Indie authors who want to self-publish an e-book have a myriad of options. There are hundreds of different online companies that want to give your digital title into as many digital bookstores as possible. Things get way more complicated if you want develop and distribute an audio edition. Audiobooks.com has just launched a new self-publishing service that will hopefully solve this problem.
The global audiobook industry is currently worth over a billion dollars and for the most part, it is the major publishers that are responsible for most of the revenue. Sure there are options such as Audible Creation Exchange, but it is limited only to authors who reside in the United States.
Audiobooks.com has just launched Author’s Republic, an aggregate audio publisher helping to bring independently published audiobooks onto more platforms than ever before. It will submit your titles to over a dozen merchants including Audiobooks.com, Audible, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Scribd, Downpour, and tunein, as well as library providers like Findaway and Overdrive.
Authors who want to make an audio edition of their e-book will quit enamored with the royalty rates. On most platforms, authors will receive an average of 35% of what their titles are sold for. Authors selling their titles through Audible, iTunes and Amazon will receive 25% of what their book is sold for on those platforms, a rate that matches the royalty rate offered through ACX for titles sold non-exclusively.
Author’s Republic will appeal strongly to international authors and publishers who are often excluded from similar distribution services based on regional restrictions. Author’s Republic offers a “back-door” for international authors to bring their audiobooks to the sizeable North American market.
Other stand-out features include the ability to set an MSRP (manufacturer’s suggested retail price), easy monthly royalty payments sent through PayPal, and free ISBNs for any audiobooks submitted through the service.
Author’s Republic is open and accepting new titles for submission now. To learn more about the service, visit www.authorsrepublic.com.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
