We have a new lady in our house. Her name is Alexa.
The Echo Dot came free with the Bose speakers I bought my husband Dave for Christmas. Now, we find ourselves saying things like “Alexa, Play something upbeat” and “Alexa, what are the news headlines today?”.
But here’s another interesting thing you can say to her:
Alexa, recommend me a book on business.
Alexa can shop and make recommendations for you if you enable the skill (skills are like apps for the system). She’ll also play your audible purchases on command or read you books purchased from the Kindle Store.
I much prefer to listen to the professionally narrated and edited version of a book than have the robotic voice of Alexa read to me … but, as an author it’s worth noting the trend of listening to content is only going to continue to grow. And grow it has … audio book sales are up 32% in 2017!
And thanks to devices like Alexa becoming more widespread, I think we’ll see more and more audiobook sales in 2018 and beyond.
So … what does that mean?
If you’re writing a book in 2018, you should be thinking audio.
It’s an added investment to produce an audio book, but for many authors, an audio book is a smart move to reach a larger audience. I have some videos coming out soon to help you create an audio version of your book … and, even more exciting than that:
Book Launchers now produces audio books!
We’ve partnered with an award winning voice coach and sound editor to help our authors narrate and produce a professional quality audio book worthy of 5 stars on audible.
There are people who will never read your book, but they will listen to it. And, there are people who want to have your book in audio and e-book to switch between the two.
Discounts will be offered for Book Launchers members. Yippee!! I am VERY excited about this addition.
Also … new in 2018:
- Monthly YouTube live Q&A video – Every month I’ll be going live to answer your questions and help you navigate the self-publishing world. It will be a perfect opportunity to ask questions about book titles, book ideas, and turning books into movies or TV shows. Date and time coming soon. Make sure you subscribe to our YouTube channel so you get notified of when we go live.
- First Look Book Reviews with The Book Broad 😉 …. a new 2x’s a month segment on Book Launchers YouTube channel starting in February where you can get a peek into the best books we’re helping to launch and the best books I’m reading outside the office too.
- Price Increase! Effective March 1st, 2018 we’re raising the prices of a Book Launchers membership. Existing Book Launchers members will not be effected so if you want to join us now and lock in the lower rate, let’s chat about your book.
The self-publishing industry is maturing but the opportunities to succeed, make money and build a business from an excellent book are still enormous. It’s going to be an exciting year for authors!