Audio books must be included in the contract if picked up by a major house. Do you sell a certain number of books before it qualifies to be recorded? I've also listened to some when the authors were narrating. Can you specify in the contract to be the narrator?
each publisher will have its own parameters to determine when to go audio... you can request anything you want added to the contract, but that doesn't mean they'll agree to do it...
With digital downloads exlipsing CDs and MP3 disks (much like CDs did to audio casettes), the field has opened access to medium and smaller publishing houses. For example, ACX dot com, is a place where publishers can connect with narrators (voice artists) and visa versa. Contracts where the narrator is paid a fee upfront or royalty share are the main options and the audiobooks, after production, are released and available mainly through Amazon, Audible and iTunes. How successful a novel is (sales) influences how easily, and the experience/talent of a narrator attracted. I am published via a small publishing house and have one novel available in audio and a second in production. This is the process based upon my experience. My novel was listed on ACX. A narrator decided he wanted to narrate the project. He provided a 15 minute demo, that both I and my publisher approved of. From there, my publisher took over with the contract details. I was able to proof the audioversion and recommend some minor alterations prior to the audiobook being released. As indicated in the original post, much depends on the contract, what rights the publisher is granted, ebook, print (and even what print formats), audiobook, etc. It's virtually impossible these days to obtain a contract for print only rights, and not at least ebook rights going to a publisher. Audiobook rights are often negotiable, but if you sign with a publisher that has successfully 'exploited' such rights, it is something to consider granting.
Thank you so much for your input, TWErvin2! It's good to know you had some say as to the audio's production. Would you ever want to narrate one yourself?
No, CatnipCupid, narrating is not a strength of mine. Thus, I do not have a desire to even attempt it.