How To Publish Your Audiobook On Audible

You have finished narrating your audiobook and are now looking to publish it online. The question then comes, where can you publish and how?

Whenever you need to buy something, what’s the first name that pops up in your head? 

Amazon

Just like with eBooks and Kindle by Amazon, Amazon has the biggest share of the audiobook market through Audible.

ACX

WHAT IS IT?

Amazon uses the platform ACX to distribute audiobooks to Amazon, Audible and iTunes.

According to the ACX website, “ACX is a marketplace where authors, literary agents, publishers, and other Rights Holders can connect with narrators, engineers, recording studios, and other Producers capable of producing a finished audiobook. The result: More audiobooks will be made.”

HOW TO USE IT?

ACX is a very straightforward platform to use. If you’ve ever posted a picture on FaceBook, you’ll know how to upload your audiobook on ACX.

After proof-listening your audiobook, all you have to do is upload each file to ACX and submit them for approval, making sure it follows the ACX Audio Submission Requirements. You can also upload a sample of your audiobook to attract the attention of potential buyers. This will help in increasing the number of downloads/sales of your audiobook. 

To learn more, check out Jony Studios blog Benefits And Tips For Recording An Audiobook For Your Novel. 

Before uploading your files, remember to name each audio with its corresponding chapter number to avoid confusion for both the publisher and listeners. Getting approval from ACX varies, however, according to the help center, it can take upto 30 business days to get an approval.

The ACX help center is a very useful and helpful resource, if you have any other questions, they can help you out.

ROYALTY SHARE

If you choose to publish exclusively with ACX, you will earn 40% of the retail sales on Audible, Amazon and iTunes.

If you choose to publish non-exclusively or retain distribution rights, you will earn 25% of the retail sales on Audible, Amazon and iTunes.

Wait!

Although Audible (ACX) is the most well known publishing site for audiobooks, it is worth noting that there are other websites for publishing and promoting your book as well. 

Websites such as Author’s Republic, Kobo and Publish Drive are quickly gaining popularity as well.

Author’s Republic

WHAT IS IT?

Author’s Republic is solely a distributor of Audiobooks. They do not provide any production services.

If you’re looking for audio production services, you can contact Jony Studios. We offer audio production services that will help you reach a wider audience and increase your book sales.

The great thing about Author’s Republic is that they have a very relaxed publisher agreement terms. You have the option of terminating your agreement any time.

ROYALTY SHARE

Author’s Republic has a 7:3 ratio of royalty share.

Meaning, you get 70% of the royalties received from the sale of the audiobook and Author’s Republic gets 30%.

If you are, however, distributing to Audible, Amazon or iTunes through Author’s Republic, Audible will pay Author’s Republic 25% non-exclusive royalty. You will then get 70% of the royalty and Author’s Republic will keep 30%.

For audiobook retailers, the royalty rates differ by partner. Some of them use the MSRP provided by you, some are library prices while others are rental prices. Author’s Republic generally receives 50% of the royalty from these partners. And the distribution rate between Author’s Republic and you will remain as 70% and 30%.

Kobo Writing Life

WHAT IS IT?

Kobo Writing Life is a platform dedicated to self-publishers.

You can use this platform to upload, promote and sell your ebooks and audiobooks. If you are interested in promoting your audiobook, you will be able to distribute to Kobo.com (Kobo Writing Life is an offshoot of Kobo), Walmart, Indigo and Bol. 

ROYALTY SHARE

You can publish your book for free on KWL if you choose to. This can be a powerful marketing tool for your upcoming books, the printed version of your book, etc. 

If however, you have a subscription purchase, your share would be 32%. If you choose to list your book for USD 2.99 or higher, your share would be 45%.

There are other pricing options as well. If the price of your audiobook is below the prices listed here, you will earn 35% of the royalties.

Publish Drive

WHAT IS IT?

This is a self-publishing platform that reaches more than 400 online stores and more than 240,000 libraries. You can publish all forms of your book on Publish Drive. From the printed version, ebook to audiobook.

With Publish Drive, you can reach markets in North America, Europe and China. They are partnered with giants such as Audible, Kobo and OverDrive.

Publish Drive also gives you the opportunity to promote your book with options like automatic price promotions, review tracking and Amazon Ads.

Publish Drive is a one stop platform for all your publishing needs.

ROYALTY SHARE

Publish Drive gives you 100% of the royalties. This is however, dependent on the pricing model you choose, which depends on the number of titles in your catalogue. 

Conclusion

There are many platforms available for self-publishing not only your audiobooks but also every other format of your book.

All these websites come with their own distribution agreements, pricing formats and royalty share agreements. Make sure to do your research before you publish your audiobook to ensure you choose the platform right for you.

