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Narration and Audiobooks

Audiobook - How-To for Indie Authors

Author

Dawn Chapman

Date Published

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Audiobook How-To for Indie Authors

October 12, 2024


Overview

This document is designed to walk you through the general process of getting your book into audio.  This document does NOT address working with production or publishing companies, though if you are interested in that, a list has been provided on the last page of this document.


It addresses working through the platforms ACX (acx.com), Findaway Voices (findawayvoices.com), Author’s Republic (authorsrepublic.com), and Kobo (kobowritinglife.com). 


Book Funnel offers direct distribution of audiobooks as well, at certain tiers.


ACX is owned by Amazon. Findaway Voices is owned by Spotify.  Kobo is owned by Rakuten.


Please note that this is a general overview of the process and things may vary per narrator and company.  This is also a constantly changing industry and this document will be updated regularly to reflect any changes.

Budgeting

Per Finished Hour (PFH)

This option is calculated based on the finished length of the audiobook.  The speed of your narrator will vary, so I recommend dividing your total word count by 8500, then again by 9300 to give you an estimated range of the total length.

  • Flat rate paid to the narrator 
    • If interested in duet or multi-cast, double-check HOW the narrators will be recording. 
      •  The most common practice is for narrators to record separately and you will pay each narrator for THEIR portion of the audiobook.  For example, if the audiobook is 8 hours long and is a 50/50 split, you will pay each person their rate for FOUR HOURS.
      • Some narrators record synchronously and may charge for the full duration of the book each to account for the extra studio time.


  • Available on all platforms


  • 100% royalty distribution to the rights-holder
    • ACX Exclusive: 40% royalties
      • If your audiobook costs $10, you will receive $4.
    • ACX Non-Exclusive:  25% royalties
      • If your audiobook costs $10, you will receive $2.50
    • Findaway Voices:  80% royalties*
      • If your audiobook costs $10, you will receive $4.**
        • *Findaway Voices is an aggregator: you choose what sites to distribute to and the distributor usually takes HALF of what your book is listed at, then you get 80% of the remainder.
        • **If you distribute via Spotify, you will receive $10.  Findaway waives their 20% fee for their own distribution platform.
        • ***Spotify distribution is now a streaming only option for Spotify Premium users and those streams will result in a percentage from a pool subscription model.  There is currently no way to opt out of this.
    • Author’s Republic:  70% royalties*
      • 80% royalties (limited time offer for new books until 10/31/2024)
      • *If your audiobook costs $10, you will receive $3.50
        • Author’s Republic is an aggregator:  you choose what sites to distribute to and the distributor usually takes HALF of what your book is listed at, then you get 70% of the remainder.
    • Kobo/Kobo Plus: 35-45% of royalties
      • 45% royalties for audiobooks with a list price greater than or equal to $2.99
      • 35% royalties for audiobooks with a list price less than $2.99
        • Audiobook Subscription Customer Exceptions
          • Redemption of a free trial token is a royalty of ZERO
          • Redemption of a paid token (subscription download) is a royalty of 32%


Royalty Share (RS)  

This option costs the rights-holder zero dollars out-of-pocket.

  • Only available on ACX
  • Requires exclusivity to Amazon, Audible, and iTunes.
  • Royalties are 40%: 20% to the rights-holder, 20% to the narrator
    • If your audiobook costs $10, you will receive $2 and your narrator will receive $2.


Royalty Share Plus (RS+)

This option is a combination of the previous two options: a smaller out-of-pocket amount and royalty share.

  • Only available on ACX
  • Requires exclusivity to Amazon, Audible, and iTunes.
  • The PFH rate is less than what a flat PFH contract would be and is often used to pay for engineering costs and/or to make the royalty-share portion less of a gamble.
  • Royalties are 40%: 20% to the rights holder, 20% to the narrator
    • If your audiobook costs $10, you will receive $2 and your narrator will receive $2.


More and more authors are finding success in crowd-funding their audiobooks (usually via stretch goals for campaigns involving special editions, etc) via Kickstarter.  There is an excellent Facebook group with a huge amount of information called Kickstarter for Authors.


Platform Specifics

ACX

  • Currently only available to residents of the USA, UK, Canada, and Ireland.


  • Contracts, exclusive AND non-exclusive, are for a minimum of seven (7) years.  This will auto-renew unless you notify them 60 days before the renewal date.


