SFFMP 98: 40,000 Audiobook Sales and Counting with Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy Author Kristen Painter
We’re talking to paranormal romance/urban fantasy author Kristen Painter today. She’s been traditionally published and is now self-publishing her popular Nocturne Falls books, a light-hearted paranormal romance series that’s been selling well. She’s also been doing great with the audiobooks through ACX, recently passing 40,000 in sales, so we asked her about what’s led to her great success there.
Here are a few details of what we covered:
- How Kristen got her start in traditional publishing and when she switched to indie
- Finding an underserved niche with comedic paranormal romance without the graphic content that is often a part of the genre
- The difference between urban fantasy and paranormal romance, as far as tropes and what audiences expect
- The state of the genre and how urban fantasy/PNR are for newer authors
- When it makes sense to pay for the production of your own audiobooks (Kristen mentioned a 5 to 1 figure, i.e., you might get 5 ebook sales for each audiobook sale)
- Whether to opt for a royalty split or pay a narrator outright
- How important choosing a good narrator is with audiobooks (and how to find one you like)
- Whether it’s better to launch the audiobook as close to the ebook release as possible or whether it doesn’t make much of a difference
- Why Kristen shoots for at least 8 hours of narration for her audiobooks
You can find Kristen on her website, and check out her first Nocturne Falls book, The Vampire’s Mail Order Bride for free in the various stores.
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