Karen@KarenCommins.com

Karen Commins

Award Winning

Atlanta Audiobook Share-rator™

Narrators

What’s an industry-standard offer for audio rights?

Last updated 1/28/26

 

I received an email this week from a narrator who is considering making an offer to license the audio rights of a book. They asked me what an industry-standard offer would be.

It seems like a simple question, but it doesn’t have a simple answer.

In 2008 when I first wrote about licensing audio rights, audiobooks were not the mainstream entertainment and hot commodity that they have become. Most books were not produced in audio at that time. A literary agent suggested to me back then that an advance of $1000 might seal the deal.

Even though audio licensing deals are routine these days, an “industry-standard” offer for audio rights still doesn’t exist. It really depends on the skill of the negotiator, the book, the rights holder’s approach, and any competing offers.

Before I continue, let me point out that you will want to research the copyright status of the book. You may discover that books published in the US prior to 1963 are in the Public Domain (PD) or soon will be.

  • If you find the book is already Public Domain, you can narrate and publish it now without asking anyone’s permission or owing anyone any form of compensation!
  • If it will become Public Domain within a few years, I might approach the RH about hiring me, but I wouldn’t license the rights. Instead, I’d create some sort of reminder no later than June of the year preceding the book’s entry in to the Public Domain.
    • That way, you can record and produce the audiobook so that you are ready to distribute it starting 1 January the following year when the book becomes Public Domain. As an example, my farthest PD entry date at the moment is 1/1/2032, so I know that I’ll be reminded to start recording that book in the summer of 2031.
    • I keep my reminders in Evernote, but you can just as easily add them to your calendar. You could even create a new calendar to track your upcoming Public Domain projects! This article shows a picture of my color-coded calendars in iCloud.
  • If the book was published in the US in or after 1964, it’s still copyrighted, so read on.

As a narrator hoping to persuade a rights holder that you should record their copyrighted book, you have 3 options to suggest and negotiate with the audio rights holder:

  1. Per Finished Hour (PFH)
  2. Royalty Share (RS)
  3. Licensing

You must be clear which option you are pursuing and the outcome that you want to achieve BEFORE you contact the rights holder!

This article has more details about finding and contacting the rights holder.

 

Negotiate written on a tablet with a blue marker. Eyeglasses are lying on the tablet with the marker.

[Read more…] about What’s an industry-standard offer for audio rights?

Living with No Regrets

A few days ago, I happened to see this tweet from @CeliaBedelia:

picture of a tweet transcribed in the article with a puffin sweater

My daughter asked, “Do you ever have any regrets, Mom?” And while I know she was asking this question on a philosophical level, my mind immediately went to this puffin sweater I saw in Iceland. It’s been 3 years since I saw it in a shop there, & I still regret not buying it.

Her comment struck a chord with the Twitterverse. Her post received hundreds of replies about similar missed shopping opportunities and garnered thousands of likes.

I have my own story about the same sort of regret, along with some ideas about living with no regrets.

[Read more…] about Living with No Regrets

Things I’ve Learned About Adding New Entries to My Journals

A few days ago, I showed a narrator friend my collection of journals, which I started keeping consistently in 1999. She was interested in beginning a journal and asked some questions that started me thinking about things I’ve learned about adding new entries to my journals.

I think many people may wish to start a journaling practice at the beginning of the new year. This list, which is no particular order, goes beyond the advice and info I shared in my article How I Use My Journal. I encourage you to read that article, too.

 

[Read more…] about Things I’ve Learned About Adding New Entries to My Journals

How to Narrate Copyrighted Books

Last updated 1/28/26

 

I received this comment on my article Public Domain Narration Headquarters. Since the question involves a book still under copyright, I decided to create a new article, redacting some of the identifiable aspects of the message.

I would love to record a memoir by a great [person]. Once recorded, I think there would be a market for it. The book was published in 2002, therefore is not public domain. It’s sold by Amazon but there is no audiobook of it.

I know I’ll have to contact the publisher but I don’t know where to go from there. I don’t know how to set up a contract for the job (I’d be willing to do royalty share). I don’t know how to get the audiobook onto Amazon and Audible so people can buy it.

I’ve recorded more than X books, mostly for Learning Ally. I have a good home studio. I got two jobs from [a Big 5 publisher] but have not been having much luck with auditions of late. My work of late has focused on [certain]-themed books. I haven’t figured out Findaway or Spoken Realms. I’m getting my business education from you and APA but there’s a lot I need to learn. Any advice you can give will be appreciated.

Thanks for the note.

First, this article may seem more of a general answer than you’d hoped. It needs to benefit the most people. Obviously, each discussion and negotiation about audio rights and audiobook production will be unique. I can’t anticipate or explain every possible scenario, and the scope of the topic is beyond what I can cover in an article. I can only give you a basic game plan and some resources.

Second, I need to state a few general facts about copyright so we’re all on the same page:

  1. The audio rights holder (RH) could be the author, literary agent, or publisher.
  2. Every book published in the US after 1963 remains copyrighted. Only the audio rights holder has the legal right to make an audiobook of these titles.
  3. Titles published in the US before or during 1930 are in the public domain. Anyone can make an audiobook of these books without obtaining any permission or paying any licensing fees or royalties. A new year of books enters the public domain every 1 January, meaning that books published in 1931 will be public domain on 1/1/27.
  4. Books published in the US between 1931 and 1963 may be public domain or could still retain copyright.

You must research the publication and copyright renewal dates to determine a book’s copyright status, and, if it is still copyrighted, the rights holder. If it’s public domain, head over to my Public Domain Narration Headquarters for more info and resources.

This article concerns only those books still in copyright. 

 

[Read more…] about How to Narrate Copyrighted Books

Art, Blurbs, and Critics for PD Books

I want to share a few ideas to help you promote your public domain audiobooks with interesting pull quotes from critics’ reviews, publisher marketing text in your descriptive blurbs, and authentic cover art.

[Read more…] about Art, Blurbs, and Critics for PD Books