I recently stumbled across Christian Mikkelsen on a YouTube ad (while trying to decide if YouTube ads are for me). I was so intrigued that I ended up watching his 3-hour webinar!
In this Audiobook Income Academy Review, I will share what I found and whether I think it’s a good course to get started in the world of audiobook publishing.
Whenever I read anything that is ‘done for you’, I automatically think it’s a scam.
As this was an element in their YouTube ad, it was with great skepticism that I started watching the webinar.
But were those doubts founded? Could it be a good alternative to affiliate marketing to generate passive income?
Is Audiobook Income Academy a scam? Read on to find out.
This site includes some affiliate links – if you buy through my link I may get paid a commission but the price remains the same for you. Thank you for your support.
Table of Contents
Name: Audiobook Income Academy 2.0
Website: Publishing Life
Training Videos: 4.5 / 5.0
Suitability for newbies and experts: 5.0 / 5.0
Quality of actual instruction: 4.5/5
Price – $1497 (at the time of writing – this may change over time)
Overall ranking: 14 / 15
Why Audiobooks?
Audiobooks were originally launched in 1932 for the visually impaired. Today, they are hugely popular with people on the go who either want to escape with a novel or to learn something new on the commute to work.
In 2019 the market was worth $2.69bn and was due to rise to $3.26bn in 2020 (source grandviewresearch.com). The forecast of annual growth of 24.4% would take the market value to a staggering $14.99bn in 2027 so it certainly looks like there will be plenty of opportunities for new creators.
Check out the more detailed stats in the chart below:
Who is behind Audiobook Income Academy 2.0?
The course has been produced by twins, Christian and Rasmus Mikkelsen who, until 2016, were Chinese food delivery drivers.
Through creating an audiobooks publishing business, they have fulfilled their dream of being able to travel the world and were even recently featured on Forbes.com!
Furthermore, their students have earned a combined total of $20m through following their system.
How does it work?
There are several elements to creating your audiobook. In some ways, the research you have to do at the start is similar to what it would be if you were setting out to be an Amazon FBA seller.
(For more info on Amazon FBA check out my review of Kevin David’s course.)
1. First of all, you have to decide on your niche. To do this, you find the best-selling books currently within that niche, then create an outline that improves on the best one that you have found.
Christian does say that it would be best to pick a subject that you are already passionate about. However, he also added that he had success with one he knew very little about (on the subject of Blockchain technology and cryptocurrency).
You will need a really strong title and make sure to research suitable keywords to make sure that anyone and everyone searching in your genre will find your book.
2. Next you have to find a ghostwriter. Did you know that many books written today, especially in the biography and non-fiction niches, are written by ghostwriters? There is no shame to it – it is the done thing and this is what you will be doing.
There are websites where you can find good ghostwriters to write your book of around 20,000 words. (This apparently equates to around 3 hours long in audiobook format). It can cost as little as $500. Why so cheap?
They say that there are many young writers who have perhaps just left college who are looking to make some money and will do it for something close to this price.
3. Hire someone to design your cover. Christian says that it’s easy to find good designers for book covers for around $20 on Fiverr.com which I can believe as I have had some good design work created on this platform.
4. Hire a narrator on the ACX platform on audible. You can listen to samples of narration in the most suitable style and search for someone in your price range. Christian says you can get it done for around $30 per finished hour.
5, Get reviews for your book and ensure a successful launch.
6. Learn how to scale. This was a really interesting section which encouraged using the script of your audiobook to create an eBook. You could then offer a printed book as well as listing your book on other book-selling and audio platforms. (Audible only covers 45% of the market.)
What is included in the course?
In the course you get:
- 40 hours of video training – 6 step-by-step, easy to follow modules on the topics of mindset, how to choose your niche, title, and keywords, book creation, creating an email list of subscribers/reviewers, how to launch, and how to advertise on Amazon
- 4 x 1-on-1 coaching calls
- 2-hour long live group coaching calls every Monday where all questions are answered
- 24 ‘done for you’ templates and resources (for example templates on how to write your author bio)
- Admission to the AIA members community
- Lots of bonuses including $500 towards the writing of your first book
At the time of writing, the course is billed at $997, however, I have seen it as high as $1,997. You can pay this upfront or pay in installments.
He also said you could use PayPal credit where you pay nothing for 6 months by which time you would hopefully have made the money to pay for it.
Thoughts on the webinar and sales approach
Christian Mikkelsen was very generous in the knowledge he shared, particularly in the area of keyword research. If you get this topic wrong, you will not sell many books!
He came across as very genuine and he shares a lot of video testimonials from successful students.
