Starting Your Audiobook Project

How can I make a sound decision when hiring a producer?

Request an audition. You want to hear real narrators reading your actual words, not just a generic passage. ACX advises against making an offer to a producer until you hear them (or the narrator they subcontract) read a page or two of the actual book you want them to record. Then, go with your gut feeling: Is there the right level of emotion and expression? Does the narrator sound the right age for the part? Finally, would a customer enjoy hearing the voice?

Tip for rights holders hiring producers:If you’re still unsure, take a casual poll of friends and family and find out what they think about the narrators you’re considering.

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What types of books usually do not make great audiobooks?

ACX is the online marketplace where professionals connect to make audiobooks. Audiobooks are created by professional narrators that follow the Audio Submission Requirements. That being said, not every type of book may be appropriate as an audiobook. Some categories of books rely too heavily on graphics or visual elements. So we recommend that you stay away from creating audiobooks out of the following:

• Reference books, guide books, quotation books, and dictionaries
• Books about home and garden, interior design, home organization, or storage
• Children’s picture books or board books
• Gift books or quirky titles
• Cookbooks and diet books
• Comic books and graphic novels
• Photography books or art monographs
• Engineering or other professional reference books
• Flashcards, calendars, and box sets
• Sports books (especially ones that rely heavily on pictures)
• Travel guides (especially ones that read as reference guides)
• Any book that relies heavily on visual elements that are referred to throughout the text (e.g. many business, science, astrology and fitness books)

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How long will my narrated audiobook be?

On average, most performers narrate about 9,300 words per hour. Divide the total number of words in your book (see above FAQ) by 9,300 to find out approximately how long your finished audiobook will be. When you create a Title Profile on ACX, the length it is automatically calculated for you, based on the word count you provide.

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How should I decide between a male or female narrator?

Your best bet is to choose a narrator that's the same gender as your book's main character. If you have many characters rather than an obvious leading one, think about what voice you heard in your head when you wrote or read the book. Was it a man, or a woman? Try sticking with that. If it could go either way, you’re allowed to choose "either" in your Title Profile.

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How many auditions should I expect to receive for my project?

You may get dozens of auditions. You may not get any. It will depend not only on the ability for your title profile to get potential producers interested in the book, but also on what you’re offering to pay for the audiobook production. (Many producers will be eager to earn $275+ per-finished-hour, for example, while others have higher—or occasionally lower—minimum rates). You can choose to pay nothing up front for the production and instead share royalties with the producer, as part of a royalty share deal. However, this does limit the pool of potentially interested producers right off the bat.

Tip for Rights Holders about auditions: Be proactive and take the lead by searching for producers on ACX. When you find an intriguing one, request that they send in an audition for your audiobook.

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How can I create a Title Profile to get lots of auditions?

Creating a robust, specific, and accurate Title Profile is important. A book description that’s highly descriptive and compelling helps Producers get excited about working on your project.

Overall, we have two pieces of advice:

1. The more vivid details, the better. Get potential Producers engrossed in the subject matter, the plot, and the characters.
2. Include an idea of your marketing plan and sales history in the Title Profile. A studio professional wants to be part of winning project, so show them strong sales potential. Check out the following examples:
• “I have one thousand Facebook friends”, or “my own blog with 10,000 visitors,” etc.
• “I have one hundred four-star reviews on Amazon.”
• “Now ranked better than 10,000 on Amazon best-sellers”
• “My book has won these X awards over the past X years”
• “My book was just optioned for a Hollywood movie”

See more tips on the ACX blog.

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How do I choose my audiobook category?

We can only recommend that you pick the category that seems like the best fit for your book. Whether your book is a romance, a thriller, or falls into another genre, you must choose the category for your book because this information will determine how your book is merchandised on Audible.com. The information you include here will flow directly into your product’s detail page when the audiobook is complete and available for sale on Audible.com (and Amazon.com and iTunes).

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How do I edit my Title Profile?

To edit your project's Title Profile, follow these steps:

1. Click on "Projects" at the top left of the page.
2. Then, click on the "Open for Auditions" tab and click on the title of your book.
3. Click on the "Edit Profile" button to the top right of the page.

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What should I write in the "About the Book" section of my book's Title Profile?

This section is important, and it’s required on ACX. The information here will flow directly into your product’s detail page at Audible.com for all consumers to see once your audiobook is complete and available for sale on Audible.com (and Amazon.com and iTunes). That’s why this is a required field. So you should describe your book carefully, your words will help encourage Producers to produce it, and potential audiobook buyers to buy it! ACX automatically pulls in the book’s description from its Amazon product detail page, but please feel free to edit it. (Note: any changes you make to the text on ACX will not change it on Amazon.com.)

