(This column originally appeared 4/22/15 at LitCentralOC.com.)
There’s probably a better time to begin the process of creating an audiobook than when you’re smack dab in the middle of finishing a novel, but I was too excited by the prospect to care.
Okay, that’s only partly true. What happened was I looked into it a few months ago, put up a post at ACX.com indicating I was interested in a royalty-share option (authors can choose to share royalties with the narrator/producer, or pay a per-hour rate and keep all royalties*) and I’ve been waiting for a producer to approach me.
But then local author Beth Yarnall shared her experience with audiobooks at a recent OCC RWA meeting, and she convinced me ACX was such a great opportunity, it was worth pursuing more aggressively.
So, I switched gears. Instead of sitting around waiting for auditions, I listened to samples producers have posted and discovered quite a few who would be a good fit for “Shimmy for Me.” And since the book is a novella, I figured I could afford to abandon the royalty-share option and pay a per-hour rate to improve my chances of attracting more interest.
After I narrowed my choices to a handful of producers, I messaged them through ACX to ask if they would be interested in my project. Lucky for me, my first choice was interested. Sarah Beth Goer and I quickly worked out a contract, and she has already recorded nearly half of the novella. I expect it’ll be done next month, and likely available in June.
