Recordings for Iambik Audiobooks
UPDATE 1 Oct 2015: As from now, I shall receive ZERO royalties on any of my Iambik audiobooks. So, if you were intending to buy any, please note that only Audible will benefit from now on.
As regular visitors to this blog will know, I have in recent months started to record commercial audiobooks for a new publisher, Iambik Audiobooks, in addition to my free recordings for LibriVox (which I shall continue, of course). This gives me the opportunity to record more recent works, which is fun, if a little daunting.
All Iambik audiobooks are unabridged, and represent exceedingly good value. They are available as MP3 downloads, and have no digital rights management, so you can listen to them however you like. [N.B. 6 Oct 2015 I don’t think this is the case any more. I imagine that all audiobooks on Audible have DRM built in.]
N.B. 6 Oct 2015 These are no longer available directly from Iambik. They are available through the following distributors:
- Audible.com/co.uk
- Amazon.com/co.uk
- iTunes
Here’s the list:
Literary Fiction:
The Edge of Eden by Helen Benedict
Length: 13 hrs 32 mins
Available from Audible
Crime/Humour:
It’s Behind You by Keith Temple
Length: 13 hrs 56 mins
Available from Audible
Children/Teens:
Ben and the Book of Prophecies: Book 1 of the Prophecies of Ballitor by Kirsty Riddiford
Length: 9 hrs 24 mins
Race for the Heir: Book 2 of the Prophecies of Ballitor by Kirsty Riddiford
Length: 8 hrs 15 mins
Available from Audible
Historical Romance:
Trencarrow Secret by Anita Davison
Length: 12 hrs 25 mins
Available from Audible
RuthieG's CataBlog 
July 25, 2015 at 1:52 pm
Ruth,
I am trying to buy your recording from Iambik, but their shop comes up as “Currently Unavailable.” I can buy from audible, itunes, etc, but I would like to maximize your cut. Do you know if Iambik is going to have their shop up again or are they outsourcing their content delivery?
Thanks for your time.
-Alexis
September 23, 2015 at 10:11 am
Hmm. First, so sorry to be so late in replying, and thank you so much for attempting to buy one of my audiobooks. Iambik changed their policy, and they are now only available from Audible.
As you may know, Audible is such a dominant force in the audiobook market that it is hard for anyone to compete. An exclusive deal with the “Big A” (Amazon/Audible) is apparently preferable as the percentage producers receive in a non-exclusive agreement is frankly laughable (though even I don’t know how much, as the agreement includes a non-disclosure clause). Even audiobooks produced using Audible’s own ACX platform only yield 40% of purchase price split equally between the rights owner and the narrator. ACX/Audible/Amazon keep the rest. Narrators (unless a celebrity name) are not going to get rich, that’s for sure. To put it in perspective, I may in a few years be able to replace my computer with my earnings ;).
Having got that off my chest… I love recording, and one of my books is selling really quite well, which is encouraging.
September 23, 2015 at 1:16 pm
Thanks so much for the update-I am only sorry that I found your page and info after Iambik changed their policy 🙂
You are a great narrator. I am sure you read the entire book to get a feel and then at minimum, each chapter before recording to get the feel of the character and scenes that you so clearly convey with your voice. It’s a lot of time. I am sorry the financial reward is low, but glad you enjoy the work (somedays that’s all you get).
-Alexis
October 1, 2015 at 8:39 am
I’ll just update that, Alexis. Apparently I shall receive ZERO royalties on any of my Iambik audiobooks from now on. I don’t think I can go into any more details. This does not apply to any of my other Audible audiobooks. I shall continue to receive royalties on those.
September 23, 2015 at 2:52 pm
Thanks, Alexis! Yes, I actually get more satisfaction reading for LibriVox, because at least I know that my recordings are going to be listened to and appreciated. There is nothing more disheartening than spending many, many hours recording and editing an audiobook that sells only single figures. Believe me, I know ;).
September 27, 2015 at 1:21 pm
[…] of you will know that I made some commercial recordings for a start-up called Iambik a few years ago. That hasn’t really come to anything (though […]