Making a Audiobook: Is It Worth It?

Let me start by saying this: Creating an audiobook is a LOT of work. And as an indie author, an awful lot of that work falls to… take a guess, right?! This is the journey from zero to done.

STEP 1: Decision Time

When I first started thinking about TRUE SURRENDER as an audiobook, I nearly choked on the cost (now I understand why). Simply put: It was out of my reach.

So I shelved the idea, until one day I overhead an acquaintance who’s a voracious reader gushing about how she prefers to hear a story/book directly from the writer’s mouth.

This was a bit of a revelation… narrate my own book?

Naturally, I googled it. There was plenty of information out there, and it was apparently acceptable to narrate your own book. I’ve sung vocals for multiple albums, and even my own cover songs. I have friends with studios in their homes that I figured I could talk (or barter) into helping. Heck, I thought, I could do this!

But should I?

To answer that one, I conducted an informal poll of my readers and other authors. I asked them how they felt about the narrator’s voice. And though some preferred an ultra-polished ‘performance,’ many said that since the writer knows her story the best, she would be the best to read it aloud, with emphasis where she’d intended it.

So, in my typical I’ll-try-anything-once attitude, I talked a friend into recording at his studio.

STEP 2: Recording

Tim and I did the whole book, stopping to backtrack and re-record if I flubbed, or if we got outside sound (just our luck, the street sweepers were on his street that week!), in a week’s time and man, was I sick of it by then!

Then I had to listen to every minute (which turned out to be over 300) and flag any errors or problem areas… and back to Tim’s studio I went.

All told, this process took twelve weeks (partly due to work and family commitments). That was when I started to think I may have bitten off more than I could chew!

STEP 3: Preparation

I sent the files off to Karen, ‘scrubber extraordinaire,’ to clean up the diction and any low-level humming or background noise we’d missed. She found some that were bad enough I couldn’t let them go, so (you guessed it) – back to the studio! The “new and improved” files then made their way to Karen, who dropped them into the recording and cleaned them up – and then mastered them to the standards required for upload.

STEP 4: For Sale (Maybe)

I had planned to use Amazon/Audible exclusively. But once I got all the files uploaded, I discovered (much to my disappointment) that I had no control over the pricing. Instead, Amazon/Audible’s price is “set” based on the length (TRUE SURRENDER is just over five hours).

There are other things I’ve since discovered about Audible that I’m not thrilled about, so when I heard about an alternative audiobook distributor, I contacted them. I got to work with a real person who took the time to answer my phone and email questions. They let me have input on pricing, they created the cover image, and they even sent me the first ones (here I am celebrating). I wish I’d found them first!

Have I recouped the time and money I spent making TRUE SURRENDER (audiobook)?

Unfortunately, I have not (yet). And it’s almost painful to think of all the hours I could have spent writing another book instead. So, although I value the process as the learning experience it was, I can’t justify doing it again.

It IS pretty neat to have another way for people to get to know Aaron and Holly’s story. For a taste of what the audiobook is like, check out the video at the bottom of this page.

Get The Audiobook

You can get TRUE SURRENDER (audiobook) in either physical CD or downloadable form from my preferred vendor, Downpour, or at Amazon, Audible or iTunes. I also have a limited number of physical CDs for sale directly (contact me at the email address below).

For more information about Army officer Aaron Bricewick’s struggle with amputation and PTSD (and the woman who helped him through both), click here.