SOVO Daily: 2013-01-04
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Hot off the presses: ACX has finally raised the limit on the number of stipend books you can narrate.
What’s a stipend book, you ask? Oh, so glad you asked.
And I’ve got free help for my Pros, and you, if you want it.
So, what do you have to do to book more stipend jobs on ACX?
Not very much – just be really good at auditioning, great at producing the book, and excellent at cashing the check they send you.
(This is a no-brainer, and I’m jumping into action to help my Pros (and you) take advantage of this – there’s a free bonus for Pros further on in this Daily. Keep reading.)
So, here’s the note that ACX sent out today:
Greetings David H. Lawrence XVII,
To help bring in the new year we have a new Stipend Offer, one that gives you a clean slate regardless of how many stipends you may have claimed in the past. From now until the end of March, if you accept a Royalty Share offer on any stipend-eligible title, it comes with an extra $100 per-finished-hour stipend (e.g. $1,000 for a 10-hour audiobook, up to a maximum $2500) if you complete full production of the title (and the Rights Holder approves the title) within 60 days of accepting the ACX Production Standard Deal Terms for the title. The stipend is, of course, in addition to the Royalties and Bounties you’ll earn on sales of the audiobook. You may claim up to 15 Stipends during this offer period.
This, my friend, is huge.
If you’re not familiar with the different ways to make money narrating audiobooks for ACX, the stipend job is the best of all ACX jobs: you not only make money when the book is sold (each copy sold nets you at least 25% of the sale price to the listener), but you also get paid per hour to produce the book, in this case, an additional $100 per finished hour.
So, if you narrate a book that ends up being 10 hours long, that’s a payment to you $1,000.00 just for the work of recording and producing the book in your home studio, with your awesome home VO gear. That’s nearly SAG-AFTRA scale, and with ACX’s contract with SAG-AFTRA, if you’re union, you can take any job on the site (including these stipend jobs).
(And you can do this. I know you can. And if you need help, there’s help on the way – keep reading.)
But the biggest news is…ACX increased the limit on the number of stipend jobs you can take. Before, you could only do three. Then, they upped it to five. Now, they’ve raised it to 15. That’s simply awesome.
So…are you ready for some audiobook work and money?
How can I help you?
Now, if you are concerned that you can’t do this work because you don’t know how, I’ve got some instant help available for you, and it comes in three flavors.
First, consider taking this month’s SOVO live multi-class intensive in Hollywood, Burbank, Irvine or San Francisco. I’ll be discussing this development in class, and relaying up-to-the-minute insider information on this new offer, and how to take advantage of it.
Two of the live classes are pertinent: Home VO Gear and Auditioning with Audacity. Plus, I encourage you to use the Bonus VO Workout class to record audiobook material.
Scroll just a little further for details on the classes. They will fill up fast, so hop to it.
Second, whether you can attend a live class or not, I’ve got several video classes available that you can grab and use immediately, including a brand new one I just shot last month on the actual recording method I personally use when I narrate for ACX using Audacity. These will help you immediately:
Fiction Audiobooks
Recording for ACX.com with Audacity
The Art of Self Direction
Home VO Gear
Third, don’t go grab them just yet, because here’s the gift I talked about: I’m immediately making them all free for my Pro members, but only for the next 3 days. You’ll have to move fast.
So if you’re a Pro subscriber, you get these all free (that’s a $300 value for what is a $200 per month subscription – even I can do the math on that).
Just use your Pro code at checkout.
So…if you’re not a Pro yet, now’s a great time to join: you get any live classes for free, and for a limited time, you get these ACX-related videos for free. Remember, you only have the next three days to take advantage of this.
Here’s where you can join as a Pro: http://www.vo2gogo.com/pro
If you have any questions about this, drop me a line. And let’s get more work on ACX!
Thoughts? Comments?
Want to get these Secrets of VO the moment they are revealed? Sign up for the SOVO Daily Newsletter here. It’s free!