Some Lovely News For ACX And Findaway Audiobook Narrators

hey there it’s David H Lawrence the 17th
and I just got back from a meeting at
the Union Hall at sag after here in Los
Angeles and it was for the audio book
steering committee which is just a
lovely group of people to work with I
mean there there are some people in our
union that love the drama and our group
loves to make audio book narrators happy
that’s the only way I can describe it
it’s just it’s just a great little piece
of the union to be working on and I’ve
been a member of that committee now for
I think three or four years maybe even
longer but what happened in the meeting
today was really great I couldn’t wait
to get home and share this with you I
didn’t even wait till the next day so
you know that there are two main
production houses that were
independently with authors there’s ACX
which is owned by audible which is owned
by Amazon and there’s find away which is
a lovely Solon Ohio company that I’ve
done work with I produce books for them
it’s just been great and both of them
now have three ways to get paid either
per finished hour where you get paid one
flat rate that’s it you’re done royalty
share which is basically you do the book
and then you share in the proceeds as
the book is sold over a period of time
usually around seven years and then
recently ACX
created what was essentially the same
thing as the hybrid stipend that I was
teaching everybody how to do for years
and years and years it’s called royalty
share plus or are you not only share in
the royalties but you also get paid up
front per finished our a smaller rate in
addition to the royalty share and so
that it’s called royalty share plus find
a way has a similar program called
voices share it doesn’t work exactly the
same way but it’s closed and here’s the
good news
both AC X and find a way are in the
process right now in fact I think I
think one of them is actually there but
I can’t I can’t say for sure
but they’re both in the process and will
happen very soon that any project that
generates at least $100 per finished
hour on the stipend end of royalty share
or voices share is eligible for sag
AFTRA health and retirement
contributions this was not the case
before and when these first came out my
question in our last meeting was you
know well why don’t we have that as part
of our contract and we that Godlove jane
love and and and and the rest of the
team Steve and why can I not rich from
New York they just are just awesome they
just have our best interests at heart
and you may not be a union member but
this is still important to you because
you can always open up a union and after
a health and retirement plan even if
you’re not in the Union on the off
chance that someday you will be able to
join the union then you can take
advantage of that retirement and and
health plan contributions that have been
made and it’s 13% it’s gonna go up to
thirteen point two five percent at the
beginning of the year and then another
quarter percent the beginning of next
year but now instead of doing a royalty
share plus and not being able to
contribute toward your health
requirements you know you have to earn I
think it’s $18,000 in a year to get
health insurance to the Union which is
amazing health insurance and you
contribute thirteen percent towards your
retirement from whatever you earn from
that now the the royalty share side of
it is not eligible because both the
company and the Union felt that it would
be really hard to track all of that I
don’t know but okay I’ll take what I can
get at this point and maybe work on it
later but the idea that say you make a
hundred dollars per finished hour as
your stipend on either a royalty share
plus book or a voices share book over on
find a way
that money is calculated in at 13% and
either from that money or in addition to
that money you can work it out with your
rights holder that gets contributed to
an after a health and retirement plan
now I’m saying after a because that’s
the plan that we’re still using for
audio book work
eventually the sag-aftra plans will
merge or they will create a third one
that hasn’t actually been able to happen
yet but it will it will it will it’s
awesome I’m just really excited about
this and I wanted to share it with you
if you’ve listened to everything that
I’ve said right now and you’re like what
is he talking about please leave me a
comment below if I can clarify anything
and if you do know what I’m talking
about and you’re as excited about it as
I am or you don’t understand why I’m so
excited also leave me a comment below
I’d love to know what you have to say
about it I’m David H Lawrence the 17th I
so appreciate you watching I’m gonna go
grab some dinner and I will talk to you
tomorrow .