Here is what I learned…

Like music, quality audiobooks and podcasts emotionally engage listeners in a way that causes a physiological reaction. A well narrated audiobook can ignite the limbic system where sadness can move us to tears, or a suspense thriller can bring terror into our psyche and move us to fear where we want the character to fight, flee, or freeze.

Marshall Davis prepares audiobooks for digital publication. The digital publishing industry is trending upwards; 22% to 30% annual growth. In 2016, the U.S. audiobook industry became the fastest growing format in the book trade, according to an article in The Wall Street Journal.

About 15 audiobooks are consumed per listener each year with 74% of that population reading fiction: mysteries/thrillers/suspense, science fiction, and romance. In 2017, over 46,000 titles were produced on audio generating over $2.5B in sales revenue. It is time for the nonfiction genre to catch-up. Audiobooks are a great way for us to assert self-leadership and keep pace on industry trends that affect how we lead.

Digital download formats have given us the chance to listen to audiobooks anytime. Smart phones and other Smart devices have given us the ability to play digital content wherever we are: in the car, relaxing, doing household chores, doing mundane office tasks, waiting in lines.

In today’s conversation…

Marshall outlines the pros and cons of producing an audiobook and how he works with authors in 16 different states and with collaborators all over the country. You will learn the difference between working with a producer and working with an audio engineer. Marshall is producing his 96^th audiobook and has a wide range of insights. He sees each project through the lens of a writer, a listener, an engineer, and a producer. The lens that he views each project through is what makes him unique.

What does music, physics, and computer science have in common? You will hear Marshall’s engaging description of how he integrated his interests, passion, and talents under the umbrella of Davis Sound. During his early 20s he had an ‘aha’ moment when he asked himself an important question which changed the trajectory of his life. He was born in Arizona, grew up in Portland, Oregon as a musician, and eventually started a new life with his two sons in Minnesota. Lucky for those of us from Minnesota!

We begin and end our conversation with some tips for authors. I invite you, at the end, to join our March 5, 2019, WeMentor Mini LAB:  Designing Your Office, Home, and Life with Vision Boards.

Mentoring Tips

After listening to our conversation:

• Go to Marshall’s website and view his work.
• Decide what audiobook you next want to download, download it, and start listening. Plan out a schedule to make time for listening each day.
• Author Tips
  • Define how you can use audiobooks to enhance your bottom line. How will you market your audiobook if costs are in the thousands? Connect with Marshall.
  • Serious authors (publishing more than one book) build up sales to increase net profits and off-set the production time which could be up to two years. “Serious authors know what people want and they write successful stories in their genre,” says Marshall.
• Click here to get more information about our March 5^th, 2019 WeMentor Mini LAB:  Designing Your Office, Home, and Life with Vision Boards. A gift to yourself that will keep on giving!
• You will get: clarity on your style, ideas for your office, home, and life, have fun, be creative, shift your mindset, create postive change, and vision clarity.

Mentoring Help

• Find out about our WeMentor Community
• https://wementor.com/subscribe-to-wementor-mondays-with-nancy/

 The Growing Audiobooks Industry     Episode 162           Davis Sound