I want to make my novel into an audiobook. Where do I start?
Hire an Award-Winning
Audiobook Narrator and Producer - Hire B.J. Harrison
There are many reasons that B.J. Harrison is the perfect
choice in audiobook narration talent. Here are a few:
- Solid background in Classic Literature - brings
out every ounce of drama without being over the top
- Reputation for precision in pronunciation
- "(He's) a perfect fit for Fantasy and Science
Fiction" - M. Charzuk, Executive at Audible.com
- Makes non-fiction pieces more digestible for the
audio format
- Solid fan base through his website and podcast,
reaching 20,000 weekly listeners
- Solid reputation on Audible.com, Amazon.com and
the iTunes Music Store (B.J. Harrison has been one of their top 5 audio
publishers)
- Can create a full range of character voices,
including accents from around the world
- Hundreds of audiobooks to his credit
- No nonsense - no hidden fees or charges. He's
the best value for your money
How do you create an Audiobook?
It takes 8-11 hours to
create 1 hour of finished audiobook
- Read the book -It's a very good place to start.
- Map out the character voices - Using MindMapping software, I map out
the character voices. This way I can keep the voices strait when I'm recording
them. Also, this way the work of character voice creation is done, and I don't
need to do it on the fly while recording.
- Get pronunciation from Author - I usually need some clarification of
character names, or fictional proper nouns.
- Record the book - Following the character map and
pronunciation guide, the recording of the book is produced in the studio.
- Edit the book - All of the false starts and missteps are
edited out of the recording.
- Proof the book - The text is checked against the
recording, and any variations are noted down. Any edits that made their way past the first editing pass are
noted down.
- Patch the book - Using the notes from the Proofer, all of
the anomalies are recorded anew, and patched in the proper places
- Mix the final audio - The final audio is then mixed. This is
a highly technical process of equalizing the audio, dealing with the room tone,
amplification, etc. I work with a consultant from Sweetwater Studios. He is
very experienced, and excels at optimizing the audio to meet professional
industry standards.
- Final Proofing - The entire audiobook is then listened
to again, to check for any anomalies in the final mixing, and to triple check
for any editing glitches.
- Delivery - The audiobook is exported as mp3
files, created at 4100Khz, and 192kbps (CD quality). These files can then be
sold through The Classic Tales Distribution Network, or wherever you choose!
How much does it cost?
It takes 8-11 hours to
create 1 hour of finished audiobook!
| Amount of Words in your book |
Estimated Length in hours |
At $285/finished hour |
| 100,000 |
11.11 |
$3,166.67 |
Now that I have my professional
audiobook, what do I do now?
Now is the time to
make some money on your investment. Here are some options for you:
Net sales are split 70/30 - with YOU receiving 70% of the
net sales through the website. This is the HIGHEST royalty from ANY retail
venue, digital or otherwise. This
way you can take advantage of all of the residual marketing efforts already
underway to sell The Classic Tales Audiobooks.
- Sell it through the Audible network
The basic royalty percentage for all digital audiobook
products sold through
Audible.com, the
iTunes Music Store and
Amazon.com is 15% of all net sales go to the
owner of the audiobook. This is industry wide. Titles that are available
EXCLUSIVELY through Audible get 20% royalty on net sales. All audiobooks sold
through the iTunes Music Store go through Audible.com. The iTunes Music Store
can change the suggested price of the title arbitrarily. However, Audible
compensates by paying the difference between the iTunes price, and their price.
If you select this option, you will receive 12%, and The Classic Tales will
receive 3%. This is just to take care of our overhead. Checks are mailed
quarterly, 60 days after the end of the calendar quarter.
- Promote it through The Classic Tales
Social Network (These rates/options are ONLY for Audiobooks
commissioned through www.thebestaudiobooks.com)
- Facebook entry - We'll create a Facebook entry
through The Classic Tales
Facebook Page, promoting your book! Cost - $7
- Twitter Tweet - We'll tweet your book, notifying
our Twitter followers of your
success! Cost - $5
- Blog entry - We'll create a fantastic Blog entry
showcasing your audiobook at The Classic Tales Blogsite.
Cost - $35
- Coming
Soon! We'll create a file of your first couple of chapters, and offer it as
a free video at our YouTube Channel! Cost $35
- We can pitch your product through an ad at the
beginning of an episode of The Classic Tales
Podcast! Cost $35
If you like, we can create artwork for your audiobook. 95%
of all the artwork you see on my website is designed and created in house (by
B.J. Harrison).
- Initial Cover Image - starting at $200 - It
really depends on what you want. The starting price reflects the amount of work
entailed in creating the majority of the cover artwork found on the website. If you want a
physical painting, or have something else in mind, we can talk about that.
- Redesign of Cover Artwork for iPad - $40
- Redesign of Cover Artwork for iPhone - $40
- Hire your favorite Graphic Designer to create
your artwork!
Promote it yourself!
- Tell your Facebook contacts
- Promote it through LinkedIn -you are now a
published author! Have associates endorse you!
- Host events where you can drive traffic to your
audiobook
- Have a placard with a QR barcode handy for anyone with a smartphone!
- Put a QR code
to your book on the back of your business card!
- Take out ads in local papers, and show off your
accomplishment!
- Buy some GoogleAdWords
to send traffic to your audiobook.
- Send out a press
release! Tell the world about the next big thing - YOU!
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