Increase your audiobook sales with audio boxed sets

Ann King shares how audiobook boxed sets can boost your audio sales.

We asked Ann King, one of our most innovative authors, to share with us how she uses audiobook boxed sets to boost sales. Enjoy!

Q: How many audiobook boxed sets have you published, and how many books are in the boxed set?

A: I currently have one boxed set edition published, produced through Findaway Voices, and more on the way. The Billionaire’s Command includes six titles, and I’m excited to get more published in the near future.

What made you decide to have your books bundled into an audio boxed set?

That was an easy decision, thanks to my lessons learned from publishing eBooks. Consumers are excited about consuming entertainment in the Netflix fashion. My eBook boxed sets are my bestsellers. And since audiobooks are the fastest growing slice of the publishing industry, I wanted to make sure I gave customers a variety of options for enjoying my content. I’ve learned that some listeners prefer to immerse themselves in a story and only buy bundles. They want the entire series or collection in one package. As an independent publisher, it’s important to branch out to reach as many listeners as possible. Currently, my boxed sets outsell my individual titles in both eBooks and now audiobooks.Currently, my boxed sets outsell my individual titles in both eBooks and now audiobooks.

How long did it take you to produce your audio boxed set?

Not long at all, since the individual audiobooks had already been created. Findaway Voices made it easy for me and was extremely helpful in coordinating everything for me. I asked if I could have my narrator produce a boxed set and they worked it all out, including negotiating another contract. The narrator compiled the individual audiobooks that she’d already produced into a file and added some narration to distinguish it as a boxed set, including text such as “Book 1, Chapter 1…Book 2, Chapter 1…” etc. at the beginning of each set. I was impressed by the way they made it happen so quickly.

Why should I publish an audiobook boxed set?

The answer is simple. If you’re looking to grow your listenership, you should definitely get into audiobook boxed sets. Boxed sets provide the greatest value for listeners! Consumers love a discount. It costs so little for potentially great rewards. You’ll reach a demographic that only listens to or buys boxed sets, particularly those who engage in long distance travel or take lengthy commutes to work.

How many copies do you sell in a month compared to single titles?

The sales for my boxed sets are double that of my individual titles.The sales for my boxed sets are double that of my individual titles.

Are there any advantages to publishing boxed sets?

Absolutely! You’ll have more titles in your portfolio in a variety of formats. I’ve increased my listenership by offering multiple formats for consuming my stories.

And another great reason is you’ll tap into another market for subscription listeners. Customers enrolled in a one audiobook per month credit system will snap up your title quicker as it will be seen as “credit-worthy.” I’ve heard many listeners say they would only use their precious monthly credit on a long audiobook to get their “money’s worth,” or more value for their credit. Why buy one audiobook when you can get the entire series with a single credit? Especially since boxed sets are expensive and give you tons more hours of listening enjoyment. My top performing title on one platform happens to be my boxed set edition.

Customers enrolled in a one audiobook per month credit system will snap up your title quicker as it will be seen as “credit-worthy.”

You’ll also reach listeners who only prefer boxed sets for long distance travel. For instance, readers on long train trips may prefer to capture the beautiful scenery while listening to their favorite story. Readers on forums have asked for recommendations on audiobooks that are in the 30–60 hour range and look forward to books that they can engage in over the course of a week. And for those on long drives, like truck drivers, it makes sense to listen to a boxed set. It’s all about continuous listening enjoyment. Listeners can either relax or multitask while consuming your audiobook boxed set.

How do you price your boxed sets?

I price my boxed sets based on the number of listening hours as per the guideshown on the Findaway Voices website.

Do you plan to release more boxed sets?

Absolutely! I’m excited to get more titles published in the near future. The cost is so minimal to combine my mp3 files into a bundle. If you produced your own audiobook, then it’s just a matter of compiling your own individual audiobooks into one file, and recording a separate introduction for the beginning of each segment in addition to a new intro and closing that makes reference to the boxed set and the volumes in the set.

How do I get started?

Simply let Findaway Voices know that you’re interested in publishing a boxed set of your existing audiobooks. They’ll take it from there. It doesn’t cost much to compile an audiobook boxed set. You already have the individual audiobooks recorded. It will probably be an hour of audio time to compile them and then you will have another audiobook title in your catalogue.How long have you been with Findaway Voices?I’ve been with Findaway Voices since they opened their doors to indie authors in July 2017 in their partnership with Draft2Digital. It was the best business decision I made to grow my publishing business by expanding into audio. Best. Decision. Ever! They made it all so easy.It was the best business decision I made to grow my publishing business by expanding into audio. Best. Decision. Ever!They are friendly, easy to work with, and extremely helpful. They are the largest audiobook distributor in the world and my revenue through Findaway Voices is double that of another distribution platform. They do all the hard work for me in coordinating my projects, selecting and hiring narrators, and acting as the go-between, which frees up my time to keep writing more stories for readers and listeners to enjoy.

Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?

With the surge of audiobook listeners, there’s excitement in the publishing world (both indie and traditional) about the coming audiobook boom. According to the APA (Audio Publishers Association) more than 67 million Americans listen to audiobooks each year. And for the third consecutive year audiobook sales have increased by nearly 20%. The listening audience continues to grow.

Now’s the best time to get on board to reach out to listeners globally and share your captivating narrations. We need more stories for consumers to escape from their daily pressures, especially now more than ever. I love working with Findaway Voices because they are flexible and have a wide global market. They also give you the freedom to change your prices so you can run price promotions and offer discounts for your audiobook boxed sets. So far the majority of my audiobook sales are from Findaway Voices.

Working with Findaway Voices is a wonderful opportunity for writers.

Thanks to Ann King for telling us all about boxed sets, and for the kind words about Findaway Voices! (We didn’t pay her to say all those nice things. 🤗)