Review Time
I've published a large number of books with ACX, so I have some basis to measure their performance. My latest book sat for 75 days "pending audio review". I wrote six times asking them to please approve it. Each time, I received a canned email response saying it might take 30 business days to approve audiobooks. I tried calling, but ACX now just plays a prerecorded message before hanging up on you. Finally, a few days ago, I received an email written in broken English that read "perhaps they contact in days with regard to issue." After reading the email, I sat scratching my head, not only confused about the poorly worded message but also about any kind of issue the audiobook might have. As I said, I have completed many audiobooks, and all have passed without a hitch. Finally, yesterday, it was revealed that they wanted an additional word added to the introduction. No other book had ever required such an addition, so it made no sense. Even so, I quickly re-recorded the introduction and resubmitted the book. My blind compliance appears to have loosened up the jammed wheel, because now I see the book is "heading to retail." Of course, I'm very relieved that the book is finally out of the "pending audio review" quicksand, but honestly, I feel that ACX failed me this time around. I've bumped the rating up to 2 stars for the quick turnaround after the word addition, but the whole experience was dreadfully slow and unnecessarily painful. I can only hope that ACX's customer service will improve by the time my next audiobook is ready to go to market.
I had a bad experience using the site. Both from the person who hired me and the site itself. (to be fair, this was my first audio book, but I have many friends who do VO as well and when I told them what was happening, they were also suspicious) I use voices 123 to gigs here and there, and I got a message asking if I was interested in doing an audio book narration. I was excited because it was my first audio book. We agreed upon the sum of $150 flat (which is a rip off for 30,000 words btw) but I was under the impression that it was for the narration only. So I started doing the work and the manuscript sent to me was riddled with errors. So when I brought it up, he asked me to edit it! the whole thing! I asked for more money and he refused. So, being the rookie I am, I said ok, just this once (he wanted to contract me for more). So fast forward a week, I finish it completely, he then asks me if he can pay me out side of the site, that's when alarm bells in my head started going off. So I thought about it and he refused to communicate at all through ACX and would only communicate on Voices 123. He also used several different first names. When it was all said and done and I was uploading it, he asked me to redo the audio because it was too quite. After being jerked around and offered 1/4th of what I should be getting, I refused (there are other weird details I didn't include in this review). When I finally washed my hands of the issue, I tried informing ACX of the issue and they were seriously no help AT ALL. No one there, on the phone or through email, gave a crap that this dude was scamming artists like me. He even said he had 7 book on the go. So I don't know if I maybe had a crappy first time, but needless to say, it soured me to doing audio books. After doing a bit of digging the rate I should have gotten was 160 per hour at my level. Not 150 flat for 50+ hours of work (the editing included) I would not recommend this site to any one looking to get into VO. Not with the current level of service and scammers on there.
pro: 1. they respond quickly to your emails and are usually (not always) pleasant on the phone.2. while the site needs work it is not too difficult to navigate cons: 1. my first 3 books went live pretty quickly..within 2 weeks or less, however my next 2 (i narrated) have been sitting for over a month. when I asked about them they said to be patient with the process 2. They won't pay less than $10 royalties. That could take a while if your audio book is less than 2 hours long and makes less than a dollar per sale.UPDATE: I just got off the phone with them. -- the C.S. was a complete dikk. He just kept telling me it will get done when it gets done. When i asked to speak to someone else he said to hang up and call back (in case someone else answers phone). I asked to speak to a supervisor and he said there wasn't one. When I passively addressed his phrasing he asked me if i wanted him to fluff things up rather than speak the truth. Totally unacceptable service. Seriously, find another platform. I am currently checking out Findaway Voices..ACX lost a customer who used to praise them on all my public platforms. No longer. (not that they care)
They fired all the people who made ACX great and personable. They used to actually care individually about the author and producer contracts. Now, we are just a sad number in a sea of forgotten creators who they don't bother to even pay regularly or respond to anymore. Mackenzie, who might have cared about the authors' creative rights is now gone, too. 2018 and beyond has been a sad sad transition for ACX.
I completed an audiobook as a narrator with ACX. Everything went well but future narrators need to understand that if their royalty earnings total less than $10.00 in one month, they will hold it and other months earnings under $10.00 until it totals $50.00. I found out about this when my small earnings were not deposited into my bank account. I assume if you never earn at least $50.00, you will never get your earnings which eventually become the property of ACX.
Appalling. Chaotic and utterly disorganised. Instructed them to withdraw funds from an account a month ago. They "lost" the instructions, and then lost 3 emails requesting assistance. Emailed the CEO Mr Guo (he didn't bother to reply), emailed their head of operations, Paul McKenzie, including screenshots - that also produced no results. The latest is an email from someone who refused to identify themselves threatening to close my account if don't stop complaining. How's that for customer service!!?? Stay the he11 away from these people!
They change their terms unilaterally. They have the right according to their agreement but it is not so fair or good practice. An agreement is for trust. Think each party to have the right to change a term or any term of the agreement? Then, the agreements do not make sense.Also, their support sometimes is excellent, other times does not exist. Most of the times, they are good.
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Audiobook Creation Exchange ACX.com is the first online platform that connects rights holders with established producers to enable any professionally published book to become an audiobook.
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