Just as eBook came to print, audio comes to eBook (and yes, print) as both another way to enjoy a story or 300-page tome and as a separate revenue stream for a writer. And the beauty of audiobooks, at least so far in my experience (albeit I’m not the kind of a writer where a publisher is signing me exclusively or wants to gobble up all my output), is that in many cases, the writer can set a separate deal for an audio version of his or her book that doesn’t impinge on the deal he or she has on the print or eBook version.
Yes, many a publishing house does it all, but there are plenty that only publish eBooks (especially in the erotica field) as there are lots now that are trying to carve out a niche only in audiobooks. As I have said time and again, if you can manage to grab a publisher interested in your naughty little tales and they only will publish you in eBook and print-on-demand (which is mainly how my deals are set up with the publishers I have books with) but give you free reign to scout out and scare up an audiobook publisher for the same book, I say take those freaking reins and go get another deal for the same book!
The publishers I work with see no harm in ‘spreading the wealth’ this way, as I have mentioned in previous columns. The overall thought here (and one I agree with) is that the more of my titles that are out there, in any way that they are out there, the better my chances are that one person will stumble across an erotic audiobook version of one of my books, enjoy it, and not only go a’searching for more audiobooks from yours truly, but might stumble across other titles of mine, from other publishers, and even if not audiobooks, might give one or two of my written or eBooks a try. Or somebody comes to one of my audiobooks from the reverse kind of searching, having read me in print or eBook first.Â
Especially with erotica, many people find a whole new way to enjoy what I have scribbled when it is read by some professional who can breathe life into my words and scenarios, providing a thrill in a manner just reading the written word can’t. So, yes, audiobooks indeed work for me.
One of the people I work with in the audiobook world (although they publish print-on-demand and eBook) is WORDWOOZE (here is their submissions page). I was just alerted, via their CEO, to a podcast they have been running, having recorded 172 episodes this year alone. You can find them here: Audiobook Test Drive • A podcast on Anchor. I’m letting you in on this podcast, less to sell my wares as to conclude this column assuring you that audiobooks are out there, a viable way to get your stuff published (and heard), and could provide another way for you to sell your book even if you have that book already published in eBook or print form.
So, go out and get your stuff heard!
