The audiobook industry is booming. With the global market size expected to grow 26% by 2030, it’s no wonder self-published authors are diving into this lucrative medium. But with so many opportunities, it can be daunting to know where to start. The U.S. alone makes up about a third of the global audiobook market. Are you missing out on this hungry demographic?
Why Audiobooks Are on the Rise
The increasing popularity of audiobooks can be attributed to a few key factors. First, they provide an alternative way for busy individuals to consume content. Whether driving, exercising, or cooking, people are using audiobooks to stay engaged with stories and ideas even when traditional reading isn’t possible. According to a 2023 Statista report, global audiobook sales are predicted to grow annually by 13.9%, demonstrating a significant shift in how readers engage with content.
Another major driver is accessibility. Audiobooks open doors for people with visual impairments or learning disabilities, expanding the reading audience. Platforms like Spotify and Audible have capitalized on this, helping the industry evolve beyond physical books and eBooks. The good news is that the consumption of audiobooks isn’t at the expense of physical books. You can have your cake and eat it too, especially since Deloitte predicts audiobook sales are likely to overtake ebooks in the next few years.
For authors looking to boost their careers, audiobooks can provide additional revenue streams and widen audience reach. Many authors have found that producing an audiobook alongside a print or eBook version leads to increased visibility, particularly as platforms like Audible expand. As audiobooks continue to rise in popularity, self-published authors have an opportunity to elevate their careers and bring their stories to new demographics.
How to Harness the Audiobook Revolution
Creating an audiobook is not just about transferring text into audio format. It’s an art form that requires a deep understanding of both the written word and audio production. Readers can and will DNF an audiobook just the same as a written novel for something as small as not liking the narrator's voice.
With every small decision compounding on each other, from narration to post-production and editing, ensuring a polished and professional product that stands out in a crowded marketplace remains a daunting task.
When broken down the steps to create an audiobook seem simple, but on average takes over 6 hours of work for every hour of produced audio. That’s 5-6 full days of voice acting alone. Although there is no one-size-fits-all length for an audiobook, research, and industry trends indicate that the sweet spot typically falls between 7 to 10 hours for fiction and around 10 to 15 hours for non-fiction audiobooks. That means for your one book that’s a total of anywhere from 47 to 90 work hours or more to see your creation come to life.
That’s not even counting the confusing world of audio distribution and choosing the right narrator (another topic we will be discussing).
So we’ve simplified the process for you. Even if you choose not to go with our services, our bank of narrator samples can serve as the first step in understanding your audiobook journey.
If any seem like the right fit for your needs you can easily leverage our expertise to navigate the complexities of the audiobook production process. This means more time for authors to focus on marketing and building their brand while we handle the technical details.
Our roster of narrators, which also includes Spanish speakers that can be utilized with our translation services, provide a variety of samples to pick the right voice to bring your story to life. Priding on a collaborative approach our narrators then reach out to the client to ensure the tone, pacing and over all feel of the book is to the author’s liking before production begins.
You’re able to listen to the book in real-time as chapters are being completed to catch any revisions or changes you may want to make along the way.
After two weeks you’ll have your fully produced audiobook in hand that either you can choose to upload to a platform such as ACX for distribution or our team of experts can handle for you.
Don’t miss out on elevating your content to the next level because you can’t have the time to make it yourself–after all, a 6.8 billion global market size is waiting.