David Bruns

What I’m Reading: Audiobooks for Indies by Simon Whistler

71hxLCCg77L._SL1500_A few months ago, I got an out-of-the-blue email from a former business colleague asking how my writing career was going. He wanted to know when I was planning to release the audio version of my book. He explained that he doesn’t read much anymore, but spends more than two hours a day in his car commuting, so he listens to audiobooks.

I’ve never listened to an audiobook. Ever. But maybe it’s time I started.

When Simon Whistler, voice actor and owner of the indie champion website Rocking Self-Publishing, offered an ARC of his new book Audiobooks for Indies, I jumped at the chance.

It was a perfect place for me to start my audiobook exploration. Simon assumes you know nothing about audiobooks (a good assumption, in my case) and walks you through the steps of:

  • Is an audiobook a good business decision for your novel?
  • How do you find a narrator?
  • What are the commercial options for your audiobook?
  • What should you expect from a narrator and vice-versa?
  • Can you do it yourself? Should you?
  • Selling audio rights

Nothing drives a point home better than telling a story, so Simon uses case studies to illustrate the essential learning in each chapter.

All in all, a fantastic resource for the audiobook newbie.

Highly recommended.

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David Bruns is the creator of the sci-fi series The Dream Guild Chronicles, and one half of the Two Navy Guys and a Novel blog series about co-writing the military thriller, Weapons of Mass Deception. Check out his website for a free sample of his work.

1 comment
Crowdfunding: Balancing Between the Crowd and the Money | David Bruns says August 7, 2017

[…] We would love to produce an audiobook edition as well, but that would probably double the upfront spending. (There are revenue-sharing options on Audible, but typically that requires a sales track record on the book, which we don’t have. Yet.) If you are considering producing an audiobook, check out my review of Simon Whistler‘s excellent how-to book: Audiobooks for Indies. […]

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