C h a z z W r i t e s . c o m

I just found out (via author Patti Larson on Facebook) that ACX is now accepting Canadian authors. Finally! I’ve complained loudly about this disparity for years.

Yes, there were complicated ways around it so, technically, Canucks could get in. It was harder for us and didn’t feel right so I kept making ebooks and paperbacks. I waited, hoping that whatever made ACX treat Canucks like the ginger stepchild would go away. Now the wall has dropped. This is great news! Hm…or….

Or is it too little, too late? Too much?

When ACX first came on the scene, it was a very favorable profit split for authors. Then, overnight, they changed the percentage. Many authors pointed to their ACX experience as a reason to stay out of KU. They didn’t want to be at the mercy of a capricious pricing policy change. 

Don’t get me wrong. I’m glad the ACX option is finally open to Canadians. I think if they’d waited much longer it would be moot. Within a few more years you’ll gladly let Siri read a book to you. The tech will improve sufficiently that bots will mimic a human voice actor, you won’t even cringe. (I still smile at the human voice actor in one audiobook who pronounced, “analyst” with the emphasis on “anal.” It came up a lot in that book, too.)

Mounting the resources and meeting the expenses of audiobook production is still a challenge. You have to find the right voice actor and work out a deal. If you can afford to pay them up front, that’s better. That option is out of most author’s reach. ACX is a long commitment, so that’s a factor. Audiobooks have weird pricing, too. I always get mine through Audible Daily Deals.

FYI: I’m listening to The Secrets of Story by Matt Bird on Audible. It’s fantastic! If you’re an author (and if you’re reading this you must be) get that book!

I’m excited about this possibility and a bit intimidated, too. I have to pay off a big surprise tax bill and send my eldest to university in September. I’m not in a gambling mood. I’ve heard mixed results from author friends over the years. Some say audiobooks have boosted their ROI immensely. On the face of it, it would seem that offering our work in more formats is a no-brainer. Of course we should get our books out to everyone in whatever format they want to consume it! (But that’s not how spreadsheets and profit and loss works, is it?)

So I throw it out to you, fellow authors. If you’re a Canuck, are you jumping in with ACX? 

If you have produced audiobooks with ACX, would you recommend it or, given your experience, would you go another route? What’s your experience?

Thanks in advance for letting us know!

~ Chazz

Filed under: publishing