When you write or edit About the Book, keep in mind:

• This description will be the public face of your book on ACX.
• It’s how others will find and learn about your project. So, when you’re choosing which words to use, imagine how they might be included in a potential customer’s search.

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What should I write in the "Comments from the Rights Holder" section of my book’s Title Profile?

Use this space for two things:

• To get a potential Producer excited to audition for—and produce—your project. Especially if you’re seeking to do a Royalty Share deal, the Producer has to believe that the audiobook will sell well enough to earn them money for their hard work. Perhaps share sales and marketing information about your book here. Also, share information about your career as an author, and include how active you will be in marketing the finished audiobook.
• Rights Holders can use this space to give the narrator an idea of type of performance you’re looking for. Keep it broad to allow room for interpretation, or be explicit about the character's motivation, emotional state, etc. to try getting exactly the kind of audition and performance you want.

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What is the Audition Script I'm asked to upload to my book's Title Profile?

The audition script should be a page or two from your book. It should be a passage that you want a potential Producer (or the narrator they work with) to record so you can hear how they would perform it. In fact, we advise against making an Offer to a Producer until you hear them (or the narrator they are subcontracting) read an excerpt from the actual book you want them to record.

Tip for Rights Holders about Posting Audio Rights:Do you only want to post your audio rights on ACX in order to sell them outright to a publisher? If you’re sure that’s what you’re here for, and that you don’t want to consider hiring a Producer on ACX, then you can skip the audition script (just type a space in that field). That said, we suggest you include one anyway. Because who knows? You may be pleasantly surprised by the auditions and offers that roll in.

How can I edit the name of my title or the author name?

Both the name of your title, and that of you the author(s) are automatically pulled from the existing Amazon listing. These cannot be edited over ACX. When the title is completed and sent to the ACX team for packaging and review, you can send a note to support@acx.com

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Can I include extra text in parentheses in my audiobook title?

From time to time, Audible editors will make revisions to the title of your audiobook to ensure it's properly presented on retail pages. This is often done when a title contains information within parenthesis.

• If the information is really a subtitle: The text will be placed in the subtitle field.
• If the information is descriptive or contains keywords: The text will be added to the title’s keywords, provided that they are truly relevant to your title. Titles may have a limit of three keywords or brief keyword phrases.
• If the information is Imprint related: This information will be removed.
• If the text denotes series information: This information will be added to the series field.
• The information pertains to the title's category: The information will be removed from the title. Audible editors will consider such information when categorizing the title.

Should you have any questions related to this topic, please contact us via support@acx.com.

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How do I relist l my project for auditions?

To relist your title for auditions:

1. Click "Projects" in the upper left corner of the website.
2. Click the "Rights Not Posted" tab.
3. Click the name of the title you wish to relist in blue.
4. Finally, click the "Post to ACX" button on the following page to re-list your title for auditions.

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Can I stop cancel a project that I have not made an offer for?

To remove a title from your projects, you must first stop it from receiving auditions. To do this:

1. Visit your book's title profile by clicking "Projects" in the upper left corner.
2. Locate the"Open for Auditions" tab, and select the name of the book you want to remove, in blue.
3. On the next page, select "About This Title."
4. In the lower right corner of the "About This Title" page, click "Stop Receiving Auditions."

After confirming that you no longer wish to receive auditions, your book will be moved to your "Rights Not Posted" tab. Then, to complete the removal process:

1. Select the "Projects" link in the upper left corner of the website.
2. Click on the "Rights Not Posted" tab.
3. Click "Remove this book from ACX" next to the title you wish to remove.

Upon confirming, your book will no longer be listed in your projects. Additionally, any auditions received for this book will no longer be available.

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How can I restart my project after cancelling it?

To add this project on ACX:

1. Click "Add Your Book" in the upper right corner of the ACX website.
2. Search for your title by name, author name, or ISBN.
3. Click "This is My Book" and choose the option that best describes your project.
4. Next, please re-enter into our Book Posting Agreement, and fill out your title profile as directed. Although you have previously agreed to our Book Posting Agreement and completed your title profile, you will need to complete both of these steps again.

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My book is listed on Amazon.co.uk, but I can't find it when I search for it on ACX. Help!

Currently, you can only start the audiobook creation process if your print or eBook is listed on Amazon.com. If you still can't find your title, or it is available only on Amazon sites outside the US, please contact us at support-uk@acx.com, and we will do our best to assist you.

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