Today I’m giving a shoutout to Simon Whistler, host of the weekly Rocking Self-Publishing podcast, where each week he conducts hour-long interviews with successful self-published and hybrid authors. He invites fiction and non-fiction authors and covers everything from writing process to social media and marketing as well as the perks and pitfalls of operating as an entrepreneur. He has been doing this for nearly two years, and his podcasts are top quality.
Last week Simon launched Audiobooks for Indies: The One-Stop Guide for Authors Looking to Make More Money Selling Audiobooks on Amazon. It includes his experience recording 20 audiobooks with traditional and indie authors as well as case studies from other professionals, authors and audiobook producers.
His book, which is free if you have Kindle Unlimited, details which books would benefit from having an audiobook produced and different ways you can have it produced. Some authors who have limited financial resources do a royalty share with the narrator where the income is split 50/50 for several years. Another option, of course, is to simply hire someone through an audition process and keep all the royalties (after distribution costs) for yourself.
DIY is a hallmark of the self-published author, and Simon devotes time in this book to the audiobook production process. It discusses audio production basics, narrating non-fiction and simple fiction (small number of viewpoint characters), required gear (hardware and software), using your speaking skills, and other audio distribution options. It also has a useful section on marketing audiobooks, including the important point that an author does not have control of an audiobook’s price.
Additionally, Simon has a FREE video course on his blog teaching how to create an author website. It is good quality, simple yet informative, and not click-bait to get into any kind of paid product promotions. Certainly setting up a website isn’t free, but all the videos are right there for your perusal and education without any obligation from you.
Simon is a realistic yet encouraging cheerleader for the indie author movement, and I recommend checking out his podcast as well as his new book on Amazon. I think you will find him a wealth of knowledge as well as an inspiration to the aspiring writer.
Tagged: Amazon, audiobook, book, DIY, entrepreneurship, indie publishing, Rocking Self-Publishing, self-publishing, Simon Whistler, writers, writing
