A few helping hints for authors from an audiobook narrator and friends.
This bit of my blog aims at help authors who are thinking about dipping their toes or even submerging themselves completely in the world of audiobooks, and who simply want to be pointed in the right direction. Since I left the BBC and the life of a daily broadcaster in 2013, I have narrated and produced sixty audiobooks, and many of my colleagues with much longer careers than mine have portfolios stretching into the hundreds.
As the audiobook market explodes (25% sales growth 'per quarter' in some markets at the time of writing) the temptation to offer this option to your readership grows, but so does the often bewildering complexity of choices. Questions arise. I know. I have been asked them all, and more than once.
Why should I offer my work in audiobook form when my readership is already loyal?
Will my book even work as an audiobook?
Will it stand a chance of making money or am I merely indulging in a self deluding vanity project?
Where do I find the right narrator?
How do I know if they will be any good?
How much does commissioning an audiobook cost?
And more, and more, and more ... you get the picture.
These are but a fraction of the questions I get asked by authors. I am going to try to cover them all. I am also going to try to keep each entry short and to the point. From time to time I will invite a guest to bring their perspective to the subject. I am not a know-it-all.
If you think there is something I need to cover and haven't, or you simply want me to go into something in more depth, please feel free to email me at james@jamesagillies.com. Workload permitting, I will do my best to respond as fully as possible.
So here we go.
www.jamesagillies.com/audiobooks