Day 7: Writing; Kris Keppeler

Meet Kris Keppeler.

Kris Keppeler is a narrator, actor, writer, voice actor, and funny story junkie.   Visit her IMDB page for stage and screen credits, read her Does This Happen to You? series on Channillo for a giggle or listen to samples of the 25 audiobooks narrated on Audible.  She’s impersonated a cat, a prince, a princess, a witch, a madwoman, and a president with her voice.  She loves to write and narrate funny stories.  Tune into her podcast, Does This Happen to You? for short stories about the more bizarre ways to get through your day, http://kriskkaria.podbean.com/.

The link to my website is http://www.kriskeppeler.com/, and my narrator page on Audible is http://www.audible.com/search?advsearchKeywords=Kris+Keppeler.

Guest Post – Audiobooks, Catch the Wave
The word on the street is you can make an extra 10-20% on your book sales. Think that’s impossible. It’s not if you convert your book into an audiobook.
Any book, except highly visual books, converts easily into an audiobook which sells. The audiobook market is close to a billion dollars. That’s right, one billion. And an audiobook gives you a piece of that.
An audiobook provides access to new fans. People who listen, rather than read, books. They’re eager to hear your audiobook. And tell their friends about your book, be it print, Kindle or audiobook edition.

It’s not hard to convert your book into an audiobook, but you need to choose the right method for you and your book.

Many authors narrate their books especially ones who are actors or have theater experience. You may be sure of all your character voices in your head. That doesn’t mean they will come out the way you desire when you speak. As an experienced actor, I always say character lines out loud, ahead of an audition or recording, because what comes out of my mouth is not always what I envision in my head.
Nonfiction books are not as challenging. You still need to enunciate clearly, pay attention to phrasing, and take care of your voice. I find I need short breaks after even 30 minutes of recording.
The most recommended method for authors narrating their own book is find a studio to help you record. That studio needs to have audiobook production experience. Commercial voice over is different from audiobooks, in pacing, in file format and other areas.
You will get high- quality production and garner high marks from fans. You can concentrate on your writing. And not waste time learning the technical aspects of audio recording.
The easiest and most expedient way to convert your book into a quality audiobook is using a professional narrator. ACX makes it very easy to list your book, ask for auditions, listen to them and choose the narrator you like. If your audiobook budget is small, you can find a narrator for no money up front. You will share sales revenue, though.
Other ways to find a narrator include using a freelancer site, such as Upwork, asking your publisher for recommendations or contacting a narrator you admire directly.
I suggest listening to samples of audiobooks in your book’s genre on Audible. Hearing styles within your genre focus your search for a narrator. It’s important the voice fit your book. You may love a specific narrator, but their voice may not mesh well with your words or your book’s genre.
The length of your audiobook is determined by the word count, which includes the introduction or first chapter through the last chapter or conclusion. Roughly, it’s 10k words per hour. So, if your book is about 15k words, it’s an hour and a half audiobook.
Standard rates for audiobooks are per finished hour, and experienced narrators will quote you based on that. A typical quote is $200 pfh (per finished hour), making the cost for your 15k word book conversion $300.
Keep this experienced narrator cost in mind when you consider narrating your book yourself. Studio rental rates vary from $50 per hour to over $100 per hour. Your book will take longer than 1.5 hours for you to narrate yourself, at least another hour for a 1.5-hour book. Then, it takes an audio engineer to edit and master it, at least another $100.
However you choose to convert your book into an audiobook the result brings you more fans. And that’s a good thing.