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ACX
I know about it, and so far I love it. It seems to fill in the gap for books that might not otherwise go to audio - those not a bestseller or a known name. And it seems that a lot of older backlog books can now come out in audio. The quality is a bit variable, but given the choice of never hearing the books in audio and a so-so production, I'll take the so-so production every time, since I can no longer read paper books. I don't know much about the logistics and payment but the end result is a win in my book. :)
Ann wrote: "I know about it, and so far I love it. It seems to fill in the gap for books that might not otherwise go to audio - those not a bestseller or a known name. And it seems that a lot of older backlog ..."Ditto. I first discovered it through a really great sale on Audible and I picked up a fair number of books because of it. And as said above, it's great to have access to titles that wouldn't be available otherwise.
And thanks for the compliment to us listeners in this forum! *blushes, then takes bow*
I don't understand what ACX is. Do you have a link?
ACX, in its own words, is a marketplace where authors and narrators can find each other. Basically, authors and publishers post the books they want to have produced as audiobooks, and interested narrators audition for their projects. Everything is handled through ACX's system. It's pretty nice for the most part. (I've only narrated three books through them, though, so that's not enough to really base any sort of judgment on.)What's made ACX noteworthy is that it now has a partnership with Audible, which gives it some clout with indie publishers. Amazon also seems to be encouraging those who publish through Createspace to consider having an audiobook produced through ACX.
Corey, I'm not sure why listeners would know about ACX. It's a production system.
Yes, I'm aware of ACX and was very excited about it when it was announced (last year?). I agree that the offerings are a bit of a toss up. There's some gems and some cringe-worthy audio. I can get through most narrations if I really enjoy the book but there are times that I just can't deal with the audio because of either the narration or the author's writing style. I'm very glad that it is available though!
Rebecca, Audible has always owned ACX. It's their vehicle (product) to produce more audiobooks to sell on Audible. I'm not sure about it having any more clout with indie publishers although it does give indie publishers an outlet in which to have their books recorded.
Isn't the Neil Gaiman Presents series part of ACX? Gaiman picks out obscure books and gets them produced for sale on Audible.
Thank you for the explanation, Rebecca. I was feeling really dumb there for a bit that I didn't have a clue what this ACX was...
Rebecca, just to be clear - ACX *is* Audible, and always has been. Many of the same people who process books through Audible on other channels are doing the ACX books. I can tell you they've made audio possible for my company, and through their stipend program they have pumped a LOT of money into it... Of course, you'll find me as a big fan. Their birthday notice this year announced that Crossroad Press has the most live titles through their system of any publisher or rights holder...makes me proud.
I like ACX a lot too. As a narrator, I really wish that there were more titles I felt were a good bet on narrating; this isn't a hobby for me so I can't take on projects that don't have a chance of making a decent amount of money or pay up front for production, and there are a lot of cringe-worthy titles that make their way onto ACX.That said, there's some real gems in there too, and I've really enjoyed working with the system. It is a great way to open the door for both authors and narrators to get a shot at the larger stage much more easily than they ever would have before, and for that I am grateful to Audible.
I'm doing an ACX project right now, in fact. It's about poachers in Ohio and it's fascinating.
As a narrator, I agree with much of what Corey says. You can find some real gems on ACX. The 'cringe-worthy' titles that Corey mentioned are usually pornography. I hate seeing them there but no one is forcing anyone to narrate them so it's 'live and let live.' Besides, ACX. I also record for another company, Iambik, which was already working with indie publishers in the year before ACX went live. I'm currently working on my 14th book via ACX. Most of the titles are royalty share only, so, as a narrator, you want to have a mix of 'paid per finished hour' along with royalty share titles since the royalty share ones are a bit of a gamble.
Lee Ann Howlett (Claire)
When you say "paid per finished hour" I hope you mean paid for each hour in production, not for each hour of the finished product.
