\n<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what I mean\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\nSeveral years ago when I was just starting to put up my catalog of Kindle and Nook books (now at over 2500 titles in each) I did what I teach to all my students. I began to look for ways to repackage and repurpose my content.<\/p>\n I viewed audiobook production as a natural progression.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nI knew<\/strong><\/span> that with the popularity and ease of use of the iPod and other MP3 players that more and more people were looking for audio content coupled with the fact that audio was the only content you could consume while engaged in another activity like walking your dog, made audiobooks were poised to be the next great frontier in digital publishing<\/strong>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n <\/p>\n [ [ [<\/strong>Independent authors, publishers and info-preneurs like you and me were locked-out!] ] ]<\/strong><\/p>\nHeck, I remember when I first researched it I quickly learned that<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\nTHE 800 Pound Gorilla in the market WAS<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<\/td>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n AND<\/strong> Audible WAS<\/span> the only way<\/strong> you could get your audiobook into<\/strong> the audiobook categories on Amazon<\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\nIn my market research, I learned that getting your audiobooks into the audiobook categories was crucial to the long term profits and key to the set-it-and-forget-sales I was looking for.<\/p>\n Accordingly, once I determined that the only way into Amazon with my audiobooks was through Audible.com I started looking for a way in; a way to publish my stuff through Audible.com much the same way I was using the Kindle Direct Publishing platform to publish my Kindle books.<\/p>\n Problem was such a way did not exist (at least none that I could find).<\/p>\n So after scouring the Audible website I found a customer service email address. I wrote Audible and asked how I could become an approved audiobook publisher.<\/p>\n I never got a response\u2026 so after several weeks I wrote another email and asked again.<\/p>\n Still no response\u2026<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\nFinally, I did some digging and found the phone number of Audible corporate headquarters<\/strong> in Newark, New Jersey.<\/p>\nI called and amazingly got through to someone and asked the question again. I explained that I was a small, but legitimate publisher with a number of titles that I wanted to publish as audiobooks.<\/p>\n After hearing my request they went on to tell me that Audible primarily worked with major trade publishers like Random House, Simon and Schuster and other biggies.<\/p>\n This person said while it was possible to become an approved publisher it was a difficult process. She said that once a formal request was made that it may take months to get an answer and it may not be and answer I\u2019d like.<\/p>\n She then quickly suggested that I work with one of Audible\u2019s approved \u201caggregators\u201d. These production studios had approved status and could handle the entire production process.<\/p>\n I got excited and asked her for a list of these firms. She named two or three of them and suggested I simply Google search it for others.<\/p>\n I thanked her for her time and then immediately began a web search for the audiobook production studios she recommended.<\/p>\n I found them on a quick Internet search but as I perused each of the website one fact became abundantly clear.<\/p>\n In order to produce an audiobook through one of these approved companies you had to pony-up major cashola!<\/p>\n How much?<\/strong><\/p>\nUnbelievably <\/strong><\/p>\nTHOUSANDS of dollars!<\/strong> For One Single AudioBook!<\/strong><\/p>\nThis kind of cash outlay was only warranted if the audiobook were going to be a big seller. That, I knew, would would take marketing, time and effort.<\/p>\n In other words, this high-dollar advance payment method of audiobook creation was not conducive to the publish-it-and-let-it-fend-for-itself kind of publishing business I was running.<\/p>\n That\u2019s right folks for the vast majority of my Amazon and Barnes and Noble titles I simply publish them and then rely on the marketplace to sell them. I do little to no marketing of them once I give birth to them.<\/p>\n Consequently, I was looking for a Kindle-like (free) publishing platform and what existed was a vanity press pay up front kind of model.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nI tried several of the recommended audio production companies and found several more that could do the job but in the end they were all too expensive and required too much out of pocket to make it worth my time.<\/p>\n So after several weeks of trying and looking I developed a gut feeling that I should simply shelve the idea.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n | | | |