SILVERTON AGENCY, LLC

Production

Silverton Agency works with authors, narrators, and producers to provide a seamless experience in bringing audiobooks to life. Once in production, you will be provided a 15 minute check to approve. During the editing and production process, we proof the audio against the script. When errors are found, the narrator(s) are requested to record corrections and we will edit them in. We provide a no-hassle, turnkey audiobook production service, with all-inclusive pricing. Our goal, when the book is completed, is to provide you with a professional, error-free production, including background music with the credits. The agreed-upon rate with the narrator(s) includes our production fee. There are no additional charges for multiple voices within the book.

Distribution

Distribution to retailers and wholesalers is handled by our distribution partner, Blackstone Audio. Distribution through Blackstone provides greater residual sales and royalties than other distribution companies, and you will receive as much or more royalties than with other distribution outlets. Blackstone Digital Audio distribution includes more than 20 retail and wholesale channels, including Amazon, iTunes, GooglePlay, Audible, Downpour. Blackstone also produces CDs for distribution to retailers, wholesalers, and libraries. Blackstone has standing orders with over 800 libraries. Digital titles are also made available to Overdrive.com, the premier digital content provider in the US for library patrons.

Titles we produce will be included in Blackstone's print catalog which is distributed to libraries, resellers, and distributors after the book has been released for about three months.

Royalties

Authors receive 40% of the net sales in royalties for digital sales, and 18% for physical media (CD's).

Production 

We provide an estimate for the total production before we begin. We request a 25% deposit to be paid when the 15 minute check sample is approved, based on the estimated total finished hours for the book. The balance of the payment is due when final production is approved by the author or within 10 days after production is completed.

General Information:

If an author has a specific narrator selected to record a book, we can work with that narrator. We will also attempt to contact narrators for authors. All narrators who record titles for us must meet minimum quality standards. We provide a separate agreement for each title produced (no blanket contracts).

Blackstone has a 10-year exclusive, due to their extensive marketing efforts and investment in CD production. Distribution is world-wide, unless requested otherwise. Authors keep all rights to their books.

Founded in 1987, Blackstone Audio is a privately owned company currently employing 150 full-time staff in Ashland, Oregon. Blackstone Audio has worked for over twenty-five years to uphold their trusted global brand in audiobook publishing and production. Blackstone Audio currently boasts a catalog of over 14,750 titles with 100+ new titles being added each month, and offers the finest in contemporary fiction and nonfiction, as well as the world’s great classics. Their title collection includes Pulitzer, Nobel, Man Booker, PEN/Faulkner, Hugo, and National Book Award winners, as well as countless New York Times bestsellers. The authors are as varied as the books themselves, including such names as A.A. Milne, Stephanie Laurens, J. R. R. Tolkien, Suzanne Brockman, Ian Fleming, C. S. Lewis, Ayn Rand, Gabriel García Márquez, Chuck Palahniuk, T. C. Boyle, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Karin Slaughter, and many more.

Ashland, Oregon has been named Google's 2014 eCity of Oregon for the second straight year. Awards were given out by Google, which included Blackstone Audio as an innovative business. 

In addition to publishing, Blackstone has sought to become a turnkey production and distribution solution for outside partners. They are committed to bringing entertaining and thought-provoking stories to as many people as possible. Amongst other things, Blackstone is tailored to fit the needs and unique offerings of each partner, executed with efficiency, attention to detail, and the unparalleled flexibility only a completely in-house production model provides. Blackston prides itself on creating custom solutions that adhere to their consistently high standards of quality and service to which they are well known for throughout the industry. 

Each title they distribute is rigorously edited and proofed to ensure correct pronunciation and word-for-word accuracy. This effort has garnered us over 325 AudioFile Earphones Awards and 52 Audie Awards, as well as multiple Grammy nominations and wins.

The Blackstone commitment: 

Blackstone releases audio editions in the following formats: Consumer Digital, Library Digital, Consumer CD, MP3 CD, Library CD

Direct to consumer: Downpour.com

Downpour.com is an audiobook retailer offering tens of thousands of the best audiobooks as digital downloads or on CD and MP3 CD. Downpour is dedicated to providing the best experience for audiobook lovers, offering premium products from virtually every audiobook publisher, top-of-the-line customer service, free apps, and free shipping on every order in the US.  Audiobook listeners can enjoy the flexible “no membership needed” shopping option, and every download in the store is completely unrestricted and DRM-free for easy listening across any number of devices. With thousands of new titles added each month, Downpour.com has something for everyone.

Digital Market: Trade and Library

Blackstone's digital market sales have more than doubled in the last seven years. They currently work with more than twenty-five digital partners, in both the trade and library markets. To name a few they work with: Audible.com, Amazon.com, iTunes, Nook, Kobo, WalMart.com, Audiobooks.com, Libro.fm,  AudiobooksNow, Audiobookstore, eStories.com, GooglePlay, Overdrive.com, Baker & Taylor, Midwest Tape, Recorded Books, Bibliotheca, Mackin, Bolinda, Storytel, and many more. They are constantly pursuing new partnerships domestically and internationally, and intend to proactively increase our visibility and exposure in this fast moving marketplace.

Wholesale/Retail Market (Physical Media)

Blackstone distributes to every major book and media distribution company in the U.S. and Canada including Readerlink, Ingram Book Co, Baker & Taylor, Ingram Entertainment, and Micro Marketing to market and distribute their line of titles. In addition, they work directly (and sell and market to) all of the major book and media distribution company in the country, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Costco, Books-A-Million, Indigo Books & Music, and many more.  They are consistently participating in vendor co-op opportunities such as shared markdown promotions, best-seller tables, end-caps, counter-top, and front-of-store promotions. They have a wonderful working relationship with their vendors and buyers and their in-house production capabilities allow them the flexibility to meet the needs of the ever changing retail market.

Library Market (Physical Media)

Blackstone currently has a sales outreach to over 20,000 librarians, utilizing both field representatives and telemarketers. Each one contacts an average of 100 libraries a week (via phone and/or face-to-face) and attends approximately 20 library trade shows per year. They count over 800 standing order plans in their portfolio.

Marketing and Publicity

Blackstone has strong relationships with trade publications and national media outlets to provide publicity opportunities for new audio releases, as well as standard marketing in their distribution channels.

What makes Blackstone Different

• Titles will be available in five different formats and they'll use their expertise to market and promote your titles in all markets.
• Knowledge of the marketplace for over 30+ years.
• Supported by state-of-the-art technology
• Staffed by over 225+ enthusiastic and passionate people.

Entertainment Weekly said: "Blackstone is the best unabridged audiobook company in America today."

Additionally, Blackstone now has an exclusive distributor for Blackstone Audio Inc. across the Commonwealth library market.

*Source: Blackstone Publishing