From #Book to Audio - the Process, + a New Release! #Audible #amwriting #writingtips

Much of this post originally appeared as my guest post on Jennifer Wilck's blog, and I'm sharing it here because my second audiobook is coming soon!  I've learned a lot about the process of turning a novel into an audiobook, and I'm so excited to have another on the way.  My first, Gull Harbor, released on Valentine's Day (what a release date!), and I love how it turned out.  Since this steamy romance + ghost mystery first came out in print, it's been both a #1 Bestseller on Kindle and Nook platforms on several occasions, so I'm thrilled it is now available on Audible and iTunes for readers who love to listen (which is now something I do constantly--such a great way to get another story "read" while I'm fighting traffic or folding laundry.  If you don't have an Audible membership, you can sign up easily and get your first book free!)

Steamy, second-chance romance meets spooky suspense!

When it comes to the process of production, things can get started in a few ways.  When a publisher is involved, as in this case, they usually have contracted the rights to publish and sell the story in all formats, so the first thing I had to do was sign a contract extension so all contract expiration dates lined up.  I actually signed the extension for Haunted Souls first, and then I was given a form to fill out regarding preferences for a narrator (accent, gender, etc.) and what section of the book I thought would make a good audition sample (one with several character voices is a good choice, and for me, using a suspenseful scene was a must to make sure the narrator could convey the tension).  Then the sample goes up on ACX and waits for a narrator to maybe find it and be interested enough to send in an audition to the publisher for consideration.

Except I'm not good at waiting.  In fact, I'm a bit of a control freak.  So I went with another option: searching the ACX site for available narrators myself, and reaching out to ones I liked.  I quickly discovered there are various models of payment for this work, with some narrators agreeing to share the royalties of future sales (Royalty Share or RS), and others only working for an upfront fee Per Finished Hour (PFH), and some accepting both, depending on the circumstances.  Since my publisher was offering RS, I had to use that filter to look for narrators.  I had also decided I'd prefer a female narrator, since the majority of the novel is from the heroine's Point-of-View.

Both Brett and Emily have Point-of-View chapters in Haunted Souls, but
the majority of the story is through Emily's viewpoint.

Eventually I found a narrator I liked, and the publisher approved of the deal.  Contracts were extended and signed, but I knew going in this narrator was behind schedule due to other projects.

Then something exciting happened.  Gull Harbor was featured on BookBub, and it received a lot of exposure and hit many bestseller lists.  I had several narrators contact *me*, saying the story sounded intriguing and inquiring if the book would be going to audio.  I listened to a sample chapter one of the narrators sent me, and I was blown away by her talent and range.  

I replied to tell her that I was very interested in having her narrate the story, but that my publisher was offering RS agreements on audio formats.  Fortunately, the title's past sales on other formats met certain thresholds, and a contract on Gull Harbor was extended.

While that book was being recorded, the contract on the first book I'd signed off on to go to audio fell through, due to equipment break down.  So I hurried to approach the fabulous narrator I was currently working with, Kristin James, and we were able to sign a new agreement for Haunted Souls.  Now, it's finished, and should be available on audio in the next 5 to 10 days!  Here's my author page on Audible with available titles!

In addition to this new audio title, I have two new books coming out this year, so if you'd like to be kept up-to-date on these new releases, plus book sales and giveaways, please consider signing up for my monthly newsletter here.  Thanks for stopping by!