Jennifer wrote: "When you say "paid per finished hour" I hope you mean paid for each hour in production, not for each hour of the finished product."Narrators typically are paid per finished hour, meaning the final length of the produced product. The rate varies and depends on factors like whether you're doing the whole thing yourself or not. For example, I work with one publisher (Tantor) that I simply produce clean, edit-ready tracks for. They don't pay me as much per finished hour as I would get if I were doing the proofing, editing, mastering and QC myself. ACX rates vary between the royalty share deals, which are a gamble, and really good rates, for which there's a lot of competition.
I'm not going to go into specific numbers, but I will say that if you're good at what you do and establish a good workflow plus a pipeline of work, you can absolutely make a living at it.
However- and this is not intended to be a self-aggrandizing statement- it's a rare combination of talent, skill and will that produces a good narrator. Most voice talents I know don't like audiobook work simply because it's a long slog; many use the analogy of a sprint vs a marathon. Some would like it more but their voice just doesn't hold up for the four-six hours a day you spend talking, and others just don't have a good narrative style. I'm the opposite; I'm pretty niche in commercials (mostly hard-sell car ads or the fatherly guy selling medicine), do a lot of corporate narrations, but where I really shine is audiobooks, because I just love telling stories.
It bears mentioning that a lot of what is wrong with the sales numbers on ACX titles comes down to advertising. People see what's on the front page of Audible, and maybe a few browse pages as they look for what they were already looking for. ACX titles very rarely see any face time on pages that are high traffic, and it's on the publisher (and if they are lucky some help from the narrator) to get the word out. Whispersync for Voice is helping, but the truth is that ACX productions often seem to get second-hand-citizen status on Audible, which hurts. One thing we are working on is harder pushing on our eBook titles that have associated audio, and ALWAYS mentioning that audio...trying to build some buzz.There is an ACX page where our titles sometimes get mentioned, but how many listeners are going to go to Audible and then tke the time to even FIND that ACX page, when there are so many good books on the main page, easy to find and in their face?
I didn't even know I could have an Audible wishlist until I joined this group, so that tells you something...
So true, David. It's really up to the rights holder and the narrator to get the word out when they have a title published via ACX. I've become very proactive with the titles I've narrated. Some authors are involved and others do little to nothing to promote the audiobook. For anyone wanting to see what is available via ACX on Audible, all you have to do is enter ACX in the Audible search feature. Then you can search by most recently published, best-selling, etc.
An excellent point, David. One of the things I look at when checking a title on ACX is whether or not the author or rights holder has some kind of plan or presence to market the book. I also tend to flog my titles a lot in various places. :)
I hope y'all don't mind me speaking up here, but as a listener I find this process fascinating, and also a bit frustrating. It's definitely difficult to find ACX titles on Audible, although when I did a search on ACX I got some 7000 titles. But I haven't figured out how to effectively search such a quantity of books - it's too many to just scroll through without being able to sort by genre or author or some other filter. I was aware of the Neil Gaiman Productions, and I'm sure his name brings a lot of interest. Apparently some of these have been real winners - one of the Ellen Kushner recordings won an Audie, I think; and, just as an example, a small group of really fun, well-written books I found through a Kindle sale, the Modern Witch series from Debora Geary have been recorded by ACX and are a delight.
It helps that you narrators mention the new books you've recorded; I've picked up 3 books recently that I might not have chosen had I not known of them from the narrator's names showing up here.
Anyway, thanks for the info and input you all bring to these Audiobook discussions.
I've started checking on that with authors now, too, Corey. I've been surprised at how many writers with a number of published books under their belts (not self-published) who have no clue about marketing an audiobook. They understand about marketing in regards to the print but don't seem to realize it's not that much different for the audio. It's work. :)
CatBookMom -- Once you've pulled up the ACX titles on Audible with a search using just 'ACX' in the search box, you can then search by genre, etc., using the table on the left side of the screen.
Claire wrote: "CatBookMom -- Once you've pulled up the ACX titles on Audible with a search using just 'ACX' in the search box, you can then search by genre, etc., using the table on the left side of the screen."Facepalm. Thanks.
