Voiceover
627: How to Make a Passive Income Using Amazon ACX Audible Audiobooks
Robert Plank covers Voiceover Business in this Marketer of the Day episode. Audiobook narration can create extra income by combining paid ACX projects with royalty-share titles that continue earning after the recording is finished. The process starts by searching ACX for titles accepting auditions, filtering by factors such as genre, narrator gender, accent, and compensation type. Narrators can pursue royalty share or per finished hour work, with examples ranging from under $50 PFH to $100 PFH or higher. After receiving an offer, the narrator records roughly the first 15 minutes for approval before completing and uploading each chapter, opening credits, closing credits, and retail audio sample. A Blue Yeti, a quiet room, and Audacity are presented as a practical recording setup, with editing optionally outsourced. The episode also describes building a portfolio through repeated auditions, citing 65 titles from 186 auditions as one example.
Robert Plank is back to explain how his wife (and many up-and-coming entrepreneurs) have used the Amazon Audible ACX marketplace to boot-strap their self-funding online business by narrating entire audiobooks. How is it done? What tools and experience are required? What are the steps? It's all explained in today's training.
Quotes:
“It's important to publish consistently—putting out episodes every week, three times a week if possible. But don't let a strict release schedule stop you from doing things.” – Robert Plank
“If a client is always on your mind in a bad way, then you should fire them. Life's too short not to be happy. So if a client is a pain in the butt, wants extra stuff, or wants to pay you less, you can say, 'See you later.'” - Robert Plank
“If it sounds overwhelming, it's a sign that you should hire someone to help with some of the work. This way, you can focus on high-level tasks. The idea is to have so much going on, so much money coming in, and so many clients that you're too busy not to delegate a lot of the work.” - Robert Plank
Takeaways:
00:49 Consistency in content creation doesn't mean you must stick to a rigid schedule; podcasts and creative projects can be flexible and released as you feel inspired.
08:27 Amazon's publishing platforms offer multiple ways to transform written content into different formats, making it easier than ever for authors to reach diverse audiences.
15:13 Audiobook narration on ACX provides flexible income opportunities, with options to get paid upfront or through royalty splits, allowing narrators to choose their preferred compensation model.
27:15 Building a successful voice-over business requires dedicating at least one hour every morning to developing your skills, auditioning, and expanding your professional network.
42:10 True professional freedom comes from having multiple clients, not just one or two, which allows you to increase rates, fire difficult clients, and maintain financial stability.
49:46 Treat your voice-over work as a business, not an art form, by having predictable systems, multiple income streams, and a strategic approach to client acquisition.
56:30 Audiobook narration platforms like ACX offer opportunities for aspiring voice actors to build a portfolio, gain experience, and potentially create a sustainable income stream.
Resources
- Audacity (Sound Recorder)
- Blue Yeti (Microphone)
- VO Success Formula (Voiceover Training)
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