Audiobooks in 2019: What You Need to Know

Will Dages from Findaway Voices shares insights and information about the growing market of audiobooks.

The audiobook market has seen remarkable double-digit growth every year for the past decade. We don't see it slowing down any time soon.

High-profile players continue to enter and invest in the audiobook space. Google Play, Kobo, and Walmart are all raising awareness and new options for listeners, and all started selling audiobooks in the past year.

If you've been thinking about creating an audiobook, or selling your audiobook wider, there's never been a better time. 

High-profile players continue to enter and invest in the audiobook space. Google Play, Kobo, and Walmart are all raising awareness and new options for listeners, and all started selling audiobooks in the past year.

If you've been thinking about creating an audiobook, or selling your audiobook wider, there's never been a better time.

How much does it cost to make an audiobook?

We get this question so much we built an audiobook cost calculator. Check it out—it's fun!

The cost of an audiobook production depends on two key factors: the length of the finished audiobook, and the cost of the narrator.

As a rule of thumb, nine thousand words will record to about 1 hour of audio. This means that a 65,000 word novel will end up being around a 7 hour audiobook. If a narrator charges $200 per finished hour, that production will cost you $1,400.

It's important to note that audiobook productions are billed based on the length of the finished audio, not the amount of work that goes in to creating that audio. It can often take a professional 3–5 hours of work to produce one finished hour of audio for an audiobook. When you see PFH next to a rate, that's what it means: $200 Per Finished Hour.

Narration is more than standing in front of a microphone and talking for 9 hours. It's a performance job—the narrator has to keep voices, accents, and intonations consistent across the entire recording, even when sessions may be split between days or weeks. Recording has to happen in sonically-clean environments, usually small studios that can be quite cramped and hot (microphones can hear the hum of an air conditioner). There are strict technical standards for audiobooks that can be intimidating. Some narrators handle their own editing and mastering, and others sub-contract it out, baking that cost into their rate.

Narrating a book sounds like a fun job at first glance, but it can be grueling. Hiring an experienced professional is well worth it.

How To Make An Audiobook

So how much time, effort, and energy is it going to take to make your audiobook? At Findaway Voices, we've worked hard to make it as simple as possible. Most productions are complete in about 6 weeks, with minimal effort from an author.

The first step is filling out a questionnaire about your book. We have a casting team that uses your answers to pair you with the perfect narrator for your book. We'll recommend 5–10 narrators in a personalized casting list where you're able to see rates, bios, and listen to samples. When you have a few top choices, we'll coordinate auditions so you can hear them read a small section of your book.

Once you find the perfect narrator, we help guide you through the rest of the process. The narrator hits the studio with your finalized manuscript, and you enter your audiobook's metadata and choose where you want your audiobook to sell. As the narrator uploads audio files to the website, you're notified that they're ready for review. Once you've approved the audio, you pay for the production and we get to work sending the audiobook to every retailer you've chosen.

Selling Your Audiobook

There's no point in making an audiobook if it doesn't sell. It used to be that Audible was the only player in town. Times have changed. Audible is still a major player, but there are a lot of companies innovating with different target customers, different business models, and different listening experiences.

Findaway Voices is the wide option for audiobook distribution. We help your audiobook reach about 30 storefronts all over the world. Some are big names like Apple, Google, and Audible. Others aren't household names, but have strong presences in libraries or international markets. They span different business models and target different types of audiobook listeners. Some are taking big bets in monster markets, others are taking lots of small bets in multiple niche markets.

The diversity is healthy, and is exposing audiobooks to more listeners than ever before. Consumers continue to have more options for listening experiences, more ways to discover and buy audiobooks, and they are increasingly expecting books to have an audio version. Will your audiobook be there when someone searches for it?

The Seven Year Itch!

Leaving a comment on this blog puts you in the drawing for a copy of By Design  http://a.co/eN0PQg as well as this lovely pillow.

By: Marcia King-Gamble

www.lovemarcia.com

What a difference seven years makes. Who would have thought that seven years ago the world of traditional publishing would have changed. The difficult decision was to keep plugging away writing proposals that were either rejected, or if accepted, the advances were abysmal.  It was either keep at it, hoping advances would increase, or wait out the rejections.

By then, I’d traditionally published over twenty five books, and admittedly I was something of a snob. I’d been published by Kensington, BET, St. Martin’s Press and Harlequin. I had come a long way from the woman who’d read for the Harlequin/Silhouette line in the early nineties. I was one of their readers (freelance) for seven years. I took  a deep, hopeful breath and went the Indie route. What choice did I have? It was either remain a snob, accept the paltry advances the publishers were offering, or not get published at all.

In 2012 my first self-published book Real Temptation was released.  Real Temptation was a story I hadn’t been able to sell.  I’d come up with the idea of a romance set in the world of a reality television show. Here’s the blurb you’ll find on Amazon - http://a.co/8SBUnXN

Rae Tyson is way over her head in credit card debt. Her personal assistant’s salary isn’t covering the bills.

Kael Whittingham’s ex wife turned him into the IRS. Now the IRS wants big bucks.