Corey wrote: "I was following Twitter this morning (like you do) and noticed that @acx_com, which is the Twitter account of ACX (The Audiobook Creation Exchange), linked to this forum. :)As a narrator I love A..."
Corey, what are the shortcomings you're referring to?
Kathy wrote: Corey, what are the shortcomings you're referring to? There are a pretty good number of titles that have been on ACX for years. The rights holders apparently don't know or care about auditions, but there they sit.
There are also a number of titles large enough to be bothersome which state that they already have a narrator selected or that they are not accepting auditions in the description, yet they still come up in a search for titles open for audition.
Recently there's been a spate of descriptions of titles open for audition that state they will only consider Audible-approved producers. There should be a toggle on the rights holder's side that allows them to set that requirement.
The upshot of all this is that there's still some things that ACX can improve on to make both the rights holder and narrator experience better, such as a toggle to allow a rights holder to remove a title from being open for audition without putting it into production- if it's held up in some kind of rights issue or if a narrator has been selected but isn't available, etc.
Mostly it comes down to making the experience a more pleasant and easier one for all concerned.
I know Audible/ACX is aware of these issues; it was one of the main topics brought up during a discussion about ACX that I attended at Audible HQ a few weeks ago.
Thanks, Corey, for answering my question. I wasn't aware that there were Audible-approved producers.
That description is distressing, Wayne. I see the value of good narration (and know enough now to contrast it with mediocre narration...). You should always be paid appropriately for your blood, sweat and tears, your talent and your energy - unless you EXPLICITLY volunteer your services.
Wayne, I agree with much of what you said. I've found myself wishing that ACX offered a way to search by 'duration' instead of having to wade through so many books.I do have a rule of thumb for myself regarding ACX, particularly if I find a book interesting that's a royalty share only. It can not be over 5-6 hours in length. I have narrated much longer books but I won't even audition for lengthy books on ACX that are royalty share. I even hesitate when it comes to the stipend offers. $100 pfh is not enough (even though you're still getting the royalty share, too) for books that are 9, 10, 11 hours or more in length. Even with tons of great ratings for the print on Amazon, it's still a gamble when it comes to how well a book will do in audio.
I was surprised with the offer of the royalty-share program. Dan Boice did a wonderful job, narrating my story. I paid for my audiobook's production upfront because I didn't want the weight of owing narrators until I sold enough copies to compensate them. I plan to pay for my novella, upfront also. I already have a narrator in mind, but I'll probably listen to sample works of a few others. I wondered how many narrators were willing to participate in the royalty arrangement.
I think there should be a provision in that agreement requiring authors to pay a 10-20% monthly installment of the cost of producing their books, if their books weren't generating at least that amount in sales. If those installments paid off the narrator in full before the royalty payments did or in conjunction with them, the debt would be satisfied and the agreement ended.
First, let me say I love ACX! I love being able to audition for books that *I* like and want to read, as opposed to being cast to narrate books that hold no interest to me.
In the cases where I work directly with authors, I feel like I am helping make their dreams come true by bringing their words to audio.
I have only good experiences to relate about ACX. Still, as Wayne pointed out above, the system is still evolving, and the sales numbers would be higher with better promotion. Even when Audible ran a sale last fall solely on ACX titles, they didn't send out email blasts to their members like they do for every other sale.
David wrote: "It bears mentioning that a lot of what is wrong with the sales numbers on ACX titles comes down to advertising. People see what's on the front page of Audible, and maybe a few browse pages as they for what they were already looking for. ACX titles very rarely see any face time on pages that are high traffic, and it's on the publisher (and if they are lucky some help from the narrator) to get the word out. "
The book's genre also has a direct impact on its sales. My best-selling series is the Dixie Divas mysteries . I am so thrilled and blessed that the first book is in the Chick Lit category because it has VISIBILITY.
