As a writer who publishes his own books, any way to get to an audience and make additional sales is of value. About 6-months ago I thought I would have a shot at audiobooks via ACX – Amazon’s audiobook platform. Today, I sold my 500th audiobook! I am reaching a different audience using the audiobook as well and I do think that is helping book sales generally. I am on for a record year and currently have 4 books in the UK supernatural top 50 including an audio book!
The ACX program is a bit rigid but it is quite easy to navigate. Firstly, you sign up for your account and then you identify your books – those you want to create audiobooks with anyway. Then, you look for a talent to read the book either paying them a fixed fee (hourly rate) or by splitting royalties with them 50:50. I do the latter as I think it puts some skin in the game and encourages the vocal talent to market the books too. You then pick exclusive or non-exclusive distribution with a significant penalty on non-exclusive, fill out some other details and off you go. If you go exclusive and royalty share then your take is 20% – not brilliant but just about OK.
You can look for voice talent two ways. Either open it up for audition and select one or go looking for what you like and offer the book to the talent you prefer. I now do the latter. You will set up a sample to be read and when that is approved, the entire book. Then you wait until all the files are up to check they sound OK etc. and then you hit the button… a few days later you have an audiobook out! You will get a bunch of free codes to use to market the book too and, you get paid on those!
So here is the list of my audiobooks right now with release date and sales just for fun as of today –
The Art of Science (poetry experiment) – released 9/3/2015 – 6 sales
My Haunted Life Too – released 9/15/2015 – 243 sales
Ghosts In The Machines – released 12/30/2015 – 37 sales
How To Create Your Own Reality – released 1/28/2106 – 48 sales
God’s Pretenders – released 2/19/2016 – 21 sales
My Haunted Life – released 3/14/2016 – 92 sales
The Pink Bus – released 3/31/2016 – 15 sales
Your Haunted Lives – released 5/4/2016 – 30 sales
And…..
Coming very soon
And…..
Also in progress
My Haunted Life 3
The Last Observer
As you can see, I now put every book out on audio too.
By the way, there is an extra reward for bringing new subscribers and it is $50 shared between the author and voice – I have hit that jackpot 5 times already!
I like this program.
