Written by: Kris Keppeler, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Audiobooks are over a one-billion-dollar industry. Have you thought about turning your book into an audiobook? Audiobook sales continue to climb year over year. You may miss out on fans and revenue without one.
To self-narrate or not
Have your friends told you they'd prefer to listen to your voice narrating your book? Are you a speaker and tired of lugging books around to engagements? Is your Kindle book selling like hotcakes?
These are great reasons to narrate your book. Anyone who's a speaker or teacher is usually ready for self-narration as they understand pacing and inflection. If your Kindle edition sells well, you're missing out on revenue if it's not in audiobook format.
It would help if you answered other questions before you embark on the audiobook self-narration journey. Do you enjoy reading aloud and not for minutes but for hours? Experienced narrators read about 9300 words per hour.
That means a slim 12,000-word book takes over 1 hour to narrate if you have experience. That hour gets stretched to two or even three if you don't. Imagine if your book is 30,000 or 60,000 words. That's hours and hours of narration.
It's a marathon
Audiobook narration is a marathon. Are you ready for it? Consider sitting in a chair, putting your book on a stand in front of you, and reading aloud.
Read aloud for at least fifteen minutes or even thirty minutes.
Every time you make an error in a sentence, go back to the beginning of the sentence and reread it. Notice how far you've gotten in the section or chapter at the end of that fifteen or thirty minutes. That gives you an idea of your narrating speed.
Did you enjoy the experience? Are you ready to scream in frustration? If you loved the experience, congratulations, you're prepared to begin your self-narration journey.
Do you hate it or find it boring, stop. Hire a narrator to turn your book into an audiobook.
If you're bored or hate reading aloud, your listeners will hear that in the audiobook. It's most important to produce a quality audiobook. There are many audiobooks to choose from, many completed by professional narrators and actors.
That's lots of competition for the listener's ears. Those ears are attuned beautifully narrated and produced audio. They will notice anything subpar.
There are many ways to hire a narrator. Ask for recommendations from authors with audiobooks. Distribution sites ACX (Audible) and Findaway Voices offer options to help you find the perfect narrator and produce an excellent audiobook.
I've narrated and produced over 50 audiobooks, most published by Audible, and coached several authors on self-narrating their books. I'm also an actor with an IMDB page. You will find my course on narrating your book into an audiobook on Listenable.
Kris Keppeler, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Kris Keppeler is a narrator, actor, voice actor, podcaster, and writer. After discovering her singing voice in Jr. High Choir, she’s never quit using her voice to amuse and instigate. She’s impersonated a cat, a prince, a princess, an anteater, a dragon, and a president with her voice and narrated/produced over 50 audiobooks. She narrates and produces an award winning weekly storytelling podcast about life and befuddlement. She’s crafted blogs and articles using humor and valuable information to delight readers. Visit her IMDB page for stage and screen credits.