Can shopaholic, Rae and no-nonsense, Kael share the same living space?

$100,000 is the deal maker. But is the reality television show's reward more tempting than their sensual encounters? 

Encounters that leave them wanting more...much more.  

Following that effort was Truly Mine. This time I took the easy way out.  Rather than starting a new book, I republished my first book.  I’d gotten the rights back and with a little sprucing up, a change of cover, and title, Remembrance became Truly Mine.

Here’s an excerpt:

“Hey, Girlfriends!” The shout came from above. All four looked up and there she was. True to form Kimberly Morgan-Smith-Goldberg-Daniels-Rosellini – Morgan was surrounded by men. Even now Kim’s elaborately braided head peeked over the shoulder of a man so amazingly handsome, he made movie star Denzel Washington look like a troll. Rendered speechless, Charlie’s lips formed into an 0. Oh, God! Devin Spencer!

Time and place ceased to exist. Charlie no longer saw Kim. She’d been transported to a balmy spring day at Mount Merrimack. She’d sat next to that same man on a rolling green lawn, enjoying his kisses. Back the he was only a boy, barely nineteen and as gorgeous than ever. Plain old Charlie Canfield, zits and all had snared Mount Merrimack’s most eligible jock.

I had no idea what I was doing when I wrote that first book. I just knew I had to write it from the heart. Filled with mistakes, it remains one of more popular books.

Following that, I released Mine Forever, another book I had written and gotten the rights back to. It was the sequel to (Remebrance, re-titled Truly Mine.) In my traditionally published life, Mine Forever was titled A Reason to Love.

Several other self-published books and novellas followed, and not necessarily in the below order:

Baby, I want you          http://a.co/f8restY

Just You                        http://a.co/hpm3ZiL

Seducing Circe             http://a.co/6FVurHG

Islands Apart                http://a.co/aZS2TA0

His Call                        http://a.co/hKCjONp

Tempting Andie           http://a.co/i1cOjBr

His Golden Heart         http://a.co/4ZrQ2if

Loose in Las Vegas      http://a.co/hQCSPM

Naughty in New York  http://a.co/eADACoj

Rockin’ the Rockies     http://a.co/9MYnQ8z

And By Design,  http://a.co/eN0PQg my recent collaboration with Sandra Kitt

Going from traditionally published to Indie was a huge change, and a challenge. I was a business owner which meant I was in charge of marketing, promotion and distribution. But it was a change for the better, and a change that has helped me grow as an author.

A year and a half ago, four of my books were bought by Audible, and I continue to collaborate with several authors to produce books that would never have been published traditionally. When you traditionally publish, you are asked to produce  work that fits the guidelines of a particular publishing house.  .  

Now I enjoy the freedom of writing about topics that are near and dear to my heart. Yes, change is good and frees you to create projects you never thought you could!

About Marcia King-Gamble

Romance writer, Marcia King-Gamble originally hails from a sunny Caribbean island where the sky and ocean are the same mesmerizing shade of blue. This former travel industry executive and current world traveler has spent most of life in the United States. A National Bestselling author, Marcia has penned over 34 books and 8 novellas. Her free time is spent at the gym, traveling to exotic locales, and caring for her animal family.

Visit Marcia at www.lovemarcia.com or “friend” her on Facebook: http://bit.ly/1MlnrIS

Listen To Your Book

As a writer, I spend a lot of time staring at a screen. This is on top of my day job which also involves working at a computer 8 hours per day. So no matter how much I love reading, sometimes my eyes have had enough. That’s when I turn to my trusty audiobook collection.

As an adult I’ve become prone to motion sickness as a passenger in cars, buses, trains and definitely on boats. A green-grey complexion is not a good look on me. I need to distract myself but reading is definitely not an option. Music helps at times but music can’t carry my mind away the way a story can.

I discovered audiobooks in an unusual way. In 2013 I suffered a minor neck injury and experienced motion sickness symptoms. For the first few weeks, unless I laid flat on my back staring at the ceiling, my stomach revolted as though sitting in a row-boat being tossed around by a stormy ocean. I was in pain, nauseated and so damn bored!

Here we introduce the periscope horizontal reading glasses (thanks eBay). 

Not the most attractive eyewear, but they made it possible to watch TV while staring at the ceiling. This kept me entertained some of the time, but my inner bookworm desperately missed reading. Holding a book out in front of me while staring in a different direction proved too much for my uncoordinated body. Plus my arms hurt from all that book-holding (my upper body strength is severely lacking!).

That’s when a friend suggested audiobooks. I signed up to Amazon’s Audible service and received a free book through a trial membership (the free trial is ongoing if you want to give it a try  - http://www.audible.com.au/mt/free_trial_special_offer_at). It was as simple as downloading the app to my phone, choosing a book and pressing ‘play’. What a revelation—discovering the best friend I never knew I needed!

And I’ve never looked back. I still love reading, but the best benefit of listening to, rather than reading, a story is being able to escape into your book while driving, doing housework, exercising or on public transport—without the urge to hurl.

