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Do you remember my blog “Split Your Book Apart“? What else could you do with your manuscript and your copyright? One of the suggestions was to produce an audio ook. In other words: Re-purpose your manuscript and make more out of it than just a book and an e-book. Why not additionally create an audio-book from your novel or even from non-fiction? Audio-books are becoming more and more popular!
- Your readers can listen to your audio-books, which can easily double their book consumption because they are using time that previously was not available and turning it into valuable “reading” time.
- They can listen in the car, bus, train, plane… while exercising, walking or hiking, on the beach or while doing mundane tasks around the house or yard.
- Special needs readers, such as blind ones will have access to your written words in form of an audio-book.
- Audio-books can be listened to on an iPod or iPhone/SmartPhone or other MP3 player, even on most e-readers such as Kindle and Nook.
A membership at www.Audible.com (owned by Amazon.com) is a good deal for your readers. They can choose from various plans, and easily download digital audio-books to their preferred device. Or your readers can go to their local public library to get audio-books for free.
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There are three ways of producing an audio-book:
- You do it all yourself. If you are on a very tight budget you can make audios with some relatively inexpensive equipment.
- You use a narrator who is specialized on audio books and who gets a percentage of royalty after production of your audio-book (for which they charge too).
- You organize a professional production and keep all your royalties for yourself.
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Here are some tips to achieve a great audio book format:
- You should find an experienced sound editor and an audio director to get the most out of your studio time and ensure a quality production. Check the packaging on audio-books in stores to see if a producer is credited.
- Choose only the ones who are used to work with audio books.
- Get a good microphone and a screen to soften explosive sounds.
- If you choose professional help, try to find a trained speaker, such as a graduate from an actor school or drama school.
- A professional voice-over artist website has a large pool of excellent audio performers and will greatly enhance your project. Order sample audios, emailed to you, to evaluate talent. The ball park figure for an audio book production service ranges from $500 – $1.200, but can be higher, depending on the books’ length.
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To have your audio-book sold, check www.Audible.com / Amazon.com. You will be referred to ACX, the Audiobook Creation Exchange where you get tons of good advice how to narrate your own audio book or what to look for when outsourcing. I was positively surprised how well they explain in detail the whole process for author on their website, including case studies, how much you will earn, contract samples and how to promote your audio-book. Check it out before you start your project!
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Further Reading about Audio Book Production, especially in Canada:
Joanna Penn describes her studio experiences, creating her audio book
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2012/07/15/how-to-create-an-audio-book/
Audio Books become an important substitute for old-fashioned reading
https://savvybookwriters.wordpress.com/2013/07/27/do-you-want-8390-or-15-million-competitors/
Professional Audio Studio Listing for Canada
http://revolutionaudio.ca/store/recordingstudioscanada.php
Sorted by Canadian Provinces:
Greater Toronto Area (GTA)
Eastern Ontario
Western Ontario
Quebec
Manitoba
Saskatchewan
Alberta
British Columbia (BC)
Nova Scotia
Overview of the Canadian Audio Book Market
http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/005002/f2/005002-2100-e.pdf
Funding & Tax Credit Opportunities in Canada
http://www.pch.gc.ca/eng/1268230642921/s/q.s?l7c1l3=eng&S_S20RCH.l1ng91g3=eng&S_F8LLT2XT=audio+book&cn-search-submit=Search
Alternative Book Formats
http://snow.idrc.ocad.ca/node/188
Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology
http://www.oiart.org/
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Get a Sample of “Rabbit in the Jungle” available as e-book, paperback and now as an audio-book
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EEAVS4E
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Another way to leverage your manuscript is to let it translate into other languages, such as Mandarin, Spanish, German, Portugese or Japanese. More about this in a blog post tomorrow.
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