The voice actor's daily success resource · since 2007
Audiobook narration and the business around it: ACX and royalty share, per finished hour math, book prep, recording workflow, and how narrators find and land titles.
Audiobook narrator / Audible Approved Producer Tom Jordan reached an audiobook sales milestone recently, and plotting how that number rose over the years yields some lessons he shares …
Say the audiobook you narrated via an ACX Royalty Share or RS+ contract is selling well – and suddenly the audiobook’s Rights Holder (RH) wants you out of the financial picture. Can he or she do that? Yes, says award-winning narrator/producer/publisher Karen Commins – but only if you agree. And here’s how to negotiate a “fair price” for the buyout …
In 2019, U.S. audiobook sales reached $1.2 billion – up 16% from the previous year – with a corresponding increase in units sold, according to a recent survey of publishers by the Audio Publishers Association (APA). And publishers reported that 60,303 new titles were produced in 2019, which is 18% more than in 2018. It’s the eighth consecutive year of double-digit revenue growth for audiobook publishers, and is “simply phenomenal” …
Acclaimed audiobook narrator Ann Richardson advises that in order to turn out a top-notch audiobook, a narrator must “pre-read” the manuscript before stepping into the booth, to be prepared to inhabit the story, whether fiction or non-fiction. And today, with more relatives and friends “sheltering in place” amid the coronavirus crisis, a possible sideline for them is to do that prep work for you. So for your use – or as instructions for others – Ann shares these how-to guides for prepping non-fiction and fiction books before you record …
These days, many of the details and terms of your audiobook narration are set by the book’s Rights Holder. But not always. So VO and narrator pro/coach Tom Dheere offers this checklist of what to confirm before you turn on the mic …
How do you keep track of your audiobook narration recording time and finished hours? Here’s how narrator and VO pro Mike Lenz does it, with a spreadsheet that separates days by color and totals the times for recording and finished hours …
Award-winning audiobook narrator Tom Jordan concludes his two-part series on what to expect in an audiobook narration career with five final tips … saving the best for last!
The audiobook biz grows by leaps and bounds – year after year, posting double-digit gains. It’s no wonder you want to leap in, too. But is audiobook narration right for you? Award-winning narrator and Audible Approved Producer Tom Jordan shares “tough love” advice for the journey ahead …
Riding a spectacular seven-year climb of double-digit growth, publishers’ revenue from the sales of audiobooks jumped 24.5% to $940 million in 2018, according to the newly-released annual sales survey of the Audio Publishers Association (APA). Here are survey highlights – including most popular audiobook genres and formats …
One of the pinnacles in the career of an audiobook narrator is to be named a “Golden Voice” by AudioFile Magazine – a lifetime achievement honor recognizing “significant contributions to the audiobook art form.” Now at the start of June Audiobook Month, add five narrators to that honor roll …