Downsides of ACX royalty share deal #AuthorToolboxBlogHop #WriterWednesday #BookMarketing #audiobooks
For the past two or three years, industry ‘experts’ have been pushing audiobooks. It’s the fastest growing market segment, they tell us. Although I’m interested in increasing my market share, I’ve been dragging my feet at jumping into the audiobook market. I’m not exactly jumping up and down at the idea of learning yet another segment of the market. Quiet possibly, I’m just lazy.
For those of us writers who have been sitting on the fence because of the cost of producing an audiobook, ACX offers a royalty share deal. This deal allows you to pay nothing out of pocket to have an audiobook produced! You forego upfront payment in exchange for agreeing to share your royalty earnings equally with your producer for the life of the audiobook.
Sounds like an awesome deal! Why am I still hesitating? (Besides, there just not being enough hours in the day.) There are a few downsides to the royalty share deal, which need to be thoroughly evaluated before going forward.
Exclusivity. As a recovering lawyer, the word ‘exclusivity’ always causes my teeth to clench. You have to give ACX exclusivity if you do the royalty share deal. Your audiobook will be distributed to Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. That’s better than the exclusivity Amazon offers its Kindle Unlimited writers, but you are missing big markets and distributors like Storytel, which has been gaining traction in markets in which Audible is underrepresented.
7-year exclusivity. It is possible to request removal of your audiobook from its exclusivity contract after one year, but NOT if you do the royalty share deal. In that case, you’re stuck with exclusivity for seven years. Seven years is a long time. Who knows what the market will look like then?
Fewer narrators. As many audiobooks in the royalty share deal have not made back the initial investment for the producer, many narrators have dropped out of the program. Fewer and fewer narrators are, therefore, available for the program. Does this mean the best narrators are no longer working with the royalty share program? Quite possibly.
Uncurated narrators. Other programs (such as Findaway Voices) curate the narrators they recommend. Not so with the ACX royalty share. The author is responsible for curating narrators and finding one who fits with the novel being made into an audiobook. As someone who has yet to make an audiobook, I worry I’m not qualified to select a narrator.
As you can read, there are positives and negatives to the royalty share deal with ACX. On the other hand, producing an audiobook (especially if you’re new to the audiobook market and have yet to market one) is expensive and may not be worth the initial cost. Personally, I’m thinking of using the royalty share program with one of my backlist novels. I’ll let you know how it goes (assuming I ever get off the fence).
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This blog post is part of the #AuthorToolboxBlogHop. This is a monthly blog hop hosted by @raimeygallant. Make sure to stop by the other author blog posts in this month’s blog hop to fill up your author toolbox!
Informative post. Thank you.
I can see how it is a good idea for some situations, but I agree about the icky exclusivity. I found about 7 audible competitors that I would consider listing my books on, and there’s no telling which one of them is going to explode. My guess is ones of the ones that’s trying to do a Netflix business model.
I listened to a podcast yesterday where they said the same thing!
Good luck! I wasn’t able to use ACX at the time I decided to turn my debut into an audiobook — they had (possibly still have) limits on countries who can use their service — so I got a local production company to do all the work for me. They do the distribution, too 🙂 And the “experts” are right: it is a booming market 😉
Ronel visiting on Author Toolbox day How to Set Up Instagram to Grow Your Author Business
Are you in NL? (Assuming from the name) Can I ask what company you used?
South Africa 🙂 Audioshelf Ltd. Here’s the link: http://audioshelf.co.za/
Thanks. Will research it
Wow, I didn’t know any of this! I’ve looked into the audiobook market recently, but this is news to me! Thanks for sharing this info.
Great post! I think many of us have looked at audio books as a way to expand our markets, but the big question is who among the producers is best positioned, now and int the future. Flexibility comes at a cost.. Exclusivity costs less, but could send you off in the wrong direction. One thing you can bet on, Amazon will get its share!
Amazon will definitely get its share!
Great post! I hadn’t thought about personally being qualified to select a voice, but I do know I am picky about the ones I listen to and whether or not I keep listening 🙂
I don’t listen to audiobooks, so I feel even more unqualified.
Great points 🙂 The 7 year exclusivity would concern me too, especially in what I see as a fast moving market. I’d love to produce my own audio book, but aside from not having a clue where to start, apparently my region of the UK has a strong, tricky to understand, accent!
Tricky accents ? Probably not a great idea. But fun for parties!
Reblogged this on When Angels Fly.
Thanks!
Welcome!
Great information. Thank you. 🙂
Anna from elements of emaginette
That is very interesting. I have been looking at audiobooks and haven’t made a decision. Hmm… Did you decide yet–thumbs up or down?
I’m still researching. I’m concerned about initial investment if I don’t go for revenue share. Will I recover that initial outlay? I don’t know
I’m glad to hear some negatives. All I’ve heard before it positives and that always makes me suspicious. None of my books are in audio but my publisher has the rights. I’d like to see her take the steps into that market.
http://susangourley.blogspot.com/
I’ve had the same reservations with producing an audiobook and doing the royalty share. I took a class offered by one of the RWA chapters talking about audiobooks and they mentioned another company that also does a royalty share, but doesn’t have the same exclusive clause. I’ll have to look back through my notes to verify the info. Good luck if you move forward. I’m on the fence. It’s a lot to consider.
I understand your hesitation – seven years is a long time! One of my editing clients is currently recording her own audiobook. That’s partly because she lives in a country that can’t use ACX (so would have to pay anyway), and partly because her characters are Australian so she didn’t want a narrator with a US accent. I’ll have to find out how she goes.
Interesting to note there are no Australian narrators in ACX. Hmm… wonder what else is missing
Reblogged this on Author Don Massenzio and commented:
Check out this post from DE Haggerty’s blog on the downsides of the ACX royalty share scenario for the creation of audio books.
Thanks
You’re welcome.
Wow…this is so informative, guys through our blogs we get to learn new stuff.