Listening vs reading

By Jenny Hilborne
Author of mysteries and thrillers

Two years ago, at the LA Times Festival Of Books, I got my first request for my book in Audio. The request came from a non-sighted reader, and I was sad I couldn't help her. Back then, I'd never even considered audio. I promised her I'd make them available...and then, as I often do, I procrastinated. Actually, I just didn't know enough about it, or how popular an audio book would be.

Move ahead two years, and the request for audio books seems to be on the rise. The question comes up at almost every book signing I attend, including the 11th Annual Duarte Festival Of Authors last Saturday. This time, most of us had at least one title available in audio.

As my booth buddy and I were discussing the trend, he happened to have a sample of his audio book with him, and he set it to play at our table. The narration was fab and brought his book to life. It got attention from readers who were passing by. As I was listening, it struck me as a fun idea to have an audio sample playing in the background at book signings. Not so loud it drowns out any conversation or interferes with other authors - just enough for a reader at that particular author's booth to get a nice sample. Much more enticing than a pen or a bag of candy (although those freebies never fail to draw people to a booth). It was just very cool listening to a sample of the book you were about to buy.

Most of the readers who asked us about audio like it for the convenience. They listen when they commute or work out at the gym. A lot of them weren't aware of the significant discount Amazon makes available to those who have already purchased the eBook. For example, the regular price set by Amazon for Madness and Murder audio book is $17.46, reduced to only $1.99 with the purchase of the Kindle eBook. With Whispersync for Voice, it's easy to switch between reading and listening, once the reader buys the Kindle EBook and adds the narration. Bargain.

I've started downloading audio myself. While it's not for everyone, I love hearing a narrator's interpretation of mood and character and letting them set the tone for the story. The energy of a good narrator brings the book alive. I felt that way when I listened to the audio samples of my own book as it was produced. I've gone back and listened to audio on a few other author's books that I enjoyed. Kind of like watching the movie after reading the book, only better because nothing gets left out.

What's your experience with audio?

Readers: do you enjoy hearing a narrator depict the mood and tone of a story, or do you prefer to create your own relationship with the book and the characters?

Amazon Rewards the Content Creators

by L.J. Sellers, author of provocative mysteries & thrillers

Amazon is on a roll, and authors are cashing in. First came the Select program/Lending Library with its additional revenue for writers. Then Amazon recently announced its new Audible Author Services program. Authors will collect a dollar per audible book sold, just by signing into the program. I’m fortunate that I already have three on the market, produced by Books in Motion and selling through Audible. By filling out a form and confirming my titles, I’m now earning a dollar for every audio book sold through Amazon. That’s in addition to the royalties I get from Books in Motion. Sweet!

If the audio market continues to grow, I’ll eventually produce the other Jackson books as audios. Amazon’s affiliate, ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange), already makes this possible. I signed up a few months ago, but I was waiting for a sign from the market. Amazon just gave me one.

The bigger news is Amazon Studios, which is calling for authors to submit scripts, book trailers, and films. Again I’m fortunate to have five scripts I wrote a few years ago when I took a break from novels, and I’m excited that a potential producer wants to see them. And not just any producer—Amazon, a company through which I already sell thousands of books. A company that knows readers relate to my stories.

This new platform is an opportunity for all kinds of writers. It’s not just about uploading your content for consideration by Amazon. The site is also an interactive and collaborative forum, where writers can revise other authors’ projects and/or work collaboratively. I don’t fully understand all of it yet, but those who submit have a choice to go private or public. If you go public, Amazon makes your content visible and others can attempt to improve it.

The upside is that by collaborating, a pair of writers can polish a script until it’s good enough to be optioned by Amazon. The payoff for optioned scripts is $10,000. For projects that Amazon eventually makes into movies, writers earn $200,000. Amazon also offers a variety of assignments that writers can sign up for.

Some blogs are speculating that Amazon is looking to get into original TV programming. Either way, the company plans to generate a lot of video content: short films for YouTube, feature films, and possibly TV series.

It’s all part of Amazon’s strategy to produce and profit from the content that consumers love. As a content creator, I’m on board. No other company/publisher has ever offered me this many opportunities to profit from my stories.