  • Offers Royalty Share, Royalty Share Plus, and PFH (or Pay For Production) options
    • Both royalty options require exclusivity


  • Ebook is required to be listed on Amazon to create an ACX listing


  • Exclusive: 40% royalties to the author OR 20% split with narrator
    • $10 book = $4 to author OR $2 to author and $2 to narrator
      • This is affected by the Allocation Factor (mystery number) with credits, etc


  • Distribution is on Audible, Amazon, and Apple iTunes


  • Pay For Production/PFH contracts can be changed to non-exclusive after the audiobook is on sale on Audible for ninety (90) days


  • Royalty Share and Royalty Share Plus contracts CANNOT be changed to non-exclusive, even if the narrator agrees to a buyout


  • Non-Exclusive: 25% royalties to the author


  • Royalties are paid at the end of the following month for which they are accrued (for example, for sales in August, you will get royalties at the end of September)


  • “Qualified returns” are returns made within 7 days of purchase and will be deducted from royalties


  • ACX/Audible sets the price and can change it whenever they want.



  • Early Termination: you may remove your audiobook from Audible after ninety (90) days from the day the audiobook is on sale.  They have thirty (30) days to remove it after that.


  • You retain all ownership of audio and audio rights.  ACX ONLY has rights to distribution.


  • 10 business days for the audiobook to go through ACX QC


  • Promo codes:  only available for exclusive titles, 25 US and 25 UK region


  • ACX Book Posting Agreement - please make sure you are familiar with this and the other contracts available on the ACX website.  When you make an account there, you are agreeing to all of this.


  • Non-royalty payments to the narrators are handled by the author/rights-holder OFF PLATFORM.  ACX/Audible does not handle PFH payments.


  • Production
    • Rights-holders can post auditions or make direct offers
    • ACX has an all-in rate agreement with SAG-AFTRA for both PFH and RS+ contracts
    • Narrator is responsible for retail-ready audio


Findaway Voices

  • Findaway Voices is now ONLY a distributor; the Marketplace to find a narrator has been discontinued


  • Contracts currently have no required time minimum.


  • 40+ distribution partners
    • Spotify is exclusive to Findaway
    • Chirp access
    • Library distribution via Overdrive


  • 80% royalties to the author/rights-holder, 20% fee to Findaway Voices
    • $10 book = $4 to the author, $1 to Findaway Voices
      • Retailers generally take 50% of the list price


  • Research the retailers: percentages change based on sale model (subscription vs pool vs straight sales)


  • Spotify: 100% of royalties to the author, but required to participate in the streaming option if you choose to distribute there


  • Author/rights-holder sets the price
    • You can distribute to Audible via Findaway, but there will be an additional fee and the ACX contracts apply


  • Early Termination: available at any point and they will try to remove it within thirty (30) days of the request


  • They auto-opt-in your book to new distribution partners, channels, etc - you can contact them to opt-out
  • Two-four weeks for audiobooks to show up on retail sites; as many as 45 days for Audible


  • Promo codes:  100 Spotify redemption codes


Author’s Republic

  • Offers distribution and narrator marketplace


  • Production
    • Only narrators from their approved roster*
      • *roster is currently not accepting new applicants, per their FAQ
    • They do not handle SAG-AFTRA contracts
    • Narrators are responsible for retail-ready audio


  • Contracts are for a minimum of seven (7) years.  This will auto-renew unless you notify them 60 days before the renewal date.


  • Author/rights-holder enters an MSRP
    • All platforms may not honor it
    • Author’s Republic retains the right to change it
  • Exclusive distribution rights with exceptions
    • CDBaby, eJunkie, payhip, gumroad, and other “shopping cart sites”
    • ACX



  • 70% royalties to the author/rights-holder, 30% fee to Author’s Republic
  • $10 book = $3.50 to the author, $1.50 to Author’s Republic
    • Retailers generally take 50% of the list price
    • Research the retailers: percentages change based on sale model (subscription vs pool vs straight sales)


  • Early Termination: without cause upon sixty (60) days written notice


  • Royalties are paid on a monthly net forty-five (45) day basis


  • Returns: if issued, the return is CHARGED BACK to the Rights-Holder if royalty payment has already been made, or deducted from the future royalty payment if it hasn’t been paid


  • Five-sixty business days for audiobooks to show up on retail partner sites


Kobo/Kobo Plus

  • Non-exclusive


  • Kobo.com and 6 other distribution sites (if you provide Kobo with global distribution rights)