He also offered your money back plus $1,000 if you go through the detailed steps and have not made $5,000 within 6-months of joining. This makes the PayPal credit option quite attractive, assuming you did indeed get your money back if it didn’t work out.
The only slight niggle I had was that I tried to look up a few of the books shown in the webinar on Audible – they didn’t come up when I did a search. (I told you I was a skeptic!)
There may be a logical explanation. But it would have been helpful if they had shared some of the titles of successful books openly. (I noted the titles on some covers displayed during the webinar).
I was just trying to get a feel for the sort of quality of audiobook you could expect to get for the low cost. At the end of the day, whatever you produce will have to be of good quality for it to be successful.
“Even most of those who never have time to read a book usually have more than enough time to listen to one.” Mokokomama Mokhonoana.
Pros of the course
- Although they talk about elements being ‘done for you’, you are really just outsourcing it to people with the skills to do the job better than you. I have no issue with that
- The Mikkelsen twins really do seem to have had the success they claim and have trodden the path they are sharing with you so you should be able to emulate their success
- The 1-on-1 calls would be very valuable – not everyone can follow a course at the same pace and everyone will have their own individual concerns. Also, I am sure this will be part of the strategy to ensure your success and consequently not be giving any refunds! Anything that makes sure you are taking the right action is good!
- The money-back plus $1,000 guarantee if you haven’t made $5,000 in the first six months
Cons of the course
- As with anything else, no one can guarantee success
- As advertising is involved in the promotion of your book, there will be extra costs. Not really a ‘con’ but good to be aware of
- There is a focus on selling book ‘bundles’ as they apparently sell the best, however, this means that you will have to invest more money. Again, not really a ‘con’, but worth bearing in mind depending on how much you have set aside to invest in your business
Conclusion
While I only researched this course for the purpose of writing a review, I found myself getting really quite interested!
If this could be a business model for you, by all means, check it out. As always, please do your own due diligence.
For my number one recommendation of how to build a sustainable income from your laptop, please check out my Wealthy Affiliate review. You can start with no money whatsoever and see if it’s for you.
Have you produced any audiobooks, eBooks, or indeed printed books? If so, I would love to hear about it in the comments below.
Thanks for the informative post on this course. While I have heard of and used audiobooks before, I didn’t know that this particular market could be so lucrative. I have not heard of this course before, but it sounds interesting and it looks like you have done great research on what it is and getting potential new members the needed info upfront to make a decision on if this would be right for them or not.
I thought the information that you provided about the audiobook market was a nice touch and could potentially be the determining factor on whether or not a newbie would get into this niche as it seems that the audiobook market has plenty of room to grow.
Thanks for the information!
Hi Jerry
Many thanks for the feedback. I myself am a massive fan of audiobooks – I’ve always got one on the go- which is what makes this extra interesting. I’m too busy to dive in just yet though.
Kind regards,
Jean
These twin guys from Publishing Life pretend to be friendly and helpful. My experience is very different. About 2 months ago I bought the course for nearly $1500. I studied every night after my full time job, I spent every weekend learning and arranging all the necessary stuff in order to publish my first book, and I didn’t really bother the customer support much because I wanted to get through the very information overloaded course. I got really frustrated and lost and I voiced my frustrations to the customer support. Just after 2 emails back and forth, I got threatened that criticizing the content of the course is not allowed. After my next normal email, the customer service guy cut me off and refunded my money. No explanation other than I don’t fit to the culture. Nobody asked me why I was so frustrated, nobody gave me a fair warning, our loving Twins just cut me off after all the work I have done. I wasn’t born yesterday and I can see clearly through their business model. But I wanted to learn how to publish a book and maybe change a couple of things in my life as a result, so I gave it an honest go. There is a lot of nice pep talk, but the reality is very different. When they lure people into buying their course, they say that they will do anything to make the member succeed. I have worked so hard on this for 8 weeks straight and only one time I voiced my frustrations, without any bad language or anything like that, and our loving Twins decided to cut me off, without a chance to explain why I was so frustrated with the course. If you think that this course is just a step by step manual on self publishing, and that you can easily do it if you are a single mom with 3 kids, think again. But that is the business model of so many courses out there from day trading to self publishing. These twins really disappointed me great deal, and not because of their fame driven fake attitude, but how cold blooded they are if someone simply doesn’t fit into their little click. I bot the course, I have worked hard on it for 8 weeks and because of my first frustration with the content of the course, they found me inconvenient and closed my account, with a really weak and lame BS explanation via their customer support guy. They know exactly how they are playing the odds and large numbers. I do not wish them well because they hit me below the waste line and I hope people will not be fooled like I was. I just hope I can find another resource and continue.
