Authors

Links to Help Authors Know Their Rights

9 September 2017

Last updated 12/18/20

My fellow narrators and I often contact authors about creating audiobooks of their books. Many times, the author tells me that her publisher has the audio rights, or she isn’t sure who owns them.

Authors could make more money by exercising as many subsidiary rights as possible for each book, especially the audio rights. The audiobook industry is on a 3-year trend of double digit growth that shows no sign of slowing.

If you have your audio rights, you could contract with a narrator or producer to create an audiobook. You also could choose to license your audio rights to a publisher or producer. The trade-off is that you earn more royalties if you retain your rights and contract with a narrator or producer. When you license your rights, your royalty rate is lower because someone else is managing the audiobook production process.

I’m posting this list of links about rights so that more authors can get their books into audio.

One Email That Isn’t a Scam

20 July 2017

When you receive an email from a Nigerian prince, you probably think, “This so-called prince is just somebody who wants to take my money.”

Other types of emails may cause the same reaction. Authors are inundated every week with solicitations from marketing and web site gurus, proofers, webinar hosts, and more. It could be easy to become jaded to the constant barrage of offers.

However, one email that isn’t a scam is the one from an audiobook narrator who wants to collaborate with you on producing your audiobook. The reaction to that kind of email should be one of giddy excitement, such as, “This is somebody who wants to MAKE me money! What a prince!”

Although narrators routinely work with audio publishers, we are independent, freelance business owners just like you are. We don’t have agents who deal in audiobook work. Each narrator is on her own for ensuring she has a steady workload.

Until recent years, only about 5% of all books were made into audiobooks. Even though audiobooks are the fastest growing segment of publishing and have had double digit growth for the past 3 years, the overall number of audiobooks is still a relatively low percentage of the number of available books.

Consequently, the majority of authors do not have audiobooks of their titles and may not know how to create one. Narrators frequently do outreach with authors to help them learn about the production process. We speak at authors’ conferences and workshops. Some of us (ahem) write articles to share our knowledge and love of this medium.

We also prospect to line up projects on our own. We look for authors who are prolific in writing and releasing their books and treat their writing as a business. Once we find an author of interest, we research her work to find a book that:

isn’t already available as an audiobook
is a good fit for our voice, skills, and interests
contains content suitable for an audiobook in a genre that is successful in audio
could be expected to sell well in audio

With the research complete, the narrator will contact the author — usually through email — to inquire about the possibility of creating the audiobook.

If you’re on the receiving end of an unexpected query email from an audiobook narrator, you might initially think it’s a scam. What should you do?

How to Avoid 3 Costly Mistakes on ACX

21 June 2017

In my Feb. 2016 article 6 Low-Cost Avenues for Greater Audiobook Sales in InD’tale Magazine, I suggested to authors that they look for podcasts and seek interviews on shows that are a good fit for their book. I was delighted to read a case study today on the ACX.com blog about Glen Tate’s success with appearing on podcasts and selling more audiobooks as a result.

However, his persistent promotion of his audiobook editions is only one part of his success. Even more important is the fact that he avoided 3 costly mistakes that many authors make when using ACX.

3 Reasons Authors Shy Away From Audiobooks

12 May 2017

It was exciting to attend the RT Booklovers’ Convention here in Atlanta last week with over 25 of my fellow audiobook narrators from across the country. Several members of the group organized and participated on educational panels about audiobooks, and we all contributed for a booth in the Bazaar.

Romance Narrators' booth at the Bazaar featured a variety of items from over 20 audiobook narrators. — The Romance Narrators’ RT Bazaar booth was feast for the eyes and a smorgasbord of swag!

In talking with people who came to our booth, I noticed 3 reasons authors shy away from audiobooks.

1) Authors aren’t sure about consumer demand for audiobooks.

One person who never listens to audiobooks asked me the average price for one. When I said it might be $15-$20, the astonished reply was, “for a BOOK?” I explained that many options exist that enable listeners to acquire audiobooks at cheaper prices, including free ones at the library.

More importantly, an audiobook isn’t just a book. It is its own performance art.

