Are Audiobooks For You? 

“Do you offer audiobooks?”

 

Authors ask me that question on a regular basis.

 

But are they right for you—and if so, how do you turn your book into an audiobook?

 

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Audiobook Sales Are Up! 

Audio books are all the rage, right now. In 2020, sales on audiobooks reached $1.3 billion. I haven't seen any statistics for 2021, however, I'm sure the pandemic spurred higher sales, just like it did across the board in publishing.

 

Up to this point, we haven’t offered audiobooks as an option because I haven’t been convinced our authors will get a return on their investment.

 

However, my mind is beginning to change.

 

Royalties on audiobooks generally run around 25%, so an audio book priced at $18.99 will bring you a royalty of $4.75. That’s a healthy return.

 

Why Release an Audio Book?

Audiobooks broaden your reach. Nonreaders—people who wouldn’t otherwise buy your book—are already conditioned to listening. Think about the proliferation of podcasts. They’re the same people who would listen to an audiobook.  

 

However, turning a book into an audiobook can be a daunting process, and few authors know how the audiobook industry works.

 

Six Ingredients You Need To

Transform Your Book Into A Great Audiobook

Okay, let's jump in to how you can create an audio book. Here's what you need:

 

1. The Right Equipment in the Right Location.

To record an audiobook, you need a microphone, audio recording software, headphones, a soundboard, and a comfortable (but not squeaky) chair for the narrator. If you are contracting with a studio, they will have this equipment.

 

Not every recording studio is suitable for recording audiobooks. Recording an audiobook is different from recording an album and requires expertise. Make sure you choose a professional recording studio with experience in audiobooks.

 

Your recording location also needs to be insulated and quiet. In general, studio locations near heavy road traffic, railways, air traffic, or construction will cause noise that even the best soundproofing can’t block out.

 

Many people have also found success by purchasing the necessary equipment and creating their own home recording studios. If you record in your own home studio, choose an interior room in the house such as a closet and line that space with blankets, soundproof drywall, foam, or other soundproofing materials.

 

2. A Voice

The narrator voices your audiobook—and many narrators are available. Keep in mind that narrating involves much more than simply reading a book aloud. You want someone who can read with the right tone, provide different voices for characters, enunciate clearly and correctly, and speak without making too many errors. Narrators who continually mumble and stumble over their words make the recording and editing processes arduous.

 

 

You can contract with narrators directly on the Audible Content Exchange (ACX—they're owned by Amazon) to produce audiobooks, or you can contract with an audiobook production company that will handle the entire process from creation to distribution.

 

The former costs less and generally produces lower quality books, while the latter costs more money and is generally higher quality.

 

Remember, the narrator is the voice of your book. In many ways, they represent you. For this reason, choosing the right narrator is one of the most important steps in the process.

 

If you want to narrate the book yourself, first record a rough draft and then ask a few people to give you an honest opinion of your skills.

 

I know a former well-known politician in the Denver area who tried his hand at recording audiobooks—and he wasn’t very good. I advised him to consider a different vocation.

 

When done well, author who narrates their audiobooks can offer the best listener experience. However, if you have little experience in this area, recognize that you may not be the best person for the job.

 

3. An Audiobook Engineer
An audiobook engineer sits on the other side of the booth in a typical studio environment. They operate the soundboard, listen to the narrator, and follow along in the manuscript.

 

It’s important to have an engineer who is experienced with audiobooks and comfortable with alerting the narrator about mistakes. This upfront quality check makes things much easier in the editing and proofing phases and ensures a high-quality product.

 

An experienced narrator can also play the part of the engineer and record themselves. If you choose this route, make sure that the narrator has a good track record of producing high-quality work.

 

Unless you have experience as an audiobook engineer, don't do this yourself.

 

Read that again.

 

4. Editing and Proofing

Every audiobook needs editing just like every book needs copyediting. But instead of smoothing the grammar and correcting the spelling errors, audiobook editing involves removing extraneous noises like smacking lips, chair creaks, long periods of silence, etc.

 

Audiobooks also benefit from being sent to a proofer, who listens to the audiobook while looking at the manuscript and marking errors.

 

Depending on the seriousness of the errors, the narrator may need to rerecord portions of the audiobook. This is a normal part of audiobook recording and should be expected, even with skilled and experienced narrators.

 

5. Distribution

Finished audiobooks need to be posted for distribution so people can buy and listen to them. ACX is the most widely used platform for creating and distributing audiobooks.

You can also post your audiobook for sale on Apple Books or Google Play, or contract with a site like Findaway.com to make your audiobook.

 

But the most important ingredient for audiobook success…

 

6. Knowledge

You can dive into ins and outs of audiobooks and learn everything you need to know. But still, it doesn’t guarantee the finished product is going to be good.

 

Similar to the vast majority of people who try to publish books themselves, there’s just too many details and abilities required to pull it off.

 

That’s why I recommend working with a professional who will help you bring your audiobook to life.

 

Now, you can go the cheap route, like ACX or Fiverr, but you’re going to get what you pay for.

 

Recently, we added McKenzie Fetters to our stable of talented professionals. She’s an experienced narrator who has agreed to assist our authors through the audiobook process.

 

If you'd like to learn more about bringing your audiobook to the market, or if you'd like to learn more about how to bring your book idea to the masses, you can schedule a strategy call by clicking here.

Let’s bring your book to life!