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You now have a new audience to court in addition to everything else!
Do readers necessarily like to listen to audiobooks? Some yes, some no. Audiobook lovers have their very own niche! It is critical to read everything you can get your hands on in order to understand the audio niche.
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How do you choose the right narrator?
This is critical in the creation of the story you wish to tell.  Storytelling is the most important function you will provide to the reader.  Please refer to my post about Storytelling by Sarah-Jane Murray (used by permission).
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Thus, the narrator that you choose must be exactly what you are looking for. You are prompted to describe what you are looking for insofar as the accent, a regional accent, language, man, woman and so on. It is actually a fun process to begin to hear your book come to life. ACX Audible has a wealth of narrators from which you can interview. They direct you how to upload a sample reading for the narrator. At that point, you can accept or reject that audition and move on to the next narrator. Please note…this is NOT an easy task and takes quite some time to choose the right fit for your book. Luckily, we auditioned two excellent narrators that ACX selected from our specifications.

We chose Mark Westfield with Westfield Audio Arts.  He is an independent contractor that owns his own business. To read about Mark Westfield, please refer to this SNEAK PEAK blog post.

If you would like to contact Mark Westfield to produce your audiobook you can contact him at Mark@WestfieldAudioArts.com

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The Wolf’s Moon by Patrick Jones is exclusive on Amazon, thus available on KDP.  We have 114 reviews with a rating of 4.3 at Amazon.  We published in 2012 and it is now 2015… so we weren’t ready to consider audiobooks for 3 years.
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However, in which stage of book publishing you are in, you must consider the possibility early on so as to capitalize on every piece of information you can gather.  We began the audiobook publishing process at the beginning of 2015.  We had previously entertained looking at other audiobook production vendors, thus having a rudimentary idea of what we were looking at.
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We ultimately chose ACX Audible as the vendor of choice.  Why, you ask?

  • Vendor recognition and popularity in the industry
  • An Amazon subsidiary
  • Education and literature accessibility
  • Prompt response
  • Phone support
  • A wealth of narrators to choose from
  • And last, but not least, the cost.  Audiobooks can be a very expensive proposition.  At ACX Audible, we created an audiobook for no initial outlay of funds.  However, we do share the rights for 7 years with Amazon on a 60/40 proposition…the 60% royalty goes to Amazon; the 40% royalty is split between the author and the narrator.  There is also a $50 “bounty” program for attracting new audiobook listeners to Audible (also split between the author and the narrator).  Make sure to study your contract before you sign on the dotted line. There are also other packages at ACX Audible to produce your audiobook, all differing in cost to the author. The Wolf’s Moon chose to share the royalties for 7 years. Please refer to the article on the ACX blog for further information:
    http://blog.acx.com/2015/07/14/you-kept-your-audiobook-rights-now-what/
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    Now, you may ask yourself: “Why in the world would someone want to give up 80% of their royalties in order to produce an audiobook?”
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  • The audiobook royalties are just that – only applying to the audiobook itself, not your original book royalties.  The production cost of an audiobook can run into the thousands of dollars on other platforms.
  • The audiobook is available on 3 platforms, ACX Audible, Amazon, iTunes for better market penetration. In other words, this ALSO markets your book
  • SEO (Search Engine Optimization) – Now your “buzz” is logarithmic
  • Support narrators worldwide…they are very special because they have the talent to “become” the book and bring it to life…plus, they have to work directly with you which is not always easy!
  • Amazon is still the largest book dealer and owns virtually everything with Jeff Bezos as the CEO
  • Exclusivity with ACX Audible as well as Amazon
  • More books, more audiobooks, more “buzz” for SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
  • A wonderful gift to leave to other generations when you are gone
  • Bringing your book to life is the most indescribable feeling when you hear it
  • PLUS…when you produce the audiobook, the narrator also finds errors in your book because they have to read it thoroughly and create the atmosphere, thus another edit per se, although then you have to go back and re-Kindle the book for the errors
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A new adventure begins…

For more information about audio-book production, links and addresses, please see the following blog post: http://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/09/30/how-else-can-you-leverage-your-manuscript/

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Thank you for taking the time to digest all of the information above!
The Linden Chronicles is the home of The Wolf’s Moon by Patrick Jones. We have reached this point in our adventure and will periodically update you on the progress as we make it.  We also thought we would never get to this point, but the release is this week in August 2015!  How exciting is that?

If you would like to purchase this brand new audiobook at
http://www.audible.com/pd/Mysteries-Thrillers/The-Wolfs-Moon-Audiobook/B013TNC3H2
and if you wish to write a review, I would be most humbled.

For assistance with writing audiobook reviews:
http://blog.acx.com/2014/12/17/the-elements-of-a-well-reviewed-audiobook/

 

Authors: never, ever give up!
Pat Jones

Copyright © 2015 Patrick Jones