Have you noticed how information and entertainment have moved
away from reading?
These days, having time to read is a luxury well worth bragging about. Most of us are always either moving around, be it physically or virtually (Zoom meetings, Zoom meetings everywhere!), or trying to balance the rest of our lives. Whether things have gotten faster or we have shorter spans of attention, podcasts and videos seem to communicate what we want to know faster and better. Or to provide some much-needed relaxation as we're on the go.
Cue in the modern writer
You're probably already thinking, 'Oh, like it isn't hard enough to write. Now I have to produce audio as well?' and, believe us, you have our sympathy. You really do. Writing is hard, and having to go the extra mile AFTER you've already finished writing is even more challenging. This might not even be your only extra mile today. Again, our sympathies.
However, times change, and where some see hardship, sometimes there are opportunities. Whether you're currently sitting on the fence or are just exploring taking your writing to a new format, here are some powerful reasons why you should consider being a part of the first-mover wave into audiobook publishing.
Because you need to engage them through their prefered sense
By providing your readers (now listeners) with a new way to engage with your writing, you're doing both yourself and them a tremendous service. Because, first of all, we all learn, imagine, and feel differently when exposed to different stimuli. Over time, you might find that some of your listeners only listen and that your readers only read. Or that some people like to do both, and that's also ok. But also because you might discover that you can
uniquely touch your audience through their ears, and that there are some things you can only achieve in a certain way.
Because you want to be where luck strikes
We all know THAT story. John Doe from town X, total no-one, got very into Youtube in the early days. Made awkward stuff, with a
lousy camera, no microphone whatsoever, all edited in Windows Movie Maker. He didn't get big at first. But then Youtube itself got big, and good-old Johnny was right there when the masses came.
It could be Youtube. It could be blogs, podcasts, Vine, TikTok, whatever. The moral of the story remains the same: New things are catching up all the time, and audiobooks are just one more lottery ticket for you to make out of the content you already have. Will you miss out?
Because everything you need is at your fingertips
You might be intimidated by it (after all, you've never done it, and it's normal to feel skeptical at first) since, until now, you've only written. But, the truth is, with an afternoon of research and $100, you can probably order yourself a more-than-decent
microphone, download an
open-source audio editing/recording software and, within a couple of attempts, create something good enough to get started. Something that would've probably been the best quality around ten years ago.
Just like you published your first drafts before they weren't perfect, allow yourself to post your first audiobook drafts. Interact with your audience. Ask for feedback. On the internet, you're never alone!
Because (and you might not realize this) someone needs YOU!
We talked about those always on the go on this blog's intro, but we purposely saved an essential group for the very end: The multitaskers.
We've all been there. Bored, stuck in a mechanical routine. Sometimes on the move, but not necessarily. Just stuck. Filing paperwork, cleaning, assembling, or waiting. Not necessarily because we want to be there. Then, something comes along, and it brightens our day. We find a little jewel that makes the moment worth it. We feel alive.
There are people out there that need to hear what you can put out. They don't have time to read it, but they can listen. And it can mean the world for them. It can be everything that they've been looking for. And you've already made it.
Now's just the time to push it out, just a little bit further, for them.
-Rob Anderson 1/26/21