Dear Bill,
Thank you for reaching out regarding your audiobook distribution initiative.
Whilst I tend to lean towards sci-fi titles myself, your multi-cast audio drama sounds like a genuinely fascinating production. I’d be delighted to review the manuscript if you’re happy to share it.
The combination of professional voice talent, music, and sound design clearly represents a substantial creative and financial investment – one that warrants a distribution model capable of properly compensating all involved.
Why Move Beyond Amazon?
Your concerns about Amazon’s 60% commission structure are entirely justified. For a production of this calibre, it’s not just a financial limitation – it restricts your ability to build and retain a relationship with your audience.
I can offer a comprehensive alternative that reduces your transaction costs to approximately 2.9%, whilst giving you complete control over customer access, data, and long-term monetisation.
After reviewing current options, I’ve identified several solutions that range from entirely free to a modest one-off investment of $89.
Recommended System Architecture
I recommend a WordPress-based system using tools I already maintain, along with one carefully selected membership plugin.
Core Tools (already licensed):
- Gravity Forms Professional: Handles Stripe payments, secure downloads, and email triggers
- The Newsletter Plugin Professional: Manages all communications – from receipts to full customer engagement sequences
Membership Management Options:
- s2Member Pro – $89 one-time licence
- Stripe integration
- Unlimited membership tiers
- Expiring download links and S3 support
- No recurring fees
- Over 15 years of active development
- SureMembers – $69 per year
- Modern interface
- Designed specifically for digital creators
- Stripe integration
- Supports content “dripping” and intuitive membership admin
Implementation Flow
- Visitors arrive on your branded sales page.
- They complete payment via Stripe (Gravity Forms handles this securely).
- Access is granted automatically via the membership plugin.
- Time-limited download links for MP3 and M4B files are generated.
- The Newsletter Plugin sends confirmation, bonus content, and future updates.
Media is delivered via a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to ensure fast, reliable downloads globally.
Why Stripe?
Stripe is the ideal payment processor for your project due to its:
- International reach (135+ currencies, local methods)
- Daily payouts in most regions
- Transparent fees (2.9% + $0.30)
- Excellent fraud prevention & PCI compliance
- Real-time analytics & flexible payout control
It integrates natively with all the tools mentioned and ensures minimal friction during checkout.
Digital Asset Delivery
Offer the audiobook in dual formats:
- MP3 – universal compatibility
- M4B – chapters, bookmarks, metadata on iOS and other players
Total file size: approx. 250–300MB (professional quality).
Delivery is managed via CDN to ensure performance and low infrastructure cost worldwide.
Data Ownership & Insights
Unlike marketplaces like Audible, this approach gives you full ownership of customer data and ongoing engagement potential.
Stripe’s analytics provide insights into:
- Sales trends
- Payment success/failure
- Geographical audience distribution
Combined with The Newsletter Plugin and Gravity Forms tracking, this setup gives you a complete picture of customer behaviour — essential for future planning and optimisation.
Series Scaling & Fan Engagement
The system supports content scaling and deeper engagement. You could implement:
- Behind-the-scenes content
- Character or cast interviews
- Early access previews
- Premium supporter tiers
- Series passes and multi-book bundles
Financial Comparison
Revenue from a $19.99 audiobook:
| Platform | Net Revenue |
|---|---|
| Amazon / Audible | Approx. $8.00 |
| Direct via Stripe | Approx. $19.31 |
That’s a difference of $11.31 per sale.
- s2Member Pro pays for itself in under 8 sales
- SureMembers covers its annual fee in about 6 sales
Optional: No Upfront Cost
If preferred, start with:
- Simple Membership
- Paid Memberships Pro
Both have free versions with Stripe integration — ideal for testing your model before committing to premium tools.
Next Steps
With months before launch, we can build and test properly.
I’d recommend starting with a proof-of-concept using a free or $89 plugin. You can then onboard beta listeners before the public release.
Benefits:
- Control over platform and customer data
- Significantly increased revenue per sale
- Scalable foundation for your series
I’d be glad to assist further as needed.
Best regards,
Kenn
P.S. The multi-cast format is ideal for building community. Email sequences and exclusive content can turn listeners into long-term fans. And yes — I’d still love to read the manuscript whenever it’s convenient.