Inkshares Community discussion

So I got a really nice message out of the blue from a drama school graduate in Canada last week. He said he loved the first few chapters of Dax, wanted to know if I had plans for an audiobook, and asked if he could audition with a recording of the first chapter. I said "Awesome! Let's see what you got!" Then I realized I should probably start looking into this.

So let's talk audiobooks! Anyone have experience on how all this works? I have questions.

1) Should I rush to get an audiobook pushed out there as soon as the print/ebook comes out, or at least some time around the publishing of the print & ebooks? Or does the "when" not really matter much?
2) Any idea how audiobooks work in conjunction with Inkshares publishing? As in, do we need to let Inkshares know "Hey, I'm making an audiobook version now too. Any legal hoops I need to jump through or paperwork I need to sign?" I'm assuming not, due to the whole non-exclusive rights deal through Inkshares, but just double-checking.
3) Is there any sort of standard or scale on how much a performer should be paid for an audiobook narration?
4) Has anyone had any experience with Amazon's ACX or another audiobook creation service? Any thoughts?

Just thought I'd open the board for discussion since we haven't really tackled the topic yet. ....Or has another thread been started and I just completely overlooked it? Lol

Those are my initial off-the-top-of-my-head questions, but everyone feel free to chime in with your questions and/or answers too!

As an aspiring audiobook narrator, I've done a bit of digging around this topic.

I'd recommend checking out the Audiobook Creation Exchange (www.acx.com), where writers and narrators can audition for your book--provided it has an ISBN, which would be after publication.

I would wait until Inkshares weighs in before proceeding too far.

Even though we have a lot of leeway with the "non-exclusive" rights clause, it is still best to work with them every step of the way in order to keep a healthy relationship.

Audio books are growing in popularity, but still represent only around 3% (or less) of the publishing market.

I suspect that when and if Inkshares decides to add audiobooks to their offerings, they will handle the creation and distribution of this media, along with our input concerning narrator selection.

Since this market is indeed pretty small, I myself will wait until when and if my book is selling enough copies in the Hardcover and eBook world before justifying the creation of an audiobook.

And I would not move on it without Inkshares either doing it, or giving their blessing to an independent effort.

If you do it without them, they don't share in that royalty stream.

Mykl wrote: "I would wait until Inkshares weighs in before proceeding too far.

Even though we have a lot of leeway with the "non-exclusive" rights clause, it is still best to work with them every step of the w..."

Yeah, that makes sense.

Another interesting note:
I just listened to an interview with David Spade on The Nerdist. He just released his memoir, and the audiobook was actually selling more than the hardcover/paperback (Probably in part due to his iconic snarky 90s comic voice). He thought "Cool!", but then his book agent informed him that this was a bad thing, as audiobooks apparently do not count towards the bestseller lists, or at least "the ones that matter".

If that's true, that's pretty lame. Sounds like an outdated system, much like Nielsen ratings not accounting for DVR and streaming services.

In the old days, comedians records & tapes sold better than their books, so that might be related.

Just checked David Spade's sales and none of the audio formats are selling especially well for someone of his stature and name recognition.

His book came out in October 2015 - audio versions were released in November

You'll need an Audio Book, don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

Inkshares doesn't have anything in their budget for you to get one, you'll have to wait until you are fully published and either buy your own, or, as what's happened already with Inkshares, is someone has picked up the rights for professional audio book publication.

I just had this email exchange with Inkshares.

Basically, don't launch with an Audio Book. Wait until you've been out for a bit, and use it as a second launch type thing once you figure out if you are going to pay for it yourself, or hope you get picked up.

I'll probably look into an Audio book myself when I'm getting close to finishing the sequel. This way I have some layered marketing to work with.

There are several inkshares authors out there (myself among them) who are *very* interested in pursuing voice work in addition to their writing endeavors. I'd recommend sending out feelers here to see if anyone (like me!) is interested in an audio deal with you.

You can also check out the Audiobook Creation Exchange (www.acx.com) once you have an ISBN number, and let people record demos for you.

Audio work is TOUGH! I think ACX pays too little. I did some sample chapters last summer for about a dozen books. Here's A God in the Shed.

https://youtu.be/XJw5oZhqtXo

Well... Elan, Paul. Noted!

It's a long way off before I do an Audio book. (At least until I get some reviews in next year as my pub date is 11/1/2016), but... I am interested in doing an audio book at some point.

Richard wrote: "You'll need an Audio Book, don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

I'm curious as to: "Why you feel so strongly about this need, Richard?"

I Have let others tell me otherwise and they made a fairly compelling case for that position.

Given that

1. It is only a small percentage of the book publishing market.
2. The recent five year growth rate (8%) is projected to slow down.
3. It can be relatively expensive to do a quality version on your own.
4. Even a personality as well known as David Spade has abysmal sales for the audio version of his latest book. Lots of other similar examples out there.

http://www.ibisworld.com/industry/aud...

The vast majority of Inkshares authors will not sell much over 2,000 copies of their paperbacks and ebooks combined. And that is even with the full publishing package. Do THEY really need an audio book?

For most Inkshares writers who aren't going to produce best-sellers, it sounds like creating an audio-book will be mostly for self-indulgent reasons and not based on the economics. And that's actually ok, (imo) as long as you know that is why you are doing it.

I suppose you could say that you want to offer every platform that your readership might want - that's pretty thin, but has some credibility. Will it be worth it if you have 1,500 paperback and eBook combined sales and less than 50 audio books sold? That's the approximate ratio most Inkshares authors are expected to generate. Many will never even reach that 1,500 figure.

Quincy Carroll and I both got the full publishing package (without benefit of having won a contest.) We haven't broken the 1,000 mark yet, despite Inkshares best attempts to market us. We expect to do better and are motivated that our books are well received by those who have read them, so we will keep plugging.
We are probably typical of what most Inkshares authors who aren't "connected", don't have large social-media followings or don't have the added marketing that the contest winners get. Why should we produce an audio-book at this point?

So, what is the case you are making? Maybe you can convince me! I'm open minded:-)

Good point Mathew! - at least the chapter sample part during a funding campaign.

Since Inkshares has introduced their "Properties" page, I suggest waiting for that process to unfold instead of producing your own full version and putting it up for sale.

If there is a decent market for your audio version, it will get picked up by a legit vendor that has the established channels for that niche market.