This blog has long been a friendly place to come and learn, and what better way to learn than to ask?
You have questions. Writer stuff, marketing, motivation, you name it.
ASK ME
Your questions. Your challenges. Your issues.
If I don’t know, we’ll put it out to my vast network of author friends and get an answer. Or I’ll make something up.
Many people helped me when I was starting out because I was willing to ask what I needed to know.
That shortened my learning curve substantially.
– Dan Alatorre
Dan Alatorre 
Have you…or any bloggers here…used Netgalley?
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I have not. What is it?
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It seems that most of your books are also available as audio books. Do you find that to be worthwhile financially? Audio books are more expensive and I am not sure how many people buy them?
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That’s a good question!
When I was just getting started in this business, a friend of mine recommended having all your books be available in as many formats as possible. Another words, be in the format the reader wants. That meant paperback, e-book, and audiobook. (There hasn’t been a huge demand for hard cover books but I have looked into it several times.)
For audiobooks, I went with ACX. I shop around to find a narrator who will work on a “royalty share” so I don’t pay anything out of pocket and they have “skin in the game“ meaning they’re not gonna make any money unless they help sell some books too. Some are better at that than others but that’s my preferred way to go. That way my books are available in audio format but I don’t spend $3000 hiring someone and then they’re done. I want them to have to work to make a commission selling that book.
I recommend that to everybody as well.
Are audio books financially rewarding? Most of my money does not come from audiobooks, but I like that they are available to the small percentage of my readership that enjoys them. And it’s fun working with the different narrators.
Ultimately, if I can make 5% more sales here and 3% more sales there and 7% more sales there, eventually that adds up to 20 or 30% more sales. I am always going to need 20 or 30% more sales. Using ACX allows me to spend time but not money and end up with a very good product. That’s what I recommend for anybody who’s not making over $1 million a year with their books.
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Thank you for this very comprehensive reply. I love audio books and always have one on the go. They allow me to make good use of the dead time in the car. I will look into ACX.
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Do. It’s worth it. If you need any help with any of it, let me know. There are lots of little tricks to help you.
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Thank you, Dan.
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