by Ryan Levesque, Publishing Concierge
They say there’s nothing quite like that new book smell.
The UPS driver hands you a box (or 50) containing freshly printed copies of your brand spanking new book. You carefully open the box with a pair of scissors (careful to avoid poking too deeply lest you damage the precious cargo). You delicately pull back the packing paper, and then setting eyes on it, you gingerly remove one single copy of your BNB (Brand New Book). First, you stare lovingly at the cover. And it stares right back at you, with equal affection. Then you hold it tenderly to your breast. Amazement and gratitude well up within you.
I did this!
I DID this!
It’s MINE!
After pausing for a moment to soak everything in, you recollect yourself. You lightly fan the pages under your nose and inhale deeply as that delicious new book smell wafts into your nostrils.
What a glorious moment!
Even if you’ve already experienced this unique moment with your book, there is still, however, another permutation of this combined feeling of accomplishment and heightened sensory experience available to you. Specifically, it’s available to authors who choose to put their books in audiobook format. I call it that new audiobook smell. Admittedly, I’m mixing up senses here, but bear with me…
There’s the moment that you receive the finished audiobook files from the narrator.
You pop on your favorite headphones
Press play.
Close your eyes.
And then you hear it:
Word-after-word, sentence-after-sentence of your delicious prose articulated by an artist with a golden voice who shows reverence to each syllable as it’s uttered.
Even the most mundane turn of phrase in your work takes on a majestical tone when it’s rolling off the tongue of an artist trained to perform such feats of vocal wizardry.
That new audiobook smell! What a wonderful “smell” it is. It never gets old.
If the promise of this moment alone isn’t enough to entice you to have a professional narrator produce your audiobook, I’ve got 5 more reasons for you to consider.
Having your book available in audiobook format means that it’s available to customers in yet another format in which readers today consume books.
I have a friend named James. He’s a voracious “reader” of books. But he hasn’t purchased a print book, nor an ebook, in years. He’s exclusively an audiobook listener. He’s an Audible subscriber, and he purchases and listens to audiobooks like nobody’s business. In addition to having mild dyslexia which makes reading a print or ebook difficult for him, audiobooks fit his busy on-the-go lifestyle, and make his hour plus commute to Boston all the more tolerable.
No matter how much James might be interested in your book, if it’s not available in audio, there’s a 100% chance he won’t buy it. Ever.
Audiobooks give book lovers like James (and there are many of them out there!) a way to consume your book that fits their lifestyle and preferences. This means you’ll be able to satisfy a hungry, book-loving segment of the market that simply won’t be accessible to you otherwise.
Having your book in audiobook format (especially if it’s already available in ebook and print book format) sends a message to readers:
This is an important book.
It’s a signal of credibility. A subtle sign of social proof.
The perceived value and importance of the book as a serious work is increased. Readers will naturally have thoughts like:
Someone thought this book was important enough to invest in making it available in audiobook format.
and…
Since it’s available in audiobook format, too, this book must be in demand.
The act of making the book available in audio can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy. Even if readers aren’t fully conscious of these thoughts, the messages are inherently there and communicated, by virtue of their noticing the book is available in this additional format.
Oh, and remember Reason #2 above?
The increased profile of your book can lead to an increase in sales of your print book and ebook, as readers who are interested in your book, but on the fence about clicking that “BUY” button might be persuaded by the additional “signaling” provided by the existence of an audio format.
The elevated profile of your book can also provide increased credibility in your communication with media, bloggers, conference planners, etc.
How cool is it to be able to drop that your book “is also available in audiobook format at Audible.com and iTunes?”
Whether you get the chance to drop it during a podcast interview, on stage at a speaking gig, exhibiting at a book fair, talking to a stranger on an airplane, or even just out to dinner with friends. It’s super-satisfying to say those words.
(C’mon, you know that’s cool!)
Most self-published authors don’t bother with an audiobook version.
Their reasons may vary—maybe they don’t know how to get started; they don’t know how to find a kick-a** narrator; they assume it’s too expensive.
Thus, if you go the extra mile and create the audiobook, not only does your book stand out (Reason #3), but if a readers is choosing between two other equally appealing books (your book or the competition), having the book in audiobook format may give you the slight edge, a competitive advantage, earning you the sale. (Again, see Reason #2).
Whether you choose exclusive or non-exclusive distribution, with eBookIt.com's Audiobook distribution, your audiobook will get listed for sale on both Amazon.com and iTunes.
It’s like a Tale of Two Kings, and you’ve got one foot in each kingdom. Amazon is the undisputed source for books online. And outside of Audible directly, iTunes is arguably the #1 source for audiobooks. And Audible is iTunes’s exclusive provider of audiobook content.
By distributing your book to Audible, your book will “live” in the places responsible for the vast majority of online digital audiobook sales. It’s an envious position in the marketplace.
Shazaam!
Over the past year and a half, eBookIt made a BIG investment in audiobooks. In addition to producing audiobooks for our authors, we’ve sought out authors of top-selling books, and produced audiobooks for them. We’ve produced 600 such audiobooks (in addition to hundreds of audiobooks for eBookIt.com authors). In fact, this aspect of our business became so significant, that we spun it off to a new brand and website: Archieboy Studios (which is still run and managed by the same people you’ve come to love and trust at eBookIt.com).
Taking on all of these “in-house” projects has meant that we’ve vetted dozens and dozens of narrators, and have only kept the best of the best. Narrators that weren’t responsive communicators were quickly dropped. Narrators who lacked exceptional quality did not last. So we now have a large selection of vetted narrators, at various price ranges to fit your budget. Given that we now have a larger pool of talent (currently over 30 narrators with a variety of styles and specialities) and we can now get your audiobook completed quicker than ever before.
In the process of growing our audiobook business, we’ve put together the largest and most diverse stable of narrators we’ve ever had since we started producing this format several years ago.
If you haven’t checked out our roster of narrators recently, I invite you to do so.
I look forward to whiffing the delicious aroma of your new audiobook soon!
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Which reasons for putting your book in audiobook format are the most compelling to you? What additional reasons do you have that aren’t on our list? Share YOUR thoughts. I’d love to hear from you!
And remember to share this post with others through social media.
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Ryan Levesque served as the President of eBookIt.com from the company’s inception in 2010 through 2019. Ryan now serves as a Publishing Concierge, working directly with authors and publishers to provide customized services (book marketing, one-to-one “hand holding”, video trailers, and more) which go beyond the core offerings of eBookIt.com. Oh, and he occasionally blogs for us, too.
