Having always been a huge reader, I gravitate towards the written word. But guess what? The majority of the world does not? How does a writer reach those who prefer not to read?
Audio books.
Think about it. As our world becomes more technologically dependent, more visual, and more hurried, audio books can fit an important niche. Not only that, but many people are not fluent readers, or don't read at all, and they miss out on the worlds the rest of us readers get to enjoy.
I've always loved to be read to, and my children enjoyed it, as well. Whether you write fiction or non-fiction, audio books are a convenience for readers, especially those with a long commute, or boring workouts.
Besides offering your book to a whole new market, audio books can be a way to help readers take the chance on your book. Similar to free sample chapters, free audio books, or free audio chapters can be the key to garnering new fans.
Make it. You can hire a company to produce your audio book, but it's not all that hard to do it yourself. Joanna Penn posted a comprehensive article with ten tips on how to create an audio book.
{thanks for the link, C. Hope Clark!}
Distribute it. Authors today have the option to sell the Author Jill Williamson posts free audio files of her first two novels. She puts them up one at a time, alerting her fans via Facebook that a new chapter is available.
Publishing pro Michael Hyatt lured readers to buy his marketing book, Platform, by offering a host of goodies for those who purchased the book in the first week, including an audio edition of the book (which I listened to on my Kindle).
And using a service, such as Gumroad, it's easy to sell audio files without having to tangle with a site to collect the money.
Do you listen to audio books yourself? How do you feel about offering your own to readers?
I would listen to audiobooks everyday if I could. And I would be more than happy to create on for my audience. Now all I need to do is publish one! Thanks for enlightening us, Debbie...
ReplyDeleteWow! I always believed that creating audio books was really costly. I intend to follow your links and learn much more. What a fabulous idea. Thanks yet again Debbie for doing all the research. You amaze me.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny, Jarm. I would rather read myself than listen to a book, though when I'm traveling, I enjoy audio books.
ReplyDeleteLeah, it would be cool for your book to be an audio book!
~Debbie
Hello Deborah--This a good article for writers to know about so, if it's okay with you, I'd like to share it with my facebook groups and post the link on bobandjackswriting blog. You keep on laying out the good stuff for writers. The do it yourself tips are rignt on the money. Thank you. J
ReplyDeleteHi, Debbie:
ReplyDeleteI started listening to audio books when a co-worker gave me one as a birthday gift a few moons ago. I listened to that audio book during my hour commute to work, each way.
Since then, I've purchased a few more but prefer written books to audio books. I find it easier to dive into the story if I'm reading the words, as opposed to hearing them.
I will say that one thing I noticed about audio books at work was that co-workers swapped audio books more often than written books, hands down. So there's an emerging market for audio books, for sure, and any savvy writer should factor that into his or her marketing equation!
As always, I appreciate all of your tips and insights! Be well...
I don't listen audio books, but I'm intrigued. I'm thinking of doing something like that. Thanks, as always, for the links!
ReplyDeleteJack, thank you so much for sharing the link!
ReplyDeleteJanette, like you, I comprehend the written word better. But on trips or walks, audio books are a great way to get two things done at once. Interesting to hear that audio books are shared more than written books!
Sonia, I'm like you, but I imagine some of my readers might enjoy an audio book more than I would.
~Debbie