Hey Milo
Wow, I am so sorry to hear about your experience. Thanks for sharing.
Kind regards,
Jean
This was a great review! Thanks for sharing. I know that people are turning audiobooks into profits successfully, and I’m sure this can be done if you stick to a proven plan and persist for as long as you can.
To be honest, this is the first time I’m hearing about Audiobook Income Academy. It seems like a decent course on this topic. The only thing that puts me off a bit is the price and extra costs. But on the other hand, I like to see that others are achieving success with this course, which means that I can too.
I’m aware that any business takes time and effort and in most cases, it takes money to make money. I’ll put this one on the side until I finish my current projects. Thanks again for sharing your review!
Hi Ivan
Many thanks for this. It was the first time I head heard of Audiobook Income Academy too and like you, it has got my interest to the point that I will keep in in mind as a future venture!
Kind regards,
Jean
What interesting information. I do prefer listening to books, as opposed to reading them. However, I’ve never had the thought to try to do one myself. I haven’t heard of Audiobook Income Academy. It seems they offer great guidance, however, the cost is a little steep for me. I appreciate that you gave good details on the program, even admitting your little extra research led to more questions about the value! Well done!
Hi Yvette
Many thanks for the feedback. Yes, I love audiobooks and wouldn’t mind the challenge of producing one myself (and making a ton of money lol), but I am busy enought right now and enjoying what I am doing.
Best,
Jean
Hi Jean,
thanks a bunch for this elaborate review of the Audiobook Income Academy. It sounds interesting, though it somehow reminds me of the ebook self publishing boom that happened a few years ago. It led to amazon being fed up with tons of low quality ebooks with fake reviews and an overall very cluttered marketplace.
I really hope the same will not happen with audible, but I can already feel how the marketplace changes as more and more self-published, ghost-written audiobooks start flooding it.
The problem, from my perspective, is that most of these audiobooks where never written and recorded with the intention of really delivering valuable content to their audience, but rather to make money in the very first place. Every single step in the process of creating the audiobook, from niche selection to launching with (often biased) reviews seems to be aimed at that particular goal.
I’m wondering if that is the right mindset someone should build his or her business upon. What is your take? You seem to like the course and the concept, so I feel a little bad playing the devil’s advocate here. It is just that I personally never had much success with any of those (what feels to me like) “put the money first and customer second” business models. And they weren’t much “fun” for me either. What is your take?
Cheers,
Chris
Hi Chris
Thanks a lot for your thoughts. I do know what you mean, but if the content isn’t good it won’t sell so the whole thing would have been a costly waste of time. The advice is to find the best sellers and produce something better – whether or not that is attainable for everyone who takes the course remains to be seen! Like I said, I would like to find some examples. It absolutely must offer value.
Kind regards,
Jean
Hi,
Great summary of what the webinar presented. Curious where you got your ratings with only viewing the pitch, it seems actually doing it is needed.
Signifigant missing information in their presentation like length of manuscript to produce a 3 hour narration but I guess paying for the course delivers that.
I’ve tried to research the twins after the presentation and found little so far but have found reports of how it’s not as easy as pitched.
Thanks for your contribution.
Hi Rob
Thanks for taking the time read my review. I take your point about the ratings, but you will find that with most reviews, it is not possible for the creator to pay for and go through every course. It’s just my opinion about what the quality of what they are offering, hence I always recommend that people do some due dilligence too.
I’m sure they deliberately miss out a lot of info so you don’t just go off and do it yourself.
Anything that is going to deliver good finincial results is never easy, and yes, they do make it seem like a breeze (but I am sure it’s not).
Thanks a lot for the comment.
Best,
Jean
Thank you Jean for the thoughtful review of AIA, or Publishinglife.com, as the Mikkelsen twins have rebranded their business. It is my understanding, from researching this proposal online, that the reason you could not find their titles on Audible, is that they have been banned from this site. (Allegedly, something to do with selling content, to which the twins did not have the rights, as their own). Now this was when they were still neophytes in this space. Apparently they have learned from this experience and are proceeding under a new banner. I have checked out their new website, and testimonials, and they seem to have some valuable information and experience in this form of publishing to impart. Nevertheless, the online gossip is that even Amazon is growing weary of the MiKKelsen’s graduates/ entrepreneurs loading up the site with schlock titles. Would I pay $997.00 (the most recent price) for this content? No. There are other-much cheaper, (as in free)- options available through Amazon tutorials, for example. I am grateful for your contribution to the discourse.
Hey Gary
Thanks for sharing this. At the end of the day, the product needs to be good or it will be very short-lived. I will update the pricing with a warning that it may change.
All the best,
Jean