The other books in the series are in Mystery and Thriller/Modern Detective sub-category. An ACX rep told me that books can be listed in 3 categories. However, the publisher said they have asked for category changes without success.
Of course, new books in any series find new listeners who didn't know the series existed. I always ask Audible to add the Series Link if it isn't already there. When I add the audiobooks here on Goodreads, I make sure they are combined with the other editions.
Wayne wrote: "I have suggested to ACX that they give us a few more search options. The first one that I wanted to see was a search field called "Duration" which basically lets us know the length of the proposed audiobook. "
Wayne, I've also asked for the same thing. I've also asked that rights holders be able to search for Audible Approved Producers.
The ACX support team has been extremely responsive to me. I've seen many of my requests implemented, so I feel like it's just a matter of time before we see these additional search options.
My only real issue with ACX is that I want to narrate some wonderful works that are now in the public domain, both to offer listeners audiobooks that aren't otherwise available and to fill holes in my schedule. ACX says I have to have my own edition of the ebook available on Amazon. However, Kindle Publishing Platform (KDP) won't let me add a new edition for a title they offer for free unless it is distinguished in 1 of 3 ways:
-- annotated
-- illustrated
-- translated
I think the 4th way should be "companion to the audiobook" with WhisperSync enabled.
So, it's a vicious circle of getting KDP and Audible/ACX to play nice with one another -- especially since they all have Amazon as their parent! I've contacted ACX and hope to have a resolution soon.
Cordially,
Karen Commins
Karen wrote: "First, let me say I love ACX! I love being able to audition for books that *I* like and want to read, as opposed to being cast to narrate books that hold no interest to me.
In the cases where I ..."
Karen,
How much illustration is Amazon requiring?I don't know if you want to invest in illustration, but on fiverr.com, you can get a title illustrated for a small investment. You can get the e-book formatted there for about five dollars, and you can also get an inexpensive, but nice cover--especially just to have a cover on a PD book. There are quite a few people I know of,using that site to illustrate their books and then selling their books on Kindle.
Some of the public domain books need to be professionally recorded. I've tried listening to some of the ones that allow multiple volunteer-narrators, and with little exception, the experience has not been enjoyable.
This is a great discussion and I know that ACX is aware of the Audiobooks community here on GoodReads, and I'd bet dollars to little green apples that they're watching this thread and taking notes. :)Thank you all for contributing!
Book 1 of Dixie Divas added to ever-growing wishlist :-)
Kathy wrote: "How much illustration is Amazon requiring?I don't know if you want to invest in illustration, but on fiverr.com, you can get a title illustrated for a small investment..."Hi, Kathy! Thanks for the great suggestion!
Amazon/KDP says they need "10 or more unique illustrations relevant to the book" to consider it a different edition. I guess they think I would fill it with picture of my adorable miniature schnauzer Yogi, which, come to think of it, is definitely tempting! ;)
I'm actually sitting on G and waiting for O with my first public domain offering for my own publishing company. I recorded the audio and created a version of the ebook with linked table of contents and a custom cover. KDP said that my ebook wasn't differentiated enough from the free version.
At the moment, I'm holding off on getting illustrations for the ebook because I'm hoping that the problem can be solved internally between KDP and ACX. I'll be checking out Fiverr if they can't get it together! Thanks again!
Jennifer wrote: "Book 1 of Dixie Divas added to ever-growing wishlist :-) "
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy it. The books in this cozy mystery series are fun companions for the pool or beach. The 2 main characters remind me of Blanche Devereaux and Dorothy Sbornak from the Golden Girls TV show. Book 2 Drop Dead Divas has the most straight-through story line and therefore seems to be the listener favorite, while I think the narration is best in book 4 Divas and Dead Rebels. Like old friends, I love them all!
My sweet little dog must have known I typed his name as he is now barking at me to take him for a walk. Thanks to all for the wonderful conversation!
Cordially,
Karen Commins
Chrissie wrote: "I don't understand what ACX is. Do you have a link?"Here's the link to their website:
www.acx.com.
