This isn’t precisely a happy post, although the female is very, very happy she made #141 on USA Today for Whatever for Hire. See?
She’s very excited and happy over this.
But, she’s got something severely bothering her, so it’s time to talk about it.
After the current contracted Audiobooks are done, she’s taking a break from them for a while. Simply put, they have approximately $20,000 in debt to earn back.
She can’t just keep adding to their debt, which is exactly what she did this week with Water Viper. And she’ll do again with Water Witch. Both are very long and will run her $4,000+ to produce.
Each.
Yeah. Her $20,000 in debt was before those two audiobooks were contracted. So it’s actually $22,500 after we account for this month’s royalty check.
Her current royalty rate for aux titles is approximately $2.40 per title. She can’t just continue adding to debt for eternity.
As such, she is making the decision that there will be no more audiobooks for a while after the following contracted Audiobook titles are released:
- Water Witch
- Water Viper
- Grave Humor
- Double Trouble
- The Run Around
- Cold Flame
- Blood Bound (on route to retail.)
If it isn’t on this list, it’s not being produced until that $22,500 of debt is more like $0.00 in debt.
We’re sorry, but we can’t continue carrying this debt. It’s just too much. Once the books earn back, we’ll resume audiobook editions on the most popular titles.
We expect, at current earning rates, for this to to take ten to twelve months.
Thank you for your understanding, and we are sorry… we just can’t afford to continue a losing proposition. It’s too much of a financial burden.
Love your books and will be purchasing quite a few on your list for audio! Can’t wait. You are on my Instant preorder!
Very sorry that the audio books are so expensive….I buy your print books as I am hard of hearing. Do what you have to do….there are some out there for folks who need them.
As much as writing is a passion it is still a business. As such you have to at least break even, preferably make at least a moderate profit. To continue to put yourself further and further in debt, well. That way lies madness.
My heart goes out to those who can only read books via audio format. At least you didn’t say never again. You are just putting a hold on producing more for a while.
I like producing the audiobooks for people who can’t read books via print or e-reader, but… yeah. There comes a point where I simply can’t continue to carry the debt. And I’ve been carrying this debt for a year+. I gave it a year of carrying the debt to give the aux the best chance possible.
So, plug is pulled for now. Once I earn back the $25,000 of debt I’ll have by the end of the month (because of Grave Humor’s contract), I’ll start up again with the most popular books.
But you’re absolutely right. That is the way straight to madness.
Totally understand! Just keep writing please! I’m a teacher trying to manage this new way of teaching and I need your books to help me get through.
While I absolutely love audible books, I can understand the debt issue. I am actually thrilled to death with the extra titles on that list and the expected timeline as it is a very reasonable frame of time. ?. I just appreciate that you do have them put in audible format. I do a lot of driving during the school year and you make my drive so much more enjoyable. My students appreciate a happy teacher and hubby loves a less stressed wife. ?. Add in I can listen while I quilt and it is a win-win for me. I have most of your books on kindle and all but BF on audible. (Getting them next). Thank you for everything you do for us readers.
Do you have a Patreon account? If not, have you thought of one. I would gladly contribute to it to help pay down that debt.
Patreon is where my productivity, sanity, and so on go to die. It’s just a one ongoing anxiety attack for me, so it’s not an option, unfortunately. And I considered kickstarter, but the process of doing *that* is an ongoing anxiety attack, so I really need the aux copies to start paying for themselves, unfortunately.
Thank you for staying away from Patreon. I will hunt for the huge bottle of honey for Zazzle to hide. She would enjoy fooling the male human.
As much as I love audible and I buy all your titles as soon as I know their availabe…I dont want you to carry a huge debt..your job is writing wonderful stories and if audible isn’t productive we cant ask you to work for free….just doesnt make sense..thanks for doing the ones on the list..I’m listening to Double Trouble now and your narrator did a great job..I’ll be leaving a review when I finish it..thanks again..??