Which website did you choose? Do you have any more suggestions for authors who are new to the industry? Let us know in the comments below!

- By Neha Agarwala

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If you need help turning your book into an audiobook, we offer audiobook production services that will help you reach a wider audience and increase your book sales. 

Learn more here and listen to some of our audiobook samples.

7 Online Marketing Tips For Up-and-coming Musicians

So you’ve been making music for a little while now and it’s really starting to sound great. After completing a big project like an EP or album it can be tempting to settle down, relax and watch the play counts rise. After my first release I was so tired I couldn’t think of anything else but it really didn’t have the impact I was expecting. Although good music is the first and most important step, if you keep these 7 essential digital promotion techniques in mind you’ll find your music reaching countless more ears in no time. 

Website and Mailing List

A professional looking website is the virtual front page of your brand, and this concept definitely extends to musicians. Think of it like a portfolio, a place where your audience can find everything they need to know about you, your art, what you’re up to, and how to contact you. 

Furthermore, including a mailing list sign-up form is one of the most effective marketing strategies around. Emailing your fans directly to their inbox bypasses the limited reach of some social media platforms and allows you to interact directly with those who most want to engage. If you have no idea where to start, we created the website your currently on (plus many more), and can definitely help build your artist website for you.

Social Media

Even though an official website should be the focus of your presence online, the importance of social media cannot be overstated. The promotional power of trends on platforms like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook have been shown time and time again with viral marketing campaigns taking the online world by storm. 

Social media is another great way to interact directly with fans and find new ones but these require constant updates. Things are changing all the time on social media so be sure to keep up to date with what your favourite artists are doing to stay on top of trends. 

Finally, it should be noted that some social media (hint: Facebook) has changed it’s algorithms over the years and limited the amount of organic promotion your posts can get. Each platform has an option for paid ads and it’s worth looking into in order to get around this. Social media ads can be an extremely powerful and budget-friendly way to find new listeners online. 

Check out this great resource for more information on paid advertising on social media.

Getting Playlisted

Streaming services are the bread and butter of the music industry these days. Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music, Tidal and many others have a near-monopoly on the way people listen to music today so it is essential to be hosted there if you are looking to get listeners.

Playlists are another amazing way to reach new audiences as they are usually genre-specific and are used often by people who are actively looking for new music. Of course, this only works if your music is placed on the playlist that is right for it but curators at the big sites or music blogs are always updating and making sure their playlists are appropriately themed. 

Stay tuned for another blog which goes in-depth on where to send your music to get it on some of the biggest music playlists around. 

Press and Blogs

Speaking of blogs, music publications big and small are another great way to find new audiences that also add another intangible level of legitimacy. Being featured on the right blog can be a jump start for your career and even makes it more likely to be featured by another!

Reaching out not only to the right blog (one that features similar artists and genres) but at the right time is essential to making this form of public relations work. Placements right before a big album release or a concert review are great ways to build hype. Just make sure you use that momentum, along with the other promotional tools mentioned, for added excitement. 

Music Videos

Remember how valuable a viral campaign on social media can be? Given the visual nature of those platforms, for artists, that often means an original and exciting music video. 

Making something that works really requires you to think outside the box, and be at the forefront of online trends. We can help you shoot and edit your entire music video, check out our packages here. Whether that be a unique theme, amazing visual effects or relevant underlying theme, videos like Bad and Boujee by Migos, or Gangnam Style by Psy skyrocketed their artists’ popularity and in some cases, became a meme!

Tik Tok is a new social media that capitalizes on combining music and visuals more than any other but poses some unique challenges (quirks?) to musicians who are more familiar with platforms.

First, it is more about participation and authenticity than perfection, a successful Tik Tok campaign requires many users to recreate a video in their own way rather than watching one professionally made one. To be successful on Tik Tok, it is worth experiencing how videos propagate naturally firsthand and to make clips from scratch just for that site.

A Dedicated Team

I know what you may be thinking, all of these techniques have the potential to make a big impact, but how will I have time to keep making music if I’m promoting what I have already all day?

To which I say, yeah, it’s hard. Taking the time to do each one of these strategies right can be an unending rabbit hole, especially considering the social nature of social media. There is always more content that could be created, or blogs to reach out to but remember, you don’t need to do it alone! 

Having even just one team member dedicated to promotion online can drastically improve your presence and do wonders for getting your music known but it only increased exponentially from there. If you’re able to find a group of friends that are as passionate and dedicated as you to living this dream, for free, a small fee or a cut of future profits they could be just the thing to take it to the next level. 

