Expert Round-Up Topic: Should authors also produce audiobooks, and if so, how can they do this?
AARON GRAY
Authors should absolutely convert written works into audio format. Between cooking for their families, driving to work, and taking care of life’s many other responsibilities, some people can’t always dedicate time to sitting down and reading. By offering audio alternatives, your audience
can enjoy your books in a way that is both comfortable and convenient for them. This is also beneficial for the visually impaired, who rely on audiobooks to experience the joys of reading.
If you’re looking for ways to convert your book into audio format quickly and conveniently, use Speechify. Speechify is a software solution which uses optical character recognition technology to convert written texts into audio. The software uses natural-sounding human voices, so your readers can listen and learn without losing focus. For smaller authors looking to kickstart their careers, being proactive about accessibility is a great way to hit the ground running and expose more people to your books.
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DEAVER BROWN
Write a topical eBook and get it published on Amazon Kindle. Then explore how you can self-publish your eBook as an audiobook on their affiliate, Audible, and you have a start.
Once done, that offers you opportunities to publish more or seek a publisher. Keep in mind Leo Tolstoy’s advice, “Time and patience are the ultimate warriors.”
TOM HELKE
Producing an audiobook version of a book can be a great way to reach a wider audience. There are a few things to consider before producing an audiobook. The most important thing is to make sure the book is well-written and edited. The audio version should be just as polished as the print version.
The next step is to find a narrator. There are a few things to consider when finding a narrator. The narrator should have a good voice and be able to perform different voices for different characters. They should also be able to read quickly and accurately.
The next step is to find a producer. The producer will help to make sure the audio is edited and formatted properly. They will also help to find a narrator and make sure the narration is consistent.
The final step is to distribute the audiobook. There are a few different ways to distribute an audiobook. The most common way is to sell it on Audible.com. The author can also sell it on their website or through other retailers.
NAOMI ROSENBLATT
It behooves authors to produce audiobooks for a variety of reasons. Foremost, audiobooks offer readers another way to experience a book’s content. A book comes to new life with narration, music, possibly other sound effects. Older and disabled readers may, in fact, need the option of becoming “listeners”—thereby expanding the book’s readership. From the standpoint of online sales algorithms, different editions multiply a book’s presence.
This recommendation, however, comes with a caveat: The quality of the audio recording, in terms of sound mixing and of the narrator’s skill, must be excellent. When audiobook rights are sold to companies like Audible or Blackstone, these matters are handled by professional teams. An author producing his or her own audiobook must manage such details. Several author services, such as the one we chose, Author’s Republic (https://www.authorsrepublic.com), or Findaway Voices (https://findawayvoices) offer a range of narrators and recording options. Alternately, authors can engage their own sound studios and narrators.
Heliotrope Books has just produced our first audiobook, Searching for Harry Chapin’s America: Remember When the Music by Pat Fenton, which will be available across numerous audio platforms in September. Our audiobook includes licensed cuts of Harry Chapin’s songs, narration, and small musical interludes by David Amram. We took the occasion of audio to introduce a dynamic human voice and musical inflections that add depth to the book’s references. While this endeavor took time and resources, we are thrilled with this new way of experiencing the material and look forward to sharing it.
http://www.heliotropebooks.com
Twitter and Instagram: @heliotropebooks
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