How your book can get more traction with audio

The whispered words of storytellers echo through time. But as independent authors crafting worlds with our fingertips, we often forget one of the most important parts of history: stories were born in the spoken word.

Like those first storytellers who captured listeners’ hearts around the campfire, today’s book-reading audience wants to HEAR your story.

The audiobook market grew 25% last year alone—yet many indie authors still hesitate to turn their self-published work into audio, sacrificing thousands in potential revenue.

Perhaps it’s time for you to get in on the income.

The Measurable Impact

The financial evidence of the value of audiobooks is impossible to ignore. Audio revenue streams often surpass ebook earnings within 18-24 months, with professionally produced audiobooks breaking even within 6-8 months, then generating profit margins exceeding ebooks by 15-20%.

Those are some big numbers.

Royalty statements also tell an unmistakable story: those with audio offerings consistently outperform those without. How do we know? Audiobook listeners spend more annually on books than print-only readers—8.3 titles purchased yearly versus 4.9 for print.

And authors offering audiobook formats earn 38% more annually than comparable authors without audio offerings.

This isn’t speculation; it’s documented fact.

The Strategic Advantage

The evidence overwhelmingly supports audio expansion:

• Audiobook listeners demonstrate 74% higher retention rates than ebook readers
• While ebook growth has plateaued at 3-4%, audiobook growth continues at 20%+
• Professionally narrated audiobooks earn 340% more than author-narrated titles

After analyzing hundreds of indie author businesses, the pattern emerges with absolute clarity: those who expand to audio increase their annual revenue by an average of 41%.

When you follow evidence-based practices, audio becomes viable and highly profitable.

The Implementation Framework

If you’re ready to get your self-published book into audio…

• Begin with your strongest-selling title to establish baseline performance metrics.
• Allocate 12-15% of your annual publishing budget to audio production.
• Contact “the right person” to put your indie book into an audio format.

When your book speaks, it enters a rapidly expanding market segment with less competition and higher returns. This isn’t just additional income—it’s additional market capture, business stability, and leverage for the intellectual property you’ve already created.

Here’s to your voice finding new ears—and your business finding new profits.

Cheers,
Erin

RESOURCES/CITATIONS:
* The Rise of Audiobook Platforms: How AI Fuels the Future of Listening
* Audiobook Revenue and the Number of Listeners Continue to Grow
* The Audiobook Market and Its Adaptation to Cultural Changes
* New Research on Audiobook Circulation in US Libraries

About the Author
Erin M. Brown, MA, MFA, is the author of 20 books and has been a professional writer, creative director, global corporate communications and strategy lead, university communications professor at three universities, and an international speaker on genre storytelling, nonfiction writing, and communications. She has spoken to audiences and worked with audio recordings, commercials, radio interviews, and voice-over work for 30 years. Read more about Erin here.