The Growing Audiobook Industry

Good E Reader indicates the global audiobook industry is currently evaluated at 2.8 billion dollars and this is primarily due to the sheer amount of new titles that were produced in 2015. 43,000 new audiobooks were released this year, which is a slight increase from the 36,000 that came out in 2014 and a far cry from the 20,000 that were issued in 2013.

The American Association of Publishers said audiobook downloads increased by 38.1 percent in 2015 and services such as Audible, where users pay a monthly subscription to access a library of audiobooks, are growing. Book sales are in decline but audiobooks are thriving. "Audible membership growth is consistent at 40 per cent year on year, as more consumers realize how well audiobooks can fit into their busy lives," explained Tracey Markham, country manager for Audible, to CNBC via email. "Audible members globally listened to 1.6 billion hours of audio content in 2015 (up from 1.2 billion in 2014)."

ACX is one of the more popular online audiobook resource sites that offer 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. ACX is brought to you by Audible.com, an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary, and a leading provider of premium digital spoken audio information and entertainment.

Currently, there are almost 2,000 books on ACX open for a voice over talent to audition for. The depth and variety of books available to record range from Biography, to History, world affairs, self-help and fiction which has a raft of subdivisions within it; Young adult, crime, sci-fi, fantasy, romance…etc.

The Perfect Scenario is now on ACX as a Narrator for Audiobooks-be sure to check out our Profile. This work is very rewarding and a great opportunity to bring an author’s story to life off the page, in a way that allows their writing to sing, or soar. This work also involves long hard days, and is physically, as well as mentally and emotionally, demanding. However, if this is your passion and a niche you wish to focus on in your voice over career, it’s worth it!

According to ACX, the average voice over talent will read about 9,300 words per hour. The total number of words in the book is then divided by this average to determine the length/number of hours for your finished audiobook. This is typically referred to as the cost Per Finished Hour (PFH). Audiobook Producers are paid based on the length of the completed book. This method is standard in the industry and helps everyone involved better estimate the project's cost. A Producer/Narrator receives payment at the end of the upload process based on the final run time of the audiobook. The final minutes of the audio is multiplied by the agreed upon per-finished-hour rate on the contract or share royalties from sales of the completed audiobook.

As an example, one hour of finished audio may take up to six hours of recording and engineering time. Pricing can range anywhere from $50 PFH to as high as $1,000 PFH depending on the experience of the voice over talent. Depending on the length of the book, the average time to complete an audiobook is 4-6 weeks.

Be sure to request about 15 minutes of your script be read to ensure it is the right voice and finishing you desire before you contract with the voice over talent to produce your project.

If you are looking for the perfect voice for your audiobook, contact The Perfect Scenario today at www.ThePerfectScenarioLLC.com.