Why you should record an audiobook - right now!
Audiobooks are becoming an ever increasing way to consume content. According to CyberCultural, 1 in 5 Americans now listen to audiobooks regularly - equating to 20 percent of the US population. In the UK, audiobooks are even more popular, with an estimated 21% of book buyers having used an audiobook. With a market this big - it’s no wonder that audiobooks are becoming more and more popular. So here’s why you should record an audiobook - right now!
Audiobooks provide consumability on the go!
Great Work Life recently published statistics on how and when audiobooks are used. It might not surprise you to learn that the biggest area of usage is the commute, with a whopping 31 percent of audiobook listeners tuning in on their daily journey to work.
Unlike a paper book, audiobooks provide consumability on the go! You can’t exactly read a tactile book as you drive, cycle or walk to work - so people are taking advantage of this otherwise-dead time and enjoying consuming content on the go. This practice is at an all time high and is likely to keep growing - so get ahead of the curve and make your story all the more marketable by offering an on-the-go version right now!
Plus, studies have shown that young people are keen to ingest content quickly. Having an audiobook means that they can listen to your novel on the go, whilst doing other activities and mult-tasking. Common activities where an audiobook is being listened to simultaneously include gardening, walking, exercising at the gym, dog walking and more. So if your target demo includes millennials - get that audiobook out quick!
2. The idea’s fresh
Some authors toy with the idea of creating an audiobook, and we’ve sometimes heard that they intend to ‘put it on ice’ for the time being. Not acting now can mean that you’re losing customers - for example, those who want to listen to a book on a commute and those who are very eco-conscious (as discussed in points 1 and 2). However, there’s another good reason to create your audiobook ASAP - the idea is fresh.
When considering your audiobook, you as an author may have a clear idea of the tone, the voices, even the narration in your head. By leaving it, you sometimes lose this artistic vision - and the clarity you have for your book becomes duller. By creating an audiobook ASAP after writing your novel, you’re much more likely to provide fresh and clear artistic direction - getting the audiobook that you want.
3. Post-Covid Consumer base
Over the pandemic, we saw a dramatic rise in audiobook listeners, as people remained indoors. And this hasn’t really dropped off since we resumed life as (nearly) normal, as people enjoyed the listening experience. Covid 19 changed our lives dramatically - and we still carry some of these practices over to today. More people are likely to isolate themselves if they are ill now - and when you’re stuck at home you need entertainment! An audio book will do the trick!
Similarly, it’s only now that non-urgent operations and medical procedures are being undergone, as there was a huge backlog from the pandemic. During long stints at home recovering - you need cheap, easy-to-access entertainment: TV, books, radio and of course - audiobooks!
4. Accessibility
We as a society are finally starting to make leaps into accessibility. Right now, the focus is shifting to creating accessible products and services - and you can get ahead of the curve.
Accessibility can mean many different things for different people - but in short, it’s a way of opening something up to a group that wouldn’t have been able to easily use some service or product beforehand because of the nature of their disabilities.
Audiobooks are a fantastic way to reach a customer base that has historically been underserved by the publishing industry. An audiobook will allow visually impaired customers to enjoy your book in an entertaining and accessible way. Audiobooks have also proved helpful to many teachers of disabled students, helping the students with anything from motivation, to emotional recognition, to improved vocabulary (read more about the benefits for students with disabilities here).
5. Audiobooks are great for marketing
An audiobook is incredibly versatile; once you’ve recorded your book, you have a large amount of audio that you can use as you will. As such, they’re extremely valuable marketing tools.
For example:
You can give away a chapter of your book for free - with a clear call to action to buy the whole thing at the end.
You can use snippets of your audio for social media; release teasers to draw people into the story.
You can employ audio on your website, creating a more interactive and accessible experience and hopefully generating more sales!
You can use the audio clips when marketing via radio, TV etc, to give a taster and save money as you won’t need to create additional new content.
An audiobook can pay for itself in marketing resources - and we at Monkeynut can offer a complimentary Q and A at the end of your recording: perfect for interview-based marketing.
6. The decline of paper print and books
Right now we are in an eco-conscious zeitgeist - and rightly so! We’re all more aware than ever of the impact we’ve had on the planet - and paper is no exception. With deforestation all over the news, play into the eco-conscious minds of your potential readers by creating a paperless product: the audiobook.
Whereas we love and support sustainable printing, and are confident that paper books will never fully disappear out of societal use, offering an audiobook version can save on paper and therefore help prevent deforestation. It also helps if you record your audiobook with a company that offers a carbon neutral or eco friendly pledge - like us! Monkeynut has partnered with JUST ONE TREE, so that for every audiobook you make with us, 5 trees are planted! Our audiobooks don’t just use no paper / trees, they actually create new ones! Read more here.
So what are you waiting for?
Take advantage of the ever-growing potential customer base by creating your audiobook. You’ll better reach: commuters, the eco conscious, isolating or recovering people, people with accessibility needs and the lucrative millennial market.
If you’re keen to start creating your audiobook - we’d love to help! Get in touch with us and turn your book into an accessible, consumable piece of on-the-go content!