As a narrator, I have to say that so far, I'm really disappointed with the lack of accessibility to my audiobooks on either Amazon or Audible. You really have to look hard for that little "Audible Audio edition" link on Amazon. I am really proud of the book, Saving Mary: the Possession, that just went up. It's a great story - well written and full of engaging characters. But, I feel like it will never be heard! Narrators will get tired of working with no marketing support from ACX/Audible/Amazon.
Dana wrote: "As a narrator, I have to say that so far, I'm really disappointed with the lack of accessibility to my audiobooks on either Amazon or Audible. You really have to look hard for that little "Audible..."As a serious audiobook listener, I can tell you that people looking for an audiobook version will see it. I pass up many books because they are not on audio. However, in your book's description, you can state that the book is available on audio and invite people to listen to the sample and to buy the audio version. Are any of your books Whispersynced? What is the title of one of your books?
Dana wrote: "As a narrator, I have to say that so far, I'm really disappointed with the lack of accessibility to my audiobooks on either Amazon or Audible...Narrators will get tired of working with no marketing support from ACX/Audible/Amazon. Greetings, Dana! ACX was created to connect audio rights holders with narrators and producers so that more audiobooks can be made. Audible, Amazon, and iTunes are distribution channels, not publicists.
It's up to the rights holders (publisher/agent/author) and even the narrators to market their audiobooks.
For instance, my sig line on every email message I send includes a link to my audiobooks on Audible. I also promote my titles on my blog and web site, as well as across social media:
-- Facebook personal and business pages
-- Soundcloud
-- Goodreads (check out the Narrators's corner in the Audiobooks group )
-- YouTube
You can also give copies away to reviewers, bloggers, and listeners. You can write to [email protected] to request download codes. If you're on Facebook, you may want to join the Free Audiobook Giveaways group to distribute your codes.
Finally, one of the best ways to promote your audiobooks is to consistently create MORE audiobooks!
I hope these thoughts are helpful. Best wishes for your continued success!
Cordially,
Karen Commins
My books on Audible
Great post, Karen! I think you pretty much hit all of the bases. I do all of the above except for YouTube which I know that I should use as a resource, too. It definitely helps when the author is also promoting the audiobook. I've had some who do and some who don't. I always impress upon writers who are new to having their books recorded that promotion is about to start all over again if they want the book to sell.
Cheers!
Lee Ann Howlett (Claire)
http://leeannhowlett.com
Dana wrote: "As a narrator, I have to say that so far, I'm really disappointed with the lack of accessibility to my audiobooks on either Amazon or Audible. You really have to look hard for that little "Audible..."I completely disagree with this - I went to the book page on Amazon and right there on the main page in the format section it says Kindle, Paperback and Audible... and all books that are available on Audible are like that
Bad news for authors (rights holders) and narrators working with ACX. ACX is cutting the percentage going to the authors and narrators. http://www.acx.com/help/important-ann...Lots of unhappy narrators and authors today.
Lee Ann Howlett
http://leeannhowlett.com
Oh, that is so unfair and short sighted! ACX may not be killing the geese that lay their golden eggs but they are starving them!Without the talents and work of the authors and narrators there wouldn't be any audiobooks.
If anyone out there needs an audio editor, I can help out in editing/cleaning up and formatting your narration so you can concentrate on the narrating. I've been working for a narrator, cleaning up his work for several books so far, and can handle more work, certainly an extra audiobook or two a month. You can contact me at [email protected]
For me, ACX opened a door to me that had previously been closed for a long time. I'd seriously wanted to be an audiobook narrator for about eight years, but had no idea how to get into it. It seemed as if it was another one of those job/experience conundrums where you had to have experience to get the job, but you couldn't get the experience to do it unless you were actually DOING it!
ACX has been a tremendous boon to us indie narrators (and producers!) to showcase what we can do.