  • Royalties
    • 45% royalties for audiobooks with a list price greater than or equal to $2.99
    • 35% royalties for audiobooks with a list price less than $2.99
      • Audiobook Subscription Customer Exceptions
        • Redemption of a free trial token is a royalty of ZERO
        • Redemption of a paid token (subscription download) is a royalty of 32%


  • Direct uploading vs indirect uploading
    • Direct uploads allow for participation in Kobo promotions
    • Indirect uploads mean the distributor fee will be taken out before royalties received


  • No library distribution yet for audiobooks


  • Audiobooks available in 24-72 hours


  • Termination: “reach out and they will remove the title”


Finding a Narrator

As Findaway Marketplace has been discontinued, both ACX and Author’s Republic offer platforms with which to post an audition for your audiobook. You can also invite narrators to audition on that platform.  However, ACX is only available to residents of the USA, UK, Canada, and Ireland.


Social media is also an excellent way to find the voice(s) you are looking for - both Tiktok and Instagram have a large narrator population.   Search hashtags like #audiobooknarrator and #audiobooks. 


IMPORTANT NOTE: Many good narrators are booked out MONTHS ahead.  If you have someone in mind, ask them their schedule and plan accordingly. Very few narrators who do this for a living will be able to fit you in next week.


Watch their videos, visit their websites, and REACH OUT TO THEM!  We don’t bite, we WANT to do this job.  Ask their rates and (so important) ASK THEM TO AUDITION!  You may love their videos, you may love a short snippet they read on a live, but you want to make sure they can bring your whole book to life.


Which brings us to…


What to Post in an Audition

  • Your budget and be honest.  Don’t bait and switch.
    • If you do not plan on offering an out-of-pocket amount of money, do not select Royalty Share Plus.  ACX makes “Royalty Share or Royalty Share Plus” the default, which is misleading.  DOUBLE CHECK THIS!


  • Solo, dual, or duet narration  (Note that these get more expensive due to engineering and prep)
    • Solo - a single narrator
    • Dual* - a narrator for each POV; they do all the voices for the characters in their chapter
    • Duet* - generally a masc narrator does all the masc characters and a femme narrator does all the femme characters
    • Multi-cast* - a different person for each character (can be done in a dual or duet style)

* There is no way to contract more than ONE narrator directly on either platform.  If you want more than one, you will need a separate contract for any additional narrator. 


  • Your timeline/deadline.  If it doesn’t matter, say that.  


  • Your marketing plan and social media presence (important for Royalty Share contracts)


  • Short character descriptions: age, ethnicity, personality, accents, vocal traits (gravel, rasp, pitch)
    • Please note:  Pitch /= age.  Low voices do not mean old and high voices do not mean young.
    • Are you looking for Own Voices? PLEASE say that!
  • Trigger/content warnings
    • Narrators have boundaries.  Let them know what your book contains before they audition.  It’s the worst to have someone agree to do it only to have them back out after they read the book, because it crosses their lines.


  • Choose scenes that are important to your or showcase the atmosphere of the book
    • Do you have a lot of characters?  Pick a scene with them talking or a bunch of small scenes with multiple characters.
    • Is it a romance?  Choose a spicy scene.  Thriller?  Pick something suspenseful.  Fantasy Adventure?  Battle scene.


  • Keep the initial auditions SHORT.  500-750 words.
    • You can ask for more later - a “callback” is very common


Questions to Ask Your Potential Narrator (especially if they are new)

  • What is your DAW and equipment situation?
    • If someone says “AirPods”, please avoid.
  • What does your sound treatment consist of?
    • If someone has a good mic and a terrible space, the sound quality will be awful. Sound treatment is the most important.
  • Can you meet the audiobook technical specifications laid out on ACX/Findaway?
  • What’s your timeline?
  • Do you use AI?  Ethics of this aside, Author’s Republic is the only one of these distributors who does not allow any AI-narrated components and your book can be removed if it’s discovered, and they will not pay you royalties for sales of this book.
    • ACX will not allow you to use AI unless it’s THEIR AI/voice cloning software which is currently in beta and they are sending DMs to authors on their platform who pull their books to listen to auditions.  See Josh's video here.


Questions Your Narrator May Ask You 

  • Can I narrate live?
  • Are your timelines adjustable in either direction?
  • What is your marketing plan and/or social media presence?


All narrators work differently and have different requirements/expectations so hash those out.


Other Resources

I have multiple video collections on TikTok and I try to update the community consistently with industry info.

     Audiobook Production Info

     Info and Business Practices for Narrators

Please note that I am one of many and my recommendations are NOT law; they are based on my observations and experiences.  Check around, there are plenty of other experienced narrators with information out there as well.


