Book Name and Description: The Hunted Tribe: Declaration of War (Book 1)

The War has Begun… Deep in the North American forests lurks an animal spirit known as the Grishla. The Grishla is so ancient it pre-dates the human race by several million years, and it is so powerful and reclusive only very insightful witches know of its existence. Five hundred years ago, the Dwanake tribe possessed such witches. Drunk on their own power and arrogance, these witches attempted to enslave the Grishla. Enraged, the creature began hunting and killing the Dwanake. Desperate, the tribal elders ordered experiments on the Dwanake children to create the ultimate witch to defend their people. Sixteen-year-old Sean Wolf is that witch. But Sean is so powerful that he cannot control his own magic. Will he be able to defeat the Grishla or will he destroy himself and everyone that he loves?

 Interview Questions:

Why did you decide to create an audiobook?

Audiobooks are my preferred method of reading. To me, it’s not a real book until I’ve heard it through my headphones. I go through about two to three audiobooks a week and one kindle book a month. Huge difference in consumption, and I think that’s true for most people who listen to audiobooks. We have jobs or long commute times, and audiobooks are a lifesaver. People who read kindle or paperback books might enjoy reading, but people who listen to audiobooks can’t survive without them.    

How did you get started? Did you talk to a friend? What company did you use? How did you find a narrator?

I have a friend, Kathryn Meyer Griffith (author of the Dinosaur Lake series) who has been writing for over 40 years and has over 20 books to her credit. She highly recommended audiobooks and told me what to do. I used ACX.com, an Amazon company. I found my narrator by listening to different narrators and invited the ones I liked to audition, letting them know I was looking for a royalty share. Some narrators wanted over a thousand dollars to narrate books, and I just couldn’t afford that. So, I did royalty share, and I didn’t have to pay any money up front.

What did you think of the experience? Was it difficult? Was it time consuming?

Oh my gosh, it was wonderful! Everything was so easy and fun. Without much effort, I found the perfect narrator, Terry F. Self. He was able to do all of the different voices and with so much emotion, like a professional actor! And he really nailed the main character, which was so important to me. He’s a delight to work with, and we’re good friends now. In regards to time, I think it took me maybe a half hour to set it up, about three hours over a course of three days inviting various narrators (you listen to their samples and then you invite them. Do not just post your book and wait for the narrators to find you, because it won’t happen), and 10 hours listening to my book. Darn easier than writing my book, I’ll tell you that much, lol!

What are the sales like?

Pretty good. Been out three weeks and I’ve sold 13 copies. But that’s 13 copies at $24.99 each, and I make 25% of that (you can do the math). I expect the sales will go up with my promotional effort. Due to different things in my life right now, my advertisement efforts have been less than what I had planned, but will pick up towards the end of the month

Would you do it again? Was it worth it?

Oh gosh yes! I absolutely loved this. My narrator is working on converting over all of my books. I’m also pulling in new readers who didn’t know I existed before.

 How do you promote an audiobook?

When it first came out, I was out of town so very little advertisement in the beginning. When I got back, I was super busy with a new job, so just posted to Facebook. That’s all I did to sell first 12 copies. But I have bigger promotions coming. I’m in a release party on Facebook (June 24) and I’m advertising on Kindle Nation a 99 cent sale on my kindle book for June 23, 24, and 25. What does this have to do with my audiobook? For people who buy the audiobook they will get my audiobook for a reduced price (set by Audible, usually for only a few dollars). A huge savings for people who love audiobooks. Also, when you get a new audiobook created, ACX gives you 25 coupons for free audiobooks to give away. I’m using those as contest prizes in my release party and I’m using them on a promotion site called Audiobook Boom (https://audiobookboom.com) which is a promotional company for audiobooks.