Preparing to Launch the Emperor's Edge Podiobook

If you've been reading my blog for a while, you may remember that I started thinking of creating a podiobook (audiobook distributed in incremental podcasts/sections) back in February or so. It's been a while since I mentioned it, so I thought I'd bring you up to date and let you know what the process has been like (the entire book is done now, and we're going to get the first chapter online in another week or so).

I was originally inspired by the interview I'd done with full-time ebook author Nathan Lowell. Nathan started out podcasting his novels long before he prettied them up and turned them into books. In doing so, he built a fan base that was ready and waiting when he launched his first ebook.

I figured that creating podiobook versions of my novels would be another way to get my name out there and let people try my stories. After all, not everybody has jumped on the e-reader train yet, but many folks have iPods and other mp3 players, and some of those folks enjoy listening to audiobooks that way. I know I've listened to more than a few in the car and at the gym.

My plan isn't to charge for the podiobook (those interested will be able to listen to each chapter as I release it, probably once a week), but maybe some of those listeners will want to go on to buy the ebook or print (coming soon!) versions.

For those who might be thinking of choosing this route as well, here's a look at how the process has gone for me:

I decided whether I wanted to learn how to do this myself (which would include investing in good audio production equipment and spending quite a bit of time reading my book aloud and then editing it). The answer was no. I figured it would be a steep learning curve, and I wanted to invest my time in other things — like writing the next book!
I got in touch with the folks from Darkfire Productions. They gave me a quote on what it would cost to pay voice talent and put everything together, and I decided to go for it. (I wasn't making the big e-publishing bucks back then, and they were nice enough to let me pay in installments.)
I sent off the manuscript and Starla Huchton started narrating it. It seemed like a good idea to get the whole book (100,000+ words!) recorded and finished before releasing episodes, and this took a good three months or so. She had to read the chapters, the DFP guys (Collin Earl and Chris Snelgrove) had to edit them, and then it was my turn to listen to the chapters to check for errors (I was probably the slowest link in this chain, heh).
I picked out some music for the introduction that will play at the beginning of each segment (as you'd guess, you can't just grab music from some band you like; you have to buy a license from someone who puts out royalty-free music). I'm using Space Deep by Scott Hallgren.
The next step, which I'm working on now, is to get the book information over to Darkfire Productions, the stuff that will go into the listing at Podiobooks.com (genre, dust jacket blurb, cover art, keywords, etc.). I'd thought the guys might just send me the files when they were done, and I'd have to figure out where to upload them and what not, but they're doing that for me too. Yay, thanks, gentlemen! (They've all done their own podiobooks, as well as work for clients, so they bring a lot of experience to the table.)
Once all that's done, we should be ready to launch the first chapter (I believe we're shooting for the 15th).

So, that's the process!

I've already sent the DF fellows the Dark Currents (Emperor's Edge 2) manuscript, and I'll be having that one recorded this fall. I'm planning to do the whole series, as I get them written and published, and I'm hoping this will be a great way for me to gain some new fans.

I'll post again when the first episode is up, and I'll do an update later on to let you know if it seems worthwhile (insofar as earning new fans and selling books).

Related Posts:

Turning Your Novel into a Podiobook with Collin Earl
Emperor's Edge Updates: Audiobook Coming and New Cover Text
How Full-time Ebook Author Nathan Lowell Got Start with Podiobooks