5 reasons to turn your book into an audiobook

Wondering if you should turn your book into an audiobook? Derek Doepker provides five reasons why it could be your best book move this year.

Today’s guest blogger, Derek Doepker, is one of my favorite people to collaborate with for many reasons. Derek is a rock guitarist turned seven-time #1 best-selling author. He discovered a proven process that took him from struggling author to selling more than 75,000 books. Now he shares this process with thousands of authors through workshops, courses, and retreats, empowering them to turn their passion for writing into a thriving business. Discover more about his work and pick up your free copy of Why Authors Fail at BestsellerSecrets.com.

5 reasons to turn your book into an audiobook

By Derek Doepker

Audiobook sales are booming.

In fact, Written Word Media said that audiobooks are the number one publishing trend of 2020. With this increase in audiobook popularity, savvy indie authors can reach a whole new audience of readers by creating audiobooks.

Just about every indie author can benefit from having audiobooks. There are a few exceptions, of course, including cookbooks and technical manuals. However, most genres make great audiobooks. This includes fiction, nonfiction, and children’s narrative books.

If you’re in one of these categories, read on to discover five reasons why you’ll want to tap into the audiobook market.

1. You can increase your royalties

I produced a short audiobook for one of my books in about three hours. This audiobook has now made thousands of sales. Imagine generating thousands of new sales by only investing a few hours to create an audiobook.

This is why I’m so passionate about encouraging authors to create audiobooks. What I discovered is, the moment you have an audiobook, you open up a whole new world of potential book buyers. These are people who may never otherwise purchase your books, especially people who are visually impaired and are “audio-only” readers.

It just makes sense to have your book available in different formats to maximize sales.

2. You’ll get into a growing market early

The audiobook market has grown more than 30 percent consistently each year recently. Today, more people consume books while driving, exercising, and doing housework than ever before.

Chances are, as people get busier and busier, audiobook sales will continue to increase.  And during COVID-19, e-book and audiobook sales jumped.

Unlike trends that come and go in a matter of months, the investment you make today to create an audiobook can pay off for years to come. This means audiobooks are likely a “safe bet.” In fact, some authors may find themselves left behind in the coming years if they don’t have their book available in audio format.

3. You can stand out from the competition

Look at the Kindle marketplace. There are approximately one million books published every year. It’s hard to stand out from all of them, isn’t it?

However, audiobooks have significantly less competition. Right now, you have an opportunity to get into a thriving market without as many competitors.

This means that relative to the Kindle market, you may have an easier time getting discovered by new readers.

4. You’ll have a compelling bonus to motivate readers

As long as you own the rights to distribute your audiobook anywhere, you could offer your audiobook as a bonus for people to:

• Sign up for your email list
• Purchase your e-book during the launch
• Fill out a book feedback form to gather testimonials
• Share your book on social media
• Get the next book in a series

This means even if you never sell a single copy of your audiobook, it can still be worth having as an asset to grow your author business overall.

5. You can create audiobooks on any budget

Some authors don’t pursue audiobooks because of the financial investment. For some, it’s because they don’t have the technical know-how. Fortunately, there are strategies that help almost any author create audiobooks on any budget.

One money-saving strategy is to record it yourself. With a step-by-step, hold-your-hand process, even the most technophobic authors can create audiobooks themselves.

In terms of investment, you can get the equipment you need for less than $150. Then, not only will you be able to record your own audiobooks, you’ll have a setup you can use for podcasts, videos, and any other audio work you do.

Plus, some authors even earn additional income by recording audiobooks for other authors.

Learn how to turn your book into an audiobook

Think recording an audiobook is for you? My course, Audiobooks Made Easy, walks you through the process step-by-step.

You’ll learn everything from the equipment you need to editing and producing your book in the right format for audiobook retailers. And the good news is, I offer a no-risk, 30-day moneyback guarantee if this detailed training program that includes access to me isn’t what you need.

Get the details and purchase the on-demand training at the Build Book Buzz compensated affiliate link for Audiobooks Made Easy.

Did you record your own audiobook? What was your biggest challenge? Please tell us in a comment.