Audiobook Publishing - How I Doubled My ACX Income With One Simple Change

About this video

Sean explains that ACX, not the author, sets audiobook prices based on finished length, and that the royalty jump just over three hours is what lets publishers double income with no extra strategy. He says, based on ACX support information and his own experience with close to a hundred books on ACX, a book under one hour is priced at $3.95 for about $0.90 in average royalties, a book between one and three hours is priced at $6.95 for about $1.80, a book over three hours jumps to $14.95 for about $3.40, a book between five and ten hours is $19.95 for about $4.40, and a book between ten and twenty hours is $24.95 for about $5.40. Because each higher tier otherwise adds roughly a dollar, crossing three hours is, he says, the most efficient point. He estimates 10,000 words equals about one hour of narration, so he orders 30,000-word books to clear three hours, warns against books ending at 2 hours 59 minutes or 4 hours 55 minutes just short of the next tier, and recommends then bundling books to over ten hours. He also advises using ACX promo codes, getting reviews for ranking and social proof, and targeting good low-competition keywords.

Key takeaways

• Sean says ACX prices by length, not by author choice: $3.95 under one hour, $6.95 for one to three hours, $14.95 over three hours, $19.95 for five to ten hours, and $24.95 for ten to twenty hours.
• He claims the average royalty roughly doubles when a book crosses three hours, from about $1.80 at $6.95 to about $3.40 at $14.95.
• He uses 10,000 words as about one hour of narration and therefore orders 30,000 words to safely clear the three-hour tier.
• He warns not to accept a finished audiobook just short of a tier, such as 2 hours 59 minutes or 4 hours 55 minutes, because it will still be priced in the lower tier.
• His stated strategy is a 30,000-word single book in a low-competition keyword, later bundled to over ten hours, promoted with ACX codes and reviews.

Episode details: published August 20, 2019 · 7:58 long. Summary written by Self Growth Videos from the episode itself. Business results and any income figures mentioned are Sean Dollwet’s own claims, shared for education — they are not typical or guaranteed.

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