They’re available everywhere (not just Audible), including direct!
Amazon and their audiobook subsidiary, Audible have had a virtual monopoly on audiobook sales… at least they did, until now.
Creators of audiobook content, whether self-published authors or traditional publishers, had essentially one main choice to get audiobooks to market: Audible (owned by Amazon). And Amazon has been wielding its monopoly-like power ever since, paying relatively small royalties to rights holders and offering price-inflated audiobooks to listeners (because Amazon/Audible exercises 100% control over all pricing).
Well, times have changed.
Today, there are many audiobook marketplaces emerging, offering listeners more choices at at far better prices for new and older audiobooks, whether they were published by big traditional houses or self-published authors.
As an author, these new choices not only mean more marketplaces on which to expose my audiobooks, but the ability to price them at fairer prices for my readers/listeners. What’s fairer?
For example: my largest audiobook (23+ hours long) was offered by Audible for $29.95 (again, I had ZERO control over the pricing), but now it is available for as little as $4.99 (an 83% discount). And here’s the crazy thing. As the creator of this audiobook (who paid thousands of dollars out of my own pocket for narration, production and the creation of the digital files that make up an audiobook), I am paid more when you buy my audiobook for $4.99 vs. $29.95 on Audible.
So, why am I telling you this?
Because as one of my valued readers, I want you to know that I have made sure that my audiobooks are available to you at a wide variety of marketplaces, and for a lot less than what you paid previously.
I will still offer my audiobooks on Audible, and therefore Amazon. Their market share is just too huge for me to pass up, even though I get paid less. But at the same time (with rare exceptions), I will now offer my audiobooks on these platforms:
👉🏻 Barnes & Noble, Apple, Kobo, Google Play and all other retail online-bookstores,
👉🏻 Chirp, eStories, Hummingbird and other emerging audiobook outlets,
👉🏻 Libraries through OverDrive, Baker & Taylor and others, & now…
👉🏻 Direct on MLBanner.com/shop (that’s my website)
This last outlet I’m most excited about, because on it I am able to offer the best price for my audiobooks anywhere.
From this point forward, as I release audiobooks on multiple marketplaces, I will also offer them directly to you for the lowest price possible. Future offerings on ML Banner Shop will included autographed paperbacks, hardcovers and other fun stuff.