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AUDIOBOOK PRODUCTION PRICING AND FEES

     Published and marketed wisely, audio textbooks will increase your bottom line. Publishers release nearly 10,000 audio books annually, and estimate that audio accounts for 10 to 15 percent of a book's total sales. In 2007, audiobook sales rose nearly 20 percent from the year before. It's a profitable format.

     Audiobooks typically sell for about 50 percent more than the same content in print. Factor in comparatively low CD duplication and internet bandwidth costs, and audio textbooks can provide an optimal return on investment. Obviously, you must control production costs. Texts In Audio will guarantee that. Then you should consider three distribution channels that offer unique opportunities to differentiate your text, and by doing so, generate sales.
 

	TRADITIONAL: BOXED CD SETS
	CDs accounted for 77 percent of 2006 audiobook sales, so it remains the most popular overall format. But most textbooks are longer than self-help tomes and novels, and accordingly require more disks. Abridgements are seldom good options for textbooks, whose comprehensiveness offers the best learning opportunities. Students accustomed to high textbook budgets will not be intimidated by audio pricing, and may prefer formats more suitable for multi-taskers.
	CONTEMPORARY: DIGITAL DOWNLOADS
	The target audience for textbooks─high school and college students─are very iPod-friendly. 73 percent of 12-17 year-olds own digital music players, as do 51 percent of 18-24 year olds. Estimates of MP3 player penetration specifically among students range as high as 87 percent. There are two viable models to sell audio downloads, and you can use both simultaneously: password-protected site-hosted files to which you sell individual access; institutional site licenses that permit any member student to access the sound files for a book or a series of books.
	BEST OF BOTH WORLDS: CD AND DVD INSERTS
	Many instructional manuals and textbooks include CDs and DVDs affixed to the back cover. A single DVD will accommodate an entire text's audio in MP3 format and is relatively inexpensive to duplicate. A supplemental set of audio files adds enough value for students and instructors that it justifies a higher text price point.