I was walking with my friend Pat Hayes in Brentwood, Tennessee in 2016 and, trying to help, he told me audio books online would only make about 200 bucks a year. He didn’t want me to get my hopes up because it would never be the way it used to with physical product and we all made big money. I remember thinking to myself, “wait a minute if I had a couple of thousand audiobooks at 200 bucks a year I’d be okay.”
And that’s what I did because I had nothing else to do. I decided to start an audiobook company and chase that $200 payday times a lot. We started in 2017 and now we have 725 audiobooks. We have a kind of assembly line Lego approach which does not sacrifice quality, fun or creativity. We do at least three audiobooks a week which is much more productive than pretty much anyone out there.
I’m interested in yogic philosophy so we do a lot of that. I like 1960s music so also a bit of that. I’m concerned with the development of our society along liberal lines so we take a look at that. It’s the age old formula for success – I do the things I like and so far that’s worked out.
Now in 2021 we own a state of the art studio. I’ve learned to record and edit on Pro Tools HD. Every morning I get up and have something very specific to do. Since I’m the boss I make the deadlines so I can’t really piss and moan about management. Icon Audio Arts is a boutique hands-on company that finances the lives of three families – two with young children. I love what I do.
That’s pretty much the American dream isn’t it? I was lucky I found it yet again in my mid 60s for about the third time.
