Ask The Author (the audiobook edition)

Laura asks:

Are you planning to have an audible version of Terris? I'm excited to read it - and am reading / listening to the first two books right now!

Well, Laura, as much as I do hate to disappoint my fans, the answer to this question is no.  And now the super fun explanation as to why.

So, I got the AMAZING Em Eldridge to narrate my books in some kind of cosmic blessing that I still don't quite understand.  I had signed up with ACX (which is like the indie author's marketplace for finding a narrator/producer for an audiobook).  She did the first book and the second and Audible even kicked in like $2500 extra for her.

It used to be that an author and a narrator could make an agreement that they'd make the book together and share like... 70% of the profits, I think?  Then ACX decided to slap both the creators in the face and knock that down to an absurd 25%.  So I ditched ACX and never looked back.

Now virtually every good narrator on ACX is payment only (which is how it should be, since they got royally screwed over) and believe it or not, I don't have a cool $3000 lying around my house, waiting to be spent on audiobooks.  I've got two kids, and a house payment... there are plenty of other places for that money to go!

I considered a kickstarter at one point.  I really want you guys to have yourselves an audiobook if you want one, but I'm not sure I even have the audience to fund the thing.  I'm no Amanda Hocking.  So, Laura... I'm sorry to say that the audiobook isn't happening.  Wish I had a better answer. :(


Happy Reading (errrr... listening)!

Total Extreme Intense Ultimate Maximum

Some days you need a change.  You need to take all that stuff in your life and give it a makeover.  But it can't just be... let's make some changes here or there, lalalala.  No, this time, you need to go FREAKING SUPERSONIC ON THAT STUFF!

That's what I feel like today.  February in Cali is like a DREAM (Yes, I know it's March now, stay with me here).  It's like the weather forgets it's supposed to be winter and starts warming up everything.  The daffodils come up, so do the early irises, those little blue bells I don't know the name of, and the grass gets all green again.  The orchard trees around where I live fill to bursting with pink and white blossoms.  This is the time where my spring fever kicks into gear and I just start feeling like I'm going to BURST out of my skin if I don't get stuff picked up and organized!

It's not just cleaning, either.  My writing starts to feel old hat, and I'm just DYING to imbue it with some new zing, or a plot twist or KILL OFF A CHARACTER.  (Don't worry, I didn't this time.  But let's just say that last year there was some sadness.)

It's the time of year that I have to fight the plot bunnies the hardest.  I fritter them away and beg them to stay in their little notebook and stop plaguing me with imaginative visions of plotlines.

So this year, I'm trying my best to harness that spring fever energy while I have it.  I'm gonna try to bump up my chapter count and push forward on all my projects.

I got more writing on Nikka done last week, but not as much as I wanted.  My children sabotaged that a bit with their horrid naptimes.  Hopefully, Terris' wordcount will be on the rise this week, as well.

In the meantime, thanks to my WOTY, FEARLESS, I did something else I hadn't contemplated before.  I posted The Five Tribes series and one of my side projects on ACX to get them potentially made into audiobooks.  I'm not as proactive about it as some of my fellow authors.  I just put up some quick profiles and thought, "Eh, let's see what happens."  Well, what happened is I got an audition.

So that's cool!  If you are a fan of the series and interested in giving feedback on auditions, shoot me an email at: katecauthor(at)gmail(dot)com.  I want to make sure I pick someone who seems to match the voices of my characters.

That's all for this week!  Happy Reading!