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Ultimate Audiobook Guide: 20 Steps To Make Your Audiobook Successful
Audiobooks are a powerful tool to get more leads.
A successful audiobook’s biggest benefit is more sales. However, audiobooks have non-monetary benefits as well. You can build your email subscriber list by providing free audiobooks on your website.
Check out Jony Studios’ blog Benefits And Tips For Recording An Audiobook For Your Novel to learn more about audiobooks and the benefits they can provide.
Curious to learn more about audiobook success?
This guide will provide you with tips and tricks to ensure your audiobook’s success. This guide is for all the authors new or old.
Before we go further into the making of a successful audiobook, it’s important to note what listeners expect from it.
Listener Expectations:
HIGH SOUND QUALITY
Unlike podcasts, audiobook standards rely on the sound quality. While podcasts are about providing information and entertainment, audiobooks carry the idea of authority.
Audiobooks are very well-rehearsed with a flow unlike the organic format podcasts follow.
Think of it in terms of a newspaper and a book: a misspelling in a newspaper is easily forgiven, however, the same does not stand for a book.
2. A RADIO BROADCAST LIKE FLOW AND STANDARD
The audio should be clean, non-reverberant and intelligent sounding.
A room’s acoustics and noise play an important role in intelligibility. These can be problematic when recording an audiobook as they affect the sound clarity.
With an unclear and unintelligible speech, your audiobook’s message will not be effective thus making it difficult to understand.
In Terms of Editing:
PROOF-LISTEN
Proof-listening is a very time consuming step but it is very important.
Just as you would proof-read your written text before publishing, you should proof-listen your audiobook before releasing it. This is the time when you dawn your producer/director hat. This will help you pinpoint fixes in your audiobook and you will be able to communicate the fixes to your narrator.
A good place to start with your proof-listening process is to have your narrator upload tracks of finished sections for you to review. As you’re listening to the track, keep note of any fixes you need to communicate to your narrator. Use a PDF file of your book and highlight/comment on the places that need editing. Keep in mind to only only listen to the words but also the pacing and spacing between sentences and phrases.
2. COMMUNICATE FIXES THE RIGHT WAY
Many narrators don’t read through a chapter or scene in one go. They tend to stop in places, editing the pieces together. There may be many reasons for this but the most common are either because the narrator made a mistake or they needed to switch between characters or dialects in scenes.
When you are communicating errors to the narrator it is easier for them to re-record the part if you take note of the time in the audio track where the mistake was made. If for example, a word was mispronounced, you could note down the time, word and leave a phonetic spelling of how you’d like the word to be pronounced.
Pacing and pauses, however, are less tangible. So how do you communicate this interrupted flow of the story? This fix is usually simple for the narrator. All you need to do is communicate to them how you want the problem fixed. If there is a long pause between two sentences or paragraphs, let the narrator know in as much detail possible how you want the problem fixed. Let them know if you want the gap lengthened or shortened in the clearest way possible.
In Terms of The Audience:
3. THINK OF THE VOICE OF YOUR AUDIOBOOK
Different genres require different different voices.
Depending on the genre and type of book, you’ll need to find a narrator whose voice fits the overall aesthetic.
Some points to look for in a narrator’s voice could include the softness of their voice, age and accent among other things.
Jony studios can help you find the right voice for your audiobook if you’re unsure of who to hire. Contact us here to get started.
4. GIVE YOUR LISTENERS ATTUNEMENT TIME
Listeners tend to take time to get used to any changes made in an audiobook in terms of scene or emphasis and they also need time to tune into new voices. This usually occurs when a new voice has been introduced or it also happens when the listener has drifted off. This attunement time is why radio presenters use a lot of phrases like ‘in other news’, ‘meanwhile in’, etc.
While recording your audiobook or while writing a script for an audiobook, try to begin new sections with the main orientation words used to draw the listener in. But make sure to use the words a few words in.
For example, if you have a new section that begins with the protagonist, the setting and weather, start the audio by mentioning the weather and end the sentence with the character and the setting. This gives the listener time to tune into the audio and not miss the important parts: the character and the setting.
