Non-Fiction Audiobooks

What are YOUR biggest goals?

“Language is the dwelling place of ideas that do not exist anywhere else. It is a prism through which to see the world.”

– Robin Wall Kimmerer

One of the most common differentiating factors between fiction and nonfiction when it comes to audiobook production is how you define your goals.

Your book and audiobook could be the gateway into a deeper buyer’s journey.

As a nonfiction author you may have goals that include things like:

  • Promoting other services, typically that generate more revenue than a single audiobook sale, such as coaching or public speaking

  • Promoting other products, such as meditation audios

  • Increasing bookings for speaking engagements or keynote addresses

  • Promoting webinars or trainings you provide

  • Helping bring attention to a cause or a solution for a problem

NARRATORS

Narrators who excel at nonfiction are sometimes not the same as those who excel at fiction. For example, business titles or books by coaches typically require a narrator with a demeanor or tone that inspires confidence and trust. Books with complex concepts and/or sentence structures may require someone who is really good at phrasing for clarity.

In cases where there are many illustrative stories or testimonials woven into the text, it may help to have multiple voices. This can enhance the listening experience and make it sound more like we’re hearing those stories from the people whose stories they are.

VISUALS such as Charts, Tables, Graphs, Illustrations . . .

For books that have visuals or lists that your listeners may want to reference, care needs to be taken with how those will be handled. It’s important to provide the information in the audiobook that is included in the print or ebook formats, but it’s a different experience and should be treated appropriately. Also, visuals are often an opportunity to invite listeners to your website to see the visual. Our team can help you with this.

PULL OUT SEGMENTS

Does your book have content that may be valuable as a separate experience? Content such as meditations or writing prompts or written exercises make excellent “pull-outs.” These can be created as separate audio clips for use on your website. You are thus leveraging the audio while creating a bonus content experience for your listeners.

MUSIC

If your audiobook has any places where you want your listeners to think about something, e.g., their goals, or to experience something, e.g., a meditation, then we should discuss using some music to support those moments. If you present something to deeply consider and then give no time to do so, you’re undermining your own content. If you give them time to think but leave them in dead silence, you can distract them with uncertainty about what’s happening.

BONUS CONTENT
You may want to offer one or more bonus tracks, including items such as:

  • samples from your other book/s
  • an interview with the author
  • related podcast episode or blog post

INVITATIONS TO YOUR WEBSITE

To the degree that you are providing added value to the listener and not just creating a lengthy sales pitch, invitations to your website for bonus materials or visuals they would see in a text edition of your book can be valuable. We are very mindful of creating the best possible listening experience while also leveraging your content to help your listeners gain more from their engagement with you and your material.

PRE-PRODUCTION

Our team works with you in the Pre-Production process to get clear on your goals and then to design the audiobook production to help you achieve those goals. It’s important as well to maintain balance so your audiobook doesn’t start to sound like a sales pitch – and it shouldn’t be! But there are ways to create the listening experience that encourage your listeners to become your followers and to continue to engage with you long term.

Depending on your goals, it may make most sense for you to narrate your own audiobook, such as when one of your goals is to increase bookings for you as a speaker or presenter.

You may choose to have a professional narrator read your book or you may prefer to narrate yourself. Either way, we can help you!

Here are some nonfiction samples:

A complete history of the rugby world cup sample

The Power of Being Heard

Don’t Fix Your Marriage