The Value of Audiobooks and Marketing

Thanks to Mallory M. O’Connor for this program summary.

On Sunday afternoon, June 10, audiobook publisher Tina Dietz presented a program on the value of audiobooks and marketing. Dietz is an award-winning and internationally acclaimed speaker, audiobook publisher, podcast producer, and content marketing expert who has been featured on ABC, Inc.com, Huffington Post, and Forbes.

Dietz is also the owner of StartSomething Creative Business Solutions, a company committed to connecting experts, authors, and entrepreneurs with their ideal audiences.

Her podcast, The StartSomething Show, was named by INC magazine as one of the top 35 podcasts for entrepreneurs. She received the Evolutionary Business Council MORE award in 2016, and the Outstanding Audio Company award from The Winner’s Circle in 2017.

With credentials like these, I expected an authoritative and enlightening program. I was not disappointed.

Dietz covered the basics of audiobook production and distribution, noting that the market for audiobooks is the fastest growing market in publishing for the last four years. Audible, an Amazon affiliate, is the biggest audiobook company.

Audiobooks have a surprisingly long history, having been first produced in the 1930s. They have a similarity to “storytelling,” (read me a story, Mommy). According to Dietz, “storytellers are the holders of history.” They are the publishing form most likely to reveal the “power of your voice.”

Dietz then outlined a series of steps in producing an audiobook:

1. Read your book aloud before you publish it in any format.
2. Publish your book on Kindle.
3. Create an ACX.com account. (You will need to have published a book on Amazon in some format.)
4. To find a narrator, you can post a request for an audition. You need to decide how much you’re willing to pay the narrator and if you want Audible/Amazon/iTunes to be your distributor. Although you may narrate the book yourself, Dietz warned against that, saying that hiring a professional is worth the cost.
5. Review audition samples and select someone who not only sounds good but who has a good track record for professionalism. Negotiate a contract (ACX has a standard contract to use). Expect to pay from $100 to $200 per hour, or around $1,500 for a book of 100,000 words.
6. Send an audio-friendly manuscript to the narrator that includes the pronunciation of difficult/foreign names. Also include a character/s profile. The book is produced by chapter. You can add an author interview at the end or a list of book club discussion questions.
7. Listen carefully to each chapter as it is sent to you, and make any corrections. Upload your book cover. Then approve the book and send it to ACX/Audible for a final check before the audiobook goes live on the Amazon/Audible/iTunes platforms.
8. Pricing depends on length. A 100,000-word book would be priced at around $30.00. Royalties vary, so be sure to check on this in advance.
9. Marketing: Create a five-minute retail sample in MP3 format that can be used on radio. Advertise on your website and on your Amazon author page (having a strong author page on Amazon is very important). According to Dietz, the core of all marketing is building relationships.
10. Podcasts: Dietz also stressed the value of literary podcasts which offer a big opportunity to promote your book by doing a reading or an interview that introduces you and your book to potential readers. According to Dietz, about one third of Americans, most in the 35-55 age range, listen to podcasts on a weekly basis.

For more information, contact Tina Dietz at StartSomethingCreativeBizSolutions.com