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ACX is Audible's new site connecting audiobook narrators with publishers.

The site has been in Beta for a few months, but today they're launching publicly.

Yes, it's a cattle-call... but Audible believes the rigors of auditioning for long-format will separate the men from the boys (so to speak...)

There is no subscription fee.

The compensation plans are creative...

I've created a lengthy blog with all the details HERE

CourVO
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Helen Quigley · Joined: 26 Mar 2010 Posts: 13 Location: UK

I've had a bit of a poke around on this site and it seems to be available to US residents only - on the sign up page I can't find an option to change United States to any other country. Am I being mad?

If it exists, I'd be interested in taking a look at the UK equivalent.
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bobsouer · Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 5:50 am Post subject:

Dave,

Very interesting. Thanks for posting this.
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Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 8:55 am Post subject:

I've been on the "beta" for about a year and I have mixed feelings about this. And the big ones: Audible has no idea what they're getting themselves into. With no barrier to entry, ANYONE with a mic and a pulse can be an audiobook narrator. They are going to be so flooded with crap....
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Bailey · Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 9:57 am Post subject:

Just when I thought I had it all together... now you tell me I need pulse?
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Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 10:12 am Post subject:

yep. And an AUDIOBOOK demo. I'm already seeing morons posting commercial demos.
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DougVox · Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 11:10 am Post subject:

Jeff, just think how much better your demos will appear in comparison to the morons'. Both because you know what you're doing, and simply because the way your demos are titled, they'll know you know what you're doing right away.
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Diane Havens · Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 11:32 am Post subject:

Can't wait to talk about this at APAC in a couple of weeks. Should be interesting...
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jsgilbert · Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 5:57 pm Post subject:

At the risk of being just one more guy peeing on Dave's roaring campfire, I noticed on their sign up sheet that the highest category one could include for payments is $400 - $1,000 The lowest being $50 They also remind you that this amount ios for full production.

Too many monkey's working for bananas. I can recall the going rate being around $3,000 - $5,000 just a few years ago and that was without editing. I used to direct talent and audthors reading audiobooks and did a bit myself.

These days, they save the studio fees, the directors fees and apparently the editors fees. SO what once was an overall expenditure of perhaps $10,000 for an average book is now $1,000 tops?

And people want to know why I occasionally discourage individuals from diving into the cesspool like waters of v.o.

(yes, I did make 2 urination references in one post. A new low for me.)
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bobsouer · Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 6:08 pm Post subject:

J.S.,

That rate is per finished hour, not for the entire project, unless the entire project is only 1 hour long; which would be a very short audiobook.
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Bob Souer (just think of lemons)
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jsgilbert · Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 6:15 pm Post subject:

Oh, in the words of Roseann roseannadana, "nevermind"

Was it that obvious? Can I blame it on my stupidity?

Thanks for straightening me out. I suppose we will just have to wait and see on this one then.
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COURVO · Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 6:39 pm Post subject:

Sheesh..where's the roaring campfire? I woulda brought marshmallows for sure. Smile

Just passing along info, JS... hope I didn't appear as too much of a cheerleader...'cause (like Jeff), I have some serious concerns about this site, and I've been feeding back to ACX about that from the start as one of the Beta-testers.

CourVO
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Courvo's "Voice Acting in Vegas" Blog: http://www.CourVO.biz
on your phone at courvo.mobi
702.610.6288
"I'm not a news anchor, but I play one on TV."

Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 7:21 pm Post subject:

here's an interesting thing I'm seeing. It looks as if audiobook production company, BeeAudio, is flooding the narrator channels with their own people, whom they pay $100 per finished hour. The intent is obviously for their talent to land a juicy book at $400 pfh and then pay that talent their $100 pfh.

This undermines the whole point of ACX, which was to connect talent directly with the authors/publishers.
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whalewtchr · Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 8:26 pm Post subject:

It would seem on the surface that this venture gives author's (or rights holders) the ability to negotiate with narrators directly and that audible gets to distribute the finished product along with i-Tunes. SMART.

Notice too that the author/rights holder needs to "approve" the first fifteen finished minutes by the producer before moving forward--this may eliminate those who are inexperienced with the production portion of the project.

I applaud the effort-we will see how it evolves.
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Jeffrey Kafer · Posted: Thu May 12, 2011 9:40 pm Post subject:

they won't think it's so smart when all 1500 of the newbies from that stupid Neil Gaiman contest show up to audition.
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