Audio Books: The New Gold Mine for Authors

Photo courtesy TCK Publishing

For certain, this will be one of those No D’uh, Zandri moments for me. Do Kids actually say No d’uh anymore? Seems there was a time in the late 70’s (I’m dating myself) I used it just about every hour on the hour.

But I digress.

For the longest time, I ignored audio books. That is, audio was one of those items I checked off when publishing my own books via my imprint, Bear Media LLC. You create an eBook…check. You create a paperback…Check. You create an audio book in conjunction with voice talent. Check-a-mundo. You then pretty much forget about the latter two while you concentrated almost entirely on selling those nifty little Kindle Books on Amazon.

Even the audio versions of the books I’ve sold traditionally to numerous publishers went ignored. For those I usually received an advance which I would pocket and move on. Slam bam thank you mam.

But only recently, did I start researching the topic just a little bit more. And when I found out that ACX, Amazon’s audio partner, offered terrific promo opportunities that could actually be converted into cash-in-the-bank, did I become hooked. I also never realized the income stream opportunity I’d been giving up.

ACX offers all authors and the voice talent they partner up with, a certain amount of promo codes which can then be redeemed for free by listeners. The voice talent who narrates my Chase Baker Action/Adventure series was the first person to bring the codes to my attention. I believe his precise words were, “It’s pure gold, man.” I like gold.

I decided to dig deeper.

Checking into my ACX account, I uncovered a whole lot of that gold, just sitting there waiting for me to dig it out (I have over 30 audio books and box sets at present). I immediately set up a new newsletter with a whole bunch of US and UK codes and sent it to my subscriber list. Not that I was still skeptical, but I just couldn’t imagine anyone choosing audio over an eBook or even a paperback for that matter. The written word was meant to be read, not listened to.

But when the codes disappeared within seconds (I kid you not…seconds), and I started getting emails from distraught fans, I knew I was on to something. This was only three or so months back, and since then I’ve given away hundreds of codes (codes are cash don't forget) and sold dozens of audio books, and my author ranks reflect it. There’s no doubt in my mind, that readers love to listen to books and that’s a good thing. No D’uh!

So what will the future bring? Perhaps I will create books for audio first, and then check off the boxes for eBook and paper secondarily. Or maybe I’ll just continue to place equal weight on all three. In any case, I’m going to take advantage of the promo codes ACX offers as well as other promotional opportunities.

“Go listen to a good book.” That has a good ring to it.

WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM

Vincent Zandri's new novel is THE EXTORTIONIST

A Brilliant Performance of Primary Termination

Because that's what the audio version truly is. Not just someone reading the from the book, but actually making it come alive. Performing the story, as it were.

The narrator for my latest novel (or the novel of the month anyway...Ha-Ha), Primary Termination, is Lisa Ware. In my humble opinion, Lisa captured the true essence of Tanya Teal in her portrayal of the book's protagonist/heroine. Just enough spunk mixed with just enough guts and humanity to make her seem both real and someone you'd most definitely want on your side should a mega corporation like Everest dot com, and its AI, truly come to run our lives one day.

Without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to the narrator of Primary Termination, Lisa Ware:

 

Let me start by saying what a pleasure it is to be narrating Primary Termination for Vincent Zandri! His Thrillers never disappoint, and his dip into the Dystopian genre is no exception. I am honored to lend a voice to Tanys Teal and help bring the war with the Everest Corporation to the masses. At what cost would you take a worry-free life?

      Producing an audiobook is quite an experience and undertaking. One must have the proper equipment, the proper location, the proper training, and the proper mentality. Most narrators are on the – um – eccentric side. Some of us are downright batty! Makes for great characters. . .

      I've recorded a quick bit of me in the booth if anyone is curious about the process (yes, I have a stuffed dog sitting on top of my microphone). View that here → https://youtu.be/OFysIcbKa7g.

      Before I even consider stepping into the booth to record, there is a ton of prep to do. The book must be read through at least once to gain familiarity and to mark up the text with any notes. This allows me to get to know the characters and helps to mold my performance. Now I can match the author's intent and keep the story flowing. There is a short dive at the beginning to make sure narrator and author are on the same page and then it's right into the deep end – all in, baby!

      Once the recording if completed, it is then edited and proofed. I'll re-record any errors or glitches – of which there will be many, because we all make mistakes – and then the project is mastered/engineered. After all that, the audio is uploaded and we wait for ACX to do their thing and gt the final product up on the (virtual) sales.

      I cannot wait for everyone to join the war. I hope you all enjoy Primary Termination as much as I do!  

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BTW I have some free promo Audio codes for Primary Termination for both US and UK audiences. All you gotta do is email me at Vazandri@vincentzandri.com and I can send one over to you. First come first serve while they last. 

WWW.VINCENTZANDRI.COM