Once available through specialized retailers at high markups, audio books are far from a recent invention, though they’ve typically been the choice of a very small niche audience. With the advent of smartphones and high-capacity MP3 players, however, they’ve enjoyed a dramatic surge in popularity. Due to the wide availability of inexpensive audio editing programs, they’re no longer prohibitively expensive for the small business owner to produce. For the self-published author, choosing to sell audio books as companions to ebook products or as a stand alone purchase can dramatically increase sales among busy consumers who no longer have time to dedicate both hands and undivided attention to reading.

Understanding the Popularity of MP3 Audio Book Downloads

Reading either a physical book or one loaded onto an ereader device, is a great way to relax. Unfortunately, exercise, driving or tackling household chores aren’t conducive to getting lost in a good book. Busy consumers with a love of good stories can listen to a new tale while they’re commuting, working with their hands or spending time at the gym, though. This substantial share of the market is being catered to by new services connected to major publishers, but is sorely under-served by the self-published side of the industry.

Self-published authors who sell audio books in addition to ebooks do have the potential to dramatically increase earnings, either through bundled packages or individual sales.

Tips and Tricks: Sell MP3 Versions of Your Ebook

One of the most common errors made by independent audio book content creators is neglecting to break files into chapters and sections. For merchants who plan to sell audio books and ebooks as bundled packages, it’s equally important to embed a hyperlinked table of contents into ebook content to allow seamless switching from audio book listening to ebook reading. Another common mistake during audio book creation is working in long sessions, and attempting one-take chapters. A single chapter may require multiple sessions and several edits to obtain reasonable quality. Take your time, limit session length to avoid fatigue and make audio books easy for your customers to navigate.

In terms of sales facilitation and web store management, it’s almost always best to opt for a comprehensive ecommerce system, like PayLoadz.com, rather than an assortment of tools and services which require separate maintenance and management. A quality ecommerce platform provides secure payment processing capability, along with content hosting and automated product distribution. Merchants can also take advantage of valuable tools like affiliate network marketing programs, which help to expand audience reach and increase sales.

If you’re a self-published author looking for ways to increase your product catalog, consider the many benefits of offering MP3 audio book downloads as companions to your ebook products. With the right tools and support services, you can build a potentially lucrative business while retaining control over your intellectual property.

 

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