There are several ways to get your hands on an audiobook. You can still buy them in CD format, but they’re expensive, and having to switch CDs over every few chapters is too much for an impatient gal like me. I prefer to purchase digital files because you can listen from start to finish without any hassle. And they can be downloaded immediately—instant gratification.

Consider yourself thrifty? Check with your local library service. My library has a catalogue of audiobooks available to borrow for up to three weeks. Just download the appropriate app to your phone, log in with your library membership details and voilà—free audiobook.

Tips for finding the right book for you:

• Start with an author you love—less chance of disappointment.

• Listen to a sample – I’m not sure about all audiobook retailers, but Audible provides a 4 – 5 minute sample of their books. Take the time to listen. The narrator of the story is just as important as the author. Books I listen to range from 8 hours to 15 hours in length. Imagine spending 15 hours listening to someone whose voice grated your every nerve—a unique form of torture. I’d rather toothpicks under my fingernails, thanks.

• Approximately 80% of my audiobook collection is romance, and most of these books are in the point of view of both the hero and the heroine. Some audiobooks are recorded by two voice artists—male and female. But usually, one voice artist records both voices. Female artists try for a deeper masculine tone for the hero, and male artists go higher for the heroine. It can take a little getting used to at first, but I barely notice anymore.

For authors—listening to audiobooks can make you a better writer. One of the tips we get when learning the craft is to read your work out loud. You can hear the cadence of your words, pick up on repetitive words and sentence structures. We often miss those things when simply reading with our eyes.

As readers we tend to skim lines, flying past long paragraphs or repetitive words etc. You don’t have that luxury when listening to an audiobook. I actually took a particular author off my ‘potential must-read’ list after listening to one of her books. Her use of ‘she said’ and ‘he thought’ etc tacked onto the end of every other sentence drove me crazy. I’d skipped over it in her eBooks, but there’s nowhere to hide in an audiobook.

To sum up the benefits of audiobooks in a much more succinct and entertaining way, I’ve added these clips. Enjoy!

Audible Australia – Listen To Your Book. My favourite ad of the year for—I dare you not to laugh!

Are you already a fan of audiobooks? If so, what are your genre, author or narrator preferences? I’m always looking for recommendations.

Lauren James is a country girl at heart. Raised on a small property surrounded by animals, it's no surprise she writes small town romance with lots of love for creatures great and small.

Having failed fabulously at painting, sewing and playing guitar, she finally found her creative outlet in writing strong, quirky heroines, and tough, handsome heroes with gooey animal-loving centers.

Lauren lives on the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia, with her beloved rescue greyhound, Daisy.

You can contact Lauren via her website, Facebook or Twitter.

Hear, Hear for the Holidays! T’is the Audiobook Season (I Hope)!

By Linda Lovely

Who listens to audiobooks?

A lot more people than I imagined when I decided to create an audiobook version of DEAR KILLER, the first book in my Marley Clark Mystery Series, in partnership with talented narrator K.C. Cowan.

Before I started, I knew about three core groups of audiobook fans—folks embarking on long car trips, commuters, and parents who spend much of their waking lives chauffeuring school-age children and/or waiting in idling cars.

What I didn’t realize until DEAR KILLER was released is how many readers now tackle their too-many-books-and-not-enough-time dilemma by listening to books while they perform other tasks—walking on treadmills, cooking, knitting, or even cleaning the garage. While their hands are busy, their minds can fully engage with books they don’t have time to sit down and read as paperbacks or ebooks.

Friendlier technology and a bigger selection of audiobooks are helping to snag more and more multi-tasking listeners. Books can be downloaded in digital formats that play on such ubiquitous devices as smartphones, Kindles, iPods, and dozens of available MP3 players. In fact, downloadable formats now account for nearly two-thirds of the audiobook market.

The audiobook selection is getting bigger because authors who hold the audio rights to their novels can bring out audiobook editions with absolutely no upfront monetary investment. However, before DEAR KILLER was released as an audiobook, I did invest in the neighborhood of 20 hours listening to auditions, preparing audio notes, corresponding with my narrator, and “proof listening” to recordings. That time estimate doesn’t include any promotional efforts.

I teamed up with narrator K.C. Cowan through the Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) website, which has paired more than 25,000 authors with narrators. The resulting audio version of my 88,000-word, 290-page mystery, DEAR KILLER, runs eight hours, 56 minutes. You can listen to the first chapter of DEAR KILLER here. 

Amazon/Audible is currently offering deep discounts on audiobooks that have the Whispersync for Voice feature if customers own or buy the ebook edition of the same novel. (Whispersync lets readers switch seamlessly between ebooks and audiobooks, with the synching technology picking up where the reader left off regardless of format.) Last time I checked the Amazon/Audible promotion meant a reader could download BOTH the ebook and audiobook version of DEAR KILLER for under $5.

Happy holiday listening!
Do you listen to audiobooks--or think you might start? If so, what device will you use to listen? Comment and I'll enter your name in a drawing for a free DEAR KILLER audiobook.