However, make sure you don’t use this rhythm very often. You’ll need to ensure the flow of the audiobook without making it seem too repetitive.
5. WILL YOUR BOOK MAKE A GOOD AUDIOBOOK?
Some novels/books are better in an audio form and some are not. Before you begin recording, read your book out loud and see if it will sound good as an audiobook or not.
Fiction novels almost always are a great audiobook option. The storyline, characters and descriptions make for an entertaining audiobook. However, books like a cookbook that are more instructional do not.
Check out Jony Studios blog Benefits And Tips For Recording An Audiobook For Your Novel to learn more.
In Terms of Marketing Your Audiobook:
6. WHERE SHOULD YOU UPLOAD FOR DOWNLOADS AND REVIEWS
Audible is the ultimate place to find audiobooks and get reviews. This website is a huge library that has various audiobooks to choose from.
Another place authors tend to upload their audiobooks to are their websites. Audiobooks are a great resource used to generate an email subscriber list and create a fan following.
7. REQUEST REVIEWS
There are many websites that will give you a list of reviewers who could review your audiobook. An abundance of good reviews will make your audiobook SEO friendly making your audiobook pop-up more often on search results.
Also ask everyone you know and ask your buyers to leave a review as well. Many products/websites even offer discounts if the user leaves a review.
Some websites you can use to request reviews:
8. USER INFLUENCER MARKETING
If you choose to publish your audiobook with ACX, they give you 25 free codes to use. You could use these codes to gain reviews from your followers. You could host a giveaway, share the code with your #1 fan or share the codes with audiobook reviewers to get a review.
You could also ask well known figures on social media to leave a review or even mention your book on their platform.
In Terms of Narration by a Professional:
9. CHOOSE THE RIGHT NARRATOR
During auditions for a narrator you will have to put aside your author hat and think more like a producer/director.
When listening to the narrators, focus more on their voice. Concentrate more on the quality of their voice and check to see if they fit the vibe of your book. Try to not focus on the errors such as pacing, pronoun citation and character voices. All these errors can be changed during the recording session and are subjective to your direction of the narrator’ voice.
Jony studios has a vast amount of experience in the audio production industry including but not limited to audiobooks, podcasts and music. If you need help or tips to better your production process, please feel free to contact us.
10. WRITE A STORY BIBLE
Create a story bible for your narrator. This includes the type of things that will help your narrator better understand the storyline and help in the narration process. Few things you should include are:
Spellings of characters and places, especially in Fantasy books where spellings may be subject to interpretation.
A description of the book’s tone
Any thematic emphasis that should be conveyed in the book
How story conventions such as computer notifications are dealt with in the audiobook version of the book
Having these tips and requirements will make the recording process for your audiobook a lot smoother and quicker.
11. GIVE THE NARRATOR ROOM TO BREATHE
As an author you usually don’t have to worry about sentence length in terms of reading the book out loud. But when you’re writing with the intention of turning your book into an audiobook, you have to keep in mind our limited lung capacities.
Writing longer sentences can cause even the well-trained narrators’ lungs to run out of steam. So how do you write for an audiobook? Read your writing out loud.
Read your book out loud and keep editing the spots where it becomes harder to breathe. This will ensure a good quality audiobook and a smooth recording process.
12. READ THE ENTIRE BOOK BEFORE RECORDING
Have the narrator read your entire book before they record or take on the project. If the narrator does not enjoy the work it will end up showing in your final product.
Another reason to read before recording is to make sure there are no surprises and the narrator can ask the necessary questions before they record. Knowing what comes next will help the narrator prepare in advance for the necessary expressions and voice changes without being too dramatic.
13. CREATE A CHARACTER SKETCH
Narrators usually have a long list of questions they like to ask the author or in some cases meet with the author in person to know more about the book and the inspiration behind it.
Just like a story bible, a character sketch wil help the narrator record the best version of the audiobook. A character sketch would include the name of the character, age, gender, description, etc. Every detail that will help the narrator get to know the characters go into the character sketch.
