Everyone is talking about eBooks. There’s a new device, “reader” or tablet every few days. But there’s another book medium out there that hasn’t gone anywhere: Audiobooks!
Have you thought about doing an audiobook? If not, you should consider it as another way to reach readers. Audiobook downloading has grown one hundred fifty percent in the past five years, according to the Audio Publishers Association (APA). The Toronto star reported in February that digital audiobooks are the only book category other than eBooks to achieve double-digit growth in the past year.
When are people listening to audiobooks? Users primarily play them while travelling/commuting, exercising, cooking, or walking the dog. Teachers and schools may use them for educational purposes. And parents may play them for their children. Forty-five percent of audiobook listeners who have children under 18 say their kids listen to audiobooks also. Parents may play audiobooks for their children in the car or at bedtime. Who listens to audiobooks? You might picture someone with vision problems or senior citizens. But, young people, ages 18 to 24, make up almost one quarter (23%) of all audiobook listeners.
Turning your book into an audiobook is easy with the right help. You can select from male or female vocal talent, or both if you have different characters or a collection of short stories or poems. You can even choose to read your book yourself! Music and sound effects can be added, but be careful with having too many sounds added, you want to make sure the story is what the listener is focusing on, not the sound effects and music. The cost of doing an audiobook will be based on factors including the length of your story and production and editing costs. You can sell your audiobook with online retailers including Amazon, iTunes, on your website, or on a CD.