The Production

Sample

Also known as the 15-Minute Checkpoint or Extended Sample.


This is a very important step in the process because this is the LAST TIME the author/rights-holder gets creative input - this is spelled out in the ACX and Findaway contracts as well.


There are multiple ways to do this:

  • Pick important scenes you want to hear
  • Hear the voices of all major characters in the book (this is my preference); if there is a minor character who becomes major in later books, specify in our prep discussion so they will be included
  • First 15 minutes


You get two rounds of revisions - please read the contracts for the specific timelines.


Once this step is approved, it is hands-off for the author/rights-holder!  The narrator’s job is the artistic interpretation.  Line readings, voice changes, etc are generally a no-go.


The contract is not considered IN PLACE until this is approved.  If either party wants to terminate the contract before the sample is approved, there is no financial obligation.  If the sample IS approved and you later want to terminate, there is a termination fee.


Again, this is all in the ACX contract or the narrator’s own contract if working off-platform.  Read it!



Recording

Exactly what it says.  The narrator will record the audiobook.  Some let the authors hear the raw files in order to speed up approval later, but others do not.


Proofing/Editing/Mastering

Once the recording is finished, it enters the technical stage.  This actually takes far longer than recording and the narrator may do it themselves or send it out to someone else to do.  External engineers often need two weeks to one month to complete this process, depending on their schedules and the length of the book.


In a process called proofing, the engineer listens to the audiobook and compares it to the manuscript, looking for errors (for example, word switches, inconsistent pronunciations, etc).  They also do a pass checking for extraneous noises (cars, meowing, chair creaks).  


A pickup packet is sent to the narrator, corrections are made, then the engineer fits them into the files and masters them all to audiobook sound standards.


Author/Rights-Holder Approval

The mastered files to the appropriate platform for the author/rights holder to give a final listen.  Per the contract, you have SEVEN DAYS to listen and either approve or send the project back to make corrections.


Corrections include mispronunciations, very obvious incorrect character voices, and misreadings the engineer may have missed.  This does NOT include changes to the manuscript, deciding you do not like a voice, line readings, etc.  Some narrators will agree to these more major changes, but they will likely charge an additional working hour rate.  Others will say no entirely.


Just like with the Sample, the author/rights holder gets two rounds of revisions.  


Once the author/rights holder approves, you will click “I Approve” on the appropriate platform and then remit final payment.


Payment

Approving the audiobook on ACX is not the same as payment, as payment does not happen through them.  They ONLY handle royalty payments, not flat rates.


There are many different ways to send payment, talk to your narrator about what they accept (Zelle, PayPal, Melio, Wise, Venmo, union paymaster, etc).


Once the narrator has received payment, they will click “I have been paid” on the appropriate platform.


Quality Control

It’s in the platform’s hands now!  ACX takes 10-14 business days to make the audiobook available, Findaway is roughly the same though it can take as long as forty five days depending on where you are choosing to put your book.  Author’s Republic takes five-sixty days, and Kobo takes 24-72 hours.


Ownership

These audio files belong to you, do with them as you will (though be aware that machine learning may be governed by union contracts and you do NOT have the right to give your narrator’s voice to anything).  The only rights you are giving a platform are distribution rights.


The ACX and Findaway contracts specify a certain percentage you are allowed to use to market.


Marketing

The most difficult part of all this!


Some ideas:

  • Live reading on social media drums up sales ahead of time
  • Audiobook release parties on social media
  • Change all your materials to say “available in paperback, ebook, AND audio!”
  • Post sound clips with your book cover/promo materials
  • ACX and Findaway Voices both give your promo codes to distribute the audiobooks for free in hopes that you get reviews.  Use them!  Have giveaways or send them to your street team.
  • Partner with your narrator for events
  • “Marketing Audiobooks Wide” is a Facebook group founded by author Rebecca Hefner with a ton of information


Other Helpful Links

Kobo Writing Life Audiobooks

Spotify/Findaway Voices Knowledge Base

ACX Help

Author's Republic FAQ

BookFunnel Audiobook Direct Distribution

Kickstarter


Final Thoughts

I hope this helped break the process down a bit and made it a little less intimidating.  It is a lot and the contracts on these sites are very convoluted.


There are many companies in this industry - too many for me to breakdown in this one document - but I hope this was a helpful introduction to the most popular ones.


If you have questions, always feel free to ask!  My inbox and DMs are always open to help.

You can find Paige Reisenfeld over at her linktree