The
creation of an audio book version of a Kindle book will open out new sales
channels to a whole new audience. But how does the self published writer go about creating an
audio book? The process of audio book creation is not straightforward but is
possible when opening an account with the Audio Book Exchange (ACX).
Beginner’s
Guide to Creating Audio Books
 |
| Self Publishing Audio Books |
You
have written a fantastic novel or non-fiction book. You have published it on
Kindle, hardback and large print. There is only one other way to go: to publish
your book as an audio book. At first, the process of publishing an audio book
might seem bewildering, but is possible if following each step carefully.
Finding a Sound Producer for Talking Books
The
first thing the writer will need to do is open an account with ACX. Standing
for Audio Book Creation Exchange, this is Amazon’s website for authors, voice
artists and producers in audiobooks. Books created on ACX will go on to be sold
on Amazon, Audible.com and Itunes. The author may make arrangements to create an
audio version of his book once claiming the rights to his books (referred to on
ACX as the 'right’s holder').
At
present, only audio book creators from the US and UK may open an account on
ACX, but this is bound to change in future years. Non US residents will need an
ITIN number, obtainable from the IRS, otherwise 30% of audio books earnings
will automatically be withheld. Getting an ITIN number is covered on another
article on this site.
Audible
Book Exchange Guidelines for Authors, Voice Artists and Audible Book Producers
The
self published writer can either get a professional voice artist and/or
producer to create the audio book or create it himself. The former entails
finding a producer and/or voice artist listed on the ACX site. The voice artist
has to audition to be accepted. The author may provide a sample script for the
narrator to read out after before making the commitment.
Audition
for Voice Over for Audible
Once
the narrator/producer has been selected, the author can then either pay ‘a pay for
production’ fee, a one-off payment, or agree a ‘royalty share deal’ a
fifty-fifty royalty of future sales. The royalty option can be risky for
the voice artist if lots of hours have been invested in narration and recording
only to yield poor sales. This is why most voice artists prefer to receive the one-off
pay production fee. The author and narrator/producer will have to think carefully about the viability
of such a project if the book sales are poor.
Do
It Yourself Guide to Creating Audio Books
The
author may decide to do all the production and voice narration himself. This
will save money and retain creative control of the sound of the book. However,
most authors know little about producing audio books when it comes to sound
editing and narrating.
Quite
rightfully, ACX are picky about the quality of the sound files and recording must be of professional standard before
the audio book is accepted on Audible. This means the author will have to invest
a lot of time and money on learning about sound equipment and narrating an
audio book. Fortunately, ACX has video tutorials for authors and producers who
wish to learn the craft of book narration from scratch.
Rights
Holder of Talking Books
Creating
an audio book version of a print or Kindle book provides an extra sales channel
for the self published writer wanting to branch out. ACX, Amazon’s site for audio book creators provides all the resources
the writer needs. This includes connecting audio book producers, narrators and recording
experts with authors wishing to find a particular voice and approach. Payments can
be made either by royalty share or a flat fee once the author is happy with the
audition.
On the other hand, the author may opt to create the audio book himself,
but would need to become expert on sound equipment, software and the art of book
narration. If creating an audio book yourself, find links on this site offering advice on sound equipment and voice techniques for narrating audio books.
Tips on Creating your Own Audio Books
Essential recording equipment for narrating books
The best condenser microphone for voice acting
A cheap home studio for audio book recording
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