I've recently joined ACX, and within 2 months I *booked* 6 audios. I do everything myself, character voicing, narration, edit, master, and add original musical intro/outro.I noticed some authors requesting a team of narrators, such as one for the females, one for the males, and I wondered how this is done. Are there producers/narrator teams on ACX as well? Can independent narrators team up for a project, and if so, how is the pay handled? I know a lot of great voice actors I've worked with before and have a rap with, who might be interested in contributing.
Lee wrote: "Bad news for authors (rights holders) and narrators working with ACX..."20% to narrators and authors?? That's appalling. Did it used to be higher? Where does the other 60% go? To ACX, to Audible?
Karen wrote: "You can also give copies away to reviewers, bloggers, and listeners."Hi Karen, just checked out your books, wow you've done a lot. I don't like the idea of giving an entire audio book away free. A chapter as a preview, sure, but the whole thing?? If we narrators only get 20% of retail sales (if you choose that), I really don't want my hard work on the audio given out for free. Am I alone in feeling this way?
No, you're not alone, Anna. We used to split 50/50 with ACX/Audible. ACX/Audible received 50% and the narrator and author/rights holder split the other 50%, so our take was 25%. Since Audible changed the percentage to 60/40 last year it's made it tougher for rights holders to get as many narrators interested in their books. Royalty Share is always a gamble and now the stakes are even higher with a lower cut.
Anna wrote: "I noticed some authors requesting a team of narrators, such as one for the females, one for the males, and I wondered how this is done. Are there producers/narrator teams on ACX as well? Can independent narrators team up for a project, and if so, how is the pay handled?"Greetings, Anna!
While multiple narrators can and do work on ACX projects, ACX does not have a built-in method for payment to more than 1 person on a contract.
When a rights holder (RH) is willing to pay a Per Finished Hour (PFH) rate up front for production, the process is a little easier. The RH generally would contract with 1 narrator who acts as producer on the project. This producer can cast the other talent needed for the book and pay them out of the PFH funds from the RH. Alternately, the RH could make individual payments to all narrators since payment is sent outside of the ACX system.
In either a PFH or Royalty Share (RS) project, 1 narrator acting as producer can buy out the other narrator(s) with a PFH payment.
ACX will add and pay a PFH stipend on some RS books of its choosing, or the RH may decide to kick in a PFH stipend on a RS agreement. These stipends help defray the costs of production. A producer could decide to use that stipend money to pay a PFH rate to the other talent and then retain all royalties.
I would not undertake a straight RS project with anyone to whom I'm not married! Most narrators don't want to split their 20% with another person or be in a position of making monthly payments to another narrator for the life of the contract.
Unfortunately, most books posted on ACX are listed as RS deals. Those needing multiple narrators are less likely to be cast, given the inherent and substantial risk for low or no sales in the RS projects and insufficient funding for 2 or more people.
Anna wrote: "I don't like the idea of giving an entire audio book away free."
With each audiobook you complete, ACX gives you some codes that are for the purpose of promotional giveaways. Trust me, you DO want to give away copies of your audiobooks to build buzz, gain visibility, and get reviews! Without marketing, your audiobooks will not be discoverable to the listening audience.
Since you have an account on ACX, you're invited to be a member of the Facebook ACX Narrators and Producers Group . In this group, you will find an extensive FAQ and lively discussions that will help you improve your processes and narration.
I hope these thoughts are helpful. Best wishes for your success!
Cordially,
Karen Commins
KarenCommins.com
My audiobooks on Audible
As a narrator I love ACX, although it has some (fairly minor) shortcomings that I understand are being worked on. I think it's pretty neat that this community has garnered so much notice. It's a testament to the quality of the people here. I've said it in a couple of other threads but I absolutely love being able to have direct, frank conversations with listeners.
I was looking at ACX this morning and I was able to pick about half a dozen great titles up to audition for- it looks like there's a real influx of good work coming in.
For listeners, what's your perspective on ACX? Or did you even know about it? I'm just curious if its existence has affected anything from your end in terms of quantity or quality of titles being available in audio format.