Books and eBooks are a highly popular and competitive marketplace. There are hundreds of new authors publishing their books, and in the same way, there are millions of people listening to podcasts and audiobooks. Many authors are finding success in turning their books into audiobooks.
Why should Authors Make Audiobooks?
Audiobooks are highly popular these days since it is on everyone’s minds and in everybody’s ears. The Audio Publishers Association (APA) in the year 2019 shows in their customer survey that audiobook creation is on the rise and that 56% of audiobook listeners are finding new time to consume audiobooks. With that said, let us look at other reasons as to why authors should think of turning their books into audiobooks.
Audiobooks are more comfortable to purchase for anyone. People can find the book online, download it, and listen to it whenever they want. They can multitask and listen to the book anytime at their convenience. Turning your book into an audiobook gives you higher sales opportunities.
Audiobooks also expand your horizon. It gives you access to the non-reading community as well. Some people struggle with slow reading, reading disability, or aren’t interested in reading; for them, audiobooks are a great way to go.
What Audiobook Formats are Available?
In the same way, eBooks have different formats like EPUB and MOBI, and audiobooks have different file formats. Let us have a look at the available file formats for audiobooks for a better understanding.
- WAV
- MP3
- M4B
- AAC (Advanced Audio Coding)
- Windows Media Audio (.wma)
What are the Steps to Create an Audiobook?
If you are looking to expand your audience by converting your book into an audiobook, then you need to take the essential steps to make it. The steps include:
1. Prepare your Book for Recording
If you plan to convert your manuscript into an audiobook, you need to prepare the script for it. You need to have a clean script and not have any information or detail that wouldn’t make any sense in the audio version.
For instance, you need to remove hyperlinks, captions so that the script is easier to read and record.
2. Decide the Person who will Record your Audiobook.
The next significant step is to record your audiobook, and before you take that route, you need to decide who records it. You have two options to record your audiobook:
Hire an audiobook narrator
Many authors find hiring a narrator to record the audiobook since it is the less painful route to get the job done. The freelancers and professional narrators charge a reasonable price for this service. You can check out Voices or Upwork to check a list of narrators for the job.
Record the audiobook yourself
If you have the right pieces of equipment and you can record the audiobook yourself. You can do the self-recording in a studio. You need the following pieces of equipment to do the recording yourself:
- A good Mic
- A pop filter
- Garage band or Audacity: These are audio software that helps you do multi-track recording and editing.
3. Work with an Audio Producer/Engineer
The third step in creating an audiobook is working with an audio producer or engineer to help you through the technical problems and difficulties. A producer for the audiobook will ensure the audio files’ quality, get it well-edited, and mastered.
You can look for audio engineers on freelancing sites like Fiverr and Upwork.
4. Upload your Audiobook to ACX
Once you have finished recording your audiobook and got it edited, you need to upload your book to Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX). It is important to remember that once you upload your book on ACX, it will be available on Amazon, Audible, and Apple bookstore.
Here are the steps you need to take to upload your audiobook to ACX:
- Go to the ACX website and log in with your Amazon account. You need to have your Kindle eBook published, and then add the title of your audiobook.
- Search and find your book, then click on the “This is my book” option. After that, click on the prompt, “I have this book in audio and I want to sell it.”
- Choose the territory and distribution, and also select the languages you want to sell the books in.
- Complete the “About my Book” section and give the proper copyright information.
- Provide the details about the narrator, audiobook publisher, and add reviews, if any.
- Click on the “Add audio file” option.
- Don’t forget to add your book cover.
Your audiobook will not be posted immediately. ACX will confirm if everything is in order before it posts your audiobook.
Creating an audiobook needn’t be a stressful task. With the help of professionals, you can get your audiobook ready in no time. Like mentioned earlier, a good audiobook can expand your fanbase.
