Welcome to Kathryn Knight

My friend Kathryn is talking about turning her novel into an audio book.

Thank you, Jennifer, for having me here to celebrate the release of Gull Harbor as an audiobook!  Since this steamy romance/ghost mystery came out in print, it’s been a #1 Bestseller on Kindle and Nook platforms, so I’m thrilled it is now available on Audible and iTunes for readers who love to listen.  This is the first book I’ve had made into an audiobook, so I thought I’d talk a little bit about my experience with the process.

When a publisher is involved, as in this case, they usually have contracted the rights to publish a story in all formats, so the first thing I had to do was sign a contract extension with my publisher to get things started.  I actually did this first for a different novel of mine, Haunted Souls.  Then, as the author, I got to chime in on what type of narrator I envisioned and which section would make a good sample (one with lots of voices is a good choice, and for me, choosing a suspenseful scene was a must).  Then the sample can go up on the ACX site and wait for a narrator to maybe find it and be interested enough to send a sample recording to the publisher for consideration.

Except I’m not good at waiting.  And I’m a bit of a control freak.  So I went with another option: searching for available narrators myself, and reaching out to the ones I liked.  I quickly discovered there are various models of payment for this work, with some narrators agreeing to share the royalties of sales (RS), and others only working for an upfront fee per finished hour (PFH), some accepting both, depending on circumstances.  Since my publisher was strictly doing RS, I had to narrow down my search with that filter.  I also felt I wanted a female narrator, since the majority of the book is from the heroine’s viewpoint.

Eventually I found a narrator I liked and who was interested, and my publisher approved it, and the papers were signed.  I knew going in, however, that this narrator was a bit behind in her schedule.

Then something exciting happened.  Another one of my books, Gull Harbor, was featured on BookBub, and it received a lot of exposure.  I had several narrators contact me after finding the story intriguing and noticing there was no audiobook.  I listened to a sample chapter one of them sent me and was blown away by her talent and range.

I replied to tell her I was very interested in having her narrate the story, but per my publisher’s guidelines, this was an RS agreement.  Fortunately, Gull Harbor’s past sales in other formats met the threshold, and a contract was extended.

I love the finished product!  And when the first narrator slated to do Haunted Souls had an equipment breakdown, we had to break that contract, so now Haunted Souls is under production with the narrator who did Gull Harbor.  I’m so excited for my second audiobook to release—please follow some of my social media accounts or join my newsletter mailing list below for updates!

Author bio: 

Kathryn Knight spends a great deal of time in her fictional world, where mundane chores don’t exist and daily life involves steamy romance, dangerous secrets, and spooky suspense. Kathryn writes contemporary romance spiked with mysterious hauntings as well as YA paranormal romance filled with forbidden love. Her novels are award-winning #1 Amazon and Barnes & Noble Bestsellers and RomCon Reader-Rated picks. When she’s not reading or writing, Kathryn spends her time catching up on those mundane chores, driving kids around, and teaching fitness classes. She lives on beautiful Cape Cod with her husband, their two sons, and a number of rescued pets. Please visit her at www.kathrynknightbooks.blogspot.com.

Author Links:

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/KathrynKnightbooks/

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/k_knightbooks

Newsletter sign-up:  http://eepurl.com/dmzSs1

Blog:  http://kathrynknightbooks.blogspot.com/

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6477115.Kathryn_Knight

Amazon:  https://www.amazon.com/Kathryn-Knight/e/B00919ENJA/ref=dp_byline_cont_ebooks_1

BookBub:  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/kathryn-knight

Gull Harbor blurb: 
When Claire Linden's job sends her to the sleepy town of Gull Harbor, she never expects to encounter her ex-boyfriend. As a medium, the prospect of tackling a haunted house is less daunting than seeing Max Baron again. Throughout their passionate college relationship, he promised to love her forever. Then, without explanation, he abandoned her on graduation day.

Max never intended to break Claire's heart--a cruel ultimatum forced him to disappear from her life. While he's shocked to find her in Gull Harbor, he isn't surprised by the bitter resentment she feels for him...or the fiery attraction that remains between them.

Claire is determined to rid her temporary home of its aggressive ghost, but Max soon realizes she's facing a danger beyond the paranormal. When Claire risks everything to help a desperate spirit, Max must race to save her--before another tragedy tears them apart forever.

Excerpt: 

            She shook her head vigorously.  “I can’t spend your money to do my job.  That makes no sense.”

“It’s not about that, Claire.  It’s about keeping you safe.”  He closed the distance between them, setting off alarm bells in the back of her mind.

Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath.  “I realize you’re trying to help me, and I appreciate that.  But what gives you the right to worry about my safety?”

“I don’t need the right.”  He stood over her, and she took a step backwards, bumping up against his desk.  His words shouldn’t have sounded menacing, but for some reason, they did.  She nodded weakly.

“I am going to keep you safe, Claire,” he said, his eyes flashing.  He reached out and stroked her arm.

A shiver ran through her, and she gripped the edge of the desk for support.  “Okay,” she breathed.  Every nerve in her body was calling for him.  She closed her eyes as his hands moved up to cradle her head.

His mouth seized hers, and her lips responded urgently.  She lost herself in the kiss, her fingers weaving themselves around his neck and tangling in his hair.  His hands moved to her waist, and she gasped as he hoisted her up on the desk.

Audible Buy Link: https://www.audible.com/pd/Romance/Gull-Harbor-Audiobook/B079RLC5YH

Amazon Buy Link https://www.amazon.com/Gull-Harbor-Kathryn-Knight-ebook/dp/B00BK9QWNY

iTunes audiobook Link  https://itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/gull-harbor-unabridged/id1348774021

B and N Link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gull-harbor-kathryn-knight/1115863349?ean=2940016510637