Though I’m sad that your audio books cause such a financial burden, I do love them and I buy them as soon as they’re released. I’m disappointed that it has come to this but I do understand. Just know that your books provide me with a lot of enjoyment while I drive to and from home (I live 45 mins from the nearest town). Until the next book, written or read! Thank you for sharing your wonderful worlds with us.
A faithful reader
Michelle.
I’m in the (possible) minority who cannot tolerate audiobooks at all, it actually kills the story for me to listen to it on audio.
So I figured I would leave an encouraging comment instead wishing you a speedy paying down of debt!
ROFL!!! I’ll take the wishy speedy paydown of debt on these, though… 🙂
Thank you, i thought i was the only one who absolutely hates listening to books, they just sound wrong when someone tells the story. I find it very very hard to find books that i like with a narater i can listen to so i have just given up and read the books, I’ll listen to music while driving ?
Hi, and I totally agree with you. The voices and pictures in my own head are better than audio. But I know a lot of people prefer them, so to each their own. Your comment was right on.
It is a shame you make so little for each copy of the audio book sold. That said, I will continue to buy both the ebook and the audio wherever available. I loved Double Trouble, and the narrator did an outstanding job with it.
Thank you for the books on your list still to be produced in audio.
And a big thank you for your books, period. I love your work and am astonished at your productivity.
I love your books and I enjoy listing to them a lot but i understand and agree you can not put your self into debt just to make a few people happy. Also I loved Grave Humor I stayed up all night reading it when it came out, I could not put it down.
I have loved the audio books for Bailey and Quin’s Story, Whatever for Hire and Hoofing it. If I can offer a suggestion? Focus your Audio production on the longer books. They can command a higher price even though they are more expensive to produce. I’m a huge audible listener and have a large number of your books on audio. I also have them in ebook form…I understand the debt and the need to reduce it.
Uhm… yes, the longer books do cost more. They also cost thousands more to produce. Water Viper has cost me like $5,000. I will not be seeing a significant increase in my general paycheck just because it is longer. (I get a base percentage of a royalty, and the production cost very much outweighs the amount I get because it’s longer.)
So, yeah. I have produced my longer works. Those are actually the ones that put me so far in debt, and they are NOT making significantly more than the shorter books. The shorter books are the only ones even remotely close to paying for themselves, unfortunately.
The longer ones sank the whole ship.
There’s also the issue that because it commands a higher price, fewer people buy them, which means I’m further in the hole because I produced them. (And the cost per hour for production is significant.)
Sounds like I better do my part, and buy up all of your available audiobooks. Haven’t got to it yet, but no time like the present, to help keep the boat afloat. Thank you for writing such wonderful stories!
If you go too far into debt you will not be able to be a author any more you would have to do some other type of work to pay off the debt and that would be too awful for words so please don’t do it. People can just use some patience of figure out a way to fund it for you.
Love your books but I honestly don’t like audio books. The narrator never matched the characters voice in my head as I am reading
Then you’re not my audience for audiobooks, and that’s a-okay. 🙂 There’s an entire segment of readers who *only* listen to audiobooks, and those are the people I’m ultimately trying to reach.
That is ok with me as I am not a fan of audio books. Would rather just hear the voices and picture the scenes in my own mind. I hear great voices and see wonderful pictures of the backgrounds. Just saying:)
Smart decision!
I finished Grave Humor yesterday. I loved it. (and left a review on Amazon)
Thank you for a wonderful antidote to these times of plague.
And I’m soo glad for seeing the dragon.
You do what you need to do. You have bills to pay and have just put a pause on the audio button. Completely understandable.
I have some of your books on audio and plan on getting a few more in the future.
Very excited Cold Flame and Blood Bound are on that list! Actually I’m excited about all of the list I own all the audiobooks and ebooks you currently have out under all names and have preordered all available books. The only series I wish was an audiobook that isn’t, is the Witch & Wolf series as it was my first introduction and I love it dearly and would love to be able to listen to it over and over again!