Agreement Options

You are probably already aware of this, but here at Audiobooks Unleashed we have some awesome options to help you get your audiobook produced, no matter what your budget looks like. 

This process can be daunting, so we’re going to explain it as simply as we can, using our favorite Rights Holder, Jane. We realize everyone’s situation is different, so we will show you every option we have available and you can choose which works best for you. You can even make your own custom agreement!

 

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Jane has a book she’d love to get turned into an audiobook.  She hires Tim, a great producer, to narrate her audiobook. Jane and Tim have several different agreement options. Let’s go through them below. 

Audiobook Estimated Length: 8 Hours (Divide your manuscript’s word count by 9,300 for an approximation)
Producer’s Rate: $250 PFH

  • Per Finished Hour

    DESCRIPTION: In a PFH agreement, the Rights Holder pays the Producer per finished hour of the completed audiobook. The Rights Holder keeps 100% of their earned royalties and does not split any of it with the Producer.

    JANE AND TIM: Jane pays Tim $250 PFH for an 8 hour audiobook, a total of $2,000. Then Audiobooks Unleashed sends their work to the digital shelves! Jane keeps all of her royalties and does not split anything with Tim.

    A QUICK NOTE: Audiobooks Unleashed does not facilitate upfront payments -It is between Jane and Tim to figure out how and when that payment will take place. Both parties confirm payment has been sent and received before we distribute an audiobook.

  • Royalty Split

    DESCRIPTION: The Rights Holder does not pay the Producer anything upfront. Instead, royalties are split between the parties.

    JANE AND TIM: Jane has a great marketing plan and a great story that Tim believes will do really well as an audiobook. Instead of an upfront PFH fee, Jane and Tim decide to split the audiobook's royalties 50/50.

    A QUICK NOTE: What if Jane has two narrators, or three, or even fifty? At AU we can make that work. Don't want to split 50/50? Choose what percentages you want. The sky is the limit with Audiobooks Unleashed.

  • Royalty Hybrid

    DESCRIPTION: This is a combination of our PFH and Royalty Split models. The Rights Holder pays the Producer a lower PFH amount up front, as well as a portion of Royalties. Just like in a normal Royalty Split, you can divide those royalties any way you want-between multiple producers, and with any percentages you want.

    JANE AND TIM: Jane pays Tim $100 PFH upfront to cover the costs he'll rack up during the production process. It's expensive to produce an audiobook! After that, Jane and Tim will split royalties 50/50.

    A QUICK NOTE: It's a big risk for a narrator to take on the cost of production without any money up front. Many narrators refuse to take on regular Royalty Split agreements for that reason. Generally, narrators are more open to a Hybrid agreement. 

  • Royalty Deferred

    DESCRIPTION: And now, the moment you, I mean Jane, has been waiting for. Royalty Deferred is a brand new royalty model not available anywhere else in the industry.

    The Rights Holder does not pay the Producer anything upfront. Instead, they decide on a deferred amount to be paid to the Producer in royalties. The Producer is paid ALL of the royalties until the agreed amount is hit. The royalties then either go back to the RH or to a Royalty Split, whichever the team decides.

    With Royalty Deferred, the Rights Holder can hire a narrator they otherwise may not be able to afford, and Producers take on less of a risk than they would in a pure royalty agreement.

    JANE AND TIM: Jane does not have the budget to pay Tim $250 PFH and still invest in marketing her audiobook. Instead, Tim will receive 100% of the royalties until his rate of $250 PFH is met. After Tim is paid in full, the royalties then go back to Jane.

    A QUICK NOTE: This can be customized to fit your situation. Here's another example: Jane pays Tim $50 PFH upfront. Tim also receives 100% of the royalties until $1,000 is met. After that point, the royalties are split between Jane and Tim 50/50.

The beautiful thing about all these options is that they are totally flexible. At Audiobooks Unleashed, our main goal is to give you the freedom to work whatever way is best for you. We are here to get your audiobooks into the world and help you run your business the way you want to. 

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