Now that I have been selling 15 titles on amazon.com and iTunes.com I decided to go one step ahead and decided to make revenue through audiobooks. Since most of my stories are travelogues, erotic and crime thrillers they lend themselves to the audio format brilliantly. It is also here that three years of my radio experience is coming handy. Being an actor and a voice-over artist it is easy for me to narrate my books myself as I have done sound recordings and even given my voice radio commercials.

The best way was to open an account with acx.com and use their simple uploading formats to turn my narrations into an audiobook. The recording was done in a professional studio and a sound editor who will mix effects, underlays, and song if need be in the audiobook. Once you pay for the production of the audiobook, all you have to do is sign an exclusive or a nonexclusive deal on acx.com. This way you get 25% or 40% in exclusive when your audiobooks sell on platforms like audible.com and iTunes.com. This is a seven years deal in which each party can terminate by giving a few month’s notices. In the exclusive deal, you the original rights owner account sell the audiobook through any other thirds party except audible.com and acx.com. The chances of making money are more here since for every 2 to 3 hrs of audio one can charge up to $10 and even higher with longer duration audio’s.

You can participate in promotional programs, where you get a reward for $50 every time the buyer of your audiobook happens to be an amazon.com and audible.com member also. You will be given a code that you will tag all your promotional posts regards your new audiobook titles.

After you have decided which e-book to convert into an audiobook, you can add a thumbnail which is like the cover of the audiobook, make sure it is catchy and carries actor and narrator name along with the title and the publisher clearly. You need to record one chapter at a time and each bite should not be over 120 min. When you choose the title, you will have to also list the chapters in the index of the book and upload pieces of audio chapter wise brick by brick Make sure you adhere to their recording and sound guidelines. MP3 files are preferred and there is a certain resolution for the jeep field that makes up the jacket of the audiobook. Once upload and details and descriptions are added, you need to record a 5 min excerpt of your audiobook, like a teaser. I am adding an entire 4 min song in one of my audiobooks.

All you need to worry about is paying the sound editor for recording and editing and you can fix up a reasonable rate with him like Rs 500 per hour recording and editing. He can make Rs 4000 odd in each book. After that, the property is used to upload and sell on audible.com. Make sure you record the introduction and have an opener and a closing to your audio file. Best is to let your editor read all the specifications required to make and upload audio on acx.com there are also video’s on this to guide you.

Once you set the price, you can start promoting it through your blog and email lists with the promotional code of the audiobook which will be tased every time you post the title. Send out newsletters to your email list and make a video on this event, upload on the youtube channel and Facebook pages.

View and monitor sales dashboard monthly to check sales. Give free audiobooks away and get them reviewed my book bloggers if need be. Bundle free e-book with an audiobook.

Most important is the payment part of this exercise. Since acx.com does not pay to an Indian account directly and is not available for resident Indians. I amusing a friend ac in the UK, so the payment will be made directly to him, as I am not a US taxpayer they will not withhold all my tax and make payment above$50 into my friend’s UK bank account, who will remit it to my account. Once your tax details and address have been given scarified you are ready to go and get your royalty on time and as dictated by the agreement.

All that is left is the churn out hight quality audiobooks without glitches and hiccups. In a moderately advanced studio. Just make. sure your covers are attractive and descriptive. Go out now and start making money on audiobooks, use acx.com and audible now.