You could look at it this way: you could spend $15 for a movie ticket that gets you about two hours of entertainment. You don’t own that entertainment and can’t enjoy it again without paying the additional money. With an audiobook, though, you could pay the same or less amount of money for 6, 10, or more hours of entertainment that you’d be able to revisit as often as you like.

Audiobooks are a $1.2 billion industry that has experienced double digit growth for the past 2 years. That trend isn’t likely to stop anytime soon. Both production and consumer costs have come down dramatically as technology has streamlined the process.

2) Authors aren’t already audiobook fans.

A few authors told me that they don’t have a commute and therefore didn’t have time to listen. I know I sure appreciated hearing a good book last week while I sat in abysmal Atlanta traffic going to and from the convention.

While audiobooks are popular companions during commutes, you don’t need to travel to listen to an audiobook. I listen every day while walking my dog. I also listen on the treadmill and while swimming. Audiobooks complement almost any form of exercise! I’ve also been known to listen while eating my lunch. You could listen while you’re in the shower. In fact, there’s no end to the variety of things you could do and hear a great book at the same time.

Once you start listening, not only will you get through more books each year, but you may also start planning your own audiobook. You’ll find that writing for audio will make you a better writer.

3) Audiobook production is too complicated.

Some authors were very interested in creating audiobooks but don’t have the time to learn how to do it. The good news is that you don’t have to spend time and energy to figure it out! The narrators who attended the RT Convention have our own studios and are experienced in working with authors to create independent audiobooks. We know how to get an audiobook done through ACX and other distributors, and we would be more than happy to assist authors with the steps.

You’ll find samples and contact information for over 30 professional narrators on the boutique site RomanceNarrators.com. Don’t worry if you don’t write romance. Most narrators work in a variety of genres.

I hope I’ve gotten you thinking differently about audiobooks and that you’ll soon contact me or one of my fellow narrators about starting production.

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7 Players on Your Audiobook Production Team

26 March 2017

Since many indie authors and smaller publishers are new to the world of audiobooks, I thought you might like to have a quick overview of the 7 players on an audiobook production team:

1. Rights Holder
2. Producer
3. Director
4. Narrator
5. Sound Engineer
6. Audio Editor
7. Proof Listener

One person may be responsible for several phases of the process. For instance, on ACX.com, Audible’s marketplace connecting rights holders with narrators, I’m the audiobook producer in addition to being the narrator.

My husband Drew serves as both the director and sound engineer in all of my recording sessions. Most narrators working in their own studios don’t have the luxury of a second set of ears listening as they record. When I’m the producer, I hire the audio editor and proof listener, so all aspects of production are included in my fee.

Karen Commins’s Audiobook Resources For Authors

23 December 2016

Last updated 25 February 2026

Are you an author or publisher who is ready to produce your titles into AUDIOBOOKS?

The fantastic info found in this list of links will better prepare you for the task, especially if you plan to use Audible’s Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX.com) for the production process.

You’ll also find a lot of specific information about the audiobook production process by reading the Knowledge Base articles on my site NarratorsRoadmap.com.

Subscribe to the ACX blog and my blog for authors for on-going news and features about audiobooks.

The resources listed below were found on a variety of sites and are organized by topic.

Self Published Book Launch from A-Z
Before you can think about the audiobook, you need to write and publish the book! NY Times bestselling author Travis Baldree wrote this comprehensive guide of things he learned in the process of writing and releasing his first book.

If you’re considering the use of an artificial voice for your audiobook, please read Tavia Gilbert’s post about the beauty of the audiobook creation process

Thinking About Audiobooks

Karen Commins’s Setting Sail Into Audiobooks video
In this 41-minute video, I:

explore the audiobook landscape (beginning at 2:43)
explain reasons every author should produce audiobooks of their books (beginning at 7:23)
demonstrate Amazon Whispersync capability between an audiobook and Kindle ebook (beginning at 10:19)
offer specific tips about ways to write with audio in mind (beginning at 12:09)
advise the viewer about the audiobook production process and gives concrete information about using ACX.com to create an audiobook, including payment for production costs and distribution options (beginning at 22:04)

All About Audiobook Production for Authors (comprehensive)

Audiobooks: A Multitasker’s Best Friend

Audiobooks: The Next Big Thing

Authors: Want to Create Audiobooks of Your Books?

