One of the book marketing and launch strategies commonly overlooked by authors is creating and releasing your story in audiobook format.
Audiobooks have revolutionized how authors market their books, especially in the past few years.
Whether you’re an indie author or a traditionally published author, audiobooks can be an invaluable asset to your book marketing strategy.
Sales of audiobooks have skyrocketed since 2019, and a lot of that has to do with readers having an easier time digesting all the books they desire as they multitask or are on the go, so authors must take the necessary steps to make sure that their books can be enjoyed by as many readers as possible.
But the devil is in the details. You should carefully choose when and how you launch your audiobook because if done right, you absolutely can stretch the excitement surrounding your launch out further and, most importantly, increase your profits, often more than twice over!
Let’s go over the ins and outs of creating and launching your audiobook strategically and effectively as a part of your book marketing strategy
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Why you need an audiobook as part of your book marketing strategy
One of the main reasons you write books is so you can share your stories with the world, so why not take advantage of every opportunity to do that?
An audiobook version of your book is a great way to market and launch your book baby.
Adding an audiobook to your format lineup (in addition to your paperback and e-book versions) can strengthen your book marketing strategy and greatly increase your book’s exposure and potential readership.
About 2 to 4 weeks after your book launch, you’ll notice sales start to dwindle. That’s nothing to worry about. It happens even to the Big Name Authors.
This is mostly because the hype surrounding your book launch has faded and the “honeymoon phase” is over.
Launching an audiobook version of your story right around that time can keep up the momentum you gained during launch week and most importantly, you’ll potentially see a tremendous increase in your book sales overall!
2022 was the eleventh consecutive year with double digit growth when it comes to the increased popularity of audiobooks with readers. The past two years, audiobook sales have increased annually by 25% and 30% respectively.
And according to WritersDigest.com, Audiobooks are predicted to become a $19 billion (that’s billion with a “B”) industry by 2027!
So, why would you NOT want a piece of that pie?
How to strategize your audiobook launch
As I’ve already mentioned, it’s super common for book sales to begin to decline slowly in the weeks following your launch week and launching your audiobook version can keep the momentum going.
Here’s the strategy I use when helping my indie author coaching clients implement their book marketing strategy and set the scene for a successful book launch.
Announcement Week – four weeks prior to your scheduled launch, use this week to make the official announcement of your pub date (no sooner, no later)
Cover Reveal Week – two weeks prior to your scheduled launch, every day of this week, you’ll want to post different content revealing and featuring your book cover
Launch Week – the day you launch should be considered carefully and no sooner than 2 – 3 months after finishing your manuscript to allow time for editing, formatting, and everything else you must do
Audiobook Launch Week – six to eight weeks after your paperback and e-book launch, release your audiobook version with similar pre-launch hype
Doing this, as well as doing your best to keep to a schedule of releasing two to four books each year will get you toward your goal of having a sustained author career much faster and with way more success.
Don't pay thousands upfront to hire a voice actor!
Audiobooks are published on a platform called ACX.com, which is similar to KDP and is also owned by Amazon. In fact, your book must be listed on Amazon and be verified before you can start the process.
But another common misconception among authors is that you must hire a pricey voice actor, and these narrators can charge upwards of a few thousands dollars for their services.
While they are well-earned, authors already have so many out-of-pocket expenses to front, including professional editing and book cover design, so here’s an easy way to cut your initial investment in your book launch.
ACX.com offers authors two options when it comes to paying for narrators they have (by the thousands) listed offering services on their platform.
Of course, there is the standard upfront fee agreement, where you agree to pay the voice actor a sum of money before you even get started working on the project. And that can range from several hundred dollars (for less experienced narrators) up to several thousand dollars (for those more experienced).
But if you’re like most authors and trying to save money where you can but still get quality services, ACX also allows you to choose from a very large database of narrators who will agree to a fee split arrangement.
In this option, the 40% royalties you would get from each audiobook sale, you agree to split 50/50 with the voice actor.
While, yes, keeping 20% of your royalties sounds like you’re taking a huge hit, keep in mind, you’re saving money on the front end, which allows you to get started faster and more affordably.
Also, if you went the traditional publishing route, you’d be keeping much, much less than even that.
The process of searching the database on ACX for the right narrator is fun, but I warn you…you will get caught in a rabbit hole when listening to all the different voice types and trying to choose the best narrator for your book!
ACX also allows you to filter your narrator search by gender, accent, regional dialect, and even style of voice (sarcastic, demure, witty, angsty…)
Even if you can manage to control yourself and not spend hour after hour listening to voice samples like I do, the entire process can take a couple of months by the time you choose your actor, listen to their sample reading from your manuscript, and allow them time to record the entire book (average run time is anywhere from 8 to 16 hours).
So, plan your launch strategy accordingly.
If you would like my help preparing your audiobook and every other aspect of self-publishing, I’ve been coaching authors through this process for over a dozen years (3 years full-time).
Don’t waste time trying to figure it out yourself by searching the internet for “how to self-publish!” You’ll be bombarded with tons of conflicting advice, and remember…you don’t know what you don’t know, meaning, there will be steps you miss inevitably since you aren’t yet a publishing pro. So, don’t risk missing any huge, effective, and important steps in your launch and marketing strategy.
CLICK HERE to learn more about my author coaching, and request your FREE consultation with me now.
