My novel, Old Buildings in North Texas, is now available on Audible—or should that be in Audible? This doesn’t mean a lot to me, as I tend to read books rather than listen to them, but my husband, David, assures me that this is a good thing.
“The more avenues for selling, the better the exposure,” he tells me.
Well, there’s no arguing with that. He sits at his computer and explores the Audible website as I hover behind, impatient that I’ve been summoned from another part of the house to watch him slide his mouse around.
Audible, it turns out, is an entity you have to join, which right away gets me ruffled because, as a general rule, I’m not a joiner.
“You pay a monthly fee,” David explains, “and you download the audio versions of whatever books are available in this format.”
He decides it’s great, pays up, and becomes an Audible member.
We only recently joined the Boat Club, and now he’s joined something else, which I think borders on making too many commitments. Is it wise to go around impulsively joining things? Must we now join a club for books being read to us instead of reading them for ourselves? What’s he going to join next?
“Will you have to swear an oath to be a member of this club?” Sometimes clubs make you recite promises you’ll never keep. I fear that it’ll be the Mother Candle initiation all over again.
“It’s a book club. No oaths, no promises.”
“And with this monthly fee can you download as many books as you want?”
“Of course not. Then people would join for a single month and unload years’ worth of reading.”
“But it’s not really reading is it?”
“Let’s just see what happens.” He’s much better at “wait and see” than I am.
He calls up the sample of Old Buildings and we listen as a woman I don’t know reads the first few paragraphs. Her voice is of a similar pitch to mine, so it’s not jarring. Her pace is relaxed and even, though she lacks my Texas accent which, as some who’ve listened to the podcast available on my website know, either lends authenticity or, as others might say, is relentlessly distracting.
“Do you know anybody who listens to these Audible books?” I ask.
“I imagine lots of people, like commuters or painters.”
“Painters? What kind of painter—artistic or someone who paints your house?”
“Either one.”
And now I’m wondering about this person who narrates my book. I’ve been informed of her name, Sally Vahle, so I return to my own computer and look her up online. She was born in Minnesota, grew up in Wisconsin, has had small parts in a few movies I’ve seen, and is active in the theatre community in Dallas. I think she was a good choice. I hope she enjoyed my novel.
One advantage that’s clear is that, though Old Buildings in North Texas was published in the UK, on Audible it’s readily available in the US. Also, Audible has generously given me ten promo codes to use for publicity. As I did when Old Buildings was first published, I will happily give these promo codes to anyone who’s a member of Audible, or intends to join, in exchange for reviews on the Audible website.
Here they come again! It's a pretty book, isn't it? If you haven't read it yet, here's an opportunity to get it from Audible Books.
