Audiobooks Winter, 2018 My goal with this study was to get an overview of audiobook production and distribution, and to come up with suggestions on how Ooligan Press might approach making audiobooks. Interviews (and resources for the future) I started my research with a series of interviews: Michele L. Cobb - Publisher, AudioFile Magazine, audiobook consultant michele@audiofilemagazine.com 401-354-9100 Kelly Lytle - Head of author and partner services, Findaway Voices klytle@findaway.com 440-394-0555 Anna Noak - Editorial Director, Publishing, IT Revolution Press annan@itrevolution.net 503-421-6858 Amy Rubinate - Audiobook producer, owner of Mosaic Audio, and voice artist amy@mosaicaudio.com Kate Sage – Founder Hawthorne Books, publishing consultant, workflow designer (503) 333-7105 Robin F. Whitten - Editor/founder, AudioFile Magazine (Robin has been writing about audiobooks since 1992, back when audiobooks were on cassette tapes.) robin@audiofilemagazine.com 800-506-1212 These six experts covered a wide range of the audiobook experience: casting, production, narration, distribution, press coverage and more. They were open, generous—and best of all, willing to answer questions for Ooligan in the future, which is why I’ve included their contact info. Four ways to make and distribute audiobooks From the interviews, I learned that there are four main ways for a publisher to approach making an audiobook:
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1) Sell off the rights to an audio publisher. 2) Partner with a studio. Professional studios tend to charge by the finished hour, and that fee includes casting, narration, editing, an engineer and, depending on the studio, maybe a director. (Amy Rubinate told me confidentially that Mosaic charges $550 per finished hour.) 3) DIY platform: Findaway Voices or ACX. These allow a publisher or author to select a freelance narrator who will record the book, edit it, and deliver final files ready for distribution (which will be done on that the same platform used to find the narrator). Cost per finished hour runs from $150-$600. 4) Work directly with a home studio narrator, who may also do the sound editing. Because Portland State has the Sonic Arts and Music Production program, I asked our experts what they thought about our devising a fifth way: partnering with an on-campus recording studio, with both departments figuring out the process together. Everyone thought that was a good idea—especially for a learning press like Ooligan. Sonic Arts and Music Production/Theater This term, the Sonic Arts and Music Production program received official accreditation for their B.A./B.S. program. When they submitted their degree application, they expected that 10-15 students would enter the program each year. By the time they were approved, they realized it would be more like 25 new students each year. For next fall, they’re now expecting 75. As a result, they’re hungry for new projects for their students, and they were thrilled to have us approach them with the idea of making audiobooks. Our contact in the program is: Andrew Willette, SAMP Area Coordinator willette@pdx.edu SAMP is part of the School of Music & Theater, and Andrew has also been our connection to Karin Magaldi, associate director of theater, and a professor of playwriting and dramaturgy. Karin circulated word about our auditions, which brought us the candidates we recorded during week 9. The plan is that Andrew will engineer our one-chapter Ricochet River test, then guide his SAMP students through engineering our future titles. Andrew and the students will also do the sound editing and output the necessary files, which we can deliver to the distributor(s) of our choice. The Process Here’s an overview of the basic workflow: 1) Try to start at least two months out from release date.
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2) An audiobook, like an ebook, needs a separate ISBN. 3) Prepare the manuscript as a PDF. (This can require extra work if the book has features that won't translate well to audio like tables, maps or charts. This has been important for IT Revolution, but it would probably be less so for most of Ooligan’s titles.) 4) Cast the narrator(s). 5) Record according to distributor specs, such as these from ACX. 6) Do sound editing. (Pro Tools is the industry standard; SAMP currently uses PreSonus Studio One, but they’re planning to add Pro Tools soon.) 7) Output two formats: MP3 (for delivery) and WAV (for archiving). 8) Submit to distributor. (It can take up to a month for the audiobook file to be accepted and available.) Distributors •
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ACX (owned by Amazon) – ACX uploads to Audible/Amazon, iTunes and ACX's own platform. Distribution options are here; they definitely favor distribution exclusive to Audible/Amazon/iTunes (royalty is 40% of retail) over non-exclusive (25% of retail). No matter which deal a publisher chooses from them, the $50 bounty applies. Findaway – Works with the biggest retailers in more than 170 countries (including Audibles, iTunes, Baker and Taylor). Royalty share if the publisher makes the book: 80% publisher/20% Findaway. (However, this is based on the royalties Findaway receives from retailers and libraries.) Author's Republic – Over thirty channels, 70% royalty to publisher. Big Happy Family Audio – This company seems much smaller, and their website doesn’t seem that current, but Michele Cobb mentioned them as an option, so I’m including them.
This is one area that can use more research and analysis, to see which distribution option(s) would be the most effective and lucrative for our purposes. Other things to consider •
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Trained, good voices are very important--and a less experienced narrator can take much longer to record. (A professional reader might need about two hours of recording time for each hour of finished audio; a less experienced reader will probably need three to five hours of recording time for each finished hour—plus probably more time in post to clean up the files.) It’s rare for fiction writers to read their own work, slightly more common for authors of memoirs and autobiographies to do so. It's in the publisher's best interest to release the print book and audiobook at the same time so that marketing and publicity efforts can help both versions.
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After Ooligan starts producing audiobook titles, we might want to consider joining the Audio Publishers Association (APA). This year's APA conference is May 30 in New York, in conjunction with Book Expo. For the actual recording of our first full title, Ooligan might want to consider flying in Amy Rubinate or another audiobook producer to oversee the process and direct the narrator.
More Resources ACX has a set of how-to videos called ACX University, with topics such as “Elements of a Well Reviewed Audiobook” and “How to Pass ACX QA Every Time!” Some books that would be useful: The Untold Story of the Talking Book, by Matthew Rubery. (Mentioned by Rachel Noorda in her teaching demo.) Patsy Rodenburg is a voice teacher and coach who has worked with institutions like the Royal National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, as well as with individual actors including Ian McKellen, Daniel Day-Lewis and Judi Dench. She’s written a number of books on the use of the voice; these two would be especially helpful to Oolies working with narrators on audiobooks: • The Right to Speak: Working with the Voice • The Actor Speaks: Voice and the Performer Audiobook recommendations from Robin Whitten Finally, to learn more about what makes a great audiobook, I asked Robin Whitten, the founder and editor of Audiofile Magazine, to recommend some titles she found excellent. Here are her suggestions: • • • • •
The Golden Compass - Done with a full cast, brilliant ensemble. The Book of Dust - Read by British actor Michael Sheen. The Hate You Give - Narrated by award-winning narrator Bahni Turpin. Turtles All the Way Down - Single narrator, terrific audiobook experience. Sing, Unburied, Sing -- Ensemble performance by three narrators.