In Terms of Recording Yourself:
14. IDEAL RECORDING LOCATION
Find a place that is nice and quiet for when you record. As mentioned before, audiobooks quality matters a lot when it comes to creating a successful audiobook that gets downloads and generates sales. One way to ensure a good quality audiobook is to find a place that is noise and distraction free to record.
Some things to keep in mind while finding this location:
Don’t use a room that shares a wall with your washer and dryer.
Don’t select a tiled room. Carpeted rooms are better as they soak up reflected sounds.
Make sure you’re in a room with little furniture or furniture that is dead and tight.
Still not sure of which location to choose? Contact Jony Studios and we’ll help you record your audiobook in the studio.
15. DRESS NOISELESS AND COMFORTABLE
Your outfit can cause as much noise as your surroundings. When you record your audiobook yourself, make sure to wear soft cotton or materials that are quiet and stay away from jewellery that make noise.
Also remember: recording sessions for recording an audiobook can be long and tedious. Make sure you are dressed comfortably.
16. READ FROM AN E-TEXT NOT PAPER
This one is pretty obvious but important. Editing can be painful and long especially for an audiobook. The sound of a page turning is very prominent and is easily picked up by the microphone.
Using a computer to read off of instead is a lot more fruitful. But make sure to use a tablet rather than a laptop. As the laptop gets heated, the fan starts operating with a very distinctive sound which is again easily picked up by the microphone.
Unsure of which microphone to get to record your audiobook? Check out Jony Studios blog Best Microphones for Recording Your Own High-Quality Podcast in 2020 to find the perfect microphone for you.
17. BE AUTHENTIC NOT DRAMATIC
Always be you while recording. Being extremely dramatic can sound very unauthentic and audiences can usually tell.
Of course, you have to use various vocal inflections to sell your point but make sure to not be too over-the-top dramatic about it.
18. READ WITH AN EXPRESSION
Expression is a very powerful tool for any storyteller and this expression is easily transmittable through audio as well. Listeners can hear a smile through audio.
While reading through your book and recording, read the text with the same expression it demands. It will capture your audiences’ attention and make the audiobook much more interesting.
19. ADD A LINK ON YOUR EBOOK
Link your audiobook or your audiobook’s sample to your ebook. This will give the audience a chance to choose between different formats. It will also help you sell more as people who are always on the go tend to use both formats.
Using whispersync you’ll be able to add an additional feature which is easily advertisable on your ebook, thus expanding your target market.
20. CREATE A SAMPLE
Similar to a movie or podcast trailer, make a sample for your audiobook. When you advertise your audiobook on your website, linking a sample will give your audience a glance into what they can expect from it.
The sample should provide the audience with a glimpse into the voice, expression and reading method of the audiobook.
Hopefully, this guide provided you with a bit more clarity on creating a good audiobook.
However, if you still have questions contact us here and we will do our best to answer them.
But before you go. Please note that Jony Studios always goes above and beyond for its clients’ needs. So this guide could never be complete without:
Bonus Tips!
21. WHISPERSYNC COMPATIBILITY
Whispersync is an audible feature that synchronizes audiobooks with the ebook version on Kindle. When readers/listeners switch between the platforms, whispersync ensures a seamless transition.
If you wish for your audiobook to be whispersync compatible, you’ll need to make the audiobook and the kindle version identical. This new feature will add more attention towards your book in both formats as publishers love to use this to help with cross-promotion.
In order to make your book whispersync compatible, while writing try to think of the audiobook first. You can easily turn the audiobook “script” into a printed text or ebook than the other way around.
22. DON’T JUST READ, TELL THE STORY
If you’ve ever read to children you know how important character voices are. And the only way to make a story sound genuine and convincing is to read it like a storybook rather than like a newspaper.
Listeners buy your audiobook because they want you to narrate with complete conviction. Ensure to have a conversational flow to your reading and read to them instead of reading at them.
Conclusion
This ultimate guide provides you with tips and tricks for all your audiobook needs in one place.
Let us know if you found this helpful!
Happy writing!
If you need help turning your book into an audiobook, we offer audio production services that will help you reach a wider audience and increase your book sales.
We look forward to adding massive value to your audiobook development process.
Contact us here to get started.
