Monday, April 27, 2015

Publishing an Audiobook

             To Have An Audiobook Made - Or Not!




After deliberating for a long time, I signed up to have one of my books done as an audio book on ACX.com. I added the book to their site and waited for narrators to sign up for an audition. And waited. And waited.  ACX recommended I listen to samples from various narrators and ask the ones whose work I liked if they would be interested in recording my book. 
           There are two ways of paying a narrator. The first is by a percent of the royalties received, which is 20%, (the author also receives 20%) or pay them an hourly wage rather than a royalty. Narrators who only work for an hourly fee specify that in their information. If you pay the narrator an hourly rate, then you will receive the entire 40% royalty. 
Narrators who only work on a PFH rate, per finished hour, charge anywhere from $50 to $200 or more PFH. So the longer your book, the more expensive to pay by PFH.
            After making two separate attempts to get my book narrated by splitting the royalties, both narrators fizzled out after a few chapters! Then, by surprise, I got a message from ACX that my book had been awarded a stipend. I knew about stipends as one of the narrators I’d tried to work with had asked me if my book had one. I applied to ACX for a stipend at that time and was turned down.
            Suddenly, I had dozens of narrators asking to audition for my book. A stipend, paid by ACX to the narrator, gives them a salary of $1,000 for narrating the book and they also get paid the royalties. So for a narrator, a good deal. For the author, it is an opportunity to have a really great narrator record your book.
            I listened to dozens of voices before selecting a narrator, and oddly enough, I chose the very first one who responded, KC Cowan.              
    
KC did a lot of theater acting in the 90’s and believes that her acting talent really helps her do all the voices in a novel. It’s quite different from the “instructional” voice she uses for animated training videos. KC says, “No matter HOW GOOD an audition I do, if my voice doesn’t match the one in the author’s head, I won’t get the gig! But when I do get hired, invariably, the author will at some point say, ‘your voice is JUST how I hear my heroine in my head.’” 

              I can certainly confirm KC’s quote. Her voice was perfect for my main character, Lisa Rayburn, who is a psychologist and in her early forties. The book has another main character who speaks with an unusual dialect, and KC did a super job with it. And with male characters! I was thrilled with her abilities for narrating my novel, She’s Not There, which was my first suspense novel, and first in the TJ Peacock & Lisa Rayburn series.

A few tips on using ACX

-       I didn’t find their site to be very user-friendly. But they do give their phone number and their customer service is excellent.

-       When you contract with a narrator to do your book, get an agreement on when the book will be finished. Don’t lose touch with your narrator, check on the progress regularly.

-       ACX lists the requirements for a book being considered for a stipend. Check them to see if your book is eligible.

-       I highly recommend picking up a copy of the eBook, Audiobooks for INDIES, by Simon Whistler. He explains in great detail all the steps involved in doing an audiobook on ACX.  http://goo.gl/gMbLYJ


Dear Readers,

A lot more could be said here about doing audiobooks, but I didn’t want to bore you with too much information. Please comment if you have a question or an opinion. Again, download a copy of Whistler’s book if you’re considering doing one. It has a wealth of information on the subject.

Thanks for stopping by,


Marla

10 comments:

  1. How many books did you sell as a result of this audio experience?
    Was it worth it?

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    1. That's hard to say, because I'm also doing other things to promote my books. Not
      sure if people who listen to audiobooks also buy and read books. Tend to think it is
      separate.
      Marla

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  2. HI Marla, I've found this article very helpful since I am considering making an audio book for my collection of poetry. Thanks a lot for sharing. Question- Can you estimate the amount of time it took for the project to get done (the book to be up for sale) from when you first contacted ACX?

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    Replies
    1. Hi,
      The best advice on time, is when you first get a contract with a narrator, set a timeline with then and be sure ACX has it too. I had two that didn't work out because they went on forever and when I finally gave up on them, they didn't care.
      I asked two friends who have audios on ACX. One said hers took only about a month. The other said her first one took about 6 months and now with the same narrator it isn't done and been about 9 months. A lot of times personal problems get in the way, but maybe if you set a timeline it will go faster.
      A lot depends on how motivated your narrator is!
      Good luck with it, and if you do one, let us know how it goes,
      Marla

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    2. Interesting to hear an author's perspective. Every book I've done on acx, I've gotten the offer electronically & it already has the deadlines inserted. Marla, was there a point at which the system ASKED you what dates to put in? I'm guessing everyone would like their book done "yesterday," but it seems like most of the project deadlines I get correlate with about a one-hr-of-finished-audio-per-wk deadline offered, & I just click "OK." It never occurred to me that that was negotiable.

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    3. Hi Face4,
      I think that there is a point where the author states a deadline. On the two that went on forever (and then died) I was very generous with my timeline as I was in no hurry.I have to admit that I don't find the ACX site to be very user friendly, and I had to make a few calls along the way. I think I should have watched things more closely, but really hated to keep pressuring the narrators. I think I just happened to pick two who had too many life interferences with their narration work.
      Working with the stipend had an ACX-enforced deadline, so no problem with that, of course.
      I do have other friends who did not run into the problem I did.
      Don't know about "negotiability" but I know the two I tried to use, didn't honor the dates. Once, one asked for more time, but that was a joke, too. It sounds like you're doing it the right way!
      Thanks for your feedback,
      Marla

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  3. Excellent post, Marla. Answered some questions I have. Thank you.

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    Replies
    1. Good to know it helped. Good luck with your writing,
      Marla

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  4. I found the site difficult to use and somehow ended up in a deal where the narrator was going to be getting 60% of the royalties. I decided against doing an audio book unless and until I had an agent to put it all together.

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    Replies
    1. I agree, the site is not easy to use! I think 40% is what the authors usually get. Some authors do make a good profit with their audiobooks, though. I haven't made a lot on mine, but some. Let us know about it if you do. Have a good week,
      Marla

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