More and more people have been asking if I'm going to make audio books out of the Mali Hooper thriller trilogy. Now that the 3rd, and final, book is about to be published, it's something I've been considering.
Why go audio?
* Audio books have exploded and continue to experience a double-digit percentage of growth year after year
* Less competition than paperbacks and digital
* The hardest work, writing it, is already done. Why not extend to audio?
* They can reach new audiences (so many ppl like to listen to a book when they're driving or exercising, for ex)
* Audio books can be used as an awesome incentive bonus - ex. sign up for my mailing list and get the audio free
So it's definitely worth thinking seriously about.
But there's so much to figure out and know.
First and foremost, do you record it yourself or hire someone to do it?
If you hire someone:
Pros - lowest time investment; professional quality; one-time fee to the narrator and you keep the royalties
Cons - it's expensive, $200/finished hr (if your books has 70K words, it'll take about 7 1/2 hrs to record it, at a cost of $1500)
If you narrate it yourself:
Pros-saves money and you do it on your own time; allows you to connect with your audience (they're hearing YOUR voice); it's easy (if you know what you're doing); you can edit it yourself or outsource that part (cost is reasonable);
Cons-might be scary to do it yourself; there's a learning curve; requires the right equipment (costs approx $250); it takes time to do it (3 hrs or so to produce 1 hr of book, when you know what you're doing; at approx 10K words/hr, a 70K book would take 7 hrs which translates to 21 hrs to record it at a minimum)
The thought is exciting! Once #DanceFever hits the market, I'll make that decision.
If you're an author, is this something you do or want to do? If you currently do it, add a comment on how you're doing it and if you're glad you do/did.
Would YOU like to see #HuntedLives, #JusticePrevails, and #DanceFever in audio format? Leave a comment below, if so. :)
Have a fabulous day, and enjoy the last few days of July.
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