From Written to Spoken Word — Part One: Bringing Stories to Life

Getting Started from the Audio Publishers Association

Going Further With Audiobooks: A Conversation with J. Daniel Sawyer

Hearing Voices: Why Audiobooks Are Suddenly Chic: RWA 2014 Handout/Resources

Planning Your Trip to Audiobook World rack card infographic

Video (35:32) Full Interview on Audiobooks with John Marshall Cheary

John Marshall Media produces audiobooks for all the major publishers.
Note the timestamps in the Youtube description to jump to specific points about the video, most of which relate to the categories below.

Writing With Audiobooks in Mind (Hint: You’ll Become a Better Writer!)

4 Ways Planning For Your Audiobook Can Make You a Better Writer

ACX Guest Post: Wendy Lindstrom on Writing For Audio

Ask Correia #17: Writing for the Ear, Tweaking Your Writing to Work Better in Audiobook Form

Audiobook 101 for Authors VA Festival for the Book 2021

From Written to Spoken Word — Part Two: Writing for Audio

John Scalzi: Writing For Audio Made Me A Better Writer, Period

Some Thoughts on the Lost Art of Reading Aloud

The 6 People You Have to Be When Line Editing Your Novel

Audiobook Rights and Production Overview

How Julianne MacLean Got Her Audio Rights Back

How to Self-Publish Audiobooks: 16 Tips from Indie Authors

Jane Friedman’s Audiobook Publishing and Distribution: Getting Started Guide for Authors

Links to Help Authors Know Their Rights

Securing Audiobook Rights: The Rights You Need to Bring Your Audiobook to Market

Should You Sell Your Audiobook Rights?

The Ultimate Guide to Self-Publishing Audiobooks

Understanding Audiobook Production: Jane Friedman’s Interview with Rich Miller

Distributor Comparison Chart

My chart on NarratorsRoadmap.com is for site members only and compares 9 popular distributors across 30+ individual criteria.

Author as Narrator

Much More Than Just “Reading”

Should Authors Narrate Their Own Audiobooks?

So You Want to Narrate Your Own Audiobook

Video: Narrating the Narrative: Authors on Bringing Their Audiobooks to Life

Why Authors Should (Almost) Never Read Their Own Audiobooks

Advice, Articles, and Tutorials to Help You Get Started With ACX

ACX 101 For Authors and Rights Holders – Part 1: Preparation

ACX How It Works and FAQs

Cure For The ACX 7-Year Itch

Frequently Asked Questions About Audiobooks

How to Avoid 3 Costly Mistakes on ACX

How to Make an Audio Book Using ACX (Step-by-Step) best tutorial I’ve found — with screenshots

How to Win Listeners and Create Great Audiobooks

The ACX Author’s Audiobook Checklist

Payment Options and Narrators’ Views About Royalty Share Projects

7 Reasons Why Your Book is not Getting Auditions on ACX

ACX Narrator rates & other things I’ve learned

Attracting the Right Narrator: Royalty Share vs. Per Finished Hour

Audiobook Options for Indie Authors (and when it’s worth paying for production yourself)

Authors, Can You Afford to Produce an Audiobook?

Audiobooks Without Audible: The Hard Lessons I’ve Learned Routing Around Amazon Cory Doctorow describes how he used Kickstarter to fund and market his audiobooks.

How to Pick the Right Royalty Share Project

Let’s talk about Royalty Share and Marketing

Negotiate Your Perfect Deal with Royalty Share Plus (be sure to read all of the comments and go through the links in the ACX help system as they provide more explanation)

The Cost Of Audiobooks

To voice Royalty-Share Audiobooks… or not. That is the question.

How to Pay for Audiobook Production

Don’t be in a hurry to do your whole series at one time. Save the royalties from the first book to pay the costs of the 2nd one.
Use the creative exercise described in this article to uncover other sources of funds.
The chart below summarizes funding options for audiobooks created on ACX.