That being said, investing in a larger team, or even a contract from a marketing company may be one of the most expensive but most valuable decisions you can make as an up and coming artist. Professionals will have all the time, effort, know-how and connections to promote online in ways an inexperienced team just can’t compete. There’s nothing wrong with looking for a little specialized outside help when it can make this much of a difference.

Knowing Your Niche

Finally, knowing your niche is a concept that makes a big difference in any techniques you use promoting yourself online and offline. 

For example, getting involved with the right music subculture, whether that be a group on Facebook, the right music blog, or a playlist on Spotify tailored directly to your audience will increase the chances of finding a new fan exponentially. 

Playing live shows at the right venue is the best way to get feedback on if you are doing this right. If you’ve ever played a show for a crowd that just isn’t into it, you’ll know what I mean. In some venues, it doesn’t matter how tight the band plays, if the country bar you’re at doesn’t listen to metal, it will not go well. A successful metal band, for example, plays at metal venues, is featured in metal playlists, posts in metal groups and gets metal fans. 

Conclusion

Starting to promote your music online can be a daunting and time-consuming task but if it is done right it will make a huge difference in the beginnings of your career.

It is important to know that getting started on any 1 of these 7 tips will start to make a difference, you don’t need to do all 7 right from the get-go. The most critical thing to remember is to learn and adapt over time. Most social media platforms will provide you with basic marketing analytics that you can use to track the effects of your efforts but knowing when to change up your pitch to blogs or adapt your website will make a huge difference on its own. 

Each and everyone one of should always be learning and adapting our marketing strategies, what are some of your best online marketing insights?

If you’re really interested in getting started with music promotion online but still feel lost or don’t have the time to invest, it is always worth reaching out to an industry professional for promotion services.

Here at Jony studios we have experience with digital marketing and brand consultation for everyone from a 1 person side project to a professional artistic team, if you’re interested in learning more about our marketing / audio services, feel free to send us a quick note here.

Cheers from the team and good luck with your musical journey!

- By Erik Steiner

Best Songs to Test Your Sound Equipment

If you need to test out new headphones or speakers to really ensure that they are of great quality, then playing certain songs can help. Here’s a list of songs we believe will do your sound equipment justice, whether you’re testing the volumes, levels, bass, or quality.

Johnny Cash - Hurt

Use this song to test spacing elements. Make sure that you can hear all the different instruments that are being introduced, and that you can notice how the arrangement becomes fuller.

Enya - Orinoco Flow

This song has a great mix, and you can use it to test out the different levels of your sound equipment. It has a great balance of highs, mids, and low ends. The vocals also have a reverberating effect that will sound great on high quality sound equipment.

Radiohead - The National Anthem

This song has a good mix of electric and acoustic elements, as well as a good mix of effects and textured sounds.  It has a good range of lows and mids that will come through very well on high quality sound systems.

John Williams - Star Wars Theme

This song has a great range of dynamics, having both high and low intensity moments that will come through quite well on high quality sound equipment. This is a great way to ensure you don’t need to adjust your speakers to hear both parts perfectly.

Red Velvet - Bad Boy

This song also has a solid mix, and has a variety of levels and different sounds that would come through very well on quality sound equipment. You can see how the track was produced and mixed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HR3DcUMLeN0

Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody

This one is obvious, the 3D effects sound amazing on high quality sound equipment. It also has a great range of dynamics and levels.

Fleetwood Mac - The Chain

This song is mixed and mastered very well, and will sound great on quality sound equipment.

Lil Wayne - A Milli

This song has powerful beats, and a loud domineering bass that you can adjust based on your preference. It’s mixed and mastered very well, and if you can hone in on the electric kick drum beat, your speakers are doing very well.

Max Roach - Lonesome Lover

This song is another great mix, and you should listen for the different frequencies and tones. There are also higher and shrill notes that will let you know how your sound equipment handles them.

The Chemical Brothers - Das Speigel

This song has a mix of strange, powerful sounds that constantly flow in and out. Using this song is a great way to test that your sound equipment can handle these sounds, and that it all flows well together.

Conclusion

Overall, all of these songs are a great way to test out your new sound equipment, and see if it needs any changes or adjustments. 

Here’s a link to a playlist with many more songs you can use to test out your headphones or speakers.

Listen now only on Spotify: Enjoy your perfect headphones jam with this eclectic collection of brilliantly produced and recorded tracks. These can serve as audiophile reference tracks, but they are great music that can be enjoyed on any headphones or stereo as well! Classical version here .

If you have any more questions, or want to discuss creating your own music or beats, you can contact us here.

Which song listed is your favourite? Are there any others you would add to the list? Let us know!

- By Julianna Martinek