Audio book = Patreon

I have nine books out: six WWII novels and three alternative/sci-fi WW2 novels. Of those, I have one audio book, the first book I ever wrote, The Long Patrol. The only reason that’s in audio is because a third party offered to buy the audio rights way back in 2017 and since I didn’t have the time or money to do it myself, I signed on.

From all accounts, they did a good job. Folks who’ve listened to it have enjoyed it, and occasionally I get emails from people wondering why I don’t have more audio books out…after-all, it’s the wave of the future.

The simple answer is, it’s damned expensive. I know it would be a good investment. I know eventually the royalties would outweigh the expenses, but at this delicate juncture in my career, where I’ve quit my day-job and am pinching every dime to continue writing full time, I can’t afford the two-thousand bucks for an audio book production. Yes, you read that right…for a 90K word novel, we’re talking 2K minimum.

That’s why I decided to try to offset the expense by creating a Patreon page. What’s a Patreon page you ask? It’s basically a crowdfunding site. You sign up to pay a monthly amount which gives you access to…well…me. Well not me per se, but access to author stuff.

For instance I’ll give patrons access to early chapters I’ve written, or signed copies of books, or a peak into how I write, while I’m writing, that sort of thing. It’s a tiered program, so you can give as little as 2$ or up to 20$. You’re not locked into anything, so you can basically give whatever you want and I’ll use the money to produce an audiobook…it’s as simple as that.

I kinda cringe at this stuff, by the way. Asking for support has been something I’ve loathed doing since those early little league baseball days selling those damned raffle tickets. I was always the lowest seller, cause I don’t like asking for stuff, especially money!

Anyway, if your so inclined…here’s the link to my Patreon page.

Thanks for your interest